Videos Years Before Mtv example essay topic

Popular culture grew a very great amount when MTV was created in 1981, and now 20 years later, after hundreds of shows, thousands of videos, millions on viewers, earning billions, and creating its own generation, it isn't stopping. On August 1, 1981, MTV began with footage of a rocket launching and the words, "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll", spoken by the channels cofounder, John Lock. The first video to be played was Buggles, "Video Killed the Radio Star". The video was hand-picked out of around 120 other videos by the first five VJ's. MTV was based in Manhattan and at its launch it wasn't an offered channel in the area, so the staff had to go to a bar in New Jersey to see their creation's launch.

Musicians soon learned of the channel's effect and began to make videos. Billy Idol stated, "It was 24 hours of you, you, you, you in people's living rooms" (MTV Turns 20). Older groups like the Rolling Stones rekindled their careers with the new channel while new acts used it to begin their stardom. In 1981, the channel's founders were given $20 million to start. Within a year, they quickly turned the money into $12 million of debt, and by the end of the year they were out of the red and on their way to making history in the music industry (Allen 2). In the channel's first year, it was declared the product of the year of broadcasting by Fortune Magazine (Gunderson 1-2).

Before MTV's dawn, music on television was on talk and entertainment shows. Radio stations in the U.S. had never been challenged by anything on television until MTV. Their "personal" and "on-demand" nature appealed to the viewers. It wasn't only the viewers that enjoyed the channel's characteristics. It appealed to companies' top executives too.

This fact helps to explain the reason it is still going and shows no signs stopping in the near future (BBC News | MUSIC | MTV's irresistible rise). Sadly, to many musicians, the first video played, Buggles', "Video Killed the Radio Star", was an omen to the careers of many of the early radio stars of the day (MTV Turns 20). MTV's effect on record sales didn't take long to grab attention from the heads of major record companies. The companies began to add more money to their artists' budgets, which was specifically set aside for music videos meant to help sell their records, a sort of free publicity. In the beginning, British rock bands, like Adam and The Ants, gained the most publicity, because their music was just becoming popular in the United States.

Many of the British bands had been producing videos years before MTV began, but the U.S. artists weren't far behind them in the video boom. MTV has also started many artists' careers. Madonna is the best example of MTV launching her career. With a good voice, good looks, and great videos, her records began to sell when her videos began to air. By the end of the 80's, MTV and pop music had a dependent relationship, whatever pop culture does MTV does and whatever MTV does, pop culture bends and conforms (BBC News | MUSIC | MTV's irresistible rise).

Since the Channel's first video, MTV has grown tremendously. At their dawn they were broadcast to about only 1 million homes across the nation. In their first year their viewing doubled and within the next two years they were reaching 10 million people across the nation. Today the channel reaches over 342 million people in 140 different countries, and 140 countries is about 70 per cent of the countries on the planet (BBC News | MUSIC | MTV's irresistible rise; MTV Turns 20). In the mid 90's MTV was purchased by VIACOM Inc. It was purchased along with Nickelodeon and VH 1, MTV's biggest rival in the industry (The Future is MTV).

VH 1 isn't MTV's only competition in the industry; a channel called VIVA is broadcast in Germany, but nowhere else. AOL Time Warner is thinking about making its own music channel. MTV's profits were growing along with the channel's spin-offs. In 1996 they launched a website, and they were the first music web site. A year later the channel launched MTV UK, MTV 2, MTV Dance, and MTV Base, all spin-offs of the channel itself. The channel now has other spin-offs under its power in many other countries.

MTV has also branched off into animation like "Beavis and Butthead" and movies like Crossroads, which stars Brittney Spears, one of MTV's music stars that they helped bring into stardom (BBC News | MUSIC | MTV's irresistible rise). In the beginning, black artists weren't represented nearly as much as white artists were. Michael Jackson was the first to confront this discrimination. His first video, "Thriller" was 14 minutes long, and contained elaborate choreographed dance scenes. Even after the video had become one of the most highly requested, the channel still refused to air it, saying it was too long.

Michael then threatened to boycott (BBC News | MUSIC | MTV's irresistible rise). After he threatened to boycott, the video was played and sales soared, and the channel then tried to bring black artists into the mainstream (Allen 2). In 1987, the channel's ratings began to sag so the executives decided to change the programming to something other than wall-to-wall music videos all the time. The first of these shows that would change MTV was "Remote Control", a game show that consisted of pop trivia; the show also gave the comedic star Adam Sandler his start.

Many believed this game show began the channel transformation from more shows to less music, which was a change many believed was bad. In 1992 the channel brought rap music into the mainstream with the show "Yo! MTV Raps". Now TRL, or Total Request Live, is known more for the host than the actual music that is aired, which some believe shows MTV's straying from music (MTV Turns 20). On MTV today, programming consists of concerts and new coverage of events that affect the world as a whole.

Their coverage of an aid concert for famine in Ethiopia in 1988 showed their care of other places in the world and showed that they weren't just a teenybopper channel. In 1989, they broadcast inside the Soviet Union, Moscow to be exact, and deep inside the Iron Curtain of Europe. Their biggest leap forward into politics and world affairs was the presidential election of 1992 when they began the "Choose or Lose" campaign that covered the speeches and debates of the nominees. They held a public forum with the future winner Bill Clinton, which caused enormous amounts of controversy.

The channel has continued covering the elections sine 1992 (BBC News | MUSIC | MTV's irresistible rise). Like all things in our world, MTV is not at all liked by all, many of the first viewers now find the channel as far away from its original task, and they think the reason is, showing shows and not music videos constantly. With the changes it gained new younger viewers and became one of the only things in our world that has stayed young, it set out to be a channel for teenagers. A person being interviewed about MTV said that the show "Grammy's Uncensored", that aired a few years ago was censored since producers were forced to sign agreements not to expose any information of the scandals surrounding the Grammy's that year. Dave Marshall, Playboy magazine's music critic, another person interviewed, said: MTV in evil, its effects are evil. VJs are evil, reality TV is blatantly evil, as well as having about as much to do with the 'Real World' and 'Penthouse' centerfolds.

We will all rot in the pits of hell five minutes for every second we " ve wasted watching MTV. (Gunderson 1-2) This quote shows the absolute hatred that some people have for the channel that changed the music industry for good. In 2001, MTV took giant leaps in their political stance by deciding to take a stand against the discrimination that plagues our current society. They started the FFYR campaign, or Fight For Your Rights. The year-long campaign began with a show called "Anatomy of a Hate Crime", which showed and explained the motives and actions of the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard. Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming and he didn't fit in because of his sexuality.

One night he was taken out into desert tied to a fence and brutally beaten to death. The horrifying and controversial nature of his death opened the nation's eyes and instantly was put at the top of the news everywhere. After the brutal murder, President Clinton called on Congress to pass legislation for tougher punishment against hate crime offenders. When the show ended, the screen went black and silent in remembrance of Shepard.

This show is not the only show being aired to open people's eyes to discrimination. In the FFYR campaign another show, "Criminal" will follow young criminals through the justice system after committing crimes. "FFYR / MTV 20: Breaking the Barrier" will examine social changes over MTV's time. MTV will also launch "Flipped", a show which takes people from opposite roles and flips their lives for a day.

On the first show, a suburban mom switches places with her daughter and follows her through the course of her day. This campaign is one that is trying to change MTV's image to that of not all teenybopper music and shows that accomplish nothing but entertainment, but also some shows that have depth and meaning and less hatred in the future. A survey was conducted that found 90 per cent of young people believe that racial, sexual orientation, religious, or gender discrimination are some of the most serious problem facing today's society. The survey also showed that 20 per cent knew a victim of such a crime. Although a solution to discrimination isn't in the near future, the programming is trying to stop it in the distant future (Violate 1-4). To celebrate the channel's twentieth birthday it threw a party that had performances completely through.

Performers included P. Diddy, Aerosmith, Depeche Mode, TLC, Blink 182, Ja Rule, Kid Rock and other performers that have appeared on MTV in its first 20 years of life. It did what it has done best for 20 years, play music and party (Allen 1; Peter 2). The party was not to only to be a time to recall the first 20 years but it was to be a celebration of pop culture and of a channel that created its own generation (Allen 1). To start the day, MTV aired a 12 hour-long show called "Buggles to Bizkit", that highlighted videos from its 20 years.

The programming president, Brian Grade, said it was fun and interesting picking the videos that aired and that most represented the first years on the 12 hour show. The following party will be 3 hours long and will spotlight most of the artists that have appeared on the channel. One of the channel poster boys, Billy Idol, credits MTV for being a place for new music and new artists to begin their careers (Peter 2-3). The channel's target age is one of the few things in our world that hasn't changed in the last 20 years... it has remained 12 to 34. It is any 12 year-old's dream that watches MTV to become a VJ.

The most popular of today's VJs is Carson Daily, a normal College student that worked as a DJ until MTV found him (The Future is MTV). Today, 20 years later, MTV has purchased other music channels like CMT, and is broadcast to over 342 million homes around the world. It makes reportedly 3 billion dollars a year, and it changed the way music is listened and experienced. All these signs show that the channel is showing no signs of slowing anytime soon (MTV Turns 20). One person brings to light that MTV created its very own generation and that no other channels have done the same.

After all we don't see any CNN generation running around (Allen 1).