Do people watch full music videos anymore?

December 3, 2005 8:17 PM

Do people watch complete music videos anymore? MTV and VH1 don't seem to show full videos these days, mainly excerpts.
posted by jeremias to media & arts (27 comments total)

On TV, no, because they never show them! On the internet, yes. ("Hey, that video looks cool- I should look it up online...")
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:21 PM on December 3, 2005 [1 favorite]

Yes.
posted by Remy at 8:28 PM on December 3, 2005

Generally, they still run full videos in the morning, before 10 AM. And really late at night, after 4 AM.
posted by smackfu at 8:38 PM on December 3, 2005

Fuse plays complete videos in many of their shows, except "F-list" where they insist on inserting tedious commentary by waiters and hairdressers for no apparent reason. (Fuse program director: if you're reading this, please note that commentary by celebrities would NOT be an improvement.)
posted by ZenMasterThis at 8:40 PM on December 3, 2005

There are a couple of MTV/VH1 extra channels hiding way up in my digital cable box's no-man's-land - the 170s. They're called "MTVH" and "VH1S"; I have no idea what either "S" or "H" stands for.

At this time (23:49 EST) they're both showing full videos. I'm pretty sure whenever I pass through them to get to Wonderfalls or Beavis and Butthead they're showing vids. I just flipped through the digital channel guide -- they're both slotted to show vids through at least midnite Monday.

Further information: it looks like "VH1S" is VH1 Soul and "MTVH" is MTV Hits. So anyway, they're still showing complete videos, at least here in Fairfield County. I have no idea if anybody watches them.
posted by Opposite George at 8:59 PM on December 3, 2005

MTV2 used to show really great music videos non-stop, now it's just quite literally MTV2. MTV Hits is geared toward a younger tween crowd (if the description is any indication on the guide).

VH1 Classics shows classic music videos which can get old if you don't like classic rock, glam rock or some disco hits.
posted by geoff. at 9:07 PM on December 3, 2005

Today's hit music flat out sucks, in my opinion, so to me it's a moot point. Then again maybe I'm just getting old. I'm a big fan of 80s videos, though, and collect them off of torrents. I dig all the cheap production values and early-era CGI/video effects.
posted by rolypolyman at 9:12 PM on December 3, 2005

I don't know about "people" in general, but I like having yahoo's launch around. (Even though it's not very mac-friendly..) There's a ton of stuff on there...and it's not all just new, top 40 hits...there's a fair amount of more indie-oriented videos too. We get MTV even though we're not supposed to, and it sucks for watching videos.
posted by jetskiaccidents at 9:45 PM on December 3, 2005

Don't forget MTVJ(ams) -- I've actually been really impressed with the breadth of content -- music videos from the entire history of hip-hop, with blocks of single artists and time periods. I've even discovered some less popular old school acts that I missed the first time around.
posted by VulcanMike at 10:28 PM on December 3, 2005

I forgot International Music Feed, which I saw for the first time on the Dish Network over Thanksgiving. They show blocks of international music videos and I found it completely impressive. It's the closest experience I've had in the US to watching music television in other countries (which I tend to enjoy far more than Laguna Beachness).
posted by VulcanMike at 10:34 PM on December 3, 2005

Vh1 Classic is where it's at. You can donate money and buy a block of time for video requests to benefit the Katrina Victims.
posted by AMWKE at 11:28 PM on December 3, 2005

It's obviously possible, and an enjoyable way to pass time (better then watching regular TV imo).

VH1 plays full videos in the morning and overnight. MTV sometimes does, and sometimes plays marathons of their idiotic reality shows.

The craziest thing is that they don't even show the full videos on TRL anymore. They show like 60-90 seconds of the video, overlaid with stupid crap. It's so stupid.
posted by delmoi at 11:40 PM on December 3, 2005

online--cliptip, and VH1Classic and MTV2.
posted by amberglow at 12:21 AM on December 4, 2005

MuchMusic and MuchMoreMusic in Canada plays full-length videos, I've actually never seen them play just clips. I beleive you can get both channels on satellite in the states. (Or, you might be able to get it as part of your regular television package if you live in a border state, but I'm not so sure about that.)
posted by Kololo at 12:31 AM on December 4, 2005

There's a channel in the UK called The BOX that just plays music videos, like a jukebox. They have a number that you call up and tap in a three-digit code to get the video you want. So there seems to be at least some people who watch full length music videos.
posted by chrismear at 12:38 AM on December 4, 2005

I haven't watched MTV or VH anything in years. Anytime I've tried, it's either some people standing around jabbering about... um, I never could figure it out, or what looked like a talkshow aimed at helping teens get away with all sorts of... tomfoolery. For a while, VH1 showed videos after MTV changed the meaning of "M" in their moniker, then they caught on that people really wanted to watch... uh, whatever it is they show now. (Do people really watch those channels anymore, or is it something like high-budget cable access?)

CMT actually still shows videos, I think, if you're into pop-country.

Wow, I remember MTV back when, in any given two-hour block, you could see Van Halen, Tracy Chapman, The Police, Peter Gabriel, John Cougar, Pink Floyd, Aerosmith, Billy Idol, Seal, The Ramones, Joan Jett... and all the dorky VJs.

Whoever is releasing all the old Atari 2600 games now needs to create MTV Classic DVDs or something for those of us who think "M" means Music. They looped it back then, we can just pop the DVDs in and play them over and over and pretend.

Crap I'm old.
posted by mumeishi at 1:09 AM on December 4, 2005

I would watch them all the time if they would play them for me. The great thing about classic MTV is that even if a crappy song came on, the next one might be great -- and even the crappy ones might have a video worth watching. So it had this addictive quality. You didn't have to schedule your tv-watching at all, but if you sat down to watch for 5 minutes you might sit there for 2 hours. Now it's hard to find full-length videos... and though their budgets are higher, for some reason, the videos seem to be worse.

As someone mentioned, MTV2 was great back when it was M2, but now they are crap just like MTV. And VH1 has given up their music-focused programming for "Celebreality." WTF, I say.

It's so strange that MTV had such an impact, and yet they intentionally pulled away from that influential role.
posted by litlnemo at 1:13 AM on December 4, 2005

It's so strange that MTV had such an impact, and yet they intentionally pulled away from that influential role.

True, although I repeat this -- it appears that the basic problem with uninterrupted videos is giving people 15-20 opportunities an hour to switch channels.
posted by dhartung at 1:33 AM on December 4, 2005

True, although I repeat this -- it appears that the basic problem with uninterrupted videos is giving people 15-20 opportunities an hour to switch channels.

Good point, dhartung. That's a logical, tv-programming conventional wisdom line of thought.

But on the other hand, a large number of people (who would still watch MTV) went from watching entirely too much MTV to watching no MTV. Not because they changed channels periodically, but because they changed channels permanently. Maybe there are just more mindless teenage eyeballs with large blocks of time to kill than rational adult eyes that want to watch music videos. Don't know, don't have the stats.

It still smacks of a high-dollar cable access channel. With less interesting programming. [cough cough]
posted by mumeishi at 5:22 AM on December 4, 2005

Back when I had cable, I simply could not stop watching MTV Hits. For a while there, VH1 Classic was amazing, it was just like MTV when I was a kid, and I was mesmerized. They changed the format to be more about classic rock and showing endless live performances of The Rolling Stones and Journey (although Journey live performances are highly entertaining). I didn't have Fuse, but when I was on vacation earlier this year we stayed with my boyfriend's mom and I had to be dragged away from it.

From when I was about 11 to about 16, I watched MTV pretty much exclusively. I absolutely love watching video after video in rotation with little interruption. I don't necessarily miss it though, I never knew when to stop.
posted by pazazygeek at 6:35 AM on December 4, 2005

There's a channel in the UK called The BOX that just plays music videos, like a jukebox. They have a number that you call up and tap in a three-digit code to get the video you want. So there seems to be at least some people who watch full length music videos.

We used to have The BOX here in the states, too. I distinctly remember watching it when I was in high school in Pennsylvania (late 90's). Last I checked when visiting my parents, though, the channel was gone.

Upon further research: it's now just in the UK and the Netherlands. from wikipedia: The channel also existed in the United States in the 1990s, but was eventually purchased by Viacom and merged into MTV2. Some cities in the U.S. had terrestrial (over-the-air) transmitters for The Box and later MTV2, but many have now been sold off as of 2005.
posted by The Michael The at 6:49 AM on December 4, 2005

lies, there is no music on music television
posted by suni at 9:49 AM on December 4, 2005

It also can't be denied that they were successful in appealing to a younger audience with half-hour blocks of programming. So it is certainly a change, but a good change, for them.
posted by smackfu at 11:07 AM on December 4, 2005

For the first time in years, a venture into no man's land. Right now...

MTV - some unintellible reality (?) show called "Made"

MTV2 - something they call "mash-ups" where "DJs" combine Jay-Z and Linkin Park, whatever that is.

VH1 - something about America's next "top model." Whatever.

VH1C - 100 Metal Moments about some guy who had a sex change

Fuse - something called "Comp'd: Green Day" which looks like some talking mixed with a live performance of some song I've never heard. I guess Green Day refers to the olive eye makeup the singer guy is wearing.

CMT - American Soldier where I guess country singers visit troops in the field. Not too bad; I actually understand this stuff. But, no videos.

So, anyway, not a single music video to be found on these six channels. Not even CMT.
posted by mumeishi at 11:48 AM on December 4, 2005

On a slightly related note Stim TV plays short clips of music videos in succession and allows you to click on the ones you like and play in their entirety.
posted by euphorb at 1:20 PM on December 4, 2005

I watch videos in their entirety regularly, but I do it online. In addition to the already-mentioned Cliptip, there's also Antville.
posted by yankeefog at 7:18 AM on December 5, 2005

MTV Asia and Channel [V] International (based in Malaysia) still play full music videos. I think there'd be riots if the music videos were cut short.
posted by divabat at 1:32 PM on December 5, 2005