MTV - Real Music or Just Mainstream?
 

I'm new here and I don't want to step on anyone's toes. But, since that's what this site is based on, let me start stompin'.

Over the years, MTV has grown in popularity to an international fan base. My question is this: do you think MTV still features new and cutting edge music and talented artists? Or, do you think MTV has limited itself to Pop stars, not-so-hard rock, and second-rate rap?

My thoughts: Every once in a while, an artist is featured on MTV that (I think) shouldn't be there. There are two main reasons for not being on MTV:

#1. The artist is too good that the 14 year-olds watching MTV won't understand your talent.

#2. The artist is too bad, but can only survive because of their "generic" behavior (ie "bling Bling" rappers, "Love rock" bands, "boy bands" etc.)

You should be there if you are strictly pop, one hit wonder. MTV will make you into a star, based on one video. If you're lucky, which most aren't, you might survive.

MTV, in my opinion, has horrible long term effects on the artist. It squeezes the creative juice out of you and then tosses you away when demand is down.

MTV sucks. I go for MTV2 (slightly better) and VH1.

What MTV boils down to is that it is targetted at 13/14/15year old girls. The teenyboppers. What they do is make it look like all the cool people that are 18 watch it, and they wanna be cool. Truth be told, its aimed straght at these little tikes. Ive talked to most of my friends and they dont watch it, and even if they did it would be for something mildly interesting, ala Beavis and Butthead. So to answer your question, MTV is a mainstream channel that is more worried about its ratings than who and what kind of music they are playing.

I have never been a fan of "pop" music (whatever you want to call it)... I lean more toward classical and musicals. So I'm not exaclty a regular MTV viewer. I will only observe that MTV doesn't seem to me to play a heck of a lot of music. The reason I say this (after disclaiming that I don't watch the channel much) is that I am a big fan of Daria. And, for practically the entire time it was on, wherever it was on the schedule, it was preceded by a non-music show and followed by a non-music show. For a long time, for instance, it was sandwiched in between Road Rules and Love Lines. So, maybe one thing to ask is, does MTV play MUSIC to speak of, period? Or has it grown into a more general entertainment channel?

You're both right. Of what music MTV does play, I've always found it anchored towards the young teen years. For being a Music channel, they sure don't play that much good music.

I'm new to this site. Be on the look out for more interesting topics such as these, plus the occasion immature comment or two ;)

I've given up on MTV. I've since made my way over to the <a href="http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/music/">Austin Music Network</a>. They have all the same videos that MTV used to have, but they don't hav the crappy shows, nor the ads every other song. Some of the better musicians make it on the channel (local or otherwise), and the thing is fairly low-budget (which helps keep the Nike ads at bay).

It must be nice to have options. Here, I have MTV, MTV2 or VH1. These three music channels are the reason I have to steal MP3s online. They should be ashamed :)

And speaking of which; with Morpheus requiring money and KaZaa going under, it looks like the last resort to stealing MP3s is Grokster. I've used it for some time and I like it a lot. But it is on the same network as the other two were. Soon, Gorkster will be gone.

That's the great thing about the internet though; three file sharing software titles fail, and thirty more will be created after them.I'll never run out of pirated stuff.

Does MTV still play music videos?

Did MTV ever play music? :hide:

1) this forum is for stepping on toes? is that right?; and

2) MTV hasn't played good music, or even music videos at all that I can determine, in a decade --- except in the middle of the night.

MTV doesn't play music videos anymore. If they do it is on TRL and they play horrible music that is just "popular" because MTV says it is good.

Wow talk about an old thread.

I remember waking up at 5:30 in the morning while in high school. There would be real music videos on MTV from midnight to 6 or 7 am, and of good bands, too. Of course this was in 1997 and 1998, so yeah about a decade ago.

I remember hearing Shawn Mullins's "Lullaby" at 5:45ish one morning and absolutely fell in love with the song. I don't think that's possible with MTV anymore. Maybe on MTV2.

(wow, I am about to feel really old)

Whelp, you don't know from MTV. 8-1-81 was the day that changed the world. There were giants in those days, I tell you, striding the world like the Colossus of Rhodes, making music a treat for two senses at once. Better than sliced bread. Definitely better than watching the test pattern and listening to that shrill beep.

That looks pretty cool. I checked out www.metelevision.com, which is the city of Austin's "Music & Television" page. It looks like a very serious effort to be what MTV could have been. The lastest music news headline is/was..... Thanks for the tip, That Guy. :thumb:

When MTV first started out I thought it was great. Some of my favorite videos were from Blondie, Tim Curry, etc.

But I can't watch it for more than 3 seconds now.

To quote from Lewis Black: "MTV is to music as KFC is to chicken!"

haven't watched mtv for years... although I do so miss the old headbangers ball...and 120 minutes. mtv may have been musically valid at one point, but it has so gone the way of rolling stone magazine (which is barely fit to line the bottom of my cats box). then again I do recall that fatefull day whan that first buggles video graced the airwaves. then again the jr high I went to was chock-full of the richer kids (not myself mind you) whos folks could actually afford cable.. so mtv was something that I wasn't really exposed to until the late 80s'. mtv could go away now or anytime in the past 10-12 years and honeslty I doubt I'd notice. although.. the g/f is getting me to come around to all those crazy shows on vh1... flava-flav! what happened!