MTV: Television Killed the Music Star

Sep 28

On August 1st, 1981, Video Killed The Radio Star was the first music video shown on MTV's first broadcast. This changed pop culture and music forever.

MTV was a revolutionary idea—a channel that showcased and played music videos all day, every day. That sounds like a great idea, and for a channel at the time, it was certainly unique. Granted, there were breaks in between, ranging from music-related news to giving context to a song or a band.

Before MTV, there wasn't any other network that showcased music videos. Because truthfully, there wasn't a need for them. It wasn't writing, recording, and producing an album that would go directly to a record store shelf. The idea that a music video wasn’t as common is unbelievable compared to our times.

But when MTV came along it gave the artists the platform to get more recognition and exposure. Among these artists are David Bowie, Nirvana, Aerosmith, Genesis, Van Halen, Michael Jackson, Kiss, and Madonna.

If you were a recognizable name, MTV was the place to be.

In 1989, MTV introduced MTV: Unplugged, a rarely seen format of live music. An acoustic setting and rendition of the artists' songs offered new and old fans a fresh coat of paint for their favorite artists.

The first episode of MTV: Unplugged featured Squeeze, Syd Straw, and Elliot Easton from the Cars. Besides the Music Videos, these sessions are among the best things the classic MTV left us. Some artists who played on MTV: Unplugged are: Eric Clapton, Kiss, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Oasis, Jay Z, The Cranberries, Radiohead, and so on. The session regarded as the best of them is MTV: Unplugged Nirvana.

Just like the early MTV if you were somebody, MTV Unplugged would provide you the platform to showcase your music, but in a format not seen before. These sessions were so popular that in May 1994, the first Latin American MTV: Unplugged took place. The artist that played was Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. With all of this, you would think MTV was becoming more popular by the minute. That would be wrong. MTV didn’t make any revenue by showcasing the music videos. To make ends meet, they had to rely on advertising spots.

They tried various strategies to keep people glued to the screen. One was in 1984 with a program called “ Top 20 Countdown”. Which showcased the top 20 hits of a given year, in a way this was a safe bet for MTV as they played the 20 most popular songs. But at the same time, this caused angst amongst the people who wanted a new context. Some would say this was the beginning of the end for the MTV everybody knew and loved.

By 1987 they were having financial struggles. So they decided to venture out and experiment with programming that wasn't music-related.

This was when in 1992 “Real World” came into play, it is known as the first unscripted reality show television. This would mark a significant change, as they would mainly focus on reality TV shows moving forward, while barely hanging on to music content. More shows like Beavis and Butthead, Daria, Jersey Shore, and Jackass would change MTV from the music channel it once was.

There is also a significant reason why MTV lost its musical appeal. When the new millennium came around, it brought innovations. One of them was Youtube, which was launched in 2005. The whole charm of MTV was to watch music videos on the television. But smartphones provide easy access to almost anything for anybody, YouTube included.

The truth is, it was easier and more reliable to watch and listen to music videos through our phones, at the palm of our hands, whenever we wanted to, rather than waiting for them to come on TV.

For example, with music streaming devices, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. Any song is just a fingertip away. Back then we needed a remote to play the songs on the television, fast forward 43 years later, and we have an entire music library at the click of a button.

MTV with its music videos was a revolutionary idea then. But it sadly couldn't catch up with the ever-increasing change of modern times. But it certainly is a great time to look back on, it provided us with many iconic moments and memories that will live forever in the music world.

A moment that emerged at the right time, at the right place, with the boom of the ’80s and ’90s.

By Luis Zavala