With MTV and VH1 completely gone to shit, laden with mindless reality shows, and mainstream commercialism; is there any better time for a completely new entity to come along and restore some integrity to a dying genre of television?

- How about sending accomplished music journalists to different cities across the country to scout out and report back on new talent among the local scenes.
- How about working out time with artists to capture the songwriting/recording process as it's actually happening.
- How about revitalising the Behind the Music style documentaries that allow us a closer look into the dynamics of established bands and artists.
- How about a break from the conventions of music videos, and the birth of something new...perhaps taping live shows and doing follow-up interviews with band members, crew members, techies, roadies, groupies about the live experience and life on the road.

These are just a few ideas, and I believe there is really so much untapped potential in the music television genre. I understand that television is mostly a ratings game, and MTV has basically sold out because, sadly, the demand for reality television shows is greater than that for actual music television...but I have to believe that there is a potential audience out there (much like there is an audience for specialty channels like The Discovery Channel or The Food Network) that would tune in for in-depth music analysis. I don't see why it couldn't work. What do you guys think?

FUSE is pretty much what MTV & VH1 used to be. But we need more channels doing what you described.

youtube

Finding a quality new artist/band on youtube is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The most important aspect of music television is its ability to expose people to new artists that they wouldn't otherwise know about. If it's done with integrity, by people who have studied music and actually know what they are talking about, then talented local bands could get exposure to a large audience that would have probably never heard of them otherwise.

Pitchfork.tv

Just a website now but I would not be surprised to see it on cable or satellite in a few years. Their programming is fantastic. Nothing too fancy, just straightforward interviews, live shows, and music videos.

It's called the internet. No reason to send people out to new scenes, when there are people writing about it.

Alright, I'm with badradio on this. Maybe it's because I'm old enough to remember when music television was actuallly good and was pretty much the only channel(s) I watched. I think you've got some good ideas for how it could be done too, but I think you hit the nail on the head with the ratings thing. The only time they show videos now is very early in the morning when no one is watching and Saturday nights on MTV2. Maybe there isn't an audience for it? I know I'd watch, if it was done right.

Fuse flat-out blows just as hard as those channels do.

Winded..you of all people should know how hard it is to get any sort of recognition for your original music out there. The internet is far too large in scope for the average person to find unsigned artists and new music that isn't being fed to them through mass media. If a TV station came along and handled themselves with integrity, new and different music would become accessable to those those who don't have the time to search through all of the shit to find something worthwhile. Watching a television program that shows bands playing live, with interviews and behind the scenes footage is much more intriguing to me than reading reviews and then searching torrent sites for music. Even if reading reviews is your thing, this would provide a completely different medium to explore new artists.

but what's the need for it. I think the way things are right now, the cream rises to the top really fast. Look at what happened to Bon Iver. The speed in which the internet does this is way more efficient than a TV station could ever do. Cause with TV you get bogged down to what the sponsors support since they are giving the money. The bigger the station the more you bow down to the sponsors. The internet makes it so its more of a pure opinion, and less filtered by the constructs of a music TV network.

I understand what you are saying, but 99% of people still don't know who the fuck Bon Iver is, and they probably never will. The only reason I've heard of him is because I browsed the other bands forum on this site. Television reaches a different audience and provides a visual aspect that the internet cannot offer.

Yeah Bon Iver is apparently not at the top considering I'm here everyday and I've apparently managed to ignore whatever threads have been started about them.

The same could go for 10 bands that I like that never get any play. The point is that there is a void that could be filled. I hate to say it, but it could make being into music "cool" for some people again. And there definitely is something about a band getting a bigger push than what bands get now. Not saying that there's nothing good out there, because there's tons of good stuff out there, but when was the last time you really heard people getting pumped up about an album release or something? It doesn't happen anymore. I'm digressing a bit, but I think a good music channel is something I, and many others, would certainly welcome.

Do you really think a TV show with merit is going to reach the top? I think the internet fills the void perfectly. It just breaks down the towers put up by the majors and the tv networks. I mean look where that got us. It climaxed with The simpson sisters, and Britney Spears. I just see this as the equivalent of saying lets start a new big 4 labels with integrity. The great thing about the internet is that is not needed anymore. You can get more specific updates on your tastes. If you're into the shit on the radio, there are places to go on the internet. If you like math rock there are places for you too. All places where the content is available 24/7 why do we need the limits of a TV network again?

It's not a one or the other choice though, you could have both.

Yeah I'm aware. But its just going to be the same thing as old MTV but instead of Jessica Simpson its going to be Animal Collective. People won't pay attention just like when Arrested Development came out. Getting something to the Average person with integrity is like drawing a horse to water that looks like sand. The horse will get confused and not know how to drink it, and tell you "no, i'm not drinking that its sand"

There's never gonna be a music television station that plays only what you think is good. even if they play some crap at times that doesn't make it irrelevant. Even in the early 90s there was plenty of bad music on MTV but it also introduced me to some great bands, Pearl Jam being one of them. I would pay pretty good money to have MTV or VH1 go back 10 years or so. Shows like Behind the Music and Unplugged were excellent. And while I had no desire to watch Mariah Carey Unplugged, I saw many other artists on that program that I liked or ended up liking. Plus MTV had specialty programming like 120 Minutes, Alternative Nation, Yo MTV Raps, etc in case you were only looking for one specific thing. The visual medium helped create stars which helps create interest in music. Like Mercury said, when's the last time you heard a lot of people get excited about an album release date? MTV did play a significant role in that for awhile.

now people get excited about leaks. same thing. I'd be excited about a release date if the album wasn't available a month before it. we're beyond that.

Winded..my problem with your argument is that we are in the minority when it comes to music. Most people will not take the time to search message bards and music reviews for new material...they just take what is fed to them. I believe that it is possible for a station to come out and reach people on a grand scale without selling out to corporate interests. If channels like The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, and the Food Network can exist without heavy corporate interest, why couldn't a music channel do the same? People could definitely benefit from a television station that actually cares about music. Indy artists are great, but it's culturally important for good bands to emerge in the way that Nirvana and Pearl Jam did. It gives people something to latch onto and a group of people to identify with. Our generation is due for a musical revolution and I don't see it happening through leaked indy albums and pitchfork reviews. Like anything, people need a common place to gather in order for something big to happen. The internet's scope is far too broad to unite people through music. I think that music has a cultural relevance that is more important than one merely fulfilling his/her own personal tastes. Music can be a uniter of people.

i think a better analogy would be taking an obese person to a salad bar

They have an answer to that, load that mother up with cheese, eggs, bacon, ranch dressing and eat the whole bar!

And I'm gonna agree with badradio about music being able to reach larger audiences and be a large cultural force. The internet is great for music, and I wouldn't take that away for anything, but it's not the answer to everything either. It's the same arguments that you hear in politics about "the power of the internet". Does it have a huge impact? Sure. But it's only one piece of the puzzle.