Music videos crushed by reality TV
Ever tune into MuchMusic and wonder where the videos are?
Like the song said, video killed the radio star. But 25 years after MTV debuted, it looks like reality has killed -- or at least rendered into a coma -- the video star.
We used to get pimps in a Jay-Z video -- now we get Pimp My Ride. And while nobody is ever going to complain about Jessica Simpson NOT singing, it's not like she's vanished. In fact, as half of the music station's Newlyweds couple, she probably gets more airtime than Madonna ever did during her Material Girl heyday.
Talk to industry analysts and they note a swing in viewers' tastes. Audiences would much rather watch a "behind closed doors-style infotainment" than the latest clip from Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera.
For this, say some, the music channels have no one to blame but themselves.
David Kines, vice-president of MuchMusic, says he's seen his audience become more informed during his more than 20 years with the company.
"They're definitely much more media savvy," Kines explains. "We've torn down the fourth wall. It makes them feel like they (the artists) are everyday people."
Hence such fare as The Osbournes or Newlyweds, which strip away the fairy tale lives of the fabulous and famous. Although he insists MuchMusic is still all about music -- Kines points to the proliferation of genre-specific 24/7 music video channels -- video flow has decreased to make room for more reality-themed series. Where does this leave a music video industry that's been seemingly left behind by the "reality" phenomenon?
Jannie McInnes is an executive producer with Revolver Film Company. Their latest music video was Blue Orchid for The White Stripes, directed by Floria Sigismondi.
"In the last two or three years, shows like Pimp My Ride and Newlyweds have taken precedence over regular video flow," says McInnes. "On the broadcast side, the most conspicuous change is that full-length videos are available for purchase online. This will give record labels an opportunity to profit from downloads of videos."
She expects online videos to only grow in popularity -- possibly at the expense of quality.
"Video budgets have become radically reduced in the last years, making it very challenging," she says.
Not helping? Formulaic videos. Gone are the days where what you saw on MuchMusic is fodder for banter around the watercooler. For that, McInnes blames the music industry itself. "If a track is formulaic, a by-the-book video will result."
The advent of technology is another reason why the status quo no longer applies. Video production is now available to do-it-yourselfers who can shoot and edit digitally on their home computers and post the clips on the Internet. A good thing? Maybe. As McInnes says, "It could be perceived to be a con that technology is used to sustain youth and beauty stereotypes."
Yet she still believes in the power a buzzworthy video can have on a band's chances at success.
"An artist can use music videos as platform to show how they reject conventions of the market or their music genre by doing something rebellious and exciting. The best videos to me are ones that open new possibilities of how you listen to a song."
Some of the music videos that managed to make a lasting impression on the industry and pop culture:
Thriller, Michael Jackson, 1983: A pre-scandal Jackson, left, forever changed the music video world with one of the first mini-movie videos.
Take on Me, A-Ha, 1985: At the time, nobody was blending animation and live-action in music videos. This one gave people a glimpse of what the future might hold. Unforgettable from a forgettable band.
Sabotage, Beastie Boys, 1994: Shooting in the form of a '70s cop show introduction, the Beasties kept us entertained while continuing to re-invent themselves with a touch of rock.
Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen, 1975: As if Wayne's World didn't do enough for the song, it was the video that made it come alive, and stay in people's memory banks for three decades.
Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana), 1992: Grunge kicked into high gear after the release of the trio's raw video, featuring Kurt Cobain, above, shot in a high school gym.
Everybody Hurts (R.E.M.), 1993: Probably the only video we have ever seen that consistently makes some people cry when they watch it.
Hurt (Johnny Cash), 2003: Cash summed up his life in one dark and resonating video that demanded respect.
Buddy Holly (Weezer), 1994. Anyone who helps the Fonz re-live his glory days while giving back Ron Howard his full head of hair is tops in our books.
Strong TV Season Ends on 'Idol' Finale
NEW YORK - With nearly 30 million people watching the "American Idol" finale on Fox, broadcast television networks ended a season that gave everybody something to brag about — except NBC.
CBS can again claim the status of the nation's most popular network. Perhaps more significant financially, its viewership increased among young people.
For the first time since beginning a prime-time schedule in 1987, Fox was the No. 1 network among the 18-to-49-year-old viewers that broadcasters crave.
ABC launched a comeback that probably exceeded the dreams of even its most optimistic executives, seeing its viewership increase by 12 percent overall and 17 percent among the 18-to-49 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research figures released Thursday.
And NBC? Well, there's always next year — a winter Olympics year. NBC ended the season in an unprecedented fourth place among overall and young viewers.
The broadcast networks in general had virtually the same number of prime-time viewers this season than they had in 2003-04, which is significant because viewership had dropped steadily, every year, since the 1993-94 season.
Fans embraced new programming this year, a particularly encouraging sign for network executives. The 25 most-watched prime-time shows this season included six new series: "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy" on ABC; "House" on Fox; "Medium" on NBC and "CSI: NY" on CBS.
"The networks were where the hot programming was this year," said David Poltrack, chief researcher at CBS.
With no new episodes of "The Sopranos" or "Sex and the City" this season, cable networks lost some of their cutting edge, he said.
But Jack Wakshlag, chief researcher at the Turner Networks, said cable networks continue to increase their share of the prime-time audience.
"There literally are more people spending more time watching television than a year ago," he said. "But they're not watching more broadcast television."
It's more than a battle over numbers for these executives. Ad agencies are expected to place orders for more than $18 billion in advertising for the fall season over the next few weeks, and dozens of networks are scratching for every dime.
Industry analyst Jack Myers said the broadcast networks will benefit from a high "buzz factor" this year, keeping money that might have otherwise shifted to cable.
"I think that cable will grow organically," Myers said. "But I don't think there's a lot of money going out of broadcast and into cable. I don't see that as much as the cable industry would like to."
For the second straight year, the most popular program on television was the Tuesday edition of "American Idol" (27.3 million viewers), followed by CBS's "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (26.6 million). After the Wednesday "Idol" edition, "Desperate Housewives" was next.
CBS averaged 12.9 million viewers in prime-time this year. ABC and Fox were in a flat-footed tie for second with 10 million viewers, followed by NBC at 9.8 million. The WB and UPN both averaged 3.3 million viewers.
NBC was down 11 percent among viewers and 16 percent among the young demographic. That latter drop, in particular, threatens its longstanding position as the network that earns the most advertising revenue during this "upfront" buying season.
NBC can take some comfort over the remarkable tightness of the network competition. Only six-tenths of one rating point separated first from fourth among 18-to-49-year-old viewers, and it's even closer considering Fox's numbers were inflated this year by the Super Bowl.
Any network that can repeat ABC's feat of minting new hits next year stands the chance of making a big move.