Music on Television

[Dairenn]

I kinda feel as though I grew up during a brief "golden era" of music on television not just because MTV debut shortly after I was born, but because even ordinary television stations would play syndicated music video shows (Friday Night Videos on NBC, In Concert on ABC, frequently simulcast on ABC-owned Radio Stations like 95.5 KLOS and KABC 7 in Los Angeles, Richard Blade, Heavy Harv's brilliant "Monster Rock" show.). There would be all-night music video shows that would sometimes run for hours.

But then something weird happened, MTV started running less and less music--so much less they had to invent MTV 2, then MTV 3! Then VH-1, then VH-1 Classic! CMT was cool, but they got bought by MTV so there had to be a GAC. But on free TV, Friday Night Videos became "Friday Night with Carson Daily" sometime in the mid-90s (I recall "Don't Speak" by No Doubt was one of the last videos played on the original FNV). Richard Blade and "Heavy" Harv faded away years earlier. And what we have now pale in comparison. American Idol, The X Factor, America's Got Talent, The Voice--they're all recycled versions of Star Search, but worse...

With the weapy sob-story reality show component to make it (pardon the expression) "chick friendly." And I'm fine with documentaries for those who care, but have we gotten to the point in this YouTube generation that the only way to break a new artist is with a live vocal performance of someone with "a story"? How about good music? If all of the bands I like had to be judged by the current criteria of being an artist worth signing and promoting, they'd have never been signed.

So, in a way I feel lucky but I also feel sorry for today's 13, 14, and 15 year olds discovering music for the first time--mostly via what they see on TV, just like when I was that age--and getting this nonsense. Unless they're lucky enough to have a cool mom or dad with a great music collection, and they end up checking it out to discover all the past greats, or the end up going to college and get exposed to all the stuff on the Internet you don't hear on the radio. But by far, most new music is discovered by what gets put on television and it used to be that there was hours of music of all kinds and it wasn't all in the format of The Gong Show.

What say you folks? I'm sure we've got a few fans of these shows on here and I don't mean to disrespect you if you like them, but I really do want an alternative and more variety. Not just more of the same.

 

[LG]

I only watched MTV for a year or so then got bored with musicians trying to become video producers, plus I grew up during the last of the golden age of FM radio that is where I discovered my new music, along with my older brother and his friends.

Hard to say Dairenn, I don't watch any reality shows, but I agree with you it's a sad state of affairs these days if you depend on TV for real music. Hopefully the kids find CRF join and You can help educate them about music old and new.

 

[ILoveJimmyPage]

I grew up in the TRL era. MTV, at the very most, will only air music videos for about 2 hours a day, and even then it's in the wee hours of the morning.

I blame it on the almost instantaneous popularity of reality television. Check out MTV these days and see what I mean. Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, etc. etc. etc. VH1 has followed suit with their Rock of Love "celebrity" versions of The Bachelor.

 

[AboutAGirl]

I've been watching a lot of music videos lately tbh. My new work schedule has me coming home at around 5:30am and all that there is to watch is the videos on VH1 and MTV. It's funny that they only show them during the infomercial hours of the day but hey if it coincides with when I'm watching TV, it's all the same to me!

To be honest I'm not that crazy about music videos and concert videos, I really like to just listen. But I definitely understand where you're coming from how there used to be a HECK of a lot more music on TV. I think the internet and satellite and so forth helped take that away some, in more recent years. Plus when you have 300 music channels on digital cable, there's not much room for music on major networks. :/

I don't watch reality tv but there are still a lot of good new shows out there. I even watch one show on MTV... It's not the best but it's a decent com/dram called Awkward. Cannot freaking wait for Beavis & Butthead to come back, that is going to be INCREDIBLE.

 

[ILoveJimmyPage]

MTV still had their music thing going on in the Beavis and Butthead days. And at least that show incorporated music into it.

I miss Say What? Karoake. That show was a hoot. I used to watch Behind the Music on VH1 all the time back in the day.

 

[Dairenn]

I've been watching a lot of music videos lately tbh. My new work schedule has me coming home at around 5:30am and all that there is to watch is the videos on VH1 and MTV. It's funny that they only show them during the infomercial hours of the day but hey if it coincides with when I'm watching TV, it's all the same to me!

To be honest I'm not that crazy about music videos and concert videos, I really like to just listen. But I definitely understand where you're coming from how there used to be a HECK of a lot more music on TV. I think the internet and satellite and so forth helped take that away some, in more recent years. Plus when you have 300 music channels on digital cable, there's not much room for music on major networks. :/

I don't watch reality tv but there are still a lot of good new shows out there. I even watch one show on MTV... It's not the best but it's a decent com/dram called Awkward. Cannot freaking wait for Beavis & Butthead to come back, that is going to be INCREDIBLE.

Believe it or not, I don't really enjoy watching videos/live concerts that much (although "Right Here, Right Now" was an unbelievable DVD to watch) but it's a convenient way to pick up on new acts. Radio was fine except most of the time, I didn't know who the artist was or the song was and there was no such thing as Google to figure it out based on the lyrics. But what's interesting is that a lot of this, what I'm talking about, came about before the Internet and hundreds of Cable channels (that were affordable) became the norm for most people. It'd be easy to say now that YouTube has made video shows irrelevant, but YouTube came out Ten Years after Friday Night Videos went off the air.

Among industry insiders, music videos largely are considered more or less vital to the interest of any new, breaking musical talent--even today. Most PR firms are recommend that an artist find SOME way of getting something on Video--even if its them sitting in front of a camera with an acoustic guitar. I, personally, loathe that approach and videos like that, but it speaks to how important it is. I will say, though, that artists who work with Actual film directors (even a USC Film School grad) is going to fair much better than going the DIY approach. It's like I told MY publicist--if musicians were amazing at filmmaking, they'd be in the Movie Making business, not in the Music Making business--the basement of the entertainment industry.

 

[AboutAGirl]

Videos are definitely still prevalent but I can't imagine more than a TINY percentage of music viewers even watch videos. I'd bet a lot of money against it. Seems like only the hardcore fans watch videos these days. I mean I am the freaking HUGEST modern pop fan. Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, etc, I live for that shit. And when the Music Video Awards came on... I had barely seen a few of the videos nominated! I've never seen Katy's or Taylor's or Gaga's videos. XD Now that my schedule has changed I started seeing a FEW of them. I remember the first time I ever saw a Ke$ha video. And Ke$ha's like my favorite artist of the year. XD

I'm really lucky that where I work has this INCREDIBLE playlist, and it's always changing. It's better than any satellite radio station I've ever heard. They spin everything from Neil Young deep cuts (Buffalo Springfield Again, Flags of Freedom), to classic one hit wonders (What's Up by 4 Non Blondes, Torn by Natalie Imbruglia), to great modern music. That's where I get most of my new music from.

 

[Titokinz]

Here in Canada we've got Much Music, which used to play some good alternative rock, pop punk stuff just a decade ago but now the dominating music is auto-tuney, robotic, computer generated jibba jabba and all of those weird teen drama shows. MTV is the channel that's definitely taken on a different movie from the early days to present. It's more Mindless than Music television. It saddens me how my generation, teens that is, are falling for all this garbage that's televised. They're too fabricated for me to even stand.

 

[TheWhalerfan]

I watched a ton of Friday Night Videos and also some Detroit rock video show on PBS that was excellent. They were great back then, now it sucks. Too much talking and like others have said way too many shows. Good thing for me is that I could care less..I have You Tube, and it is the best video show ever.

 

[Dairenn]

I almost forgot about Austin City Nights on PBS (how could I? They broke Eric Johnson!) I'll admit, I've never seen these videos either, but I think the biggest reason is that they aren't on the air! Back in the day, you would see videos constantly. Videos are what made Madonna's career and even NIN can credit their popularity with their controversial Closer (which I think got banned by MTV at first). These days, the only people I know who know what videos are out there are 15 year olds with nothing but time and unlimited access to a DVR and YouTube, heh.