In Defense of MTV

In Defense of MTV

Tonight, I was listening to the radio and a song entitled “Internet Killed the Video Star” by a band called The Limousines came on. The song itself wasn’t catchy or memorable in any way, but the title grabbed my attention because it is true. The title is of course a reference to The Buggles 1981 hit “Video Killed the Radio Star”. The Buggles music video was the first music video shown on MTV, ushering in a new era of artists recording videos to promote their singles. In the last fifteen years or so, MTV has become better known for its reality television shows than its music videos. People seem to be outraged by this. You can’t mention MTV in casual conversation without someone bitterly asking, “Remember when MTV used to play music videos?”. At the VMAs, some musicians even have the nerve to chastise MTV for its lack of music videos while clutching their Moon Man award. Maybe MTV doesn’t play as many music videos as they once did, but isn’t that what Youtube is for? Music videos are every bit as relevant as they were when MTV was just starting out. For instance, the debut of a Lady Gaga music video is a watershed moment in popular culture. The only difference is now they can be viewed on the Internet instead of on MTV.
Written By: Alannah Dragonetti

Editorial Response To "In Defense of MTV"
First off, I would like to thank Alannah for her submission to the PAWSBlog, it really is quite a topic to bring to our attention. I agree that many individuals have been criticizing MTV in recent years for its decline in music videos and surplus of reality shows aimed at a teenage demographic. One question raised by her article is whether or not MTV is smart for their movement away from Music Videos or whether it is committing a crime of false advertisement because the station itself is named "Music Television."
I lean towards my first suggestion, that MTV is in fact smart for their movement away from a strictly music playing station. The reason? They would be losing viewers. As Alannah aptly pointed out, great moments in popular culture are easily found on the internet. As such, individuals will hop onto the closest computer and simply look up the sole video they desire to watch, as opposed to waiting patiently for MTV to play it amongst its list of other top hits or even music video classics. The reality television angle allows for MTV to stay alive as a station. Reality television is all the rage, as is seen by shows such as the Jersey Shore or 16 and Pregnant. We are fascinated by the lives of others, even if we know they're scripted.
There is of course the chicken and the egg type question that arises from this issue: which came first, MTV's decline in music videos or the internet's surplus of them? While research can be done on the matter, at the end of the day it doesn't matter, just as it matters not whether the chicken or egg came first. The internet and MTV cannot pretend to exist independently of one another. MTV has adapted to a society that demands both instant gratification and mindless visual entertainment. MTV still has many a music video to view, said videos are just more accessible on MTV's website rather than their television station, allowing for the individual to satisfy his immediate desire and go straight to whatever video it is he wants to see. At the same time, MTV provides reality television programs for the individual with some time to kill and in need of an entertaining way to do so.
Both MTV and the artists benefit from this system. Although "Internet Killed the Video Star" in the sense that videos can be found for free online as opposed to for free on television, the final outcome is the same. Music videos can still be bought on iTunes and other such sources, and they serve as an advertisement for the artist. If I can quickly and easily link an artist's video to my facebook, twitter, etc. then I can easily advertise for that artists. My friends may chose to listen to the music and watch the video, then ultimately buy the album or video of that artists. This is in fact a better way of getting people interested in a band or artist than hoping they stumble across a music video while watching a block of videos on MTV. MTV and artist alike prosper, though I do admit this is under the assumption that illegal downloading does not occur.
As Alannah concluded in her article, "the only difference between videos of today and those of old is "now they can be viewed on the Internet instead of on MTV." The Video Star and MTV are both very much alive, all thanks to the internet.