The first reality shows, the “MTV Unplugged” acoustic concerts, the “Rock the Vote” and “Choose or Lose” campaigns and, of course, the music video revolution – these are some of the most important events in the history of MTV. On December 31, 2025, after 44 years, the channel will stop broadcasting.
MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, MTV 00s and MTV Live will be canceled in the UK and Ireland, followed by France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, Australia and Brazil. Stations broadcasting music videos and concerts will disappear – there will remain a channel where you can watch reality shows. In the era of streaming, music television has become obsolete and unprofitable. Its role was taken over by YouTube and social media platforms. MTV will also move into the digital space.
When she started in 1981, no one gave her a chance – a television station showing music videos – 24 hours a day. There were few film illustrations of music at that time, there was no need for it, the music media were the press and radio. The attention of record labels' promotion departments focused on them. However, MTV changed the world of the music industry, changing its rules and establishing new ones – equating musical talent with the image of the artist.
Over the years, music videos have gained the status of a fully-fledged form of film art, they were shot by such creators as Spike Lee, David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Martin Scorsese, David Lynch and Spike Jonze, and their budgets amounted to many millions of dollars. When the station started operating, it had a license to show less than 200 music videos created for little money using guerrilla methods.
MTV launched on August 1, 1981 with the broadcast of “Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles, a prediction of the future in which music videos would rule and TV presenters would become guides to the world of music. Critics accused them of superficiality and a lack of knowledge that was supposedly made up for by their appearance or flashy clothes. The first group of video DJs – from “Video Jockey”, which came from the radio “Disc Jockey” – was created by young enthusiasts who shared their passion with viewers, reaching for unconventional ways of talking about music and talking to artists. They had no role models. Over time, they themselves became as famous as the stars they talked about.
Milestones in the art of music videos, the history of the station, and the history of pop music itself include: premieres of the clips “Thriller” by Michael Jackson (lasting almost 15 minutes), “Rio” by Duran Duran, “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel, “Freedom! '90” by George Michael, “Like a Prayer” by Madonna and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. They heralded changes in fashion and musical tastes, and they were able to turn the artists whose music they accompanied into global stars. The frequency of appearances on MTV was crucial to the careers of many musicians.
In the first years, the station was accused of not recognizing and promoting such important trends as rap, jazz and funk, and was even accused of racism. In 1983, in a famous interview with MTV, David Bowie accused its bosses of doing just that. MTV's management took the criticism to heart – programs such as “120 Minutes” and “Yo! MTV Raps” appeared, thanks to which the station became more diverse, open not only to pop music and mainstream rock.
It was MTV that also initiated a series of “unplugged” concerts, acoustic performances under the banner of “MTV Unplugged”. Artists who performed in this format included: Eric Clapton, Nirvana, Lenny Kravitz, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Sting, REM, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, Björk, Lauryn Hill and Jay-Z. The annual MTV Video Music Awards, during which the best music videos of the year were awarded, were also very popular. The gala was held for the first time in 1984.
The station reported live events such as the “traveling” alternative music festival Lollapalooza. Alternative rock – also thanks to MTV – unexpectedly became popular music; during the first edition of the festival in 1991, the performances included: Jane's Addiction, Living Color, Nine Inch Nails, Butthole Surfers and Body Count. Until the event was suspended in 1997, Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Tool, Beastie Boys, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Pavement, Sonic Youth, The Roots, Devo, Wu Tang Clan and The Prodigy also played there. For bands like Nirvana – constantly, it seemed, shown on MTV – fame, popularity and praise brought anguish and identity crisis, questions about faithfulness to ideals. The band, which grew out of punk rock and alternative, became a commercial hit, a commodity sold and promoted by an important player in the music industry.
MTV's influence extended beyond music and pop stardom. The beginning of the 1990s saw the social campaigns “Rock the Vote” and “Choose or Lose”, through which the station tried to encourage young Americans to participate in elections and the political life of the country and to raise civic awareness. The first years of the last decade of the 20th century on MTV also brought a new idea – “reality shows”. The heroes of these programs had no musical talent – the participants of “The Real World” were “ordinary people” whose life together under one roof could be watched by TV viewers. MTV was increasingly moving away from music videos, concerts, interviews with artists, and trying to gain new viewers with programs that had nothing to do with music (“The New Jersey Crew”, “My Super Sweet Birthday”) or focused on the private lives of stars and their wealth (“MTV Cribs”, “The Osbournes”).
In 2000, MTV Polska started broadcasting. Five years later, YouTube was founded in the United States. From now on, you no longer had to wait in front of the TV screen to see a music video of your favorite artist. Now they were all at your fingertips at any time. (PAP)
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