Can MTV Return to the Glory Days of Music Videos?

By Jett Wells Posted Nov 7th 2010 02:30PM

Pop-Ed: When people talk MTV, they make it sound like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tale. Jekyll was the 1980s-to-late-1990s MTV, when it was still called "music television" and was about one thing only -- music. The impact it had on musicians' careers was revolutionary, and it made artists like Michael Jackson transform from pop star to legend.

Mr. Hyde is what you see today, a network without an identity and invested more in teenage humor, publicity stunts and 'Jersey Shore.' If you grew up watching MTV in the '90s, you probably don't watch MTV today because music videos and 'TRL' ('Total Request Live,' yeah, the days of Carson Daly) have been replaced by pregnant teenagers and indie redheads from Texas.

Now MTV wants us to believe that's all changing, that they can move back to the glory days of music videos. Read on.

Vulture reported that MTV has taken on a new series where they'll finance music videos to turn them into epic dramas -- in other words, really expensive, cool-looking music videos with good directors. The series is called 'Supervideo,' and it officially started with a new video for LCD Soundsystem's 'Pow Wow,' featuring Oscar-nominee Anna Kendrick of 'Twilight' and 'Up in the Air' fame.

Can this series revitalize the cultural relevance of music videos once again, or is it just a pet project to please MTV's older fans? Simple answer: MTV gave birth to the music video, it killed the music video, and it still won't resurrect the music video -- at least not to what it once was.

The effort is led by publisher of Mean Magazine, Kashy Kahledi, an old music video geek, who feels premium value is returning to the art form after Lady Gaga and Kanye West's successes. "It says that there's a certain nostalgia, that there's a sort of excitement for the music video again," Kahledi said.

MTV nabbed 'Training Day' writer David Ayer to run the first 'supervideo,' and it certainly looked pretty, but for music videos to rise back to the influential medium they once were, it's going to take a whole lot more than fancy cameras and MTV money. The main idea that made music videos so powerful back in the '80s and '90s was that MTV was built around them; they had a whole network vying for different ways to promote them. Sometimes it was the music video that made the artist, but today the clips' roles are more similar to album covers -- decorative art to promote digital tracks on iTunes. Videos play second fiddle.

'Supervideo' isn't going to change MTV's relationship with music videos because MTV worked too hard to leave them in the past, and while a lot of people moved on, new viewers have tuned in for Snooki and 'The Burial Life' instead.

The irony is that even if MTV wanted to ditch reality TV and bring back the music video, it wouldn't matter because the state of the music industry has flipped upside down. When music videos were in their prime, Napster didn't exist and YouTube was years away. Music videos haven't lost all relevance, but they've adapted to today's viral environment where everything is on Vevo/YouTube, and people only buy music because they don't know how to use Google correctly. Times have changed, and today's music video doesn't fit into the end-all be-all role it once had, because our attention spans have been divided by four -- there's too much information on the internet coming at us from all ends for us to value it as much anymore.

Although the role of the music video has changed dramatically, that doesn't mean we don't love them when they're good. Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' and Kanye West's 'Runaway' made music videos an artform once again, and their traffic on YouTube alone proves people still love them, but conversely, our behaviors have changed. MTV can't make money off music videos anymore because people only need a laptop, no more TV, to get what they want. People have the control. MTV can invest in high-quality music videos, and people will watch them, but this isn't by any means a return to the 1990s and they won't change the role of the video because our culture changed without them a long time ago.

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Tags: MTV, music video

Comments

(47)

Sunday 07 November

By flea

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mtv sucks azz really it does i remerber the first video and really enjoy it untill they start making it into like tv reality show its suck makes me sick i really miss downtown julie brown and that whole group

By Mandy

Youtube is the new MTV. Youtube is where I go for music videos.

By mary

I crave the old days of MTV...JJ Jackson, Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, Mark and Nina. Simple set design, simple concept of music videos, and artists constantly stopping by. If they had re-runs, I'd happily watch! I no longer watch the current MTV at all.

Monday 08 November

By CRAIG

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BRING BACK THE SOLID GOLD DANCERS!

By RYAN

I watched it back in the day to see the vids of my favorite bands,I watched head banger ball,I watched it all the time back in the day.When rap started getting radio play Mtv stayed away from it,then it got yo mtv raps and now if they play a video at all its r&b or rap and nothing else at all.I havent watched mtv in years because I dont like rap and if I want to see some tv show Ill watch some other channel....Im too old for jersy shore and Im sure Im not stupid enough to watch that sh*t but if mtv ever wants me to watch it again,play music. and rap aint music.

By JBaer

MTV showing music videos--imagine that...

By lorenz

Hip Hop/Rap killed MTV.
MTV was original in the 80s and early 90s. the music was alternative/rock /new wave/metal/punk,etc. it was when music was at its zenith.For good music now you have to go across the pond. American music has been dead for 15 years. Few exceptions.

By me

I couldn't be happier that I shut my cable off six months ago. With all the drivel of reality shows on today, who needs it. Ridiculous. Cancel your cable, save some money and read books instead. Maybe if everyone did that, America would have a shot at being an intelligent country again.

By heather

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i grew up with the original mtv in the 80's but havent watched in years hate reality tv and miss the videos:(

By falcon38a

I wish MTV and VH1 would bring back the music. It was so nice to flip over to those channels to watch music videos when nothing else was on. Watching those videos is was got me to buy music after hearing and seeing the video.

By Mike M

Back in 1981, I did not have cable tv. I was at the bar and I seen MTV there. The next day, I ordered cable and I was hooked to MTV. I would watch it for hours and hours on end. It was so great.
I guess the kids of today like the shows on there now, my kids do anyaway. I wish they would keep the new shows on for the kids, maybe switch it to a new station all it PUNK-TV and give us the MTV back. I know if they did I probably wold watch it again as I did before. Give me the days of Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, J.J. Jackson and Martha Quinn.

By Enough Already

Music today is manufactured and over produced. Can't imagine the videos would be anything by sleazy matching 90% of what is shown on MTV. The days of great music videos are over.

By Shanice

I'm 17 and I don't respect MTV. I don't really care if you want to show crappy reality shows all day. But if your going to do that at least bother to change your name. If your going to call yourself "Music Television" then play some music videos. And not at 3am when nobody is awake to see them. Truth is MTV will never go back to its glory days because that would require music to go back to actually being about something. I don't know about everybody else but I'd rather not see Lady Gaga 24/7.

By JOCK

MTV was so great great videos 24 hours a day...then some puke came up with the idea to change format!
YOU SUCK MTV!!!
Yeah you'll put back on videos and then once again change your format...forget it I would rather stare at a wall then MTV !! You sold out ...big time! We need a new channel that will show rock / pop videos and stick to that format.

By fred hughes

MTV needs to give us live concerts of all types of artist and tell other artist to clean up their videos and make their songs more important than the shows that are being put on behind them. Most of the videos are just vulgar and pointless. You might as well be in a bar watching pole dancers. The music has gotten lost in its present form.

By Scot

I remember when my best friend and I did a sleepover at his house to watch the launch of MTV.. now i wouldnt watch it , if i was paid.. cash!!!

By Melissa

I actually think MTV 2 is worse than MTV in my opinion......I don't watch MTV 2 at all.... I sometimes do still watch MTV like I used too when I was 12 in the early 90's.

I know plenty of educated adults whom enjoy shows like The Hills, Jersey Shore, and The Real World myself being one and I feel that the name calling is just not necessary.... Everyone has Their Guilty Pleasure tv shows ......

CMT doesn't play music videos much either they have their own reality tv.....

CMT pure plays videos all day like GAC and MTV hits I watch these 3 channels sometimes when I'm off from work or not out. I read books too and write stories as a hobby.

By Phillip Archer

1989 Recorded about 10 VCR tapes of MTV with my new VCR. I will have to dig them out and see whats on them as I haven't watched them in 20 years!

By bob wo

I remember when the adds said: I want my MTV. Not anymore.

By Jason

I remember the good ole mtv days. Remote control. Singled Out. Undressed. Beavis and butthead, lol. And lots of music videos. I use to watch trl nearly every day after school. Over time music videos on trl were shortened or just named and not shown. Music guests would show up and perform, people piled up on streets outside it with signs and stuff. I think it was the channel i most watched as a teen. Only time i watch mtv now is for the music and movie awards. thats it.

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