The music of the 80's was the continuity of the 70's, mainly for two kind who we know by the name of disco and punk. The visual aspect was the main evolution : the clip of the 80's gave him a clear identity, transforming disco and punk into new wave. The tubes of the 80's are inseperable of their clip, Michael Jackson or the Cure are no exception. The movie of the 80's looks just alike a clip, for example we can think about Footloose, Flashdance or more experimental movies like Liquid Sky.
The mode of the 80's the same way defined itself through the videoclip, just like Madonna or band like Duran Duran.
However, the music of the 80's didn't limited itself to popular bands. More artists acknowledge later, were in cult bands. The most known were Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie and teh Banshees. Them too defined themself with their clip, them too defined the mode of the 80's. With the help of the clip, band who didn't had radio time could be discovered. They contributed to the emancipation of the artist against the system.
Which has become a common practice today with internet, the broadcasting of the music by the artist grew with the help of the clip of the 80's which permitted the promotion of independant labels.