Interesting thought experiment, with some historical context. What if "reality tv" had never infiltrated it? How might music today be different?
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What if MTV Never Existed? (Mary Spender video)
- Thread starter Aric Bjorn
- Start date
Interesting thought experiment, with some historical context. What if "reality tv" had never infiltrated it? How might music today be different?
Interesting video 
I hated MTV Unplugged
Headbanger's Ball was where it was at
But if Unplugged saved a few guitar companies then I'm good with it I guess
I hated MTV Unplugged
Headbanger's Ball was where it was at
But if Unplugged saved a few guitar companies then I'm good with it I guess
I was around before MTV and it never delivered music the way I would have wanted. To me, it was like the AM dial on the radio, not much there for me.
Might not be as visual. Even though I’ve never found the visual part of musical performance particular entertaining, I get the concept, and frankly MTV at its outset nailed it. Current music that people without the ability to understand music or hear music like most of us presented in a format they can buy into. Brilliant concept.
I still think that there is still merit to this idea , and quite possibly an opportunity to resurrect the original version but with only music videos featuring the most popular music of the day with deep cuts in the non popular hours , would sell.
What if games are always fun. What if Jimi Hendrix had lived? What if the Beatles didn't break up? What if YouTube never caught on? Endless discussion, all for fun.
Also, she referred to Pat Benatar as an "80s mega-babe". Who am I to argue with that?
Also, she referred to Pat Benatar as an "80s mega-babe". Who am I to argue with that?
Judging by the crap they've programmed for years now, it:d as if THAT MTV never existed.
"Stock market for your hifi" Rezillos.
Just another market place for a commodity to be bought and sold that followed a basic formula of the dumbest buy the mostest!
Once this approach has gripped your mind, it's "importance" loses all relevance.
Just another market place for a commodity to be bought and sold that followed a basic formula of the dumbest buy the mostest!
Once this approach has gripped your mind, it's "importance" loses all relevance.
I think the better question isn’t what if MTV never existed, it’s what if they’d stuck with music videos and pushed even harder into them into the 2000s? They didn’t bail because videos were bad—they bailed because they were quick, and viewers would change the channel if they didn’t like the song. The execs decided long-form reality crap was cheaper to make and kept eyeballs longer, so we got The Real World, Jackass, The Osbournes, etc. If they’d invested in the format, evolved it for early online, and kept being the tastemaker, perhaps MTV could’ve held that spot instead of handing it to YouTube?
Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" was 1979. MTV was 1981. I'm not sure when the board meeting happened, but the cat was out of the bag. Major music programmes like Top of the Pops were already showing videos, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was out years before and David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes" also.
And also in 1979, was M's "Pop Music"
there's some kind of unspoken rule that if you name a channel after something, it will eventually have nothing to do with that something:
"Music Television" turns into The Real World, etc
"American Movie Classics" becomes the home of prestige television programming
"The History Channel" gives us Ice Road Truckers
"Arts & Entertainment" produces Duck Dynasty and Storage Wars
and "The Learning Channel" is the home of Honey Boo Boo
"Music Television" turns into The Real World, etc
"American Movie Classics" becomes the home of prestige television programming
"The History Channel" gives us Ice Road Truckers
"Arts & Entertainment" produces Duck Dynasty and Storage Wars
and "The Learning Channel" is the home of Honey Boo Boo
MTV added the visuals aspect to music. Musicians now need to be pretty people.
However, MTV hasn't existed for the majority of the people on this forum so I don't what their current contribution is to music.
It seems like in EDM music, the performers looks are not important or known.
However, MTV hasn't existed for the majority of the people on this forum so I don't what their current contribution is to music.
It seems like in EDM music, the performers looks are not important or known.
"Reality" TV was the result of not wanting to pay writers. It's cheap to produce, and the results are mind-numbing. The process is often cruel to the participants. The programs, whatever they are and as always, are there to deliver the ads.
I didn't watch the entire clip, but local music video shows existed several years before MTV. Watching "Friday Night Videos" was a regular part of my weekends. Those likely would have continued, at least for a while. Additionally, many bands may not have become as big as they did (Duran Duran as an example).
It's the same everywhere: the pursuit of money ruins everything for everyone
I think about this. I imagine his music would have gotten heavy. Just what would that have sounded like?
