MTV Effect - other cases?

[kfbkfb]

I've read that, due to the way the rollout of (solely) cable based MTV was done in the early 1980s (cable system by cable system, no national rollout), record stores in MTV areas noticed increased sales of albums by acts whose videos were on MTV.

Since popular music radio stations typically cover whole metro areas, how did radio modify their playlists to accommodate metro area listeners who were also watching MTV and hearing more/different songs than other metro area radio listeners wo/MTV?


Kirk Bayne

 

[kevtronics]

There are plenty of '80s songs which were not Top 40 hits but are played on the radio frequently because their music videos were in heavy rotation on MTV, such as the Romantics' "What I like About You" (#49), the Talking Heads' "And She Was" (#54), Modern English's "I Melt With You" (#78 -- also because it was in "Valley Girl"), Scandal's "Goodbye To You" (#65), and Squeeze's "Tempted" (#49).

 

[Mikey Radio]

There are plenty of '80s songs which were not Top 40 hits but are played on the radio frequently because their music videos were in heavy rotation on MTV, such as the Romantics' "What I like About You" (#49), the Talking Heads' "And She Was" (#54), Modern English's "I Melt With You" (#78 -- also because it was in "Valley Girl"), Scandal's "Goodbye To You" (#65), and Squeeze's "Tempted" (#49).

Interesting. So in other words, back then you had a few ways to get mass exposure for your songs before the days of mass interweb access and social media: Release a great song that charts high, or release an OK song, but go all out and make a kick a$$ video for it that gets heavy video play, and increased play on the radio will follow.

 

[vchimpanzee]

There are plenty of '80s songs which were not Top 40 hits but are played on the radio frequently because their music videos were in heavy rotation on MTV, such as the Romantics' "What I like About You" (#49), the Talking Heads' "And She Was" (#54), Modern English's "I Melt With You" (#78 -- also because it was in "Valley Girl"), Scandal's "Goodbye To You" (#65), and Squeeze's "Tempted" (#49).

"I Melt with You" was also in commercials for Burger King, Taco Bell, Hershey and Ritz crackers.

"What I Like About You" was the theme song for a TV series starring Amanda Bynes. For some reason they named the show after the song.

 

[davideduardo]

I've read that, due to the way the rollout of (solely) cable based MTV was done in the early 1980s (cable system by cable system, no national rollout), record stores in MTV areas noticed increased sales of albums by acts whose videos were on MTV.

That is the way cable channels have always rolled out. It is up to individual cable operators or system groups to decide which channels to include and when to introduce them. Unlike shows on CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, Univision, Telemundo, cable offerings outside of the biggest ones may not even be available in half or more of US cable households.

 

[seatownmedia]

MTV tended to run videos of good looking artists. Many really good artists were relegated to radio.

 

[Marcos_C]

That is the way cable channels have always rolled out. It is up to individual cable operators or system groups to decide which channels to include and when to introduce them.

MTV knew this, which is why it produced commercials that told viewers to call their cable company and say, "I want my MTV!"

 

[Kelly A]

And for more years than playing music videos, MTV airs reality shows targeting Millenial's and Gen Z.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

The very concept of music videos on a linear channel baffles the younger members of my family. Why would someone wait to maybe see a video they want, when you can play it anytime you want? Can't really blame them. They're exactly right.

 

[Mikey Radio]

Ahhh, the days of MTV, VH-1 (when both actually played "Music TeleVision" and "Video Hits"), and of course, the ever popular "Friday Night Videos" on NBC. Though not a video-centric show, toss Solid Gold in there for fun as well.

 

[gr8oldies]

Ahhh, the days of MTV, VH-1 (when both actually played "Music TeleVision" and "Video Hits"), and of course, the ever popular "Friday Night Videos" on NBC. Though not a video-centric show, toss Solid Gold in there for fun as well.

American Bandstand and Soul Train were still on in the early 80s

 

[kfbkfb]

I was thinking more in terms of some metro wide popular music radio listeners would be hearing(/seeing) a group of songs on MTV that may not have been played on the metro wide popular music radio station.

The MTV songs (British Invasion Pt. 2?) would not have been thru the regular radio song promotion procedures, but might have caused song requests for the MTV songs to come into the popular music station.

I just wonder how requests for popular music songs heard only on MTV would be dealt with since only a portion of the popular musc radio station audience would have heard the MTV songs?


Kirk Bayne

 

[gr8oldies]

I was thinking more in terms of some metro wide popular music radio listeners would be hearing(/seeing) a group of songs on MTV that may not have been played on the metro wide popular music radio station.

The MTV songs (British Invasion Pt. 2?) would not have been thru the regular radio song promotion procedures, but might have caused song requests for the MTV songs to come into the popular music station.

I just wonder how requests for popular music songs heard only on MTV would be dealt with since only a portion of the popular musc radio station audience would have heard the MTV songs?


Kirk Bayne

The same way they always were. If requests started to come in, station personnel would start to know about the songs for consideration. There were also trades, if an MTV song got popularity, it would have showed up somewhere.

 

[Cordelia Chase]

American Bandstand and Soul Train were still on in the early 80s

Wasn't MTV largely responsible for American Bandstand's demise? I mean, a kid didn't have to wait a whole week to see just a couple of artists on Bandstand...with MTV he could see several singers around the clock! And, while Soul Train did last into the double-aughts, I read somewhere that they could no longer book big names and that the guests at that point were largely B and C listers...

 

[kevtronics]

Wasn't MTV largely responsible for American Bandstand's demise?

That, and being frequently pre-empted on ABC for college football games, and being cut down to half an hour. In AB's last two years, it switched to syndication (and resumed its one-hour length) mostly on NBC affiliates, had a 10-month hiatus, and finally ended up on the USA Network on cable, where it lasted only six months before being cancelled for good.

 

[Cordelia Chase]

That's right kevtronics, I almost forgot about AB being cut down to 30 minutes and how they had to shorten songs by cutting out verses. I do remember it being on USA with another host, but I don't recall the syndication. Maybe it wasn't carried in my market.

 

[gr8oldies]

That's right kevtronics, I almost forgot about AB being cut down to 30 minutes and how they had to shorten songs by cutting out verses. I do remember it being on USA with another host, but I don't recall the syndication. Maybe it wasn't carried in my market.

I remember AB being a half hour (at least in the Eastern Time zone) during football season.

 

[michael hagerty]

I've read that, due to the way the rollout of (solely) cable based MTV was done in the early 1980s (cable system by cable system, no national rollout), record stores in MTV areas noticed increased sales of albums by acts whose videos were on MTV.

This also worked the other way around. Lame videos of decent songs could absolutely hurt a record that, pre-video, would have done okay on the radio alone.

 

[kevtronics]

There were some attempts at making local, over-the-air versions of MTV, especially in cities where cable TV was not widely available yet. For example, "U-68" in the NYC area, from 1985-1986. It was replaced by the Home Shopping Network.