MTV: Music Mainstream Essay

Through TV influences people’s fashion, style, and makeup has slowly transformed from bright and bold to neutral tones over the years.

Rock and roll has largely impacted the music industry. The 60’s were the era of feel good music while the 70’s created the disco era. The 80’s called for something new and crazy all together, it was completely different and more complex from the past decades of rock and roll. The 80’s brought visual aspects to music. As a result, MTV aired the first music video ever made on August 1, 1981 which “killed the radio star”. This music video created a new trend for current musical artists and upcoming artists, it created a way for artists to express the meaning of the song. Music videos made radios an accessory mainly used for cars. MTV created a place where unknown and small time artists could become a household name. Some of these artists include

I propose that all unsigned rising artist should target the business side of the music industry to be successful in the entertainment business because it allows the artist to be taken seriously and make solid connections that can further his/her career. Learning the works of the music industry also enables a new artist to be further successful and profitable. Recent studies show that most new artists without professional representation and a business mindset have a slimmer chance in getting signed to major or independent labels (Lowry, 2011). Overall, the specific change needed is that unsigned artists should be concentrating on their careers as professionals and not amateurs, thus focusing on the ins and outs of the music business and

One of the most recognized advancements was Mtv. It was first debuted on August 1, 1981. This gave way to the first video jockey (VJ). A video jockey was someone who announced videos and told a brief synopsis of the band. Mtv was an outlet for music videos and a gateway for musicians to get their music to the fans. When it first aired at 12:01 am, the first words were, “Ladies and Gentlemen, rock and roll”. The first video played by Mtv was, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. The digital phase wasn’t

Hopkins, A. (2012). Protest and Rock n' Roll During the Vietnam War. Student Pulse, 4(11).

‘From the margins to the mainstream: the political power of hip-hop’ by Katina R. Stapleton

Popular music is often one of the best lenses we have through which to view our own cultural orientation. Many of the artistic and experimental shifts in popular music have mirrored changes in our own society. For instance, the emergence of Elvis Presley as a public figure would signal the start of a sexual revolution and the growth in visibility of a rebellious youth culture. Similarly, the folk and psychedelic music of the 1960s was closely entangled with the Civil Rights, anti-war and social protest movements. In this regard, we can view popular music as an artifact through which to better understand the time and place in which it is produced. In light of this, the state of popular music today may suggest troubling things about our society.

While the music industry is blaming the decline of music sales on people who download free music- the real blame should be placed on MTV and BET. Yes! MTV and BET have ruined the music business. These two "music" television networks were created as a way for consumers to enhance their music experience. Now, if your turn the channel to MTV or BET, I guarantee you won't see any music videos. As a matter of fact, you probably won't see anything related to music either. Today, reality television, sitcoms, movies, and dramas rule these networks. The days of Total Request Live (MTV), Yo! MTV Raps, Club MTV, 106 & Park (BET), Rap City (BET), and Video Soul (BET), are long gone.

MTV, formally known as Music Television, is one of the most viewed networks on television today. Roughly thirty-three years old, it has changed the American culture drastically in more than just one way. Specifically targeting teens and young adults, the MTV network provides all of the most up to date gossip on celebrities, highlights the latest fashion trends, promotes versified lifestyles, and defines the music industry of our generation. However, this so-called “idolized network” has not always been this way. The American culture has been affected by MTV through the creation of the network, the transformation from simply just music television to inappropriate reality shows, and the promotion of inappropriate content.

As America headed into the 1980s, two decades of social and political upheaval have left the nation rattled and the economy weakened. The Iran hostage crisis shook America's confidence and many looked for a new kind of leader to steer the country into the new decade. Ronald Reagan led America into a new era of prosperity leaving the soul-searching of the 60s and 70s behind. The nation was ready to enjoy itself and with plenty of new toys to play like VCRs and video games, Americans spent more time at home and soon something called cable TV would make it even harder to leave the living room. With the new innovation of the TV, one of the ideas for a channel was a marriage between music and television. This new idea for a channel devoted to something called music videos would end up revolutionizing and often scandalizing an industry that had no choice but to embrace the fact that music in the 1980s had to have a face with videos. By having these music videos, they would change the way we look at music and the way we look at the world. This cutting- edge idea was a new medium perfectly suited to a new generation and that idea was called, MTV. This leads to the question: How did MTV influence pop culture of the 1980’s? This topic is worthy of investigation because the coming of MTV has had a significant impact on the way people see pop culture. Before researching the topic, the writer had limited knowledge on MTV and only knew about the music itself. In the paper, the writer was

The media influences how people experience social life. Media such as newspaper, television and film, are important sources of information, education and entertainment. It can be used to learn more about the world and the people in it. In this regard it can be said that the media represent, interpret and endorse aspects of social experience (O’Shaughnessy and Stadler, 2005). The media are also implicated in social regulation, or in other terms, the government of society. The media are implicated in government and politics in an obvious way because modern systems of democracy are conducted through the media. But the media have a bigger role to play in government by structuring how society is controlled and maintained.

Music Television gave a generation a voice. With the awakening of MTV, 1983 was a golden age for music television. The inception of hip-hop music videos caused wardrobe to be an important part of an artists “armor”. Rappers used outfits for promotional purposes. Certain outfits would be worn in pictures, performance, and

MTV was first to establish principles of popular culture. MTV became an iconic presence in popular culture, inspiring visual media culture. Over the years, MTV has played a major role on popular culture on a global scale. MTV has advanced in becoming a leading style of popular culture for younger generations. MTV and its culture has spread world-wide resulting in MTV’s expansion into different channels and countries such as MTV China, MTV Canada, MTV India, etc. however, all the channels belong to one mass media source: MTV.

Both MTV (Music Television) and BET (Black Entertainment Television) do not just play music videos. They also have interviews with musicians. This is another way for a musician to be recognized. Even if the audience doesn’t even hear a song from the musician being interviewed, they have still been introduced to the musician and the next time they are out buying CDs they may come across a CD from that musician and want to try it out. Shows dedicated to music also usually have a top ten countdown. To make it to the top ten countdown, the musician already has a lot of people listening to their music, but can still gain a lot more listeners. Just because it’s on the top ten doesn’t mean everyone has heard it, so if someone watching sees the video for the first time the musician may have gained another listener to buy the album.

One of the biggest challenges for MTV was the controversial content that it is used to show on their normal channel and regarding this the main difference they had to adapt. The sexuality, use of alcohol, politic criticism and religion criticism are some of the main characteristics of MTV on other countries that are not as conservative as Arabs. With these characteristics MTV has achieved success through the Western hemisphere, be- cause the black humor they use is normal among the youngsters and instead of feeling sensible with these, they see it in a humorous way. But, in the Arab community they still conserve the traditional values supported by their culture. In an effort to adopt the strategy of “Think Globally, Act Locally” MTVN (Music Television Networks) executives made it a point to learn the cultures and make shows that relate to the cultures as op- pose to exporting the American culture. In order to achieve this goal the channel adopted a decentralized