Music Videos Are Dead

The Internet Killed The Video Star

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And like I mentioned before, the record industry has all but withered away. When's the last time you actually shelled out money and purchased a new album? Exactly. Music videos, from the dawn of their existence, were merely promotional material put out by the record labels. But nowadays, labels realize that this is a bad investment. Where's the return?

The old formula was as follows: Record label pays for a music video. Teenagers flock to their local record store and pick up the album. A handful of record label execs make an astounding sum of money.

Here's the new formula: Artist pays for music video out of pocket. Teenagers watch the video on Facebook, then subsequently listen to it for free on Spotify. Most record label execs find a new line of work.

Michael and Janet Jackson's 1995 video for "Scream" cost a ridiculous $7 million. Yesterday, I checked out the new Pixies video, which looked like it cost the price of a Golden Corrall all-you-can-eat buffet.

So, in short, why won't MTV play music videos anymore?

1. Because even if they did, you wouldn't watch.

2. Because we have the attention span of the smartest squirrel.

3. Because the internet is our new Carson Daly.

4. Because these days, the record industry is about as profitable as a Beverly Hills lemonade stand.

You may disagree with me, which is fine. But I'm absolutely right, which is fact.

Cheers,

@PeterHoare