Where did the music on Music Television go?

I don’t know about you, but I love music.  I used to love tuning into MTV and seeing all the current videos and sitting down to watch shows like Yo! MTV Raps to see and hear all the new things going on in hip-hop.  Likewise, I remember as a child rushing in from playing outside to watch the world premieres of the newest MC Hammer videos.  I can also remember the time when videos would debut in prime time, as they were spectacles to both the young and old. 

Videos gave music artists the opportunity to present a visual of the sounds that their fans have grown to love.  Even more, videos would provide great exposure for the artists. This platform gave musicians another way to market their music. With video now being a piece of the music it gave those musicians with a video the advantage.  Soon folks were tuning in more to the television for music than the radio.  The video would ultimately play a huge role in popular music marketing and this can all be credited to MTV.

In 1981 the music industry was forever changed when the world was introduced to Music Television.  MTV's effect was immediate in areas where the new music video channel was carried. Within a couple of months, record stores in areas where MTV was available were selling music that local radio stations were not playing. 

Video killed the radio star, but did anyone notice the disappearance of video on television?  What happened to Music Television?  MTV once changed the landscape of the music industry and now seems to focus on teen pregnancy.  Seriously?  That doesn’t even sound right.  I understand that it is all business, but that is like the NAACP now focusing on making sandwiches.  MTV once was a place where I could leave the channel on all day and watch video premieres and see the videos that I didn’t even know existed.  Now with MTV changing its focus and also owning VH1, I can’t find videos anywhere unless I’m online or watching 106 & Park.  I wonder what MTV’s mission statement is nowadays? So where do artists premiere their videos?  We are now forced to go online even if we don’t want to.  The MTV debacle has definitely had its impact on the industry…or did the industry make its impact on MTV?

At times, businesses need to reinvent themselves to stay a float, some companies even have to change to their focus, but as a pioneer in the music video industry it is hard to see them any other way.  Yes, MTV has found ways to retain and even obtain its younger audiences, but what was once a staple in the music industry is now almost irrelevant in music and finding other ways to entertain its audience.

Thanks for the memories Bill Bellamy, Downtown Julie Brown, Kurt Loder, John Norris, Kennedy, Idalis, Duffy, Dan Cortese, Carson Daly, Fab 5 Freddy, Daisy Fuentes, Dr Dre, Ed Lover and the list goes on.