<\/p>\n
This may seem like a silly thing to say, but once upon a time, the only way to get music was to listen for it. You turned on a radio or you bought a record.<\/p>\n
If it sounded good, there was a chance the song might become a hit. That\u2019s what mattered: the sound of the record.<\/p>\n
That all began to change in the 1970s, and in less than ten years, sound began to matter less. How the song looked became the thing.<\/p>\n
Critics laughed at the notion of a \u201cmusic video\u201d in the early days. But then came MTV, the world\u2019s first 24-hour music video channel. They called it \u201cillustrated radio\u201d\u2014and it worked.<\/p>\n
After that we got MuchMusic, VH1, M2, Edge-TV, MuchMoreMusic, MuchLoud, The Box, and dozens of others around the world. And for years and years, if you wanted a chance to make it big, you had to make a music video. Yes, it was expensive, but too bad\u2014it was all part of the game.<\/p>\n
During the heyday, some videos cost millions and millions of dollars. Remember the video for \u201cScream\u201d by Michael and Janet Jackson back in 1995? In today\u2019s money, that video, which runs four minutes and 47 seconds, cost just under $15 million. Madonna made three videos with budgets of more than $10 million. You can make a feature-length movie with that kind of cash.<\/p>\n
Pretty singers with mediocre songs often became stars, while less-attractive performers with good songs had a real chance of being passed over.<\/p>\n
The art of the video affected the art of moviemaking. It influenced the way we look at television, not to mention fashion, language, politics, gender fluidity, LGBTQ issues, and so much more. Videos may have altered our attention spans\u2014which kind of concerns me, because this program is an hour long and I need you to hang in there with me.<\/p>\n
Music videos exported soft power from the West\u2014especially the United States\u2014to the rest of the world. At one point, MTV was one of the most influential creators and disseminators of culture\u2014and by \u201cculture\u201d I mean America.<\/p>\n
That was then. Music videos are still an art form and still necessary (well, mostly necessary) for promoting music, but things just aren\u2019t what they used to be.<\/p>\n
How did we get to this point? This is the rise, fall, and future of the music video.<\/p>\n
Songs heard on this show:<\/p>\n
Eric Wilhite has a playlist.<\/p>\n
The Ongoing History of New Music can be heard on these stations.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t forget there\u2019s a\u00a0\u00a0podcast<\/a>\u00a0version (along with hundreds of others) available, in case you miss an episode. Get them for free wherever you get your podcasts.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\u00a9\u00a02026\u00a0Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n