MTV is at death’s door

NY Post ^ | July 23, 2015 | Richard Morgan

[oh8eleven]

Viacom is vulnerable in that many of its networks, including MTV, Nickelodeon and Spike, target youngsters — “the segment of the population that’s most rapidly and definitively abandoning linear TV,” according to the analyst.

[ObozoMustGo2012]

Nickelodeon USED to be decent when I was growing up. Lot of great classic TV shows (such as Laugh In).

Now its just crappy kids cartoons that can’t hold a match to cartoons of the 70s and 80s.

[Snickering Hound]

1982 was a long time ago.

[mrsmel]

Yep, that’s a good point.

[brivette]

love the reference to an old tune..

[goodwithagun]

Streaming killed the video star.

[SamAdams76]

In the 1980s, MTV was very, very good. I remember being in the Marine Corps when it launched in 1981. We had it in the rec room at the barracks and we would watch it for hours on end. It was funny really, a bunch of crew-cut men watching all these big-hair bands like Haircut 100, Flock of Seagulls and Van Halen.

Well, those were simpler days.

When MTV got away from the music and started with that left-leaning "original" programming, it was all downhill from there.

On YouTube, they have a VEVO channel where you can see most of those videos.

By the way, that VEVO channel is making the music industry billions of dollars. What used to be given away as promotional videos is now a cash cow. Everytime somebody queues up a Cyndi Lauper video on YouTube, she gets a nickel. It adds up quicker than you think.

[Buckeye McFrog]

You wouldn't believe the number of songs that I grew to enjoy because of some of the unique and imaginative videos that showcased them.

Rock the Casbah - The Clash

Now I KNOW you're joking. It's not possible to enjoy that song.

[RayChuang88]

Not surprised MTV is dying.

With good reason: all the new music videos now post on (mostly) YouTube nowadays. Indeed, that's why a company named Vevo--which is heavily funded by Universal Music Group and Sony Media--instead of making music videos to be available on MTV is putting it on YouTube instead, which makes it accessible to anything that can play back YouTube videos.

[henkster]

In the 1980s, MTV was MUSIC Television: it showed MUSIC Videos.

Initially, yes, MTV played videos of BANDS playing MUSIC. But, it also killed the Rock Band as a music genre. Every no-talent hack with a video camera could get a music video on MTV. So every no-talent hack did exactly that and became a "recording artist." It was all about the diva singer, and not at all about the band as an entity. Talented MUSICIANS who could play instruments were relegated to session players, or back up for a particular concert tour. My proof:

Name the lineup of The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Moody Blues, Yes, the Doors, or Led Zeppelin.

Now, Name Madonna's bass player.

Name Mariah Carey's drummer.

Yes, there were and still are bands. But not like there used to be. But while I do not mourn in any way the death of MTV, the same syndrome lives on with "American Idol" and "The Voice." Singers, not musicians, and no bands.

[dfwgator]

LOL, back when Sting looked like Billy Idol.

[Yaelle]

Lol, it had to be said, or sung...

[kosciusko51]

Real country music died when “Urban Cowboy” came out, IMHO...

[Buckeye McFrog]

In 1999 an Indian software contractor was sitting in a cube just across the office from me. He logged-on one morning to read some news sites from home. He announced to us excitedly that "The MTV India Channel is launching today!"

I stood up, walked across the room, shook his hand and said "Welcome to the End of Civilization!"

[dfwgator]

Name the lineup of The Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Moody Blues, Yes, the Doors, or Led Zeppelin.

Speaking of...I was out of the country for a few weeks, and only learned after returning that Chris Squire had passed away. That was a punch to the gut. One of my musical idols.

[austinaero]

I’m sure they won’t be expecting anyone with White Privilege to save them right?

[wagglebee]

Great post!

[cripplecreek]

It came about at the right time for me when I was 17 or 18 years old.

[dfwgator]

Real country music died when “Urban Cowboy” came out, IMHO...

LOL, I preferred Buckwheat's interpretation.

[GeronL]

It’s not nearly a nickel per viewer on Youtube, maybe per thousand views

[kosciusko51]

LOL. Good thing I wasn’t drinking coffee.