🎶 End of an era! MTV’s 24-hour music channels officially went dark yesterday. They signed off exactly how they began — with “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles, the very first clip MTV aired back on August 1, 1981. 📺🎸
Discussion
I was musically aware during most of its run. MTV was revolutionary, not only for music but arguably for a whole generation of cinema. A lot of music videos told stories in 3-5 minutes, with the lyrics tied to the visuals, greatly adding to the artistic expression. MTV defined a whole generation's music, not only as an auditory experience but as a visual one as well.
I don't know if people got bored with the format or if it was a pure money play, but MTV did lose its way. They fell into the reality TV trap, following a format that, while kind of interesting for a season or two, quickly devolved into overproduced and scripted crap with just the barest relation to its music roots.
Even so, MTV and its spinoffs/copycats defined music for many. It started (and ended) careers and allowed for the rise of superstars.
Video really did kill the radio star, but it also boosted the music artist.