and all of the 80s?
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StellaDallas — 13 years ago(May 25, 2012 04:41 PM)
When MTV first debuted, it was cool and non-mainstream. In 1979, record labels rarely budgeted for a promotional film for a single, so there was a limited amount of content MTV could program. Current musical acts were only visible on variety shows, SNL, the Midnight Special, Bandstand and Soul Train. The Grammys were three hours of adult contemporary music and mostly eschewed pop and rock acts. Because UK, Irish, European, Australian and even East Asian acts had more videos available, MTV had an eclectic playlist that paved the way for international acts to become successful in the U.S. In an hour you might see Duran Duran followed by corporate rock like Loverboy, followed by Bauhaus or Split Enz or Blondie.
MTV also had live concert shows, a program sponsored by the A&M distributed IRS records - then home to the Athens GA modern rock scene - and 120 Minutes, the deep alternative rock block with guests and interview spots.
As it became more of a promotional tool, labels created departments just for video promotion and spent millions on some clips, MTV gained imitators and competitors on broadcast TV and cable, but they remained the market leader and eventually started to demand and receive exclusive premiere windows for some clips. The VJs changed for the worse, much of the innovative music gave way to Top 40, then MTV discovered reality TV was easier to daypart and sell advertising for, and the internet came along and labels wanted to monetize video to shore up audio sales losses, and we ended up with what we have now. :((( -
blaque108 — 13 years ago(June 21, 2012 12:27 PM)
Well OP glad you posted this post so I can tell you about how MTV was for me growing up. I'm 30 and I was born in 1982, MTV was so much better in the 80's and 90's. I started watching MTV when I was about 5 years old and I remember seeing videos by Madonna, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, The Pet Shop Boys, and etc. That is where my love of pop came from (I'm an African American female). All I know that was on MTV in the 80's was just music videos 24/7. I think in the late 80's early 90's came Yo! MTV Raps it was like watching BETs Rap City except Yo! MTV Raps was a little bit more better. They just show rap videos by the latest rap acts that was out.
In The 90's I was still into MTV. I remember in the early parts of the 90's I was without MTV for a bit because my dad got transfered over to Okinawa, Japan and we didn't get cable there on the base until 1995. I remember seeing MTV in the cable line up and turned to MTV. On MTV then was Real World or Road Rules I wasn't into either one of those shows just the music vides. Music videos was still constantly playing. There was the 15 minute news by that one lady to let you know what was going on in the world. Spring Break was hot in the 90's I love watching spring break especially for that one handsome Asian guy. There was alot of great host on MTV in the 90's Carson Daily was my favorite one, for a minute Carmen Electra was one (that was for the game show Single Out), there was some more great VJ I can't remember there names right now. In the late 90's around 1997 came TRL and some other little stuff. TRL was real big at the time I hated TRL for a minute I guess it just had to grow on me. Then came the weird game shows this was heading into the early 00's. -
buby1987 — 13 years ago(July 02, 2012 11:53 AM)
I remember when MTV hit my city in 1983. One part of the city was able to get MTV on cable, another part wasn't able to get it. Record stores where MTV was available sold out all their Duran Duran albums. Record stores where MTV wasn't available couldn't sell their Duran Duran albums.
MTV really broke a lot of new artists in the early 80's, and they played music videos non-stop. There was also a lot of creativity in those early days, because nobody knew what the formula was they were making it up as they went along. There was an anything goes attitude, and the more eye-catching, the better.
ZZ Top benefited from MTV. They were successful before the 80's, but when their videos hit MTV, they went from selling a million copies to selling ten million. And obviously Michael Jackson both benefited from MTV and set the standard. -
thereclusiveblogger — 13 years ago(October 14, 2012 03:56 PM)
Actually if I'm being honest you don't even have to go back all the way to the 80's and early 90's for a better MTV. When I was in my MTV heyday (late 90's early 00's). They played a music videos still, really didn't have reality shows except True Life and maybe Made. They played a wide variety of artists and genres plus one of it's most popular shows ever TRL was thriving.
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Paul_Ke — 13 years ago(February 11, 2013 09:36 AM)
Like you, I loathe MTV today, but back in the 80s, I watched it incessantly (I was in high school). They just showed music videos back then, with VJs like Martha Quinn and others sometimes offering a little commentary in between. Music videos were so popular in the 80s that other networks ran them too, not just MTV. I can remember "Friday Night Videos" on NBC. They also ran music videos on TBS late at night as well. Eventually, I started watching VH1 instead (can't remember when), as MTV turned into something very different than what it started as.
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LiteraryLegend — 13 years ago(February 11, 2013 12:28 PM)
"For those who are older: What was MTV like in the early 90s?"
It was REALLY cool. Especially in the 80's when it came out. Nothing like that had ever been on TV before. It's gotten very trashy now, but back then it was the best channel for teens and young adults to watch. It's disgusting now, like so many other shows on TV.
Yes, I'm back. So stop asking if it's me. -
mrjgman — 12 years ago(April 07, 2013 12:19 PM)
MTV should be ashamed of itself as a network. They would rather air garbage like "Teen Mom", "16 & Pregnant", "Teen Mom 2", and "Spoiled Brats Turn 16" instead of music videos and music shows about the artists. It was much better back in the 90's and early 2000's. What shocks me is that they still have a Video Music award show every year when they rarely air videos.
the FUSE channel is what MTV used to be like. -
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blaque108 — 12 years ago(April 28, 2013 04:50 PM)
MrJGMan I so agree with you. I don't understand that part either I switched to MTV the other day and all that came up on their schedule is Ridiclous, Teen Mom, more Teen Mom, those Jersey Shore people, and some other crap. I don't think that channel even deserve the MTV logo anymore just change it to CTV.Crap TV. I listen to a little country, but I do love how CMT is the only station to play country music videos 24/7, they will stop to play a few TV shows like Reba. Then back to music they go. Which I love. I guess MTV, BET, VH1 figure we have VH1 Soul, MTV Jams, MTV 2, and MTV hits they don't need to play music videos anymore but they have to realize everyone don't have extended cable.
I wish there was a way I could protest or write the networks about playing music videos again that is how you discover new artists and sell music. They wonder why music doesn't sell much in stores because they just play reality shows.
The one poster is right about late 90's and early 00's was still playing music videos I think I stopped watching after 2004 I think that is when MTV started to slowly get rid of music related shows 1 by 1. -
goldie_kiki — 12 years ago(September 15, 2013 09:54 AM)
Subscribed to MTV from late '97 to mid '01. I LOVED it, it was my favourite channel. The only reality shows were The Real World & Road Rules. I also remember watching Daria and Beavis & Butthead. They played a lot of music videos too. They used to play (I'm from Australia btw) the Aussie, US & UK charts, a request show in the afternoons, behind the scenes specials following bands on tour like Blink 182, BSB, bands would have their own countdowns, making the video. Because it was late 90's, the music played during the day was mainly pop, specifically boy/girl bands, but I didn't mind because I was into that genre anyway, and then they played rap/hip/hop and heavy metal late at night. Videos with swear words were only allowed after 9pm.
Resubscribed two years ago and it's all changed. Jersey & Geordie Shore now dominate, then Ridiculous, Teen Moms, Valleys. I can't stand it. They only play a chart countdown on Saturday mornings. If you look at the content of their shows, it's based on 4 things: sex, violence, getting drunk and becoming famous. I watched the Portland version of The Real World and couldn't believe it when producers didn't throw out a housemate for being violent!! Back in the day, if you laid a finger on someone, you were thrown out on your ass.
Hope that answered your question, even if it was a bit late. -
scorpio68 — 11 years ago(February 28, 2015 02:45 PM)
Woa, back then I loved their late Sunday night show, "120 Minutes", which was dedicated to Alternative Music, they also had "Headbangers Ball" on Saturday nights dedicated to Heavy Metal bands - they had a program on Sundays dedicated to new animation, I think Aeon Flux may have been a part of that? And in the 80's, it was really a novel idea to have 24 hour music videos, you felt left out if your parents cable channel didn't have it, or you still used a TV antenna - the early 90's is also the debut of "The Real World" and its turn towards Reality programs, and I also lost interest when the network took a major turn towards rap/hip hop, a bit is ok but not my personal preference - isn't MTV2 still more music-oriented?
"I want to go to there" - Liz Lemon -
tragickingdom-1 — 9 years ago(May 22, 2016 05:11 PM)
It's kind of hard to describe, I watched the 90s, when they were starting to mix original shows with their lineup of videos.
For me The Real World was amazing, there's was nothing like it in t he 90s as there was no other reality-base TV show deluding the genre. Then they added Road-Rules to the mix and what was great got even better.
Then there was Music videos, MTV News, MTV Jams, TRL - Top Ten, Jack-Ass, Buzz-kill Music Videos The 10-Spot, MTV Beavis and Butt Head, Daria.
I'll come back later and edit this post so it sounds clearer.
and the whole world has to answer right now just to tell you once again. Who's Bad? -
johanson17 — 9 years ago(July 02, 2016 06:10 PM)
Headbangers Ball!
All of MTV from Yo MTV Raps to 120 minutes was like hanging out with your cool older brother. You know the guy you looked up to, that taught you all the things no one else would teach you. The guy who knew all the cool music, and trends that as a kid you were in awe of It was special.
It was also an amazing community, everybody you knew watched the same thing. In fact that is a big part of how 80s and 90s musical and cultural movements spread so rapidly. Those type of organic movements we have not seen in 20 + years.
It was also random, which was awesome. One day at 12:30 on a Wednesday Faith No More would stop by and just jam out. So once again, it was like you were privy to a musicians pad, you got to know who they knew.
One last thing, MTV also scheduled a diversity of music that radio stations could not do. They played videos and covered scenes that would never be broadcast on any other station. Yes they had a commercial leaning, but this forced the record companies to at least recognize a little artistic diversity. As MTV went on this lessened but it was really cool for music while it lasted.
Hang out with my buds, MTV in the background, perfect night! -
Fusion72 — 9 years ago(September 11, 2016 07:53 PM)
I was technically alive in the late 80s & early 90s but not quite enough to recollect. But I do remember the good times of MTV from about 1994 - 2002. It was great, they really were the main tv station to get first-view on music videos, chart news and content; their debuts were grand, special events. I'd even argue they made music a visual artform for a period. The last decent thing I remember about real-MTV was TRL and Cribs. But now I can see Cribs was kind of a gateway to what we see today; 100% invasion culture.