Tick Tock News: Can MTV Return to the Glory Days of Music Videos?

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don't watch MTV today because music videos and 'TRL' ('Total Request Live,' yeah, the days of Carson Daly) have been replaced by pregnant teenagers and indie redheads from Texas.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. Follow Jett on Twitter Filed under: Music News - Videos - Pop-Ed - Lady Gaga - Kanye West Tags: MTV, music video
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SnapPolls Comments (23)Add a comment

Sunday 07 NovemberBy ofalaskaHighest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

No. MTV is nothing but a Jersey Shore trash-tube has-been. The biggest video stations in regard to viewership now are GAC, (Great American Country) and CMT (Country Music Television) and MTV ain't goin' there. I suppose they could do endless Kanye with chest pounding, junk jewelery and bootie grinding, but how do you fill 24 hours with THAT?

Sunday 07 NovemberBy BOOMERHighest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

MTV came into it's glory in the mid 80's when music and music videos were watched by all age groups. MTV got away from that and targeted it to the younger audiences. Those who watched MTV in the 80's are not interested in what MTV has to offer now. If MTV goes back to it's roots and mix it up a bit and show older videos, that may bring back some interests from the older viewers. It is real easy to turn a channel that doesn't have anything to offer.

Sunday 07 NovemberBy mlamb88Highest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

I remember watching mtv soley to see the music videos. I miss that.

Sunday 07 NovemberBy speeddemon845Highest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

Why doesn't MTV move these crappy reality shows to MTV2?
Then just show videos?
I remember how great MTV was in the 80's and 90's.
Us older veiwers just might tune back in.

Sunday 07 NovemberBy ZeroHighest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

MTV is political, think about it, if you play M. Carey, a punker barfs, vice-versa.

Sunday 07 NovemberBy Shane Vote downVote upReport this

Its called the Buried Life. You would know that if you did more than 10 minutes of research for the piece. Morons.

Sunday 07 NovemberBy me Vote downVote upReport this

Seems to me only a moron would even know of a show called 'Buried Life'.

Sunday 07 NovemberBy kbroome1969Highest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

I'll never understand why they went the way they did...they was gooood back in the

days when they had people like Martha Quinn and Downtown Julie Brown

Sunday 07 NovemberBy kbroome1969High Rank Vote downVote upReport this

they had it going back in the days of Downtown Julie Brown and Martha Quinn

Sunday 07 NovemberBy TiffanyHighest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

I remember back when they actually played videos! And I remember they came out with MTV 2 that was supposed to play videos, then that went downhill. The only channel that plays videos is VH1 and BET. VH1 runs videos early AM-noon, and then they play reality shows and satirical shows (I

Sunday 07 NovemberBy Sekinu2High Rank Vote downVote upReport this

BET doesnt even play music or good music since they were bought by MTV years agao. Back in the days when Tigga was still in The Basement lol MTV was great I remember the day it first came on as a kid being glued to it. didnt matter what it was could have been Yo MTV Raps with Fab 5 Freddy or Dre and Ed or Head bangers Ball with Rikki or remote Control music games .Then came the reality shows and TRL and it was all down hill from there.They dont even play music videos at all anymore do they?..Bring back Th BOX on tv that was what it was about lol A phone number that cost you a quarter and you called in and they played your requested video

Sunday 07 NovemberBy DwayneHighest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

Mtv will NEVER be like it was in the 80's...

Sunday 07 NovemberBy mikemaj82Highest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

no. because the music sucks today, so who wants to see videos for it?

Sunday 07 NovemberBy donald Vote downVote upReport this

And there's nothing original anymore. All the music sounds alike.

Sunday 07 NovemberBy fleaHighest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

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

Sunday 07 NovemberBy MandyHighest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

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

Sunday 07 NovemberBy maryHighest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

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.

Sunday 07 NovemberBy RYANHighest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

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.

Sunday 07 NovemberBy JBaerHighest Rank Vote downVote upReport this

MTV showing music videos--imagine that...

Sunday 07 NovemberBy lorenz Vote downVote upReport this

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.

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