Search the Community

MTV is (basically) dead - in Europe, at least. Parent company Paramount Skydance will pull the plug on the music channels in Europe at the end of this year (apparently the channels will continue to air in the US, but that future is likely also shaky). It seems that the only programming that will continue is reality TV shows. Whatever the eventual fate of the MTV brand as a whole, this feels inevitable and a long time coming - and also an end of an era. With the changing media landscape and the rise of social media, the age of the music video always felt like it had an inevitable expiration date. But looking back now, oh what at time it was: Where iconic songs were made more iconic by the music video that accompanied. Michael Jackson's Thriller - filmed in a manner that felt entirely theatrical - birthed the iconic red outfit and even more iconic dance. It was also an almost-14min video for a 6min song. November Rain was one of the most expensive music videos ever made, and it shows. And I'd argue the 90s-early 00s were the heydays of music videos. From Britney's iconic schoolgirl/red latex suit looks to the Backstreet Boys' era-defining white outfits (it even birthed a parody blink-182 music video), from the manic intensity of Smells Like Teen Spirit and Sabotage to the dripping sexuality of just about every hip-hop song, these visual images are integral to my musical upbringing. With changing consumption patterns driven in no small part by the rise of music streaming, MTV was always going to eventually fade into history. The notion of 24-hour music programming on TV in 2025 seems almost impossible to imagine. And in this time where you could conceivably make an entire music video with AI (or the proliferation of lyric videos on Youtube), the pivot away from this business model is a no-brainer. I do want to highlight one band for almost didactically committing to the music video, even in 2025: OK Go. This feels like a great time to recall the band's iconic break-out music video: Omg look at that old-school 4:3 aspect ratio This was ICONIC. They even somehow managed to do this live. The band released this video just 6 months ago. In 2025. Madness: The commitment to the oner is incredible. This is performative art at its finest. Anyway, the slow death of MTV and the music video makes me wistful and sad. I shall find solace in the fact that all these iconic videos of my childhood will continue to live on - in karaoke.

Funny music videos parodies : Bohemian Rhapsody : Star Wars Edition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi7KPDi_yQI Frozen : Star Wars Edition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eJeCM60awo