On 1st August 1981, the first music channel, MTV, began transmission with the video for the aptly named ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by The Buggles.
Going beyond their original premise of videos being guided by on-air hosts, MTV’s programming started with basic videos offered without charge by the music industry. However, directors rapidly became interested in producing dramatic and creative pieces, the channel becoming influential in promoting new performers, including Madonna, through extended airtime of her videos. Arguably popularising the link between music and video that remains today.
As time has progressed, numerous other music channels – Viva, 4Music and Kiss to name but a few, have sprung up alongside MTV to offer alternative sources for viewing music videos on the television. However, popular innovations such as YouTube and iTunes have taken away the unique selling point of the music channels by offering us the opportunity to watch videos on demand on the internet, potentially rendering the music channels useless. Yet this could well be too harsh a judgement on an industry which has adapted to keep up with the changing times in a variety of ways, and arguably still has something to offer the viewer.
MTV was adapting from the late 1980s, with the addition of new programmes to keep viewers interested, and of course not forgetting the traditional music video schedule which characterised their channel.
Shows such as The Real World and The Osbournes were well received by audiences, and as music videos became more readily available from other sources, music channels have continued to invest in this area. Jersey Shore, The Hills and similar programmes have attracted a considerable fan base and on some channels now dramatically outweigh music videos in terms of airtime, responding to audience demand.
Music channels have also branched out, offering the viewer documentaries, celebrity interviews, game shows, award ceremonies and news. As well as providing coverage of live music events and benefit concerts.
Viva has carved itself a niche in the market by showing old favourites, such as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, at popular viewing times. Even if trash TV is not to your taste, developments such as Think MTV, the umbrella for MTV’s programmes and campaigns connected to social activism, show that the music channels are reaching out to a far broader audience than simply those wanting to view music videos.
YouTube is the clear winner if the users aim is to find a specific music video they are already aware of, watch this video and be directed to videos by the same artist. For a more general audience however, the opportunity to see new music videos without needing to personally find them is surely beneficial.
Even if viewers have more specific musical interests, the development of music channels tailored to a particular genre, such as Kerrang! for rock music, Magic for retro records and MTV Dance for dance music, means that videos likely to be appreciated by the audience will be shown in succession. Of course, some videos played on music channels that are not to the viewer’s taste are inevitable, which would not be the case on YouTube.
In my opinion, this is a small price to pay for the opportunity to be introduced to numerous new videos that the viewer might otherwise have been unaware of. Generally, music channels tend to be used as background entertainment, rather than being given the viewer’s undivided attention, so the occasional bad video is surely not too much of a problem. This leads to the question: why not just put a music station on the radio, or use Spotify?
In some circumstances, such as when music is needed at a party, this is a fair point. However, in other cases there is something to be said for the addition of a visual output, either for giving greater clarity to the meaning of the song or simply to provide something entertaining which only demands a low level of attention. Adding a layer of significance that may not have been considered by bridging the artistic and visual gap
Video may well have killed the radio star, but YouTube and Spotify have yet to put the final nail in the coffin of the music channels, suggesting that videos will remain popular despite the preference for quick and convenient over visually stimulating.
