Visualizer animation production : the process and benefits behind a modern music promotion tool

Abstract

Animated music visualizers are a rapidly growing genre of motion graphics. Utilized on platforms such as YouTube and Spotify, visualizers are becoming a more popular way of adding promotional value to audio content without investing in a high-profile music video production. A visualizer is a looping animation that visualizes music or audio. A key factor affecting the rising popularity of visualizers is the added visual and artistic appeal they bring to the music at a low production cost. Visualizers are used by a wide range of creators ranging from A-list artists to smaller indie productions. Combining different elements of animation, narration, genre, and audio, a modern visualizer is an elevated evolution of the computer-generated music visualizer.

This thesis aimed to create a guide on the best practices of producing a professional animated visualizer. The research was partly based on an animated visualizer project. Some of the data was gathered from various visual art books, and the rest was acquired from either studies or online. A professional interview was conducted to gather specific information about similar commercial projects.

This study's key result was the added value that a visualizer gives an audio product when released online. As visualizers draw more attention from the public, the importance of written guidelines and instructions becomes critical. The data gathered by companies such as Spotify suggests that using a visualizer is highly profitable when trying to reach an audience online. According to data, a high-quality visualizer can lead to a 5% increase in streams and a 145% rise in the likeability to share the track.

The findings indicated that the usage of visualizers will only continue to grow due to their production cost and positive influence on promotion and streaming. Written guidelines about the production phases will be valuable both for professionals and individuals. Further research and analytics are required on the platforms to define more details and complex data about the impact of visualizers in audio promotion.