Well, about this.
I don't have a tv, but if this starts to happen, I might have to change that.
Sure, everyone seems to be against this new change in mtv's programming, but
above all else, I'd love to see some videos. Sure, mtv is allowed to work into
the general populous and sway a few hands, change a few sounds and alter the
face of popular music as we know it, but think about the artists we like. Can
anyone here envision Autechre 'selling out' just to get a video played? Aphex?
Reload? (or, rather, the GC boys). FSOL?
C'mon, who gives a damn who else in mtv-land sees this stuff...I'm being
completely selfish here, I would love to see some videos. If the artists we
like are really artists (that we can and should admire), we don't have to worry
about them selling out to mtv-land, do we?? Have a little confidence in what
you believe and trust.
And over-exposure?? Who gives a damn about that either? Aphex is going to do
what he does whether Rolling Stone puts him on the cover (no, it hasn't
happened, just a hypothetical) or not. My opinion of the man (and his music)
is, in no way, shaped by the opinion of my neighbor, so what have I to worry
whether some teenager in Ohio likes him after seeing the new video on MTV??
There is something nice about being the first, or among the first, to discover
an artist and listen to him; but commercial success should not be feared or
avoided. If tastes change, so much the better for the artists we love..
---brian