HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS
1981-1991
MAINSTREAM MUSIC VIDEOS
In 1981, the U.S. video channel MTV launched, airing "Video Killed the Radio Star" and beginning an era of 24-hour-a-day music on television. With this new outlet for material, the music video would, by the mid-1980s, grow to play a central role in popular music marketing. Many important acts of this period, most notably Adam and the Ants, Duran Duran and Madonna, owed a great deal of their success to the skillful construction and seductive appeal of their videos. Two key innovations in the development of the modern music video were the development of relatively inexpensive and easy-to-use video recording and editing equipment, and the development of visual effects created with different techniques. They started to explore and expand on the style of genre by using sophisticated effects. This would mean mixing their film and video as well as adding a narrative storyline to the music video.
Michael Jackon’s song, Thriller was the most influential and successful music video in 1983.
In 1984, MTV launched the MTV Video Music Awards, which is known as the VMAs. This is an annual award event that shows their importance in the music industry. Another important development in music videos was the launch of The Chart Show on the UK's Channel 4 in 1986. In 1988, the MTV show Yo! MTV Raps debuted; the show helped to bring hip hop music to a mass audience for the first time.