The Boon And Bane Of Mtv

In the olden days, MTV used to reign supreme. At its height, the music channel had launch the careers of many superstars of its era. Video Killed the Radio Star rocketed music into a revolution. Now, you have to stay up late or get up early to see videos on the once Music Television channel.

They say music piracy has hurt the industry. While this may be true, nothing has hurt music more than the loss of MTV. One of the main platforms for artists was their music videos were premiered. MTV with its unconventional broadcasts became a mouthpiece for musicians and got them exposure. So much so that music videos quickly became feature film quality productions.

Then came the reality tv era. The countdowns were gone and so was the artist’s exposure to the fans. People traded in music for tv shows that were nowhere near to what the original viewership preferred. Although most of these loyal viewers of MTV were brainwashed, many were rejected and a newer audience was lured in for the reality Tv. It was no longer possible toget the latest music and entertainment news between a block of your favorite songs. Video premiers used to be a huge thing. MTV even still does Video Music Awards. Are there any music videos in sight?

Illegally downloading music does not become the alternative distribution method fot the industry. Programs like Spotify, Pandora and Apple music offer subscription based services. Proving if it’s good enough, people will pay for it. Even today there are still youtube channels and apps dedicated to music and bring artists to the forefront. Unfortunately for the music industry, none are as successful as the music giant.

Country music was almost never seen on MTV. There hasn’t been a huge culture change. Country music is dominating because there’s still a means to get the artists seen. Music and performing go hand in hand. The musicians who become huge are the ones who can put on a decent show. Any craftsman with a hit tune can get 15 minutes of acclaim. The power and ability to come and stay comes from the ones who can be put in front of a crowd and perform.

MTV killed off that connection to the audience. Sure everyone loved when a new song came on the radio. Fans just wanted more. Maybe people aren’t sitting down to watch videos anymore. Maybe Youtube has killed the market. Or maybe MTV has lost its earlier path and now has a limited amount of content for an all day affair. The same old videos, hundreds of times a day, day in and day out gets old. Piracy might have wounded the industry, but MTV is slaughtering it.