38 Of The Most Expensive Music Videos Artists Have Ever Made

Of course, the most expensive music video to be ever produced belongs to the King of Pop Michael Jackson for his 1995 song Scream, which he made together with his sister Janet. Back then, it cost a mind-blowing $7 million, which in today’s economy would amount to over $12 million. The Jacksons invited famous director Mark Romanek to lead the production. Romanek later revealed that the studio gave them very little time for the production, including the preparation of 13 set pieces, which greatly influenced the cost of the video.

The second-most-expensive video in Michael Jackson’s career, Black Or White was 11 minutes long and featured a comic skit starring Macaulay Culkin at the beginning. With its estimated 500 million viewers right after the debut, the music video broke all TV records and became the highest-rated Fox special at the time. The video employed some impressive visual effects, especially considering it came out in 1991. The overall budget amounted to $4 million, or $8 million with inflation.

When you invite famous movie maker David Fincher to direct your music video, you know you will get an incredible result. That’s why Madonna (and her label) were more than happy to invest $5 million into her Express Yourself music video. And since the video was made in 1989, today it would cost $11 million. Madonna herself contributed a lot of ideas to the script. 

Upon seeing an 18-minute clip, most people would expect it to be a short film rather than a music video. And yet, Bad is a music video for one of Michael Jackson’s iconic songs. It is also one of the most expensive ones in history. But then, it was screenwriter Richard Price and directed by — wait for it — Martin Scorsese! With a whole month of filming on location, including the famous dance-off scene in the subway, it comes as no wonder the video cost $5.3 million.

Estranged by Guns N’ Roses closed the trilogy that included Don’t Cry and November Rain. Axl Rose wrote the script himself that would then be turned into a 10-minute video. Director Andy Morahan, who also directed the previous two videos, followed Axl through several expensive set pieces. The final scene sees Axl rescued by dolphins. As you might imagine, a lot of CGI effects were necessary to complete the video, raising the price to $4 million, or $9.4 million in today’s money, though many claim that it was even more expensive. 

Making a title soundtrack for a James Bond film is no easy task, so it was only natural that the makers of Die Another Day chose Madonna. To promote the song, the Swedish directorial team Traktor was hired to direct the music video, which was largely inspired by the action scenes from the movie itself. Back then, the video cost $6.1 million, which after 20 years of inflation would amount to $9.2 million at the very least. 

Madonna has always been known for her love for grand things, so it comes as no surprise that she would have multiple entries on this list. For her 1995 song Bedtime Story, she collaborated with director Mark Romanek. It took them six days to film the video and then several weeks to edit it and add special effects, as Madonna wanted it to have a surrealistic vibe. The entire production cost $5 million ($9 million today), and upon completion, the music video was released in several theaters, just like a movie.

Compared to the other videos on this list, this one comes as a rather surprising entry. Even though green screens were used throughout the video to set up a story of a one-eyed monster trying to take over the world, nothing in the video seems to explain why it would cost $3 million ($5.6 million today) to produce it. The band never tried to publicly explain this phenomenon either.

“Less is more” was definitely not a concept MC Hammer considered when making the 2 Legit 2 Quit music video. This 15-minute clip with a plot centered around Michael Jackson’s glove featured a plethora of celebrities, including Tony Danza, Jim Belushi, and James Brown to name just a few. Back in 1991 MC Hammer had to cash out $2.5 million, which in today’s economy would turn into $5 million.

It is not an uncommon practice to invite actors and other celebrities to appear in your music video. But when it is Ben Stiller and Stephen Dorff, who appeared in the hit movie Zoolander in the same year, the budget of your video will undoubtedly increase. Add here the fact that parts of Limp Bizkit’s Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle) were filmed atop the South Tower of the World Trade Center, and the total budget of $3 million (or $4.7 million in today’s money) won’t be so surprising anymore. 

Throughout his career, Michael Jackson definitely had a soft spot for longer music videos. This one, being nine minutes in length, was even promoted as a short film. Set in ancient Egypt, not only did the video boast groundbreaking visual effects, but it also had a number of Hollywood celebrities play different roles, including Eddie Murphy and fashion model Iman. The label wouldn’t release the video’s budget, but it is estimated at around $3.9 million.

Mariah Carey named movies Enter the Dragon and Grease as inspirations for one of her most expensive music videos, Heartbreaker. Unfortunately, Jay-Z couldn’t participate in the filming due to prior contractual obligations; however, Carey came up with the idea to create an animated section. The entire budget amounted to $2.5 million, which today would turn into $4.1 million.  

The author of the song, Jim Steinman, claimed that this song was inspired by the famous novel Wuthering Heights. With such a background and Dion’s powerful vocals, the video had a lot to live up to. It was shot on location in the Czech Republic, where the summer residence of the Austrian emperors was used as the gothic mansion. Eventually, two versions of the video were made: a full version that lasted almost 8 minutes and a single version of about 6 minutes in length. In today’s economy, the entire production would have cost $4 million.  

Having left her previous band No Doubt, Gwen Stefani went on to have a solo career. The music video for her single Make Me Like You that was featured on her third album included several elaborate sets and a number of supporting cast. During the rehearsal, shortly before the filming began, Stefani stumbled and hit her head, thankfully, without any injuries. 

Victory was planned as an homage to Arnold Schwarzenegger-starrer The Running Man. It was also planned that its director Marcus Nispel would remain anonymous when the video premiered. One would think that guest appearances of Dennis Hopper and Danny De Vito would have significantly added to the impressive budget of $2.7 million ($4.5 million with the current inflation); however, they allegedly participated in the filming as a favor to Puff Daddy.

Directed by famous music video director Joseph Kahn, Janet Jackson’s Doesn’t Really Matter was also part of the soundtrack for Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, which starred Eddie Murphy. The futuristic, Tokyo-inspired backdrop, moving platforms, appearance of the first consumer AI, experimental outfits, and a group of backup dancers created a very cinematic look but also required a budget of $2.5 million ($4.1 million in today’s money) to complete it.

The music video for Larger Than Life was the band’s second collaboration with director Joseph Kahn. Taking inspiration from Star Wars and Blade Runner, it was set in the year 3000 on a spacecraft. With elaborate special effects and animation, the video entered The Guinness World Records as the 14th most expensive music video, its budget amounting to $2.1 million, or $3.5 million considering inflation.  

Honey was a milestone in Mariah Carey’s career in many ways. The song itself marked her musical transition, while the music video showed a different, less conservative side of the singer. In a James Bond-themed plot, Agent M played by Mariah escapes a mansion and the island it is situated on. She then finds herself on a ship where the male crew joins her dance. There was a lot of speculation around the video that cost $2 million ($3.4 million with inflation), claiming that it was a hint at Mariah’s failing marriage. 

November Rain was the second music video in the trilogy that also included Don’t Cry and Estranged. While not as expensive as the third video, a large-scale set piece portraying a wedding and a church building specifically transported for the guitar solo scene, along with other expenses, added up to a total budget of $2.9 million.

Not only was Ready Or Not one of the best-selling songs of 1996, but its music video, directed by Marcus Nispel, also became one of the most expensive ones in music history, with an overall budget of $2.3 million. When explaining the cost, band members said that if their audience pays for their music, they definitely deserve to see a good video.

Probably the most popular song by the band, Waterfalls raises various social issues. In the accompanying music video, all three band members perform in front of a real waterfall. Other footage shows individual stories visualizing the verses. Costing $1.8 million, the video went on to win four awards at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards.

While the song did not gain particular popularity, the music video for She’s A B**ch became one of the most expensive ones in the industry. Missy Elliot once again collaborated with director Hype Williams, who, like in other videos they made together, went with a lot of unique effects, outfits, and sets. The overall budget is estimated at $3.3 million. 

Director Hype Williams, who worked with both artists on this song, is well-known for his love of special visual effects, and the music video for What’s It Gonna Be?! was no different. Busta Rhymes appears in several shapes and forms, while Janet Jackson wears a latex suit, portraying a dominatrix. Filled with sexual innuendos, the video’s budget amounted to over $2 million ($3.9 million in today’s economy).  

In its music video, Unpretty follows separate storylines for each band member, showing various everyday struggles, as well as them meditating together. Some of the scenes were considered too explicit for the broad audience, so a shorter version was released as well. Production cost $2.6 million.

Not only was the music video for The Wild Boys considered mind-blowingly expensive when it was made in 1984, but it continues to be one of the most expensive music videos in history. With elaborate sets that included a windmill and a ship’s figurehead, numerous elaborate costumes, prosthetics, and computer graphics, it is understandable why the production would cost $2.6 million. The video was also named British Video of the Year at the 1985 Brit Awards.

With Bowie’s well-known love for visual aesthetics, it comes as no surprise that he participated in every stage of the creation of the music video for Ashes to Ashes, from storyboarding to color correction. He also plays three different characters in the video, namely, a clown, an astronaut, and an asylum inmate, all of whom represent the “outsider theme” of the song. Shot on multiple locations, the music video’s production cost $1.9 million. 

Love Is Strong was a true mixed bag for the band. Even though it was their lowest-charting first single, it still remains one of the band’s most popular songs from the 1990s. The music video, which cost $1.9 million, was directed by famous filmmaker David Fincher and included the members of the band as giants roaming around New York among romantic couples.  

Sometimes titled The Center of the Heart (Is a Suburb to the Brain), the music video for this single remains Roxette’s most expensive music video to date. Previously, this title belonged to their 1991 video Spending My Time. While the song was relatively successful, the music video that cost $2.4 million to make was criticized for its negative portrayals of women.

It says quite a lot when a music video for a song on your debut album goes on to become one of the most expensive ones in music history. Most of the video for Miami features Will Smith and his band members coming to Miami from Philadelphia and roaming around the city. The total budget is estimated at $3.3 million.

When a music video is directed by Joseph Kahn, you expect something very cool. George Michael’s Freeek did not disappoint its viewers. The director based the aesthetics on futuristic vibes. The video includes cyborgs, sophisticated technology, and some adult topics. Kahn also employed some of the directorial effects he first used in Janet Jackson’s Doesn’t Really Matter. The entire production amounted to $2.9 million. 

Hamasaki frequently participates in directing her own music videos that usually are built around a short symbolic storyline. My Name’s WOMEN is a track from the singer’s sixth studio album. Its music video became not only one of her most expensive music videos but also one of the most expensive music videos in the industry, with an estimated budget of $2.8 million.

Hamasaki’s Fairyland is deemed to be Japan’s most expensive music video. Shot on location in Hawaii, it shows the singer and her friends having fun on a tropical island until an accident occurs, causing their house to burn down. The overall budget of this video is estimated at $2.8 million.  

As a single, Green was released together with the artist’s other song, Days. The music video was shot in Shanghai, China, while on tour. Director Kazuyoshi Shimamura styled it after Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution. Hamasaki plays the role of a nightclub singer in 1930s Shanghai. The budget was a little lower than the singer’s two other most expensive videos and amounted to $2.5 million. 

Initially, Blackstreet were supposed to record Girlfriend/Boyfriend together with the Spice Girls as part of the soundtrack for South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. However, for undisclosed reasons, this version was never released, and the R&B band went on to re-record it with Janet Jackson. They also invited Joseph Kahn to direct the accompanying music video, which cost $2.5 million.  

When your music video, released in 1989, remains one of the most expensive ones in the world three decades later, you should probably be proud of it. Before turning to music, Pia Zadora tried her hand at acting, though without much success. In the music video for Heartbeat Of Love, she appears in several sets, surrounded by men, while another man watches her sleep on the monitor in a different setup. The estimated budget for the video was $1.75 million.

When the directing team for the video were discussing the production of Give Me All Your Luvin’, they were tasked with coming up with an idea “about happiness and something really sunny.” As the single was scheduled to premiere at the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show, the football and cheerleading theme became an inspiration for the video. It cost $1.8 million to make and received mixed critical reviews.

Strictly speaking, Dole Re Dola is not a traditional music video but a musical item number from a Bollywood movie, Devdas. The song is set during the celebration of Durga Puja and includes elaborate decorations and costumes. Both leading actresses, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit, appear in the dance. Costing $2.4 million to make, this item number was only one of the nine tracks in the movie.

Shooting in the streets of Tokyo, Kanye West and his team didn’t get permission for filming, going guerrilla style instead. Among other things, the Stronger music video includes a real-life Japanese motorbike gang, a Japanese politician riot, and two main actors from the film Daft Punk’s Electroma. Kanye, who was inspired by the 1988 anime Akira, wanted to achieve a space-age look. The production budget is estimated at $1.6 million.