2. HISTORY WAS MADE…
• In August 1981, history was made in the music industry when
MTV launched on the public’s tv sets and became known as the
birth of the music video.
• The first ever video played on the network was called ‘video
killed the radio star’ by the Buggles. This video was shot in one
day and was only ever aired on BBC top of the Pops before MTV.
• MTV’s launch was seen as the beginning of a new era in pop
culture where people could visualise the music. The network
was centred on music videos to help artists gain exposure and
they were presented by various tv personalities known as video
jockeys.
3. PROMOTING RACIAL UNITY
• At the beginning, MTV were predominantly promoting the rock and classical genre
airing videos by the likes of Van Halen and the Eurythmic.
• This meant black artists were less likely to be seen on the show and majorly singled
out .
• This was until the launch of Michael Jackson’s infamous ‘Billie Jean’ performance
music video (directed by John Landis) that broke this racial barrier in 1983. This soon
paved the way for more coverage of black artists to gain worldwide recognition.
• Michael Jackson’s ‘thriller’ music video cost $500, 000 and was a near 14 minute
length video. This was significant in the history of music videos at making
opportunities for African American artists to be known.
• The following year, MTV debuted the MTV music awards as an alternative way of
recognising and establishing artists for their talent. This award show then expanded
leading to the establishment of MTV movie awards.
4. KEY INNOVATIONS
• One key innovation during the 90’s was the development of in expensive and easy to use video
recordings as well as editing equipment.
• Another key innovation was the development of visual effects such as image compositing.
• Both of these helped pop stars produce promotional videos easily and efficiently cost wise.
• Another important development was the launch of the Chart Show in 1986 that consisted entirely of
music videos minus the presenters.
• The early 1990’s saw the rise of directors when MTV started to credit directors when presenting their
music videos which gained huge recognition for them and gave them many more career opportunities.
5. 2000’S AND THE INTERNET…
• By the mid 2000’s MTV abandoned a lot of their music videos for popular reality television shows.
• 2005 became the launch of youtube which made viewing of videos much easier online and saw the
success of many people including Justin Bieber and Cody Simpson.
• Other sites made viewings easier online including Facebook which used similar technology.
