"Video Killed the Radio Star"

Some songs are distinct time markers. This could have severe consequences, as we will see in this blog post. In the 1980s, just music wasn't enough to please the masses. The music had to be embodied in a video to get attention. MTV was launched in 1981 and quickly became a defining cultural force of the 1980s with 24-hour music videos. It was a terrible time for aesthetes. The presenters on the channel were called "VJ" as opposed to "DJ". The music video for "Video Killed the Radio Star" is notable as the first video ever played on MTV. Some muisc videos were arty-farty. Some were inexplicable. Some were awful. Some left an imprint. Here is one image from the beginning of the 1980s that is burnt into my brain. Me and a couple of guys were making casual conversation about music. Then one guy said: "I lost my virginity to Video Killed the Radio Star". This unsolicited information was contradictory to his previous information in the matter according to which he had lost his virginity way back. He tried to save the situation by saying that he had confused his lost-virginity-song with "Video Killed the Radio Star", but it was too late for any rescue attempt. Thinking back, what an absolute terrible song to lose your virginity to. No class act. On the other hand, in those days you could lose your virginity behind a gas station. Back to the arrival of videos. In the 1980s, video really killed the radio star. If a band or an artist didn't make a video, this stood out. Some music video producers/directors got filthy rich. Nothing lasts forever. Even the longest, the mos glittering reign must come to an end someday. The MTV channel was quietly shut down in December 2025. Before that, the channel experienced a languishing existence for years with reality series of the trashier kind. Let's agree upon that streaming killed the videos. Structural change and transition are common in the music industry. Where there is transition there are myths. Here is a myth. CD replaced vinyl in the 1980s. According to vinyl conspiracy theorists it was not the cd superiority that killed vinyl. No, it was a stab in the back. Allegedly, the big record companies didn't allow overstocked or unsold vinyls to be returned and, at the same time, raised the prices on vinyls. The vinyl format was squeezed to death. That's why it only took 18 months to kill vinyl in 1984. In a twist of fate, vinyl later returned from the dead and killed cd (with good help from streaming). The cd format was squeezed to death. The big record companies raised the prices on vinyls at the same time. This is capitalism in its purest form.