MTV AND THE HISTORY OF

MUSIC VIDEOSJOSH PAMFILO

IN THE 1980’S…• MUSIC VIDEOS WOULD PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN THE

MARKETING OF MUSIC.

• MADONNA’S MUSIC VIDEOS HAVE SHAPED THE MAJORITY OF HER SUCCESS ALONG WITH THE ELEMENT OF SEDUCTION IN HER MUSIC VIDEOS.

• SOME ACADEMICS HAVE COMPARED MUSIC VIDEOS TO SILENT FILM.

• IT IS SUGGESTED THAT STARS LIKE MADONNA HAVE CREATED A POWERFUL IMAGE WHICH EVOKED THOSE OF A MEMORABLE AGE SUCH AS GRETA GARBO.

Some view MTV as the introduction of a “golden era” of music videos while others perceive it as limiting their fame and hastening the death of a true musician. Star popularity is now dependent on physical aesthetic appeal.

MUSIC VIDEO HISTORY – TIMELINE (1980S – PRESENT)• 1986 – SLEDGEHAMMER (DIRECTED BY PETER GABRIEL) WAS FIRST SCREENED• 1989 – MTV RENAMED ITS “VIDEO VANGUARD AWARD” TO “MICHAEL JACKSON VANGUARD AWARD” IN HONOR OF

MICHAEL JACKSON FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ART OF THE MUSIC VIDEO.• 1989 – MADONNA RELEASES "LIKE A PRAYER" - MUSIC VIDEO WAS DEEMED CONTROVERSIAL• 1991 – NIRVANA "SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT" MUSIC VIDEO RELEASED. ALTERNATIVE ROCK BECOMES THE DOMINANT

PLATFORM FOR MTV AND SO BECAME THE SPRINGBOARD FOR NIRVANA, KURT COBAIN AND GRUNGE MUSIC INTO THE MAINSTREAM AROUND THE WORLD

• 1992 - "NOVEMBER RAIN" (GUNS N' ROSES) EXPENSIVE MUSIC VIDEO RELEASED• 1996 – POP-UP MUSIC VIDEOS ON VH1• 1996 – M2 NOW A 24-HOUR MUSIC VIDEO SERVICE, RENAMED TO MTV2 IN 1999 – THEN IN 2002 MUSIC VIDEO

SHOWINGS DECLINED AS MTV HITS WAS NEWLY LAUNCHED

THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

ERATHEN CAME THE EMERGING AGE OF

TECHNOLOGY.

• MUSIC VIDEOS HAVE SINCE TAKEN ON THE APPROACH OF THE POPULARITY OF

SONGS.

• AFICIONADOS MAINLY WATCHED THEM PURELY FOR THE  AESTHETIC OUTCOME.

• VIEWERS WERE NOT FOCUSED ON THE AUDIO ASPECT OF THE PERFORMANCE.

FOCUS ON VISUALS, NOT QUALITY??• AN INCREASING TREND IN THE MUSIC

INDUSTRY IS THE VISUAL APPEAL OF ARTISTS, DISREGARDING THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THE MUSIC ITSELF.• ALSO IT IS CONSIDERED THAT CORPORATE

MUSIC MANAGERS SEEK OUT TO CAPITALIZE THE SEX APPEAL OF FEMALES IN MUSIC VIDEOS RATHER THAN FOCUS ON CHOOSING LESS PROFITABLE MUSIC.

The females portrayed in Beyoncé's "Run the World (Girls)" music video are shown to be wearing skimpy outfits to increase sex appeal to audiences.

YOUTUBE• YOUTUBE THEN BECAME A VERY POPULAR HOSTING

WEBSITE FOR MANY MUSIC VIDEOS TO BE POSTED THERE. ONLINE AUDIENCES CAN FREELY WATCH THEM.

• MILLIONS OF LIKES AND VIEWS...• ANYONE CAN ACCESS IT ON THEIR MOBILE DEVICES.• TAKE, FOR EXAMPLE, LADY GAGA'S MUSIC VIDEOS WITH

IMPRESSIVE VISUALS – ARE THEY EXPLOITING THE MUSIC VIDEO MEDIUM OR NOT?

• COULD YOUTUBE OFFER A NEW WAY OF PLAYING MUSIC VIDEO IN THE FUTURE? TIME WILL SURELY TELL.

• HTTP://WWW.MAKEUSEOF.COM/TAG/MTV-YOUTUBE-BRIEF-HISTORY-MUSIC-VIDEOS/