What we can learn after 100 million streams on our music videos

Our first big production budgets didn't come from brands, but from artists. Not to run a campaign, but to make a music video. Because artists are brands, and music videos are their way of communicating.

The evolution of the music video

There was a time when music videos were an artist's calling card. Early YouTube era: you often only knew a track after seeing the video. Artists worked with directors who were almost as well-known as they were, and the music video was a moment. A cultural statement. A trendsetter.

Fast forward to now: TikTok decides what goes viral, clips have to be short, snackable and shareable. Yet music videos are still an important part of the brand and aesthetic for many artists. If you do it well, a video can strengthen a story, define a style or even boost a career.

And honestly: making music videos is still one of the most creative things you can do as an agency. No endless strategy decks or feedback rounds with marketing layers in between, just putting an idea out and making something that hits.

ON A DAILY BASIS and music videos

When we started ON A DAILY BASIS in 2012, it wasn't with a business plan or a client in sight. We started as a music blog. New music every day: soulful hip hop, R&B, house – as long as it had feeling. A blog became a community, that community became a club night, and along the way something bigger emerged.

Around 2017 we got asked more and more often by artists: "Can you also make a music video?" So we went from flyers and events to real video productions. We came from music, so it was a logical step. Our first big productions weren't about building a campaign for a brand, but about building an artist. And honestly, that felt very logical. Artists are brands too. They're building their identity, visual style, tone of voice. And a video is crucial in all that. Here are three favourites I still look back on with joy:

Idaly – On The Road

This one stays special because it was our first big international production – all the way in Hong Kong. Everything you see here is aesthetically beautiful right away, and besides that, a great adventure to have been part of. Idaly and ODB also go way back together, and by now Idje is one of the country's most popular artists with multiple hits to his name.

Kris Kross Amsterdam, Antoon & Sigourney K – Vluchtstrook

The video Vluchtstrook, with Kris Kross, Antoon and Sigourney K, is a special video because this track went straight to number 1 in the charts – and stayed there for a while. You could see that in the view count too, which is still climbing today and has now passed 10 million.

Antoon – Blindelings

A more recent one. Aesthetically, I think this one might be the most beautiful we've made. Lots of attention to light, to movement, to styling. Props to Antoon himself too, who let himself drop into the water on a freezing January day without complaining, for the shot. That kind of commitment makes the difference – you feel it in the images.

3 key takeaways

1. An artist who dares to trust makes the difference
The best shoots are those where artist and crew feel each other out. Where there's room to experiment. When an artist trusts us creatively, you see it in every frame.

2. Experience vs. budget
Whether you're shooting in Hong Kong or in a parking garage in Diemen: if the vibe is right, it comes across on camera. Videos are about feeling. About timing. Not necessarily about euros.

3. Videos help build culture
Even now that TikTok and reels accelerate everything, a good music video remains a statement. It's still a chance to show what you stand for as an artist (or as a brand). Take that chance.