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Washington, June 26: Two Kansas State University music experts have shed light on how MTV changed the music industry and popular culture forever 30 years after the channel's launch on August 1, 1981.
The network's first music video was 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by the Buggles, an intentional selection according to one of those experts.
"That song came out a couple of years prior to the launch of MTV," said Nora Lewis, assistant professor of music.
"When MTV launched, it featured videos 24 hours a day on every day of the week. MTV creators knew its cultural and musical impact would be huge, and the selection of 'Video Killed the Radio Star' served as the perfect harbinger for its impending significance," he said.
MTV initially had a limited audience. Cable television was not widely available in the early 1980s. As the popularity and scope expanded, MTV began to effectively define popular culture and the music industry in an unprecedented manner, according to another K-State music expert.
"Popular music became more visual," said Steven Maxwell, assistant professor of music.
"It helped break the color barrier for popular music on television. Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' video was shown in 1983 and helped MTV and Jackson gain in popularity."
Record sales spiked for artists shown on MTV. Soon the music video became an effective marketing tool for record companies, Lewis said.
"The increased importance of music's visual element had a number of effects on the music industry as a whole," he added. (ANI)