The aesthetic cross-over worked both ways, too. MTV also predicted and encouraged the globalisation of media content and formats. Beyond the music videos themselves, its adoption of grunge and, latterly, rap in the s also had an effect on the rise of genres, as well as individual artists. Later the MTVs Video Music Awards became an important indicator of success in the industry and a much anticipated yearly event.
Concert series like Unplugged spawned hit live albums in their own right. As the media environment became more fragmented, MTV also popularised reality and celebrity TV formats. Debuting in , eight years before Big Brother, it still runs today. Taking the satirical aspects of more family-oriented shows like The Simpsons and adding a sharper edge, the cartoon pushed the boundaries of taste.
Billie Jean was added in but not right away. What used to be based on performances could now tell stories. Hip Hop was picking up steam in the early 80s but thanks to Michael Jackson it opened up the doors for this new form of music to be embraced and shared. Artists that would be big hits on MTV would include:. There would also be a giant crossover that would make a mark on the culture and music videos.
The band Aerosmith had been big through the 70s but were kind of fading going into the 80s and the MTV era. RUN DMC had only heard the first few seconds of the song and had no idea who Aerosmith was but Rubin presented the idea of remaking the song. The song caught on and was playing on both rock and urban stations. When it came time to make a video for it they created a musical duel between two different studios that ends with Tyler knocking down the wall into a joint performance.
Sure, Michael Jackson could be considered a breakout star when it came to MTV but he had already been famous for years. Madonna capitalized on the new artistic expression that could be used in music videos and the music could be tied to fashion and art. She had a unique style that included a lot of lace tops, shirts over Capri pants, fishnet stocking, jewelry, bracelets, and bleached hair.
This would influence the style for a lot of girls all over North America and the world. Madonna would be the first woman to sell over 5 million copies of an album and the album would end up certified diamond and would sell over 21 million copies.
MTV was instrumental in sharing her music and image but she would push things even further with a little performance at the still new MTV Video Music Awards. The performance skyrocketed her popularity and increased her fame overnight. These were the days when entire careers could be made in one show or performance.
With very few things to watch on TV, there was a good chance a large majority of the country was tuning in and one big moment could launch careers of singers, bands, comedians, and performers.
I was mainly wanting to cover the period from its conception and launch into the 80s. Over the years there would still be many monumental videos and moments that would become significant parts of pop culture.
Heading into the mids the play of music videos started to drop big time. Between music videos were played Music videos went from being played at least 8 hours a day to down to 3. MTV would eventually stop playing music videos as with the advancement of YouTube and online sources there would be no point. Everything could be accessed instantly, and no one was going to wait around to watch something on TV not knowing when it may or may not be played.
The history of MTV shows how it is a cultural institution and acts like the backbone of the 80s. Music videos created a new way that artists could connect with their fans and evolved into a brand new art form.
A lot of times a good video could make up for a crappy song. And a great song could become epic with the right music video. The 80s was this great explosion of pop culture and MTV was absolutely at the forefront of this new revolution. But MTV in particular has struggled as its target Millennial audience gravitates to other platforms. MTV ended averaging , adults in primetime, down from , the previous year. Overall, MTV averaged , viewers in vs.
MTV still plays music videos for insomniacs usually from 1 a. But as MTV mostly abandoned its music roots and expanded into scripted programming, network execs have had to contend with snarky critics mostly of the Gen X variety bitter that the MTV of their youth had disappeared. Indeed, the days of Martha Quinn and Downtown Julie Brown introducing the latest Janet Jackson jam are long gone—and never coming back.
You want to see a music video? Hit up YouTube.
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