Music Monday 11 - Who Killed the Video Star?

In 1981, Music Television broadcast its first music video: The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star”. Since that time however, almost 30 years ago, video hasn’t killed the radio star. Songs still get played on the radio and, even in a world influenced by Napster and peer-to-peer sharing networks, people still purchase albums, whether on CD or digitally. So while the radio star is still alive and well, the video star is on its last leg and may not make it to MTV’s 30th anniversary. No one is more to blame for the video star’s demise than the channel that once gave it life: MTV. No channel currently plays music videos as a major part of its programming. There are some obscure channels that show videos at odd hours, but nothing like what MTV and VH1 used to be.

If video killed the radio star, then reality shows killed the video star. The Real World premiered in 1992 on MTV, back when MTV still played music videos. It became a hit for MTV and opened the door for reality television as we know it today. In its first few seasons The Real World was a much different show than it is today. Before, instead of throwing crazy and attractive people into a house with too much alcohol, the housemates addressed real life issues like racism and sexuality. During the third season, Pedro Zamora, a gay man living with AIDS, elevated the conversation of AIDS in America as the disease was brought into homes across America. The early success of The Real World has led MTV to abandon music videos and focus most of its programming on reality television shows like The Hills and Fantasy Factory. I’m not necessarily opposed to those shows, but MTV doesn’t stand for Music Television anymore; little of their programming has to do with music.

I still remember what it was like when we first got MTV at my house; I was very excited to finally get to watch MTV in my own home. That excitement was matched every time there was a new music video premiere; I was still excited in 2001 for the premiere of Michael Jackson’s video for “You Rock My World,” a premiere highly touted by MTV. Now, to watch any music video, I have to go online or DVR a random block of music videos at 1:30 in the morning. That is a far cry from the early days of MTV or even the days of VH1 Mega Hits, a channel devoted entirely to music videos that my friends and I would watch for hours and hours, making comments like Beavis and Butthead.

Video didn’t kill the radio star but the video star is dead. MTV once stood as the flag ship for music programming on television but now it has less and less to do with music every year. Music videos were a worthwhile format for close to 20 years but now they seem to be going the way of the cassette. In the new millennium, air-time for music videos has been waning and with it their significance. Thankfully Michael Jackson and Madonna were making videos in the 80s instead of the 2000s or we might not have classic videos like “Billy Jean” or “Like a Prayer.” While I may not be able to turn on MTV right now and watch some music videos, at least I can turn on my computer, watch “Thriller” and remember what it was like to get excited for a music video.