[net.music] VIDEOS

diy@sb6.UUCP (D. I. Young) (02/23/84)

Does anyone know if there is some type of "Academy Awards" of video music?
Also, Time magazine did a nice article on the video boom (Dec 26, '83)
and judging from what I read video will redefine how we deal with popular
music.  It seems that artists are now writing lyrics with the video in mind.
And a lot of new artist(s) are being signed by record companies based on
their camera appeal.  New groups are auditioning via videos that they have
to pay for and submit.  Yep, TV is definitely THE major force of the late
20th century.  

Well, computers too, ok?

dennis

chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuq Von Rospach) (02/28/84)

Before we start making rash assumptions about how video will
revolutionize music, please note that people said the same things about
video games, home computers, and CB radios (and, if you go back far enough
hula hoops!). In my eyes, videos looks to be the latest posibility for an
enormously successful fad, and when the excitement goes out, there is going
to be one h*ll of a crash. I like videos personally, but I don't know
whether or not they really have what it takes to remain a force, since it
depends upon the most fickle of all lovers -- the interest of the audience.
If they find something new, you might see videos and MTV go bye bye very
quickly. One other thing to keep in mind is that many of the record
producers are seriously talking about charging for the videos, and if that
happens most of the local video shows will probably disappear, and it will
cause problems with the rest. This may be yet another cause of the record
people cutting off their own nose for the sake of short term profits, since
while they don't get much money from places like MTV, the sales that are
generated indirectly are enormous. Personally, I never would have
discovered Flock of Seagulls, Stray Cats, or Men without Hats without
videos since I can't seem to find a good bay area station catering to that
kind of music, and I know I'm not unique...

q
-- 
From the Citadel of the Autarch:	Chuqui the Plaid
{fortune,menlo70}!nsc!chuqui		P.S. Nuke Wobegon!

Don't dream it, be it!

andrew@inmet.UUCP (03/07/84)

#R:nsc:-71200:inmet:6600091:000:676
inmet!andrew    Mar  6 11:53:00 1984

Videos are a new form of promotion more than a breakthrough in music.  They
have already become as formulaic as the FM radio they were supposed to have
supplanted.  Five years ago, a new band would release a record that sounded
like everybody else in order to get FM airplay; now they release a video
that looks like everybody else in order to get MTV exposure.  Meet the new 
boss, same as the old boss!
 
Andrew W. Rogers, Intermetrics    ...harpo!inmet!andrew
733 Concord Ave.                  ...hplabs!sri-unix!cca!ima!inmet!andrew
Cambridge, MA  02138              ...uw-beav!cornell!esquire!inmet!andrew
(617) 661-1840                    ...yale-comix!ima!inmet!andrew