Posted on May 20, 2009 - by Marilyn Roxie
What Will Replace MTV?
Traditional radio listeners are switching to satellite radio and on-line listening options like Last.fm, Pandora, and Live365. Increasing numbers of music fans from around the world know to crawl Pitchfork, MOG, Hype Machine, and Elbo.ws for tracks from their favourite artists, news, and to get new recommendations. The on-line versions of music magazines like Rolling Stone and NME are being favored over their in-print counterparts. So, where does this leave music videos?
As a 19 year-old, I have fond memories of watching MTV as a child. I actually remember when they showed music videos nearly all-day, everyday! One of my earliest recollections in life is the music video for Jane’s Addiction’s “Been Caught Stealing”. Aside from some heavy Nickelodeon viewing (Rocko’s Modern Life, oh yeah!!), MTV was perhaps the channel that was on the most and probably had as much to do with shaping my tastes in music as my parents’ own music preferences did.
Originally launched in 1981, MTV’s (Music Television) original mission was of showing solely music videos 24/7, with ‘video jockeys’ (VJs) further cementing the function of the channel as a visual version of radio. It wasn’t long before record companies began to utilize MTV as a means of promoting artists whose careers subsequently were accelerated (Madonna, Michael Jackson) as well as showing bands that might have otherwise fallen under the radar in the States (INXS, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Duran Duran, Echo and the Bunnymen). Even at the height of MTV’s popularity and effectiveness in the mid 80’s, the channel began to face the criticism that they were promoting an unsavory commercialization of music. 1985 marked the launch of sister channel VH1, originally focused on ‘adult contemporary’ music, and now showing sparse music videos and becoming celebrity-themed program focused.
With an undeniable impact on CD sales and pop culture just a few years in, MTV only got bigger and more influential with late-80’s series like the alt-music block 120 Minutes, metal-based Headbangers Ball, and Yo! MTV Raps. The alt-rock explosion of the 90’s had a partner in MTV, who would show videos from artists like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden- this is also when they began showing their first reality programs, The Real World in 1992 and Road Rules in 1995.
And here comes the decline: despite the formation of video countdown-based show Total Request Live in 1997, the late 90’s/early 2000’s saw an increasing absence of music programming and a shift towards reality and non-music shows. Even when artists were shown, they were often more mainstream and pop-oriented. An excellent article at NPR examines “The Fall of TRL and the Rise of Internet Video”, though I do think they miss one important point: there has not been a suitable replacement for MTV!
In the television realm, Fuse TV has been seen as a possible successor to the throne, available in some cable and the majority of satellite packages, with Fuse on Demand as the on-line option. On-line, sure, YouTube is brimming over with music videos and live performance footage, but the site user has to know what musicians they are looking for beforehand; on-line videos are often not tagged as savvy as music or even as photography is. Vimeo is fast looking to be a more fashionable alternative (see Slate article “The YouTube for Artistes”), with higher-quality video streams and a cleaner design aesthetic. Still missing is that random-delivery coolness of discovery.
Surprisngly, MTV Music (currently in Beta; not to be confused with MTV’s cluttered official site) has a vast selection of high-quality music videos, old and new with (oh goody!) a RANDOM feature that shuffles videos: I just went from Icicle Works – “Whisper to a Scream” to Willie Nelson – “Always on My Mind” in one click. Of course, there is still much lacking in their library and the reputation of MTV has been so contested in recent years, that one wonders in what direction the company will go with this.
Idiomag blends the best of on-line music worlds with a custom-made music ‘magazine’ based on the user’s profile at sites like Last.fm and MOG and featuring blog posts and relevant links for favourite artists: mine just brought up an article on The Fall’s Mark E. Smith, the Horrors’ Primary Colours album release, news about a Manic Street Preachers remix album, and Black Moth Super Rainbow, all with videos playable right in the pages with minimal buffering time.
The sites for MTV Music and Idiomag may be on the right track, though the music video as an art form has faced a long delay to reclaim its former glory, begging the question: what will replace MTV?
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May 20, 2009
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“Been Caught Stealing” what a track! I also have good memories ’bout the old European UK MTV! Commercials and EyeCatch were great! Then the World passed by after the great Brit-Pop War…
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May 21, 2009
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There’s something really funny about a website called “MTV Music.” A lot of people said they forgot what the M stood for in MTV a long time ago but this confirms it. “Music Television Music?”
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May 21, 2009
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“M” being the capital letter for the Italian translation from Cockney “Top Ten Hit” doesn’t help at all…
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May 22, 2009
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Thanks for the comments guys :) I do think that ‘MTV Music’ (ah yes, the irony of having to point out the Music outside of the acronym), the website, could be something worthwhile, if the people behind it were willing to spend more time with it- it could be quite the database of music videos!
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June 1, 2009
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I just had to mention something with regards to radio. I don’t know if you know, but recently a bill was passed where terrestrial radio has to pay not only copyright fees but performer/mechanical rights fees now for every song they play. Apparently internet radio had to do this already and this partially is responsible for the merger of XM and Sirius because of them both not being able to make ends meet.
I don’t know how true this really is but it’s certainly going to cause a problem for most of us who still count on radio be it terrestrial or internet.
That being said, you are right we have yet to see a definite replacement for MTV unlike radio which is considered to be replaced by internet radio. I do think however, MTV is stepping up their game by playing an incredibly diverse block of videos in the morning from 3 am to 9 am.
People complain about this time frame, but I actually think it’s smart. This is the time most of us are up getting ready for work and school and would put on the TV to see whats going on as we eat our breakfast, wait for our rides and what not.
I unfortunately can’t use MTV Music because I don’t live in the US. So I have to get my music video fix on Youtube, who by the way is also starting to allow users to restrict what regions view content.
ARGH! If you know how much I freakin hate region specific streams/content!
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June 2, 2009
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there’s more reality show on mtv than on my local tv channel in indonesia.
online music sure does have great impacts on people these days,you can read about what happens 20 years ago on the internet or download records for free. sure is fun,but it spoils people too much, 15 years ago you’ll have to look for the records of your favorite bands and you’ll have to save money for it, but now you’ll just have to type it on google and there you have it. see that’s the problem, people are getting away much too easy these days, and it rips away the fun in music.
well that’s for me, i don’t know about you guys..
best regards from indonesia!
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June 2, 2009
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Not in my opinion. Everything now is just transparent, and artist are forced to work creativity at their best to be competitive. I’m full of original album bought in the 80’s that I bought because of a great single (promoted on radio and MTV) where the rest of it it’s all crap. Surprise? I’d call it blind swap. Now everyone has got the chance to check before they buy. Because music maniacs still buy cd. My room can assure you.
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June 3, 2009
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sure does,the same happens to me when im still on junior high, but i regret nothing you know cause that’s just what collecting music all about, it could be a great record or it can be shite but either way you make a choice and support the artists you like.
and work their best to compete?i don’t really think so, you can make shite music and put it on myspace and people will hear you right on. and no musician makes great records no more, lots of em are good, but that’s that..no greatest album of all time no more. the last great album i’ve heard was arctic’s debut album. i think back then bands ought to be really good to get signed, and now you don’t even need record labels as you can make your own.
and seriously, not many people are like you..they can just download music and feel proud about it. i download music too im not being hypocrite about it, it’s just that when i found artists that i really really dig i’ll do my best to buy their cd or cassete.
nice to know someone still actually buy records anyway
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June 3, 2009
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@Saeed: I have heard something similar to that as well, seems like regular radio stations are struggling a lot…and on-line radio has had difficulties too, like when Last.fm had to start paying artists/labels fractions of cents per song. I noticed a whole overhaul in how they went about things after that happened.
I’ve noticed MTV playing some older videos mixed in with new stuff in the early morning hours as well…slightly encouraging, but their programming during the day still boggles the mind! I hope there’s some customizable music ‘channel’ someday, in the way that Idiomag is a customizable music ‘magazine’ for sorts!
@aupt Well, I grew up in a house full of CDs/records/tapes and paid my way for the most part until I came across Last.fm/music blogs/etc., but I still do buy albums by the artists I really love, especially if they are non-RIAA affiliated (meaning more of the money goes straight to them)- just ordered the new Spectrum EP on vinyl that will be coming in the mail soon :) Also, supporting musicians these days mostly constitutes going to live shows if possible!
I think there are both benefits and downfalls to the ease of music information/albums access…For someone like me who loves music, it is an endless trail that leads me to discovering more and more great stuff! For other people that perhaps aren’t as passionate about it because of the atmosphere, maybe they pass by things they would have checked out before.
And about ‘amateur’ bands putting up music on MySpace Music, sure they can do that, but if they don’t put in the effort+creativity required to garner new listeners, they aren’t going to be successful and reach the number of ears that they would if they did!
I think the problem lies with the great music being a sort of secret world nowadays…people who aren’t madly into it or on-line as much (and the internet is where music has shifted towards almost completely) don’t know where to look! And 2009 has been a fabulous year for music, by the way…
@Mark Zonda: I agree with this! I would definitely buy CDs based off of great singles in the past, and was more often than not disappointed in what the rest was like…and I don’t have the money to spend on all the music I listen to anyhow :P
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June 5, 2009
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Infinite discussion :)
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June 10, 2009
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I want to find good pop music. Help me please.
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June 10, 2009
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Next editorial is for you :)
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June 18, 2009
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Agreed that music is becoming much more a niche thing or “secret world.” There is a lot of great music coming out but you have to put in the leg work and look for yourself. People expect it to be spoon-fed to them like in past decades but that just doesn’t seem viable anymore.
The stuff that’s spoon-fed (mass marketed) is the watered-down pop/rock/hip-hop stuff that is made to blandly appeal to everybody. That might be why people say there’s nothing good coming out. They rely on big media to expose them to new bands with some edge or some innovation and that just isn’t their business plan.
It’s like watching Jerry Bruckheimer movies expecting him to eventually make a great piece of classic cinema, but the fact that he just keeps making big-budget action movies leads everyone to say there’s no good movies anymore.
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June 18, 2009
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Exactly. The media have figured out that most people aren’t willing to put in that extra effort required to find what is truly good, so most will either A) take some of what is being offered up, or B) complain about what is being offered up, instead of C) seek a better alternative! And there are loads of alternatives, in regards to discovering music, these days.
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June 18, 2009
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And that’s our job :)