Talk:List of most expensive music videos/Archive 1

Inflation
I think this list should be adjusted for inflation. Obviously, newer music videos will be more expensive than older ones because the currency ($) being used now counts for less than it did in, say, 1950. $1 million is a heck of a lot less meaningful now than it would have been in the 1980's or even early 1990's. For example, David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes video was the most expensive ever made when it appeared in 1980, costing a whopping £250,000 (now $500,000 USD UNADJUSTED for inflation). 70.179.86.82 (talk) 18:37, 4 July 2008 (UTC)

Scream was made over 10 years ago. At what point does the cost become affected by inflation? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.235.89.36 (talk) 07:11, 6 July 2009 (UTC)

Order?
There is no order to this list. I vote for ordering it by expense.


 * I've re-organized it based on cost on the day of production, with ties sorted by Deflated GDP 2008 USD. Anonymouse914 (talk) 16:21, 31 July 2009 (UTC)

Euros in 1988
Does anyone have access to the article cited for "Pourvu qu'elles soient douces"? I'm trying to finish the modern dollars calculator, but don't know what the original value was, or how they converted it into Euros.Anonymouse914 (talk) 16:35, 31 July 2009 (UTC)


 * I've added an inflation columnAnonymouse914 (talk) 16:35, 31 July 2009 (UTC)

Debate: 30 Seconds to Mars
I got rid of the unsubstantiated claims for the 30 seconds to mars video. When the only source is wikipedia for something, there's a good chance it's wrong. Especially since it seems it was added by an anonymous user without any citation. Let's do the math here: $13 million for a 30 seconds to mars video? Yeah right. If someone is able to prove that I will donate a thousand dollars to wikipedia.
 * I searched for it and could not find any evidence that the video for "From Yesterday" by "30 Seconds to Mars" is the most expensive one. However, on the New Zealand radio station "The Rock" I heard that several times already.
 * It's Fortunately the norm for these radio stations to see something that doesn't have a cite on Wikipedia and to take it as gospel. It isn't true.  The 13 seconds to mars album JUST hit platinum.  That would barely even cover the costs of 13 million dollars... in fact, mathematically speaking it just wouldn't cover the costs period.[]


 * The list is mostly wrong. And 30 Seconds to Mars? I checked the 'source' link. It said "Scream" was on top. I deleted it. Thanks~!


 * wiki can't reference itself can it? Can we take down the video from the list?? there is actually NO reference about the production costs for this film at all.

Also, my estimated costs for Black or White were $4 million and for Bad (which isn't in the list) $2 million. the "Bad" info is in The Man In the Mirror by Todd Gold and the Black or White information (which is more realistic considering it used morphing) is somewhere- I'll have to dig up a reference for you. Thanks.Marnifrances 09:14, 10 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Re: "wiki can't reference itself can it?"; Wikipedia referencing itself is improper. Just get the verified claim's reference and reference it again on this page (or whatever page). Be sure to use proper referencing. Have fun editing. =) Qwerty (talk) 08:50, 31 December 2007 (UTC)


 * On the 30 Seconds To Mars A Beautiful Lie DVD there is reference to $13,000,000 being spent on From Yesterday, making it the most expensive, and i mean, come on, look at it its far more impressive and costly looking than Jackson. source source 2 source 3 (LemonLemonLemons (talk) 11:43, 16 January 2008 (UTC))


 * this ...is supposed to be the most expensive videoclip nowadays...the link is stated below..apologies but i do not know how to update the table..so if anybody got time please do so :) Regards, 88.105.104.80 (talk) 17:11, 14 March 2008 (UTC)

http://www.answers.com/topic/from-yesterday-3?cat=entertainment

not a reliable source. Realist2 (talk) 17:27, 14 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Can you read??? These sources http://most-expensive.net/music-video-ever http://www.animemusicvideos.org/video/144877 http://www.musicloversgroup.com/30-seconds-to-mars-from-yesterday/ http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/30_seconds_to_mars report that From Yesterday is the most expensive video, so why you cancel its???? Maybe you can't read!!Wikipedia says lies and it is wrong!!! From Yesterday is the most expensive video!! Adding it!!!!!--87.6.176.252 (talk) 20:55, 28 April 2009 (UTC)
 * No, find a reliable source not crappy obscure fan made websites. — R  2  03:15, 29 April 2009 (UTC)


 * The mere fact that this gets added so often probably means it deserves at least a note explaining why it's not on the list... Jpatokal (talk) 07:29, 26 June 2009 (UTC)


 * Response: @ User:Jpatokal, I have done just that in my most recent edit. I also included references to some of the websites that have taken this rumor and run with it as fact. Archer Drezelan (talk) 03:24, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Madonna
It is COMPLETELY ridiculous that "bedtime story" is not on the list due to 'lack of sources', it's commmon knowledge from back in the day that the video cost a couple of million to make - WATCH the video. it would be in the top 5 most expensive videos, and to omit it makes the list inaccurate. I say pull this article as it's the second time I've visited in the the last 18 months and it's both times been incorrect, and thus pointless. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.186.228.10 (talk) 03:58, 25 February 2011 (UTC)

im putting this here for everyone to see. This madonna stuff is getting stupid. Realist2 10:36, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

now given these sources I will look for more. anything that doesn`t have a source by the 15th july will be deleted.Realist2 23:35, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

Madonna's Bedtime Story video cost $5 million. The source was cited, not on her own website (it is not affiliated with Warner Bros). Why was the information removed? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.187.29.71 (talk) 2 July 2007


 * Because its a user provided anecdote, and not from a trusted source. --Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ) 22:00, 8 July 2007 (UTC)
 * Once again you people have managed to miss the point, and most likely NOT check the sources. The first source was from www.madonna-online.ch, a valid Madonna website that's been around since 1998 I believe. The other was songFACTS. Not songopinions, or songthismightbetrues. What reason would they have to mislead? So once again, I will add it where it belongs, with a proper citation. It actually doesn't need to be removed this time. This time, please READ the article that is posted. http://www.madonna-online.ch/m-online/videography/b-story/video-facts.htm —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.187.29.71 (talk) 9 July 2007

madonna's express yourself
madonnas express yourself when released in mid 1989 was the most expensive music video made at the time and the first to exeed $1 million...why isnt it on this list....? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.44.216.126 (talk) 23:25, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

George Michael
The name of George Michael's video if Freeek! and it cost £1 million according to The Sun. It's $1.99 million in USD. I think it should be added. http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,4-2002090823,00.html --Gaborm 14:41, 8 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Hi I put george Michaels Freek video in which cost £1million, however i dont no the accurate conversion to dollors so I just doubled it, If anyone can give a proven conversion rate please do. Realist2 10:29, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Of course, take into context, people. Then's one million pounds is different to now's one millions pounds. Qwerty (talk) 08:45, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

1
How old is this list? Wasn't there a George Michael film clip that was more expensive? Forget the name of it.

2
"trttrtt" in References. Somebody was bored. EDFz8280 14:57, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

3
This list is very obviously inaccurate. The article it rips off uses as a source excludes Michael Jackson videos other than "Scream," as well as videos tied to movies. Reading deeper into the source article, Will Smith's "Wild Wild West" was $3 million and Michael Jackson's "Black and White" was $1.2 million. This might be better called, "List of expensive music videos," since so many seem to be missing &mdash; and those are just those listed in the original source (but ignored by the article author)! Calbaer 23:57, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

4
Since the primary source for this article ignores several expensive music videos, unless a credible source can be found I'd rather the whole article get pulled. Evilgrug 15:57, 25 November 2006 (UTC)


 * I wish people would calm down when it comes to things like this. An article is incomplete and in dire need of improvement... so it should automatically "get pulled", rather than improve upon it? Good God, that's silly. If you believe there are videos that should be on the list, and you have a source for it, then add them in yourself, instead of suggesting it "get pulled" before it can be improved. The idea behind the article is interesting, and it does have some information that appears to be accurate, as well as surprising and interesting (for instance, the fact that three Ayumi Hamasaki videos made the list, despite the fact that she only sings in Japanese). KEEP, and improve it if you think it needs improving! 63.21.6.27 07:27, 3 December 2006 (UTC)


 * I agree with 63.21.6.27. I think it's best to view this article as a work in progress. People should be challenged to offer the sources which state the costs of other expensive videos. Untill those sources surface, the current article will do. 4nGeLuS


 * Yes, if you want to improve it, improve it. Also, I think trying to "get it pulled" is very unlikely- there are tons of articles floating around wikipedia that could be "pulled" because they're two sentence stubs but even a little disputed information is better than none at all.  Amber 06:38, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

5
I remember seeing a special on MTV in the late nineties about the most expensive videos at the time. This list is pretty much the same apart from the Ayumi ones. I'm all for improving this list and keeping it as it's an interesting topic. But I don't really see how it can be fixed. I don't think the information is readily available. Any ideas? If it can't be fixed I vote for a complete deletion. Kansaikiwi 17:32, 13 December 2006 (UTC)
 * I don't agree with your suggestion. Just because information is hard to come by, we should dispose of the scarce information we do have? Amber said it best: "even a little disputed information is better than none at all." 4nGeLuS 24 January 2007, 23:42 (GMT+1)

6
I think the list is, a least, majorily accurate, since it has the Ayumi Hamasaki videos, inclduing Jewel. Jewel was just realesed about a month ago, and it was on the list the day it was announced as one of the most expensive music videos ever made. Also, ANY VIDOES THAT HAVE SCENES FROM A MOVIE SHOULDNT BE IN HERE. That will just make them sooooo expesnive! hy do you think Ayumi Hamasaki videos Voyage isnt in here? The movie had scenes from, i think, the movie Sinking into the Moon. I'm not sure if that was the movie, i ould be wrong, but the video was scenes from a movie for sure.

Estranged instead of November Rain
guns n roses spent more money on estranged than on november rain
 * ^i know why isnt it on this list? the budget was about 4 million —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.154.192.118 (talk) 13 July 2007
 * The "Estranged" video used extensive CGI and included a rented oil tanker--much more expensive than "November Rain". Can someone get a source for the cost? StevePrutz (talk) 10:54, 29 June 2008 (UTC)
 * The Estranged page says $8.5 million.MaximCHS (talk) 10:58, 8 November 2008 (UTC)
 * And it's completely unsourced. — Realist  2  13:15, 8 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Update: i found a source for the Estranged budget. It claims $4 million US: StevePrutz (talk) 16:22, 29 December 2009 (UTC)

Scream
On his Director's Label DVD Mark Romanek maintains that his Scream video ain't the most expensive video ever made despite its entry in Guinness Book. Unfortunately he doesn't disclose what the most expensive video as far as he knows is.

He might just be being modest. Some of the Madonna videos may have cost more in nominal terms if you only look at set costs and ignore artist salaries etc. 71.178.170.80 (talk) 02:45, 15 November 2012 (UTC)

7
This page is really bugging me, and if some more experienced user could work on it and improve it, than that would be great. One example of how it needs to be improved is this quote from the article about Scream, by Michael Jackson - "At $7,000,000 in expense, the video was the most expensive video of all time until it was beaten by From Yesterday by 30 Seconds to Mars, which cost over $13,000,000 US Dollars to produce." *ahem* yeah that definitley needs to be fixed. I'll try to add that one in at the top of the chart, but if I can't make it look normal I'll just leave it there. AmandaWins 16:13, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

Incorrect status
This article may not be correct or updated, or just missing others that qualify as the most expensive video. Fyi only, thanks! 69.129.170.102 (talk) 05:06, 10 May 2009 (UTC)
 * Cheers for link. — R  2  10:57, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

Tina Turner We don`t need another Hero 10.000.000,00  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.177.100.52 (talk) 07:31, 14 June 2009 (UTC)

Citation question
If one contacts the producers and obtains the cost for the videos in question, how should the citation of private communication with a reputable source be handled in wiki?Anonymouse914 (talk) 16:35, 31 July 2009 (UTC)

Suspicious Ayumi figures
Ayumi videos have the same price, and one is linked to the wrong video. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Bipedia (talk • contribs) 11:59, 15 December 2009 (UTC)

Fugees "Ready or not" Cost: $1.3 million
In the list a very known as an expensive video clip is not listed. The video clip is "Ready or not" by Fugees. Cost: $1.3 million

"It's just giving back to the people," says Pras of the Fugees, whose $1.3 million clip for 1996's "Ready or Not" helped usher in the era of bank-breaking....." source Vibe magazine February.1998 (page 28) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Arouraio (talk • contribs) 13:13, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Lady Gaga-Judas
Lady Gaga's Judas has been confirmed to have cost more than 10,000,000 dollars to produce by E! NEWS ONLINE (http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b239573_lady_gagas_controversial_judas_video.html) making it the most expensive music video. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.110.16.248 (talk) 05:05, 2 May 2011 (UTC)

Lady Gaga's Judas has been confirmed to have cost 5,000,000 dollars, not 10,000,000 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wasingpei (talk • contribs) 16:03, 16 May 2011 (UTC)


 * The source you provide doesn't say anything about the cost. --Moraleh (talk) 19:29, 3 May 2011 (UTC)

Judas never cost that much, was all a publicity thing, like everything else she does — Preceding unsigned comment added by 157.83.97.242 (talk) 15:00, 4 March 2013 (UTC)

E! Online reported the number but later withdrew it. They clearly stated it was an error. (https://twitter.com/eonline/status/65093788292481024) Post52 (talk) 10:30, 11 April 2013 (UTC)

Cutoff point
I just wanted to offer a drive-by comment observation that, although the prose intro gives $500,000 as the minimum cost to be listed, every video on the list cost more than $1,000,000 in deflated 2011 dollars. I'd suggest adjusting the minimum in the prose, but thought it was worth discussing first. cmadler (talk) 20:09, 16 August 2011 (UTC)

Fix ordering by year
I was wondering if we could somehow order the videos by year, because when you click on the (pardon my childish language) little square thingy to organize the videos by date, it doesn't work at all, due to the fact that some videos have exact day-month-year dates while others only mention the year of release. Is it allright if we remove the exact dates altogether to facilitate year-by-year comparison? Mauri96 (talk) 05:31, 3 October 2011 (UTC)

Also, in spite of the fact that nearly all of the videos have exact dates, the "release date-ordering" function STILL does not work! Mauri96 (talk) 05:36, 3 October 2011 (UTC)

I've fixed the date order. Please use this style when adding new items: 1996-03-00 March 1996 Kawayama (talk) 14:25, 7 January 2012 (UTC)

This page must be cleaned
Yes, this page must be cleaned. I see that many videoclips are supported by sources where they aren't cited (an example is Ayumi Hamasaki), or videoclips that have got fan sites as source, that Wikipedia cosiders unreliable http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources This list is a fake and must be cleaned because these informations are expanding on the web. SJ (talk) 12:21, 27 April 2012 (UTC)


 * I'm on it. Don't worry.--Mauri96 (talk) 20:09, 28 April 2012 (UTC)

Professional Griefers
By deadmau5 feat. Gerard Way, premiering on August 29, 2012; directed by Paul Boyd and Jeff Ranasinghe. In the behind-the-scenes video, at the 3:00 mark, it is stated to be the highest-budget electronic dance music video of all time.

However, the budget remains unknown. Mewtwowimmer (talk) 02:13, 2 October 2012 (UTC)

Scream, Mark Romanek and definite rebuttal of most expensive video
I think I have found a credible source for Mark Romaneks claim that Scream is not the most expensive video. In the NPR article currently referenced in WP articles, published September 15th 2010, he says "I'd love to state again for the record that Guinness got it wrong and it's not the most expensive video ever made. There are two other videos of the era — both produced at Propaganda Films, incidentally [a hugely successful music video production company that Romanek worked with] — that cost millions more.'"

In an article on Firstshowing.net (which I should add I find a very credible and, in the film community, renowned source - the same goes for their interview collaborator Slashfilm.com), published September 10th 2010 (so done in the general time frame of PR for the movie Never Let Me Go), it goes:

Mark: Yeah, I mean, listen. I want to go on record, again, as saying that "Scream" is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive music video ever made. This is not true. Guinness made a mistake. Firstshowing: Oh, really? Mark: Their book is inaccurate. There was a music video made by Propaganda Films back in the day for Guns N' Roses and for Michael Jackson that cost millions of dollars more than "Scream." "Black and White" cost $9 or $10 million. And some Guns N' Roses extravaganza with oil tankers, I can't even remember the name of is, cost something like $9 or $10 million. So I am annoyed that I am on record as this profligate maniac who spent $7 million.

So he HAS gone on record as to confirm exactly which 'more expensive videos of the era' he has alluded to several times in the past. Who will have the honor of putting these at the top of the list?

If more original sources are needed but not found (i.e. not simple rehashings of the firstshowing.net interview), I suggest contacting him via his website and get an official quote, to verify the "already in print" firstshowing article. I'd do this myself, but I think it would be better if an established/credible editor did this. Katana (talk) 19:29, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

Music video to 2 Unlimited/Tribal dance
Back in 1993 when I watched MTV European Top 20 it was mentioned by the VJ (either Pip Dann, Rebecca de Ruvo or Simone Angel) before playing the clip that the music video to "Tribal dance" by the Dutch eurodance formation 2 Unlimited was the most expensive one ever made to this date. I looked for references online but I found nothing about how much the "Tribal Dance" video costed. Anybody has more information about the background? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.224.234.150 (talk) 07:07, 24 November 2012 (UTC)

Confusion over the place of Madonna's "Bedtime Story" video / inflation error?
Madonna's 1995 "Bedtime Story" video is shown in the article's list as having a budget of $5 million with its inflation adjusted PC at $3,013,322 (?). Using the inflation calculator at usinflationcalculator.com, $5 million came up to $7,642,552.49 in 2013 figures... also, if the budget was $5 million with the inflation adjustment at $7,642,552.49, why is the video ranked lower than it should be? --Mrlopez2681 (talk) 12:51, 26 June 2013 (UTC)

Bold
Yeah, perhaps I'm just confused, but how can "Busta Rhymes" produced in -99 have been the most expensive music video ever made (at time of production) when Scream/Express yourself/bedtime story/.../ are older and still ranks higher? There are several more examples of this on the list. :) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.136.88.18 (talk) 06:24, 20 October 2013 (UTC)