List of most expensive music videos

This page lists the most expensive music videos ever made, with costs of $500,000 or more. David Bowie's video for the 1980 single Ashes to Ashes was the first music video to exceed this sum. Janet Jackson leads with six videos on the list, while Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and Ayumi Hamasaki have five each. Hamasaki, T-ara and B.A.P are also the only Asian artists to appear on this list. Madonna has made four appearances in the top 5 making her the artist with the most expensive videos of all time put together. Mylène Farmer has made 3 appearances. TLC, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Guns N' Roses, and MC Hammer appear on the list twice. Joseph Kahn has directed four videos on this list while Hype Williams and Wataru Takeishi have directed three videos on the list. Nigel Dick, Mark Romanek and John Landis appear twice on this list, the latter with videos both directed for Michael Jackson.

Janet Jackson leads with six videos on the list, while Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and Ayumi Hamasaki have five each. Hamasaki, T-ara and B.A.P are also the only Asian artists to appear on this list. Madonna has made four appearances in the top 5 making her the artist with the most expensive videos of all time put together. Mylène Farmer has made 3 appearances. TLC, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Guns N' Roses, and MC Hammer appear on the list twice. Joseph Kahn has directed four videos on this list while Hype Williams and Wataru Takeishi have directed three videos on the list. Nigel Dick, Mark Romanek and John Landis appear twice on this list, the latter with videos both directed for Michael Jackson.

Mark Romanek, the director of the, as known, most expensive music video, Michael and Janet Jackson's "Scream", has denied the claim saying that there were two other music videos from the same era which cost "millions more" than the video for "Scream".^[1]

Indicates the title was the most expensive of all time at the time of production

Most expensive music videos

Artist(s)	Song title	Director	Original air date	Production	Inflation-adjusted PC (2016)
Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson	"Scream"	Mark Romanek[2]	May 1995	$7,000,000[3]	$10,870,714
Madonna	"Die Another Day"	Traktor	October 22, 2002	$6,100,000[4]	$8,025,365
Madonna	"Express Yourself"	David Fincher[5]	May 17, 1989	$2,000,000[6] - 5,000,000[7]	$3,817,987 - $9,544,966
Madonna	"Bedtime Story"	Mark Romanek[8]	March 10, 1995	$5,000,000[9]	$7,764,796
Michael Jackson (featuring L.T.B.)	"Black or White"	John Landis	November 14, 1991	$4,000,000[10][11]	$6,949,426
Guns N' Roses	"Estranged"	Andy Morahan	December 1993	$4,000,000[12]	$6,552,407
Gwen Stefani	"Make Me Like You"	Sophie Muller[13]	February 15, 2016	$4,000,000[14]	$4,000,000
Puff Daddy (featuring The Notorious B.I.G. & Busta Rhymes)	"Victory"	Marcus Nispel	March 31, 1998	$2,700,000[3]	$3,919,906
MC Hammer	"2 Legit 2 Quit"	Rupert Wainwright[15]	November 1991	$2,500,000[10]	$4,215,675
Mariah Carey (featuring Jay-Z)	"Heartbreaker"	Brett Ratner	August 16, 1999	$2,500,000[3]	$3,551,239
Janet Jackson	"Doesn't Really Matter"	Joseph Kahn[16]	June 28, 2000	$2,500,000[3]	$3,435,266
Busta Rhymes & Janet Jackson	"What's It Gonna Be?!"	Hype Williams & Busta Rhymes	March 12, 1999	$2,400,000[3]	$4,047,048
Celine Dion	"It's All Coming Back to Me Now"	Nigel Dick	July 29, 1996	$2,300,000[17]	$3,470,252
Michael Jackson	"Bad"	Martin Scorsese[18]	August 31, 1987	$2,200,000[3]	$4,582,367
Backstreet Boys	"Larger Than Life"	Joseph Kahn	September 14, 1999	$2,100,000[3]	$2,983,040
Michael Jackson	"Remember the Time"	John Singleton	February 3, 1992	$2,000,000[19]	$3,372,540
Missy Elliott	"She's a Bitch"	Hype Williams	May 1, 1999	$2,000,000[3]	$2,840,991
George Michael	"Freeek!"	Joseph Kahn[20]	2002	$2,000,000[3]	$2,505,638
Ayumi Hamasaki	"My Name's Women"	Wataru Takeishi	March 16, 2005	$2,000,000[17]	$2,423,241
Ayumi Hamasaki	"Fairyland"	Wataru Takeishi	July 16, 2005	$2,000,000[3]	$2,423,241
Ayumi Hamasaki	"Green"	Kazuyoshi Shimomura	December 17, 2008	$1,600,000[21]	$2,423,241
TLC	"Unpretty"	Paul Hunter	August 29, 1999	$1,600,000[3]	$2,272,793
Guns N' Roses	"November Rain"	Andy Morahan	June 2, 1992	$1,500,000[21]	$2,529,405
Blackstreet & Janet Jackson (featuring Eve & Ja Rule)	"Girlfriend/Boyfriend"	Joseph Kahn	March 23, 1999	$1,500,000[3]	$2,130,743
Madonna (featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.)	"Give Me All Your Luvin'"	Megaforce[22]	February 3, 2012	$1,500,000[23][24]	$1,577,885
MC Hammer	"Here Comes the Hammer"	MC Hammer	January 1, 1991	$1,300,000[25]	$2,354,636
The Fugees	"Ready or Not"	Marcus Nispel[26]	August 29, 1996	$1,300,000[27]	$1,961,447
Kanye West	"Stronger"	Hype Williams	July 2007	$1,200,000[3]	$1,369,475
Duran Duran	"The Wild Boys"	Russell Mulcahy	1984	$1,000,000+[28]	$2,277,707
Michael Jackson	"Thriller"	John Landis	December 2, 1983	$1,000,000[29]	$2,613,465
Janet Jackson (with Nelly)	"Call on Me"	Hype Williams	July 26, 2006	$1,000,000[17]	$2,347,639
The Sisters of Mercy	"Dominion/Mother Russia"	Andrew Eldritch	February 1988	$1,000,000[30]	$2,000,844
The Rolling Stones	"Love Is Strong"	David Fincher	1994	$1,000,000[31]	$1,596,542
TLC	"Waterfalls"	F. Gary Gray	1995	$1,000,000 [32]	$1,552,959
Sisqó (featuring Foxy Brown)	"Thong Song" (remix)	Little X	2000	$1,000,000[33]	$1,374,106
Britney Spears	"Toxic"	Joseph Kahn[34]	January 13, 2004	$1,000,000[35]	$1,252,819
Kanye West (featuring Lupe Fiasco)	"Touch the Sky"	Chris Milk	April 2006	$1,000,000[36]	$1,173,820
Ayumi Hamasaki	"Jewel"	Wataru Takeishi	November 2006	$1,100,000[17]	$1,291,202
Mylène Farmer	"L'Âme-stram-gram"	Ching Siu-Tung	1999	$1,000,000[37]	$1,420,495
Janet Jackson	"I Get Lonely"	Paul Hunter	March 1998	$1,000,000[38]	$1,451,817
Ayumi Hamasaki	"Virgin Road"	Masashi Muto	September 27, 2010	$1,000,000[39]	$1,085,152
T-ara	"Cry Cry / Lovey Dovey"	Cha Eun Taek	November 11, 2011	$1,000,000[40]	$1,051,923
B.A.P	"One Shot"	Kang Ji Won & Kim Ki-bum	February 12, 2013	$915,000[41]	$929,509
Britney Spears	"Work Bitch"	Ben Mor	October 1, 2013	$850,000[42]	$863,479
Pia Zadora	"Heartbeat of Love"	Dominic Sena[43]	1989	$800,000[43]	$1,527,195
Britney Spears	"Oops!...I Did It Again"	Nigel Dick	April 10, 2000	$750,000[44]	$1,030,580
Mylène Farmer	"California"	Abel Ferrara	March 20, 1996	$700,000[45]	$1,056,164
David Bowie	"Ashes to Ashes"	David Bowie & David Mallet[46]	May 1980	$582,000[47][48]	$1,671,487
Britney Spears	"Hold It Against Me"	Jonas Åkerlund[49]	February 17, 2011	$500,000[50]	$507,929
Mylène Farmer	"Pourvu qu'elles soient douces"	Laurent Boutonnat	September 12, 1988	$500,000[45]	$1,000,422
Roxette	"The Centre of the Heart"	Jonas Åkerlund	February 2001	$500,000[45]	$668,201
Britney Spears	"Piece of Me"	Wayne Isham[51]	December 14, 2007	$500,000[52]	$570,615

References

1. Tewksbury, Drew. "Mark Romanek: 'Never Let Me Go' Director On His Music Video Career : The Record". NPR. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
2. The Work of Director Mark Romanek, Vol. 4 of Palm Pictures' Directors Label series, DVD, prod. Richard Brown and Lance Bangs, 2005
3. "The Most Expensive Music Videos Ever Made". MSN. October 16, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
4. "The 10 Most Expensive Music Videos Ever Made". Celebrity Net Worth. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
5. Madonna (1990). The Immaculate Collection (CD, VHS). Warner Music Vision.
6. "VH1 Music First: The List". VH1. 2000. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
7. Lamb, Bill. "Madonna's 38 Top 10 Pop Songs". About.com. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
8. "Hammer - "Bedtime Story"". mvdbase.com. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
9. Hugh McIntyre. "The 5 Most Expensive Videos of All Time". Forbe. Retrieved , 14/04/2016. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
10. "Superstars And Super Hype To The Rescue". Newsweek. December 9, 1991. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
11. "Those Wacky Jacksons". Entertainment Weekly. December 27, 1991. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
12. Mick O'Shea. (2008). The Guns N' Roses encyclopaedia. New Malden, Surrey, UK: Chrome Dreams. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-84240-423-2.
13. Reed, Ryan. "Gwen Stefani Creates Live 'Make Me Like You' Video During Grammys". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
14. Gensler, Andy. "Down to Brass Tacks: Gwen Stefani's $12 Million Live Music Video for Target New Centerpiece to a Emerging Trend". Billboard. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
15. "Hammer - "Too legit to quit"". mvdbase.com. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
16. "Asia Pacific Arts: APA Top Ten: Joseph Kahn music videos". Entertainment Weekly. Diehl, Matt. 10-07-00. Retrieved 07-02-14. Check date values in: |access-date=, |date= (help)
17. "Rangliste : Die teuersten Musikvideos aller Zeiten - Nachrichten Panorama - DIE WELT". Die Welt. November 23, 2011. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
18. "The A To Z Of Martin Scorsese | B Is For Bad, Music video". Empire. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
19. Jet - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. February 17, 1992. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
20. "Welcome! - Music Video Database - The Base Of Music Videos". Onlinemusikvideos.com. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
21. "Oh No They Didn't! - 20 Most Expensive Music Videos". Ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com. June 1, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
22. "Give me all your luvin info". mvdbase. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
23. "Directors Of Madonna's $1.5m Music Video Throw Her Some Shade!". Oh No They Didn't. February 15, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
24. "Megaforce: Working with Madonna is like Working with the CIA". Madonnarama. February 15, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
25. Farber, Jim (March 8, 1991). "Flesh Forward". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
26. "Other works for Marcus Nispel". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
27. Vibe - Google Boeken. Books.google.com. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
28. Haugen, Fredrick (April 27, 2012). "Top 5 Futuristic Music Videos by Duran Duran". FutureDude. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
29. "Exclusive: How Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Changed The Music Business". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
30. "Sisters of Mercy - Sex & Violence". Vamp.org. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
31. Miller, Ken (June 2, 1995). "Passing the Buck | Michael Jackson". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
32. "The 40 Most Expensive Music Videos Ever Made". Refined Guy. April 12, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
33. Murphy, Keith (March 2008). "Is the music video dead?". Vibe: 66. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
34. "Britney Spears' 'Womanizer' Director Joseph Kahn Talks 'Toxic' Comparisons". MTV News. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
35. Kaufman, Gill (August 25, 2004). "Yes, Britney Really Is Naked In The 'Toxic' Video: VMA Lens Recap". MTV News. Retrieved December 31, 2008.
36. "Kanye West a sore loser at MTV awards - today > entertainment - Music". MSNBC. November 3, 2006. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
37. Khairallah, 2007, p. 44.
38. "Janet Jackson Making of I Get Lonely pt2". YouTube. February 23, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
39. Prince Samuel (September 19, 2011). "Call Me Prince: 09/19/11". Pangeransamuelsamuel.blogspot.sg. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
40. "T-ara’s Comeback MV Cost $1 Million". Soompi. September 23, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
41. "B.A.P releases video teaser for "One Shot"". Allkpop. February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
42. "So How Much Did Britney’s "Work Bitch" Video Cost, Anyway? Three Music Video Directors Weigh In". Daily Mail (United States). October 11, 2013.
43. Marks, Craig; Tannenbaum, Rob (2011). I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution. Penguin.
44. Vena, Jocelyn (November 17, 2009). "Britney Spears Fought For 'Oops! ... I Did It Again' Red Catsuit". MTV. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
45. Mylène Farmer, le culte - L'envers du décor, Sophie Khairallah, 2007, Why Not Ed., p. 44
46. "Ashes to Ashes info". Mvd base. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
47. David Buckley (1999). Strange Fascination – David Bowie: The Definitive Story: pp.366–369
48. Officer, Lawrence H. and Williamson, Samuel H. (2011). "Computing 'Real Value' Over Time With a Conversion Between U.K. Pounds and U.S. Dollars, 1830 to Present". MeasuringWorth. To access, user must enter "1980" in the first search bar, select "£" and enter 250,000 in the second bar, enter "1980" in the third bar and click "Calculate". Retrieved April 20, 2012.
49. "Britney Spears' Manager Explains: Why Jonas Akerlund?". MTV News. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
50. "Britney Spears 'earned $500k from product placement in Hold It Against Me video'". Daily Mail (United States). March 1, 2011.
51. "Britney Spears Shoots 'Piece Of Me' Video, Using Pursued-By-Paparazzi Theme". MTV News. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
52. "Was Britney 'slimmed down' in new video?". Daily Mail (London). December 18, 2007.