Ranking 18 Of The Most Expensive Music Videos Ever Made. Why Did They Cost So Much?

Music videos are used as a way for artists to use imagery to further showcase a song or album. In some cases, they are promotional in hopes of boosting record sales. In others, they offer an artistic outlet to express personality. Some music videos are more expensive than others.

The history of these promotions dates back to the late 1800s. In 1894, sheet music publishers Edward Marks and Joe Stern used still images to play on a screen during live performances. The idea has since grown into full scale productions.

In the 1920s, musical featurettes were fairly common though promotional videos didn’t become popular until the 1960s. The introduction of MTV kickstarted a movement of music videos a few decades later.

Today, nearly every major release is accompanied by a film for the audience’s viewing pleasure. Many are highly theatrical. Production costs are driven up by a variety of different factors, including location, guest cameos, effects, and era.

What Are The Most Expensive Music Videos Ever Made?

I’ve found 18 of the most expensive music videos ever made. Many feature the same singers and bands. Not all would be considered to be the most memorable in music history.

Videos like Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” or Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” will not be found on this list. Neither will the Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the first video debuted on MTV in 1981.

Here, we’ll dive into the most expensive music videos ever made, their price at the time of release, the adjusted cost to today, and the reasons they were so pricy.

“Larger than Life” -Backstreet Boys

“Larger than Life” was released on the Backstreet Boys’ third album, Millenium. The video was shot in Universal Studios in 1999. It takes place in a futuristic space setting with elaborate special effects and animation.

A cameo was made by Antonio Fargas, the actor who played Huggy Bear in the Starsky & Hutch television series. It is widely viewed as a top video in the TRL era.

The video cost $2.1 million at the time and would be north of $4 million if made today.

“Bad” -Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson released “Bad” in 1987 as the second single on an album of the same name. There are two versions of the music video, one of which is four minutes long and another that’s close to 20.

The video references West Side Story and was directed by Martin Scorsese. Shot in Brooklyn in 1986, it took six weeks to complete and features Wesley Snipes.

The production won numerous awards and is recognized as one of the greatest music videos ever made. It cost $2.2 million when created, a number that would be around $6.2 million today.

“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” -Celine Dion

“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” was released on Celine Dion’s Falling into You album. It was actually a cover of a power ballad originally sung by girl group Pandora’s Box.

The music video is nearly eight minutes long. It was directed by British filmmaker Nigel Dick, who also produced videos for Britney Spears, Oasis, and Guns N’ Roses.

Two versions of the video, which was filmed in 1996 at a castle in Prague, exist. It cost $2.3 million to make. Today, that cost would rise to $4.7 million.

What’s It Gonna Be?” -Busta Rhymes ft. Janet Jackson

“What’s It Gonna Be?” was released on Busta Rhymes’ third studio album, Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front. The music video was directed by Hype Williams.

The futuristic video relied heavily on special effects, driving up the costs. In 1999, it cost $2.4 million to produce. Today, it would be closer to $4.6 million.

“Doesn’t Really Matter” -Janet Jackson

Though it was released on Jackson’s All For You album in 2001, “Doesn’t Really Matter” originally dropped in 2000 on the soundtrack of The Nutty Professor II film.

The music video was directed by Joseph Kahn, who also produced previously mentioned “Larger than Life” with the Backstreet Boys.

It was filmed in California, and though Kahn worked under the premise of “epic minimalism,” using smaller sets, it still cost nearly $2.5 million. Clothing, cars, and the use of an Artificial Intelligence robot contributed to that total, which would be around $4.7 million today.

“Heartbreaker” -Mariah Carey ft. Jay-Z

“Heartbreaker” was released on Mariah Carey’s seventh studio album, Rainbow. Bret Ratner, who directed Rush Hour and a variety of other popular films, directed the music video.

That video began airing on MTV in 1999, and it couldn’t star feature artist Jay-Z due to a contractual agreement. Instead, an animation was created to air while his solo plays. Actor Jerry O’Connell does make an appearance as Carey’s boyfriend.

The video was produced in Los Angeles to the tune of $2.5 million. Costs in the current era would be $4.7 million.

“2 Legit 2 Quit” -MC Hammer

“2 Legit 2 Quit” was released in 1991 on MC Hammer’s fourth album, Too Legit to Quit. It peaked at No.5 on the Billboard Top 100.

The music video that accompanied the song is nearly 15 minutes long and features celebrities Jim Belushi, Danny Glover, Eazy-E, Tony Danza, Queen Latifah, James Brown, and many more. A number of athletes also make cameos, including Jerry Rice, Jose Canseco, Deion Sanders, Isaiah Thomas, and Roger Clemens. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad is even in on the fun.

The video, which is laden with pyrotechnics, cost $2.5 million to make. Fast forward 35 years, and that cost would be $5.9 million.

“Victory” -Puff Daddy ft. Notorious BIG and Busta Rhymes

“Victory” was released in 1998 on Puff Daddy’s No Way Out album. It features the last verses recorded by Biggie before his death in ’97.

The song’s music video was directed by Marcus Nispel, who was the director of the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, among other things.

The original seven-plus-minute video features Danny DeVito and Dennis Hopper, as well as a pair of English socialites. Footage of Notorious BIG was used in the video following his death. All in all, it cost $2.7 million to make, which equates to $5.3 million today.

“Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)” -Limp Bizkit

Limp Bizkit released “Rollin'” as part of its Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water album in 2000. It’s accompanying music video was pricy for a variety of different reasons.

Celebs, including Ben Stiller and Stephen Dorff, make appearances. The video was shot in New York atop the World Trade Center’s South Tower. Expensive cars were also a flashy addition to the feature, which won 2001 Best Rock Video at MTV.

The cost of the production was $3 million. In today’s estimates, that would be around $5.6 million.

“Feelslikeimfallinginlove” -Coldplay

This is the newest music video on the list, dropping with the release of “Feelslikeimfallinginlove” on Coldplay’s Moon Music album in 2024.

It was shot in Athens, Greece at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and directed by Los Angeles based director Ben Mor. It features a sign language interpreter, as well as the band performing in front of a crowd at the venue.

The cost of the production was $3.5 million, a number that would be the same today.

“Make Me Like You” -Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani dropped “Make Me Like You” on her 2016 album This is What the Truth Feels Like. The music video has one distinction that others on this list do not.

It was filmed on a live broadcast of the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. Directed by Sophie Muller, it needed just one take!

It’s reported that the total cost of the video was $12 million, though $8 million was used to buy airtime. The actual cost of production was $4 million, which would be around $5.3 million today.

“You Rock My World” -Michael Jackson

From here on, you’ll see many of the same names repeated over and over. One is Michael Jackson. His 2001 release of “You Rock My World” appeared on his final studio album, Invincible. It peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Top 100.

More of a short film, the music video for the song is over 13 minutes long. It featured actor Chris Tucker, who provided the vocal intro. Michael Madsen of Reservoir Dogs also appears.

The production was $4 million, which would be closer to $7.3 million in 2026.

“Black or White” -Michael Jackson

Another lengthy Jackson production, the “Black or White” music video was 11 minutes long. It was released to promote the Dangerous album release in 1991.

John Landis, the director for Animal House and Coming to America, directed the video. He also directed Jackson’s “Thriller” video, viewed as arguably the greatest music video of all-time.

Visual effects played a large role in the expense, which came in at $4 million. That number today would be $9.4 million.

“Estranged” -Guns N’ Roses

You probably thought you’d see “November Rain” top the list of most expensive Guns N’ Roses music video. It actually comes in at No. 27 on the all-time list of pricy productions.

Instead, “Estranged” is the band’s most expensive video. It dropped with the 1991 album release of Use Your Illusion II.

The video is longer than nine minutes long. It was directed by Del James, and was the last of an unofficial three-song trilogy that also included videos for “November Rain” and “Don’t Cry.”

The cost was $5 million at the time. Special effects played a role in price, as did location. The video bounces around from concert footage in Munich, to choreographed performance in city streets, to lead singer Axl Rose leaping from a ship and being rescued by helicopter. It would be more than $11 million if made today.

“Bedtime Story” -Madonna

Madonna’s “Bedtime Story” was released in 1995 on an album of the same name. Though it had a weak reception commercially in the US, it did peak at No. 42 on the Billboard Top 100.

The music video was a massive production. It was directed by American filmmaker Mark Romanek and shot on 35 mm film.

Due to elaborate visual effects, the cost of production was $5 million. At the time, it was the most expensive music video in history, though it would be bested a few short months later.

Had it been made 30 years later, it’s estimated the price would be north of $10.5 million.

“Express Yourself” -Madonna

“Express Yourself” was released five years prior to “Bedtime Story,” but costs were equal. The song was a part of Madonna’s 1989 album Like a Prayer.

The music video was produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker David Fincher, who later directed Fight Club, Gone Girl, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Zodiac, and Seven. Fincher also directed music videos for the Rolling Stones and Justin Timberlake. He’d win an MTV award for Best Direction on this project.

Special effects, wardrobe, and an appearance by supermodel Cameron Alborzian contributed to the lofty budget which came in at $5 million. At the time of release, it was the most expensive music video ever made. Today, it would be just under to $13 million to produce.

“Die Another Day” -Madonna

Madonna owns three of the four most expensive music videos of all-time. “Die Another Day” tops her list of pricy productions.

The song was recorded as the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name in 2002. While it was linked to the film, no movie footage was used in the music video.

CGI wounds and green screen battles were amongst the extensive visual effects that drove the price of production up. In total, it cost $6.1 million to make, which would be adjusted to $10.9 million today.

“Scream” -Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson

“Scream” by Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson was released in 1995 on the album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1. Its music video is the most expensive of all-time.

Mark Romanek, who directed one of Madonna’s previously mentioned productions, was hired for direction.

A 13-piece set and one-month timeline boosted costs, as did extensive visual effects. In the video, the Jacksons are seen on a spaceship leaving Earth.

The budget was $7 million, though Janet Jackson said it was supposed to be much less with filming spanning just three days. That wouldn’t be the case. If made today, the estimated cost would be around $14.8 million.