Regardless of your genre of choice, MTV can always be counted on to appeal to all demographics and musical minorities. Punk rockers and Pop stars alike, can join hands and revel in their music of choice. But are MTV actually instigating these shifts in the music industry? This theory reminds me of the 2001 movie Josie and the Pussycats which is a satirical spoof of the music industry and muses the idea of subliminal messages in music to promote ‘what’s hot’ and all of the latest trends.
MTV originally had their hearts (or headphones) in the right place with the 80’s seeing to the rise of Dire Straights (who included MTV in some of their lyrics), Duran Duran and many more iconic artists and bands who acknowledged that getting on MTV was a great musical feat.
Even the 90’s played tribute to influential grunge bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam who used MTV to expand their fan base. Music fans who were politically nonchalant weren’t spared from the 1992 presidential election as the show ‘Rock the Vote’ merged politics and music when the (then) presidential candidate Bill Clinton appeared on the show and answered questions during a live screening.
The new millennium saw rise to the boy band era of Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, Five and the princesses of pop Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and others who still remain in my personal favourite lists of artists who inspired my music tastes today. But the 2000’s also had the rise of reality television (The Osbournes, Laguna Beach) and bad dating shows like Room Raiders, when one evaluates their potential life mate by the contents of their bedroom, rather than their heads.
Through all this it seems that whilst trying to keep political correctness at bay, there will always be someone who has something bad to say. Whether it’s mum’s who are appalled at the idea of glorifying being 16 and pregnant or gay activists standing out against oppressors such as this years VMA winner Tyler the Creator. Sometimes even the artists themselves are against the music that is being played (a la Kanye West’s attack on Taylor Swift). There is always going to be someone who is against the way MTV is being organized and what is gracing the screens and eyes of the youth of today. But behind those people, there will be an even greater mob, who just want MTV to return to its musical roots, and I’ll be picketing amongst the best of them.
MTV originally had their hearts (or headphones) in the right place with the 80’s seeing to the rise of Dire Straights (who included MTV in some of their lyrics), Duran Duran and many more iconic artists and bands who acknowledged that getting on MTV was a great musical feat.
Even the 90’s played tribute to influential grunge bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam who used MTV to expand their fan base. Music fans who were politically nonchalant weren’t spared from the 1992 presidential election as the show ‘Rock the Vote’ merged politics and music when the (then) presidential candidate Bill Clinton appeared on the show and answered questions during a live screening.
The new millennium saw rise to the boy band era of Backstreet Boys, N*Sync, Five and the princesses of pop Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and others who still remain in my personal favourite lists of artists who inspired my music tastes today. But the 2000’s also had the rise of reality television (The Osbournes, Laguna Beach) and bad dating shows like Room Raiders, when one evaluates their potential life mate by the contents of their bedroom, rather than their heads.
Through all this it seems that whilst trying to keep political correctness at bay, there will always be someone who has something bad to say. Whether it’s mum’s who are appalled at the idea of glorifying being 16 and pregnant or gay activists standing out against oppressors such as this years VMA winner Tyler the Creator. Sometimes even the artists themselves are against the music that is being played (a la Kanye West’s attack on Taylor Swift). There is always going to be someone who is against the way MTV is being organized and what is gracing the screens and eyes of the youth of today. But behind those people, there will be an even greater mob, who just want MTV to return to its musical roots, and I’ll be picketing amongst the best of them.
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