Save And Stream MP4 Music Videos
Posted On May 23, 2013
Music & MP3s
Remember when music videos were all the rage? Neither do we. It’s easy to forget that MTV stands for music television. But artists still use music videos as a way to promote their material, and the best place to find those is as streaming MP4 videos is on the web. Once you find those videos wouldn’t it be great to be able to keep them in a place where you can watch them again?
MP4 music videos are particularly appealing because the format is ideal for watching on a mobile device. Several sites offer streaming MP4’s of official music videos from established artists, but if you download those videos, you’re probably breaking copyright laws. Most of the videos you’ll find on the sites described below are from up-and-coming independent artists looking for broader exposure. So unless you want to break the law (and seriously, you do not want to run afoul of the RIAA), don’t expect to find the latest Bruno Mars video — or streaming MP4 videos from any artist that you’re likely to have heard of.
But that’s the joy of discovery — you can get in on the ground floor of the next big thing and brag to all your friends that you knew so and so way before they were popular.
HOW TO BOOKMARK AND STREAM MP4 MUSIC VIDEOS
| Build A Library Of Streaming Music Videos |
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There’s no need to use a lot of space on your computer to save music videos. Get RealPlayer and use the Bookmark feature to save links to your favorite online videos. |
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With all of the sites described below, you can stream MP4 videos while browsing the site or use RealPlayer to bookmark those music videos so they’re always in your RealPlayer library. When you use RealPlayer to bookmark a video, the video is stored in your RealPlayer library. Then you’ll always know where to find the video, so you won’t have to do a new video search each time you want to watch it.
The main difference between bookmarking a video and downloading a video is that when you bookmark it you need to be connected to the Internet in order to watch it since it streams the video. Downloading a video means it’s saved on your computer and you can watch it with or without an Internet connection.
If you don’t already have RealPlayer, you can download a free version by clicking on the orange button in the top right corner of this page. Once it’s downloaded you’ll have RealPlayer options available when watching a video online. While watching a video, mouse over the top right corner of the clip and you’ll see two options: “Download This Video” and “Bookmark This Video.” Click Bookmark This Video. Bookmarking a video saves the link and a thumbnail of the clip in the RealPlayer library. It’s an easy way to create a library of your favorite MP4 music videos in one spot and save space on your computer.
WHERE TO FIND FREE STREAMING MP4 MUSIC VIDEOS
Along with its infamously snarky record reviews, web-based music publication Pitchfork includes a channel dedicated to music videos, Pitchfork.tv. As you’d expect, it’s focused on the type of independent artists normally covered by the publication. Similarly, IndieTrain is a YouTube-style site dedicated to music videos from independent artists. Many of the videos on both sites are available in high-definition (HD) or standard-definition. Here is a sample of one of the videos on IndieTrain: Artist Zoe Ann performing Someday.
YouTube itself, of course, contains a broad selection of official music videos from well-known artists, as well as videos from independent bands. You can even search specifically for MP4 music videos. The site also features more than 200 music channels that you can subscribe to.
Blastro Networks collects music videos in three channels: Blastro (pop, hip-hop, R&B, Latin, and dance), Roxwel (rock, metal, and indie), and Y’All Wire (country, bluegrass, and Christian). Though you’ll find content from established artists like Rascal Flatts, the network of sites are designed to provide a platform where people can stream MP4 videos of new and unsigned artists, so you can get in on the ground floor of what could be the next big thing in music.
Do you have a favorite source for streaming MP4 music videos by independent artists? Let us know in the comments section.
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Hold on now. I can remember when music videos were the rage! I remember watching John Cougar Melencamp jump over a parking meter in the first video I ever saw. I know… I’m old… Thanks for writing such a great post. I am really loving Blastro Networks. It’s easier to find cool indie music videos than YouTube.
Do you remember what the first music video was that played when MTV launched? It was a classic.
Not just NEW videos are downloading as mp4s, old ones are too. When is Real Player going to make it possible for us to play the music we download from You Tube, etc. It’s very frustrating. Bookmarking doesn’t do much good when you’re making a library on a player that also doesn’t have the ability to play them. When will that change?
Been using Real Player for a couple years, downloading videos from YouTube with great success.
Recently they almost all seem to download in MP4 format, and when I try to play them, they won’t play, no matter what video player I try them with.
I’ve read a few places that I’m not the only one having issues with this, and was wondering if it’s something REAL is working to fix… or if I’m just doing something wrong.
(I’ve updated the program and even loaded the lastest version online again… then checked for updates after the new download.)
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks for your attention… and your products!!
Hi Diana,
Sorry for the inconvenience, this is due to changes made at YouTube and we are working with YouTube to resolve the issue. However, here are some steps we think might fix this issue.
Workaround steps for Internet Explorer
1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click on Tools
3. Go to Manage Add-ons
4. Disable Shockwave Flash Object
5. Close & reopen Internet Explorer
6. Go to http://www.youtube.com and play the video you want to download
7. It will prompt to ‘Upgrade Adobe Flash Player’ (Ignore this message)
8. Attempt to download. Now files should get downloaded and are playable
Please be informed that we have already tested these steps with few customers and it worked on their computers. Even after disabling the Shockwave Flash Object plug-in, the YouTube videos are playing in Internet Explorer. If the videos doesn’t play, kindly enable the plugin and wait for our team to find a permanent fix for this issue.
If that doesn’t work, send an email to help@real.com so that we can help you further.
Hi GSSSMMS,
Sorry for the inconvenience, this is due to changes made at YouTube and we are working with YouTube to resolve the issue. However, here are some steps we think might resolve the issue.
Workaround steps for Internet Explorer
1. Open Internet Explorer
2. Click on Tools
3. Go to Manage Add-ons
4. Disable Shockwave Flash Object
5. Close & reopen Internet Explorer
6. Go to http://www.youtube.com and play the video you want to download
7. It will prompt to ‘Upgrade Adobe Flash Player’ (Ignore this message)
8. Attempt to download. Now files should get downloaded and are playable
Please be informed that we have already tested these steps with few customers and it worked on their computers. Even after disabling the Shockwave Flash Object plug-in, the YouTube videos are playing in Internet Explorer. If the videos doesn’t play, kindly enable the plugin and wait for our team to find a permanent fix for this issue.
If that doesn’t work, send an email to help@real.com so that we can help you further.
I’ve tried all the so called solutions and none of them work including the one above. I have enjoyed using Realplayer and building up my own music vid library. This is such a shame, I hope it can be resolved soon!!!
Hi Loopy,
Kindly give us some more time to resolve this issue. Our technical team is still working on this issue. This issue will be resolved at the earliest.
When realplayer gonna fix this issue? It’s been two month already! OMG!
Hi Chan,
Our technical team is still working on it. When we have an update on the status of this issue, we will let you know, and provide any instructions that may be necessary.
I have similar problems with playing downloaded mp4 files, but don’t use Internet Explorer, only Google Chrome. Tried many things, but don’t seem to be getting anywhere, and don’t want to keep disabling/changing settings because I may may create new problems. Thank you in anticipation for your wise counsel and advice.
Hi Leif,
This is due to changes made at YouTube and we are working with YouTube to resolve the issue. However, try few workaround steps provided in this link to fix the issue:
https://realnetworks.zendesk.com/entries/23698236
Note: The workaround steps provided in this link is only for Internet Explorer. If you want to use Google Chrome to download videos, please wait for our technical team to find a permanent fix for this issue.
If you have additional questions, email us at help@real.com.
I use Firefox for my browser and experience the same problem of not being able to play a downloaded mp4 file, no matter which player I use. Is there a work-around for when downloading using Firefox?
Some sites have introduced a new streaming standard. We are working on an update to RealPlayer that will allow for this new format. We now expect to release a fix with the next RealPlayer 16 build in mid-August. In the meantime, you can try the interim solution provided in this link (if you are using Internet Explorer): https://realnetworks.zendesk.com/entries/23698236
Enable the RealPlayer plug-in in your browser by following: https://realnetworks.zendesk.com/entries/23689856-Download-This-Video-option-does-not-appear