Music channels exist to promote artists and their music to wider audiences through music videos. There are various music channels that differ in their target markets, genres of music, and distribution platforms. MTV is a popular American channel that airs on TV and online, targeting teenagers with mainstream pop. Vevo is accessible online through YouTube and has a more diverse genre selection, targeting teens to adults. Channel AKA on Sky and YouTube focuses on hip hop, urban, and grime music, promoting up-and-coming artists. 4Music airs in the UK, showing mainstream pop music videos and artist interviews on TV and online, targeting younger audiences.

1. Music Channels
Hannah Worboys

2. What is the purpose of music channels?
The purpose of a music channel is to produce a broader range of
access to music videos. This allows for the artists/ singers to
promote their music to a wider audience/ fan base. There are
multiple music channels that are accessible to the public and in
different mediums. The channels are either internet based or aired
on TV. So as to stand out among the different channels each one
will have there own particular style and target market in mind. This
allows for the music channel to accommodate to their own chosen
style, genre and targeted audience. Music videos are so important as
they can potentially launch an artists career globally; e.g. Psy,
Gangnam Style.

3. What channels are out there and how do
they differ?
- MTV is a popular American music channel that often targets the teenage audience with
mainstream and popular music. MTV both has there own website as well as there own TV
channels which are only provided on some TV bundles; e.g. SKY and BT vision. As well as
featuring music videos on there site they also provide news on the artists themselves and
their music. http://www.mtv.co.uk/music
- Vevo is an internet website that was created by three of the biggest major record labels;
Sony Music Entertainment, EMI and Universal Music group. Vevo has more than 50,000
videos on their channel of which although still heavily features a lot of mainstream pop it has
a bigger diversity of genres. The target audience for Vevo is much broader as a result. Also
there layout of there website lends itself to a more mature market, e.g. teens – adults.
Although Vevo is accessible from the internet is is not yet available worldwide. Vevo links
to YouTube as they have there own channel through this site. Using this they post all the
main official music videos. http://www.vevo.com/#/

4. What channels are out there and
how do they differ?
-
Channel AKA is a British TV channel that is owned by All Around The World
Productions. The channel is is aired on SKY, however it does also have its own
YouTube channel. AKA specialises in playing music videos specifically from the genres
of hip hop, Urban and grime. It focuses upon upcoming artists rather than playing more
established artists. http://www.youtube.com/user/channelakaofficial
-
4Music originally started out as a channel that was only accessible on TV but it has
now been made available to view from the internet. It is aired only in the UK with the
exception of the Republic of Ireland. The channel focuses upon mainstream and
popular music and does regular updates that include; Today 4Music Top 10, Your
official Top 20, UKHot40 and etc. 4Music don’t just show the music videos as they
also include interviews with various artists as well as getting the artists to host they
own set of the show. The format of the show suggests that there target market is the
younger audience - teenagers. http://www.4music.com/

5. Fact File:
Date started: August 1, 1981
Owned by: Viacom Media Networks
Country of origin: United Sates
History: In 1977 when the first two way interactive cable television system was created many specialised channels were
launched. One of these channels was called Sight On Sound. This channel enabled viewer to watch concert footage and
music oriented TV programs. As the system was interactive the channel allowed for the audience to vote for there favorite
artists and song to be featured on the channel. The MTV system was created by a media executive Robert W. Pittman of
whom is now the president and CEO of MTV Networks. In 1970’s Pittman began hosting and producing a 15 minute
show, Album Tracks that was aired on a New York TV station called WNBC. The first ever music video to be played on
MTV was ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by The Buggles.
On the 1 August 1987 MTV launched a new channel called MTV Europe this allowed for MTV to reached to a wider audience.
The channel was aired in all regions within Europe being at its time one of the only channels which target all areas in the
continent. However today the channel is only aired to a selection of European countries as in 1997 MTV Networks began
to regionalise all its networks.
MTV continued to air new shows and created different segments for the various music categories which they play. As they
continued to grow they started to shows such as the MTV Music Video Awards, this allowed for them to create a night
where all the viewer favorite artists performed and collected awards which the viewer had voted for. This is then aired on
the MTV channel. However so as to compete with the other music channels now available MTV’s style and genre had to
become more speacialised.

6. Other existing music channels

7. Music Video Issues
There are moral and ethical issues with music videos due to some extremities of there content. For example it is argued that
music videos should have age ratings much like films do so as to restrict younger people from viewing subjects that are deemed
inappropriate for there age group. However for some videos like; The Wanted ‘I Found You’ an Parental Advisory Explicit
Content message is viewed before the music video has begun, to warn the viewer.