1983 SPECIAL REPORT: "MTV DISCRIMINATES AGAINST BLACK ARTIST"
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When MTV debuted on Aug. 1, 1981, at least one black face on the network was a mainstay. It belonged to J.J. Jackson, the sole African American on MTV's roster of video jockeys, or VJs as they became known.
Despite Jackson’s presence on MTV through 1986, the network faced allegations of racism for giving scant airtime to videos featuring people of color. MTV executives have denied that racism was at the root of the network’s “blackout,” saying that black artists received little airplay because their music didn’t fit the channel’s rock-based format.
“MTV was originally designed to be a rock music channel,” said Buzz Brindle, MTV’s former director of music programming, to Jet magazine in 2006. “It was difficult for MTV to find African American artists whose music fit the channel’s format that leaned toward rock at the outset.”
With so few black rockers, adding African Americans to MTV’s roster proved difficult, according to the network’s co-founder Les Garland, whom Jet also interviewed.
“We had nothing to pick from,” Garland explained. “Fifty percent of my time was spent in the early days of MTV convincing artists to make music videos and convincing record labels to put up money to make those videos…”
One artist needed no convincing. He’d even made a video for “Don't Stop ’Til You Get Enough,” a cut from his 1979 album Off the Wall. But when approached by Michael Jackson’s record label, would MTV agree to play his music videos? It took major prodding to get MTV to play “Billie Jean,” the second track from Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller. Released Jan. 2, 1983, the single would go on to top the Billboard 100 chart for seven weeks, but Walter Yetnikoff, president of CBS Records Group, reportedly had to threaten to remove all other CBS videos from MTV before the network agreed to air the video for “Billie Jean.”
Garland denied such a confrontation occurred, telling Jet that the network began playing the video on its own. “There was never any hesitation. No fret,” he said. Based on his account, MTV aired the video the same day that executives screened it.
However “Billie Jean” ended up on the network, there’s little doubt that it changed the course of MTV. The first video by a black artist to receive heavy rotation on the network, “Billie Jean” opened up the door for other artists of color to be featured on MTV.
“Billie Jean” also paved the way for Michael Jackson to star in the 14-minute music video “Thriller,” the most expensive music video ever made at the time.
“Thriller” debuted Dec. 2, 1983. It proved so popular that it was released as a home video that went on to become a record-breaking bestseller.
David Bowie put them on blast about their racial discrimination
And Rick James
Yes he did
Sho did!!!!!
And Blonde
It took a Man from the UK
R.I.P. David Bowie, Rick James, Alvin “Skip” Miller (Motown executive), J.J. Jackson (MTV VJ), Dick Griffey (SOLAR Records), Marcus Hutton, Nicholas Caldwell (The Whispers), Prince Rogers Nelson and Michael Jackson.
Yeah Prince fought MTV and even changed the nomenclature of his music along with Rick James just to get played.....fortunately Michael Jackson's success and David Bowie, blowing them up in an interview.......make the VJ look like a racist idiot......Good on ya Bowie!!!!
What really scared the shit out of MTV, and got them to start playing black performers was Ted Turner. Ted Turner Told Warmer Executives, point blank... I will start my own Music Channel, and we won't exclude performers the way that MTV does. He first started what TBS called Night Tracks, which turned into the short-lived (Cable Music Channel). Then NBC started Friday Night Videos.
This is absolutely true,! That was a big bomb unleashed on them. The next big bomb unleashed on them, was Michaels record label, President of CBS Record, Walter Yetnikoff was going to pull all of there artists of MTV, which included Bowie, Springsteen and much more great artists if they did not play Michael Jackson videos, which Billie Jean was number 1 at the time for 7 weeks! This buckled them!
What happened was certain labels said, if you don't play our black artists, we'll pull our white artists and then MTV would have lost tons of their programing...
@@edward2962 Yes and no. Record companies did make that threat, but it was Ted Turner and NBC who both launching two music video cable channels in 1982/1983 that forced MTV to play black artists. MTV crushed them both, but it forced the MTV executives to realize that they were no longer the only game in cable.
@@edward2962 Be good to hear all what labels said that. I have a idea but even at one point it was not many black radio stations either. And MTV did not want to accept black people are the most copy individuals on the planet music and ect.
@@TJ-nq5nt Epic Records for instance. MJ was signed with them at time and they knew he was about to blow up. They told MTV if they didn't play his videos they would pull their other artists. At that time, MTV wasn't producing original content yet, so they had to give in.
I really think what got the ball rolling was when David Bowie (RIP), a white performer from Great Britain now, asked an MTV interviewer how come you don't show any music videos from black performers. After that interview, I had mad respect for him.
I'm doubtful the VJs had any choice in that. It's the guys in suits looking like stereotypes of top corporate figures in the 80s like in the clip, but I'm glad he said that as those at the top would certainly have heard it. Although they did change for the better, they also were taken over by Viacom that didn't care about music, shifted everything to appeal to teens and early 20 somethings playing less music every year.
@@flipflopsofpeaceandjustice I'm sorry. Aren't you late for your Klan meeting?
Love Bowie pure artist. Who enjoyed the art of others.
Came here to see who else would mention this. Same same.
He specifically said Prince and the interviewer made a comment about Prince being scary and that's why they don't play him.
There was discrimination against Black artists at MTV. I'm from the UK and at the time, in the early to mid 80s my favourite, and biggest music program was Top of the Pops and there was always a ton of Black artists featured on the show. During that time MTV was only available on satellite which no-one had because it was as expensive as shit. I was friends with a kid who's Dad was making a heap of money in the double glazing industry at the time, so we'd go to his house every day to watch MTV. Back in those days the UK had a mainstream chart and a chart for music on independent labels. If you sold enough records to enter the chart position at number 80, I think, you were automatically allowed, and encouraged to play TOTPs. In the early 80s you could see Hardcore Punk and Metal bands like The Exploited and Iron Maiden playing on the same stage as George Benson, The Funk Masters, Joan Armatrading, Sunfire, Musical Youth, New Edition, Herbie Hancock, Prince and Micheal Jackson. I also remember Hip Hop like Whodini, the Fat Boys and early Chicago House tunes by Farley Jackmaster Funk and Steve Silk Hurley being huge as well. Whenever I watched MTV it was all Synthpop bands (which I loved) and shitty Hair Metal bands. FFS, they didn't even play Billie Jean!!! I think MTVs reaction to not playing Black artists was that 'Middle America' wouldn't be into it. That was a crock of shit TBH.
If that's the reason, they were cowards. I think America was more than ready to have black and white artists together on MTV already in 1981 when it was launched. Why do I think so? Because before MTV, people like Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, etc. were already established superstars with large black and white fanbases. There was no reason for this modern segregation.
It hilarious now that MTV lectures people on race but never talks about it's racist past
You didn't even have MTV but boy you can sure tell a big epic story about how racist it was. Typical 😂
@@terryrollins1973 Er, I watched it pretty much every day. Where I watched it is completely irrelevant. I mean, c'mon, MTV only grudgingly started airing the Billie Jean video even though it was literally the biggest song on the planet at the time. What other reason did MTV have for dawdling?
THAT IS WHAT THE GUY SAID WHEN HE WAS ACTUALLY CHALLENGED BY DAVID BOWIE ABOUT IT!!!!!!! IT IS DIABOLICAL!!!!!
MTV is hella trashy now
Twan112785 AMEN yess
lat good thing in mtv i britney and now without her the channel died already
@@colossus112785 MTV has been garbage for 30 years lol.
@@colossus112785
Yes actually. The 80s were MTV at its best.
@@bigolebot All I listen to is old school music
That's why BET came out so they can represent black music
100
Don't forget the Box channel a TV you control
But you couldn't get b e t in every city.
And thank God Tyler Perry got it now
And this is why DJ Ralph Mcdaniels created his show called Video Music Box.
Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean saved MTV and single-handedly took the network to another level. His video changed the entire industry. Funny, MTV was hesitant to play the video and only relented when CBS threatened to pull all of its artists from MTV’s playlists.
The channel had Madonna and she was the biggest artist on the channel with or without Jackson. They did Madonna weekends all the time. I wouldn't say the channel was in trouble where it needed saved.
@@bluedragon4 MTV was about to file bankruptcy before the network relented and showed Jackson’s videos, which brought MTV its very first profit.
@@bluedragon4Absolutely no artist could touch MJ in the 80s
@@bluedragon4Madonna's videos came from 1984 onwards. After Billie Jean, Beat It and Thriller had dominated MTV
Please stop spreading false information. MTV was never in danger of going bankrupt in the 80s. The thriller video became the biggest thing on MTV yes and it changed the format of how a video is made ,however, MTV especially in the 80s, was going from strength to strength and getting bigger and bigger, with no help from Michael jackson or any other artists at the time. If anything MTV were responsible for helping artists, including Michael jackson with selling millions of albums as it created exposure previously unavailable.
I'm sorry, but Pittman's excuse for not playing Black artists on MTV back then was an outrageous, transparent crock. First of all, don't call it "MUSIC Television" if you're only going to play *one* genre of music selectively. (Why not call it "RTV," then?) Second, look at any number of the songs MTV played in heavy rotation back in the early '80s: "Video Killed the Radio Star," "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" (a song with a reggae beat, FFS), or "Let's Dance" (in which David Bowie actually sings "Put on your red shoes and dance the BLUES"). Are we really supposed to believe that those were rock songs?? Please. 🙄 And MTV VJ Mark Goodman actually admitted, in an unguarded moment in his interview with Bowie in 1983 or '84, that the *REAL* reason MTV didn't play many Black artists back then was that they were catering to white viewers in heartland America who they thought would be "scared to death of Prince or a parade of Black faces." He said the quiet part out loud.
those folks have myriad of ways of saying, "no niggers." without saying, no niggers. 6:23 "we are looking for a certain sound and a certain point of view." sounds fair and harmless, doesn't it? those folks can dog whistle like nobody's business.
If that's what MTV was doing it didn't seem to matter to my sixth grade class Rick James was huuuge.
I don't know where we heard about him, but we all jammed to Rick
We were mostly white and Filipino kids with a few black students as well.
Same with Prince
@@josephhertzberg2734 "I don't know where we heard about him, but we all jammed to Rick
We were mostly white and Filipino kids with a few BLACK STUDENTS as well." i couldn't, for the life of me, figure out where a bunch of white people would hear about rick james and prince without mtv air play . . . boy, i'm stumped!
@@wraithstrongopark maybe so, but Rick was tearing up the radio back then as well.
It's funny because at that point modern music was sounding to me like future music, everything sounded weird and super fresh(superfreaky?)
I just lumped Rick in with the rest of the incredible artists on the radio...music was blowing our minds in the 80s.
@@wraithstrongopark don't even get me started on early proto hip hop and electro funk.....dude I thought that music was like outer space, future, time travel music..
Back when 29 year-olds looked 50.
Better skin products now, less cigarettes now, and a whole lot less cocaine.
Look at my pic I am going to be 63 years old I always looked young for my age.
Ikr 😅
I’m 20 and yet I look far younger than that. It’s most likely because i exercise a lot. I heard that when you weigh less, you generally look younger. Schools should have more phys Ed programs as their 1st hours. I get pretty tired in the morning, so exercise really not only helps me concentrate, but it will help others concentrate as well as they go on throughout the day. It will further fight obesity. Exercise is amazing. It’s the real fountain of youth.
And didn't act 16, unlike those of today.
LOL R-A-C-I-S-T early MTV pretended that white people didn't listen/buy music made by Afro-American stars, ...exactly what white folks had been doing since the R&R explosion in the second half of the '50s: Berry, Richard, Charles, Motown, soul, Hendrix, Wonder, funk/disco, SoulTrain, Jackson5, etc. Only Blues music was underground.
"This isnt the wizard of Oz theres black people" 😂😂😂 My boo went hard.
i'm finna recycle that phrase. he murdered them
The best!!! I'm still laughing.
MTV was trying to emphasize “Rock And Roll” as the music they would play by any color artists But all of the music that they played wasn’t “ Rock And Roll” , even though they really didn’t play a lot of love songs either, such as some of Sheena Easton’s earlier adult contemporary hits . But it didn’t matter to us Soul/Funk/R&B lovers , once BET had Video Soul, that was our Black MTV. BET played a lot of artist that never got any pop play at all, like Luther Vandross , Rick James , Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, etc. I didn’t expect MTV to start playing country music videos either.
Fun fact: Prince had already had superstar status on R&B radio but had never had a pop hit. Prince released the video for 1999 first, went to the top charts on R&B but wasn’t a pop hit, after that they released the Little Red Corvette video, MTV played it, went to the top of the pop charts , THEN MTV started playing the 1999 video, 1999 was then rereleased as a single, went to the top of the pop charts, just in time to make Prince a star in the pop world, primed for his superstar status Purple Rain era…
Larry bird wins mvp, that’s racist, white music out sells black music, that’s racist, black people cant compete academically that’s racist, black people didn’t get a job that’s racist, something doesn’t go the way the black community wanted and that’s racist, every failure in a black persons life is racist. Lmao pathetic. Racism is a crutch
When my family first came from USSR to America in the late 1980's, after we finally got cable tv, my father immediately turned on MTV and that was the only channel he would let us watch. My brother and I were little kids so we didn't care much for MTV at the time, but I appreciate it now.
So sad what MTV has become these days. Reality shows and Ridiculousness.
The honest truth is that Generation X grew up, graduated from college, started working full time (watching less television, buying less music, spending less money junk) and our demographic was no longer economically viable, and our younger cohorts DIDN'T care as much about the music as we did, so MTV Corporate followed suit. In an interview, De La Soul members were asked why Hip Hop declined so terribly, etc. and they answered "Look......you guys grew up, got jobs, brought houses, and stopped buying music as much! YOU LEFT!!"
Both Prince and Michael Jackson became huge superstars in the '80s
Isaiah Winbrone Michael Jackson was the first black artist to get Heavy Rotation (Several Times A Day) on MTV Prince got it later
Patrick J Ummm according to Billboard Prince was on Light Rotation(1-2 plays per day) and Medium Rotation(2-3 plays per day). Little Red Corvette got Medium Rotation (2-3 plays per day). Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean was at first on Medium Rotation (2-3 plays per day) then bumped into Heavy Rotation (3-4 plays per day) making it the first video by a black artist to do so. Beat It joined 8 days later. Little Red Corvette had it after Billie Jean and Beat It:
Patrick J Billie Jean was on MTV before Beat It. Billie Jean on March 10th 1983 and Beat It March 31st
A WW Ummm according to Billboard Prince was on Light Rotation(1-2 plays per day) and Medium Rotation(2-3 plays per day). Little Red Corvette got Medium Rotation (2-3 plays per day). Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean was at first on Medium Rotation (2-3 plays per day) then bumped into Heavy Rotation (3-4 plays per day) making it the first video by a black artist to do so. Beat It joined 8 days later. Little Red Corvette had it after Billie Jean and Beat It:
Michael Jackson was the first BLACK MAN to be on MTV
You gotta be crazy to not want to play Billie Jean! That song makes everyone get down.
Fouronesix 82 That was crazy! The first hit of that drum, you knew the song!
I remember when MTV wouldn't play any Black artists.
Jackson was ALREADY a pretty big mainstream celebrity by the time MTV came along - he'd been a popular teen-pop sensation during the 70s - so HE had no difficulty getting HIS shit played on tv or on radio and so forth. This making it out as though HE had to struggle to get his stuff played is frankly horseshit.
Which shows it wasn't about the music, it was about the artist.
@@ianfindlyy8806 MTV in Early 1983, DID reject Billie Jean.
And this is why BET began airing videos
If I'm not mistaken, the first music video aired on BET was "Let's Groove" by Earth Wind and Fire!!!
Facts
Facts
BET debuted in 1980 but it didn't start to become a 24 hour channel like MTV until 1983. MTV became a 24 hour channel in 1983.
Carlito, when people insist why BET exists and then put us to task .
Phil Collins released Philip Bailey (from Earth, Wind & Fire) Easy Lover because he knew America wouldn't give Bailey a fair shake. And he was right: most of white America thought it was a new Phil Collins song with some random black dude
That's so cool from Phil. "Easy Lover" is a banger.
🛵 I admit i did. 🙄
9:21, This is GOLD! Rick James is so right. Just speaking up this way can change everything💯
Agreed 1,000,000 %. It's called Music Television, therefore ALL Music Genres SHALL be played. As much as I love the New Wave stuff, MJ, Prince, Rick James, The Whispers, Kool and the Gang, The Gap Band, and Donna Summer should have been played from the get go.
Because he's Rick James bitch
Ironic...Black people invented rock and roll.
There was a BIG DIFFERENCE between what rock and roll was in the NINETEEN FIFTIES and what it was during the EARLY EIGHTIES though.
American Call Rock Music, Rock And Roll.
They Don't Mean That 1950s Sun Genre Of Blues Called Rock&Roll.
Rock and Roll wasn't merely "invented", it had EVOLVED (like every other kind of music does).
That's right! Little Richard would make that clear.
They invented the name but both races put it on the map!!!
This explains why VH1 came into the cable T.V. picture in early 1985. The first music video that aired on VH1 back in early 1985 was The Star-Spangled Banner by Marvin Gaye. Rest in peace, Marvin Gaye.
I don't know. VH1 was even Whiter than MTV. Around 2000, Pop Up Video proudly claimed in one of their bubbles than "Rapture" by Blondie is the only rap video VH1 has ever played.
Actually, BET (Black Entertainment Television) premiered "Video Soul" in 1981 in direct response to MTV's refusal to show Black videos. I remember it well - this was where we went to see Black videos. VH1, which was actually a sister company to MTV, was originally designed to cater to an older, "softer" crowd. They segued into showing more Black acts by starting with older footage of Motown and other acts of that ilk.
Eventually, as they started moving into reality tv and Black album sales along with the increased marketability of Hip Hop and House (Black inventions), showed that they were losing market share, MTV and VH1 started showing more contemporary Black acts. Still, if you were a teenager back then, you literally were switching furiously between MTV, VH1, an BET for a complete video experience because the video experience STAYED highly segregated. To this day, there are tons of Black videos that were in heavy rotation on BET that have NEVER been shown on MTV.
@@thekhamisiprojectThe original target audience for MTV was mainly teenagers and maybe people in their 20's up to 24 or 25. VH-1 was originally designed for viewers from 25 or 26 upwards. As for the Black videos, there were other outlets for their exposure besides VH-1 and BET. There were Odyssey, Hit Video USA, and Friday Night Videos, to name a few examples, and shows like Radio 1990 (which, despite its title, aired from 1983-86)
I remember when VH1 first launched all it played were really old videos from black and white artists. MTV brought them up right after their conception.
I miss VH1. I prefer it over MTV.
Well, when BOWIE here spoke of black artists who weren't getting played on THIS channel, I really doubt that HE was thinking of some big mainstream mega pop-tart like Michael "King of Pop" Jackson. Rather I think he meant more UNDERGROUND artists like Grandmaster Flash, The Gap Band, Grace Jones, and maybe even Prince (who hadn't yet made his big commercial break at the time). If one knows much about Bowie, then they know that HE always had a greater affinity for such WIERDER and EDGIER or more PROGRESSIVE type groups whatever their race, nationality, culture, genre or scene. Like he was also a known earlier admirer and supporter of groups/artists like The Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Kraftwerk, Talking Heads, Television, Phillip Glass, Devo, The Mekons, Joy Division, Klaus Nomi, Bauhaus, and Sonic Youth to name just a handful for THIS same reason.
MTV was pathetically racist anyone with a modicum of intelligence can work out that Culture Club are not a rock band if they can get on MTV why not Shalamar or Chic?.
why did the head of Solar say that MTV was the only game in town when BET was already on the air?
i don't think he knew they existed
@@robinsss Neither of those two were the only, or even the earliest, tv showcases for music video. Like thhere were also Night Flight, The Kenny Everett Video Show, Top of the Pops, Video West, and early pay tv channels (like Selectavision and Spectra) were also playing them a lot in between movies.
David Bowie was talking about all Black Artists, well known and unknown! Michael Jackson was number one in America with Billie Jean and it was not getting played on MTV! Walter Yetnikoff, who was head of CBS Records (Jackson's was signed to its subsidiary, Epic records), threatened to pull all of their Artists videos from MTV if they didn't play "Billie Jean." MTV started playing Billie Jean faced with this threat!
@@skulldini1766 don't forget about VIDEO MUSIC BOX.
Mtv sucks now it should change its name too .
They dont even play music there anymore .
MTV is nothing nowadays. I haven't watched it in +15 years (and used to love it when I was a kid and a teen).
Is the same thing with b e t.
it would not be until 1983 that BET became a full-fledged channel), the network's lineup consisted of music videos and reruns of popular black sitcoms
Also college football games at black colleges and gospel shows
I forgot that BET was initially just a program block, right
@@marcusrob02 what's that?
Video soul Rao city midnight love video vibration
It's ridiculous for someone to say that Prince changed his style and started making rock music to get played on MTV. Prince was playing hard rock before MTV came along. See "Bambi" and "Why you wanna treat me so bad?" from his self-titled 1979 release for example. If anything, the hard rock elements were toned down in favor of more electronic music influences on his MTV breakthrough "1999", and I think that part of his success in terms of the visuals is because he actually toned down his more risque' outfits, plus he released two huge pop hits that had mass appeal with "1999" and "Little Red Corvette".
Why you wanna treat me so bad ain't no hard rock.. Prince didn't do hard rock.. hard rock is where them white boys be up there screaming and going to the extreme throughout whole song screaming loud the guitars and breaking the guitars on stage.. Prince didn't do all that crazy sh_tt.. Prince did much if the old black rock and roll entertainers style at a point in his life..
@@elisageorge2261 It sounds like what you’re describing is heavy metal, or thrash metal, or certain sub-variants of punk rock. I would describe the songs that I mentioned as hard rock. Most of the hard rock being played on MTV doesn’t fit your description either, so it doesn’t make sense within this context.
In the end it only seems like certain black artists got discriminated against on MTV cause plenty of black artists as we know we're huge after Prince and Michael Jackson made it on MTV...I just think certain acts got screwed. I mean taken as a whole thru 85 when it was still new a lot of black/brown acts made it. Lisa Lisa...
Who cares ! Prince was not a real artist. All he did was steal songs and lyrics from his band mates.
@@tias.6675 I'll take MJ over Prince any day I don't care what they say lol
What is unfortunate that most of New York City couldn’t get MTV during the 80’s but middle America did.
Quite telling. Why just Middle America???
@AMERICAN GOLD KING Wrongly lol
Why is that? My aunt had it in Queens by 88ish.
@@KillaKRS1988 Manhattan had cable since the 1960s but not the rest of the city. There was a huge legal case that prevented nearly all of NYC outside of parts of Manhattan (Upper East and West Side if I recall as well as a few large coop communities like Coop City in the Bronx) from getting cable. I grew up in Queens and I swear we got it as the case was settled. Our new cable service had a lot more channels than Manhattan Cable. That cable that your aunt had was brand new
@@Sooopa_Doopa what year was the case settled?
Thank god for Bowie for taking a stand. He is an absolute legend.
David Bowie spoke about Black Artists not getting shine on MTV,props to late legend.Micheal Jackson had hottest album(Thriller)they had to play his songs to public
He’s one of the greats, up there with Michael Jackson
Bowie took a " stand" cuz he got exposed for his own racist BS a few years earlier.
He called out MTV to deflect from his crap
respect to the thin white duke rip David
Michael Jackson was the first Black Artist to play on MTV. He was so Big at first he said No unless you play other Black Artist. And. The rest is History. Stand up for the people Michael Jackson 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Love. U
It was actually Tommy Mottolla, the President of Michael's record label, who threatened to pull all of his artists from the network if they didn't start playing MJ's videos.
I thought it was Musical Youth “Pass the Dutchie” that was the first black artist video played on MTV.
Michael Jackson.
MJ king of mtv if it wasnt 4 him il b trash..facts
it b trash
Its amazing to look back and see how MTV discriminated against black artist with a genre of music that was originated by black men and women. On top of that its ironic that a show with predom black talent called Yo MTV Raps which premiered on MTV in 1988 had the largest audience ever in MTV's history ever at that time.
80s MTV was the Golden age.
They didn’t discriminate. The cable companies are to blame because they wouldn’t provide services for cities other than LA or NY. This means their main demographic was white Kids because that’s where cable was, in the suburbs.
@@humanchannel7825 but white kids liked that music
@@humanchannel7825 How do you know their audience were white kids ?NY is full of black people . Either way even if their audience was white kids , they should have played black artists and let the audience chose what they liked or not .A nationwide channel must be for everybody no matter what .
I dont think MTV was trying to discriminate
Rick James just told the truth!! about MTV being racist and discriminating against African American musical artists at the time. Because MTV knew way back then that African American artist were way better than white artists and MTV knew that the us African Americans have that multi- talented that couldn't be compared to any other musical artists at the time. MTV network didn't want african american artists to make money like the white musical artists. MTV network wanted only white musical artists to reap the success and money and didn't want to share that with african american artists.
yep!
I remember MTV very well in the 80s. And to be honest, I looked at MTV as a rock and pop station. If I wanted to watch a slow song or an r&b, I turned to VH1. Late in the 80s, there was a time when Yo MTV raps came on. I tuned in to watch rap videos. Simple as that.
Nowadays MTV sux with no videos and all crappy TV shows.
This! As usual they are insecure and pressed.
@@allybrosia3725 Who you be talkin bout
@@AKA2PM We be talkin bout your saltine racist ass!
R.I.P Rick James. If it wasn’t for the lack of exposure and the industry being against him, he would of got to be as big as prince because let’s not forget at one point prince opened shows for Rick and they where going neck to neck. Only thing is the industry didn’t treat Rick the same after.
Rick definitely could've (and should've) been even bigger than he was but age also plays a part in this.
Rick was 10 years older than P; bu the time Rick dropped his debut he was 30 years old, still very young but old compared to a 19 year old Prince who had almost the exact same skillset.
Rick James? THAT guy had several Top 40 hits that were played heavily on AM radio. Under-exposed my @$$.
@@amoeba1533 you’re not understanding, We know he was out there but the man said it himself, he could of been BIGGER. dummy
@@amoeba1533 a big reason why he’s well known today is because MC Hammer sampled his music
since he called out MTV that was the begin of the end of his career. The drug problem, beefs with Motown multiple arrest
Michael Jackson,
Madonna,
MTV.
Guns n roses MTV motherbitch
𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚
+ britney spears
@@abdouu5300
britney Spears is not from the TV era , she came when it started to become trash (1999) .
Jackson was ALREADY a pretty big mainstream celebrity by the time MTV came along - he'd been a popular teen-pop sensation during the 70s - so HE had no difficulty getting HIS shit played on tv or on radio and so forth. This making it out as though HE had to struggle to get his stuff played is frankly horseshit.
I love listening to people from the early 90s and prior talk. Such eloquent speakers and calming voices.
Back when MTV actually played music videos instead of stupid reality TV shows that were aimed for impressionable idiots that had the attention span of a doorstop. I guess some people are only entertained according to the peak of their intelligence.
Thank you- the Whispers was pure funk that blew all of us away- MTV may have had a monopoly, but we all listened to what was pure funk regardless.
Donna Summer was first black female artist to appear on MTV.
Tina actually was with Ball of Confusion but it was a song credited to her and a new wave band. But the video only shows her and her band. But Donna was the first to receive heavy rotation prior to the arrival of Whitney Houston.
Actually, no. The first black female artist on MTV was Pauline Black, lead singer of “The Selecter”, a 2-Tone/Ska band with both black and white members. The video for “Celebrate the Bullet” was aired on MTV’s first day
BLM is trash water tbh
you're correcto mundo!
@@UNKNOWN-du5fc yeah, and how much popular exposure did THAT get! Your acting like MTV moved mountains just for that little known, unimportant piece of forgotten stuff...Donna's would be the first major! That's what really counts!
In the early '80's I worked as a VJ for TV-61 TheMusicChannel in Phoenix, AZ. We were minority owned and played black artists because MTV wouldn't. I'm not really sure why it closed down after just a couple of years on the air.
Wow! Interesting and amazing
Black acts were generally not getting played on MTV and other music video programs at THAT TIME (1981/82) not because of a "racist policy" but simply because the TYPE OF MUSIC that blacks were generally associated with - disco, funk, r&b - was OUT OF FASHION at the time. I remember when MTV FIRST came out, again about 1981, they were mainly playing groups like Blondie, Devo, B 52's, Talking Heads, The Police, Tom Petty And The Heart Breakers, The Go Go's, The Buggles ("Video killed the radio star") and all those post-punk / New Wave groups which were mostly WHITE and THEY were the groups that were making most of the VIDEOS at that time. WHO were the popular black musical acts at THAT time again anyway? .. . Cool And The Gang? The Pointer Sisters? Earth Wind And Fire? . . and all these funk and disco groups left over from the late 70's? Disco, for example, was a primarily black musical phenomenon and had been the biggest most popular mainstream commercial and overplayed style of music during the late 70's - just a few years before the arrival of MTV - but was considered "dead" by the time MTV first appeared. It wasn't until after Michael "King of Pop" Jackson became a big sensation ( about 1984 ) that they started playing more BLACK r&b and funk acts like the Jacksons ( Michael, Jermaine, Janet ), Bobby Brown, Whitney Huston, Climax, Billy Ocean, The Fat Boys, New edition and MTV started playing THAT shit up the fuckin ass. MTV has always just played WHATEVER was POPULAR and TRENDY at the time throughout their history - THAT was their only REAL policy.
@@ianfindlyy8806
Mmm never thought of it that way thanks
@@ianfindlyy8806 let’s groove is a classic song
That was true in Atlanta. It was channel 69 where they played 80’s black music from Solar Records. They this group: Pieces of Dream and the song, Fo Fi Fo a play on Moses Malone with a deeper meaning. They had a story video but the lead singer wasn’t appealing enough due to his teeth. Then made a stylish video. I remember a classmate joked about that first video. The song and video has aged well while others has gone out of style.
The was pure racist insanity by MTV, considering the Stones, Zeppelin, Floyd,Aerosmith,Beatles, ZZ Top, Clapton..etc all grew up listening to, being influenced by & sometimes outright ripping off "black blues & rock" artists. See Times life "History of rock n roll".
What's hilarious is when MTV found out rap was the #1 genre MTV couldn't show enough Yo MTV Raps (which became MTVs #1 broadcast.).
Thanks for posting! “MTV Discriminates Against Black Artists,” CBS Evening News for Saturday, Jul 09, 1983. MTV (PART II) #292079. Vanderbilt Television News Archive.
This is the citation for this. You should include it.
Michael was the man
Jackson was ALREADY a pretty big mainstream celebrity by the time MTV came along - he'd been a popular teen-pop sensation during the 70s - so HE had no difficulty getting HIS shit played on tv or on radio and so forth. This making it out as though HE had to struggle to get his stuff played is frankly horseshit.
crazy how most of those acts are dead now. Prince, Michael, David, Donna
FROM NOTHING TO SOMETHING we getting old dawg
And took the greatness in music along with them.
Also, David Bowie called MTV out on this practice all the way back in 1983. I really wish that interview had been a part of this compilation.
@@ladyi7609 that's why I got a lot of respect for David Bowie may he rest in peace he shouldn't have to do that but he did what he thought was right put some respect for that men may God Rest his soul peace out
Jackson was ALREADY a pretty big mainstream celebrity by the time MTV came along - he'd been a popular teen-pop sensation during the 70s - so HE had no difficulty getting HIS shit played on tv or on radio and so forth. This making it out as though HE had to struggle to get his stuff played is frankly horseshit.
MTV came on the scene after Disco crashed and burned. Disco was predominantly black, and I believe White's wanted something new. MTV facilitated by promoting rock, new wave, and synth-pop from the UK that were predominantly white. Yin and yang that would have worked itself out.
KING MICHAEL PUT THE "M" IN MTV! PERIODT! UNBELIEVABLE THAT THEY WOULDN'T PLAY HIS VIDEOS THEN, WHEN HIS VIDEOS ARE THE GREATEST VIDEOS OF ALL TIME.
#SALUTE RICK JAMES!!!! # #SALUTE THE WHISPERS !!!! #SALUTE QUEEN GLADYS KNIGHT !!!! REAL MUSIC!!!
WOW! SMH HEARING ROCK JAMES SPEAK ON THIS SITUATION SMH UNBELIEVABLE! WELL NOT TH-cam IS HERE MTV; HOW U LIKE THEM APPLES?! LOL
"THE SONG FOR THE SONG AND THE CRATIVITY FOR THE CREATIVITY." YES AND AMEN! THATS HOW IT SHOUDLVE BEEN! PERIODT!
#SALUTE QUEEN DONNA SUMMER!!!
ROCK N ROLL IS A BLACK GENTRIFIED ARTFORM AS WELL. JUST FYI MTV SMH SHAME ON THEM MIC JACK DID HIS SIGNATURE KICK AND KICKED DOWN DOORS FOR MANY MANY MANY BLACK ARTISTS TO COME! #SALUTE
When people claim Beyoncé opened doors for black artists I just wanna LAUGH like a mofuckah. What did she open when Sade MJ Prince and Whitney were the FIRST BLACKS to be played on the station??? Gtfoh
Wait there are people saying that about Beyonce???
@@timmy841212 yes mamita . Her delusional fans and the media she pays to say it
@@Kabeyavictoria Crazy. After all the barriers Prince, Whitney and Mike broke when she was just a toddler?
@@timmy841212 the beehive have always been disrespectful sis
@@Kabeyavictoria Oh I know lol
MTV sucks now
Wish we could time travel back into the 80's!!
@@warrenlondon2426 Yeahh and the 90s too
I was a witness to this shit. However, I wasn't tripping. They were pumping a lot of shit that brothers and sisters weren't feeling. I was exposed to some good artists from that channel. Still dug and still listen to Duran Duran. Lol!
I was a witness to this bullshit was well, it took a couple of years before MTV pulled their head out of their ass and aired black music videos. But it wasn't like blacks didn't have other options. Do you remember Select TV? It was Supposed to be Cable TV's competition. Had a box similar to a cable box, but it had an actual lock in the middle and to watch it you have to have a key to turn it on, and kind of like now you could select what channels you wanted to have on there, and there was a channel that was similar to MTV, call the box, it played Black, White and Hispanic music, and when I say Hispanic music I mean like Gloria Estefan, the Jets, and so on. During the day it played videos, but you could also call over the phone and order the video that you wanted. The box music channel came out 2 years or so after mtv. The execs at MTV realized how much money The Box generated monthly, by way of letting the public pay to order music videos they wanted to see, execs at MTV saw the potential profit in creating similar format, which they did. At one point back in the late 80s to the late 90s, people could call play 1-800 number and order music video. Initially a lot of black musicians refused to have their videos aire on MTV because of the slight in the past, and a lot of the black musicians I knew that the only reason MTV wanted to aire there videos what's because they could now make money from the order line. Rick James said, MTV claimed that most of the black music didn't fit the demographics of the people who watch MTV, but now they realize can pimp black music to the public for profit, and that MTV can go fuck themselves he would not allow them to aire his music on MTV. Many of black musicians it had similar feelings to those of Rick James and rightly so. However, many of them change their mind due to the fact, just as this news report stated, it only takes one music video of an artist, known or unknown, to aire on MTV and sales of their music increases sometimes tenfold. So with that in mind, many relented and allow their music to be aired. Also, there was also profit sharing agreement between The Box MTV and the artist, for their videos being ordered and paid for. In my opinion, this is a perfect example how if someone can make money off of someone or something, even if it's a someone or a something they don't particularly care for, money can change a person's feelings, beliefs and and morals...
@tmat2019 But MTV was created by white people so why would they have to air black artists? Black people could just start their own channel. Which they did. BET.
Of course! Who gives a shit? Once again, I was exposed to some good artists; prior to actually earning some money to hang out in record stores!
Why are all of the top UK music artist heavily influenced by black music? Adele (Beyonce), Sam Smith (Whitney Houston) etc.
@@ctinsley77 It was thanks to Warner Amex losing the rights to MTV. MTV Networks,Inc formed on October 25,1983 as an IPO from Viacom and Warner Amex in a Joint Venture Deal, soon after the formation, MTV itself as an IPO made a successful bid to part from Warner Amex and move forward as an IPO, it soon then the following Spring purchased Nickelodeon from Warner Amex.
MTV Networks itself saw BET as a competitor, the Racist Bigots at Warner Amex did not. MTV Networks OPENED its Arms for Black Music.
Billie Jean (0:20) & Photograph (0:24) played back to back. 2 songs I ironically happened to play today, Both in my top 10 favorite songs of all time, definitely unexpected to see.
Dick Griffey is Suge's Knight mentor. That's how Suge Knight was able to transition from body guard to record exec. He had knowledge of the industry.
Black Music should have been played FROM DAY ONE on MTV.......period. I mean it was called Music Television, not Rock Television (or RTV).
morphing endorphins what youth-oriented music channel would play that
Black acts were generally not getting played on MTV and other music video programs at THAT TIME (1981/82) not because of a "racist policy" but simply because the TYPE OF MUSIC that blacks were generally associated with - disco, funk, r&b - was OUT OF FASHION at the time. I remember when MTV FIRST came out, again about 1981, they were mainly playing groups like Blondie, Devo, B 52's, Talking Heads, The Police, Tom Petty And The Heart Breakers, The Go Go's, The Buggles ("Video killed the radio star") and all those post-punk / New Wave groups which were mostly WHITE and THEY were the groups that were making most of the VIDEOS at that time. WHO were the popular black musical acts at THAT time again anyway? .. . Cool And The Gang? The Pointer Sisters? Earth Wind And Fire? . . and all these funk and disco groups left over from the late 70's? Disco, for example, was a primarily black musical phenomenon and had been the biggest most popular mainstream commercial and overplayed style of music during the late 70's - just a few years before the arrival of MTV - but was considered "dead" by the time MTV first appeared. It wasn't until after Michael "King of Pop" Jackson became a big sensation ( about 1984 ) that they started playing more BLACK r&b and funk acts like the Jacksons ( Michael, Jermaine, Janet ), Bobby Brown, Whitney Huston, Climax, Billy Ocean, The Fat Boys, New edition and MTV started playing THAT shit up the fuckin ass. MTV has always just played WHATEVER was POPULAR and TRENDY at the time throughout their history - THAT was their only REAL policy.
Then King Michael came and changed everything
Thank you, I needed this as a primary source for my Us history :). Im making my timeline on Michael Jacksons role in the united states history
Just use the old dave Chapelle quote..
"He made Thriller man.....Thriller.
Jackson was ALREADY a pretty big mainstream celebrity by the time MTV came along - he'd been a popular teen-pop sensation during the 70s - so HE had no difficulty getting HIS shit played on tv or on radio and so forth. This making it out as though HE had to struggle to get his stuff played is frankly horseshit.
@@ianfindlyy8806 - MTV initially refused to play “Billie Jean” & CBS Records’ exec Walter Yetnikoff (sp?) told MTV he would yank ALL of CBS Records’ musicians from MTV rotation until they played the “Billie Jean” video. CBS Records started pulling their musicians’ videos from MTV & MTV finally capitulated. They played the “Billie Jean” video & Yetnikoff re-submitted the music videos he had already pulled off MTV. As Rick James & David Bowie said, “MTV not playing music videos from Black musicians was not only racist but also bad judgement…”
Michael Jackson’s other videos were played & when “Thriller” was released, MTV made a huge production of it - which made them rich beyond their wildest dreams. MJ, Prince, & other Black musicians finally broke through & enhanced the artistry of music videos. MJ was innovative & a pioneer in music video technology, always pushing boundaries. He was definitely the penultimate performer; just watch “Thriller” or the “Ghosts” short movies. The cinematography, choreography, & special effects are amazing!
@@KillaKRS1988 not to mention several other things....before and after...
They didn’t play country music either, it’s basically about rock music.
Thank you for this, as there are people who believe that David Bowie was the 1st to shine a light on the discriminatory practices of MTV. Rick James was out front EARLY and this shouldn't be forgotten.
MTV back then was like a rock fm station
I think it’s because of the fact that David Bowie wasn’t black, which makes it not his issue really is why people talk about it more because he could’ve been like a lot of white artists he kept their mouth shut. If a problem involves you, you are most likely expected to confront it compared to someone else who isn’t really affected by it.
I think it was MTVs goof that they focused on just the Rock which was the pop music of its time
They always credit the white artist speaking out about it than the black artist that are discriminated against. Rick James suffered from discrimination.
Well, when BOWIE here spoke of black artists who weren't getting played on THIS channel, I really doubt that HE was thinking of some big mainstream mega pop-tart like Michael "King of Pop" Jackson. Rather I think he meant more UNDERGROUND artists like Grandmaster Flash, The Gap Band, Grace Jones, and maybe even Prince (who hadn't yet made his big commercial break at the time). If one knows much about Bowie, then they know that HE always had a greater affinity for such WIERDER and EDGIER or more PROGRESSIVE type groups whatever their race, nationality, culture, genre or scene. Like he was also a known earlier admirer and supporter of groups/artists like The Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Kraftwerk, Talking Heads, Television, Phillip Glass, Devo, The Mekons, Joy Division, Klaus Nomi, Bauhaus, and Sonic Youth to name just a handful for THIS same reason.
I would've created BTV in the 80s. Funk, Soul,rock and R&B all day, Rap around 10:00pm, Motown classics at 12:00 AM. And heritage hour around 3:00AM.
By the way, y'all, David Bowie called MTV out on this practice in a 1983 interview and I think you should all see it because it showed that this white British man saw right through the excuses being given in this news report. Also, Donna Summer was performing rock music by 1981 and Aretha Franklin used to get played all the time on rock radio in the 1970s. Oh, but little did MTV know that every time they played Depeche Mode (a British synthpop group) they were showing a biracial man on their channel; band member and frequent songwriter Martin L. Gore was the product of a white English woman and a black American from Virginia.
Dang, I didn't know there was a biracial man in Depeche Mode! You learn something new everyday! One of my favorite songs of theirs are "People Are People," which is really something folks need to listen to nowadays.
Also, same with Mikey Craig from Culture Club
Well when BOWIE spoke of black artists who weren't getting played on THIS channel, I really doubt that HE was thinking of some big mainstream mega pop-tart like Michael Jackson. Rather I think he meant more UNDERGROUND artists like Grandmaster Flash, The Gap Band, Grace Jones, and maybe even Prince (who hadn't yet made his big commercial break at the time). If one knows much about Bowie, then they know that HE always had a greater affinity for such WIERDER and EDGIER or more PROGRESSIVE type groups whatever their race, nationality, culture, genre or scene. Like he was also a known earlier admirer and supporter of groups/artists like The Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Kraftwerk, Talking Heads, Television, Phillip Glass, Devo, The Mekons, Joy Division, Klaus Nomi, Bauhaus, and Sonic Youth to name just a handful for THIS same reason.
@@MsNotzi Right On!!!!
@@pheonix5597 It's very true that Mr. Bowie loved underground, edgier artists, but in this particular case, I believe he was speaking up for the mainstream as well as the lesser known black artists, because MTV wasn't playing *any of them* around this time. In 1983, you'd be lucky to see a Michael Jackson or Lionel Richie video (like you said, Prince's big break hadn't come yet, so MTV didn't add him to the list until about '84), and if you did, you still had to sit through five hours of videos from The Police, Duran Duran, Flock of Seagulls, and REO Speedwagon, and to be honest, that pretty much continued until "Yo! MTV Raps" came out in the late '80s. I guess that explains why to this day I'm a fan of The Police, Duran Duran, Flock of Seagulls, and REO Speedwagon.
man what a time to be in music...those videos were so creative and how fun would it be to work on videos....I was 12 in 1983 so it was so much a part of my life...I want my MTV
Glad you’re back love your channel 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
white rock and ahahahaha us black ppl created rock and other music styles
Ironically , Michael Jackson MADE mtv , with his iconic Music videos 😂😂 he didn't need them , they needed him.
Netflix should make a movie bout rick james. Blockbuster for sure😄
There's a movie about Rick James. It's called Bitchin': The Sound and Fury of Rick James. It's on Showtime cable network.
Somebody's working on it but it's all about money.
Michael Jackson Changed MTV And Broke Race Barriers
That is the fact.
Michael Jacksons popularity changed it had he been good he would never have got on MTV he was exceptional.
And Prince!
Am I crazy or weren't there tons of black artists on MTV in the early-mid 80s? Billy Ocean, MIchael Jackson, Cameo, Lionel Richie, Rockwell, Sonic Youth, Tina Turner, Herbie Hancock, Irene Cara, Prince...those are just the ones off the top of my head. Early MTV was kind of dominated by British New Wave because they were the first bunch to really turn out music videos.
They showed up after this article, starting with 1983.
@@wehosrmthink7510 Well considering MTV didn't even air until August of 1981, don't you think it was a bit premature to start complaining about lack of diversity as some sort of discrimination in 1982? Especially since the US population was nearly 80% white back then.
OH MY GOD. I'm so glad I'm a pre-1980 GEN-Xer and can challenge denialists, like you. It's people like you who'll alter an ENTIRE TIMELINE and make excuses. You CLEARLY SEE/HEAR the founder of MTV himself, dancing around the issue.
If you have listening comprehension skills, you'd know those aforementioned artists came AFTER Michael Jackson opened the door. Jesus Christ. In my high school, there were people like you in SUCH denial.....you'll watch a video of Rodney King getting brutalized....yet you'll make excuses about "Not seeing the first 30 seconds". Always finding a way to pretend what is....isn't.
@@norwegianblue2017 Spoken like a white man that ASSUMES white people come first. Embarrassing.
@@norwegianblue2017 it is a fact that they had to be pressured and threatened by Sony into playing Michael Jackson, even as he had the #1 album in the country. Sony had to go as far as saying they would pull every Sony artist off of MTV if they didn't play Michael. ONLY after Michael's videos started getting played did they really start funneling in a few black artists at a time. And even then, it was very limited in ratio to how many black artists had music videos out during the 80s. Up until the very late 80s, a white group that no one knew in the US generally had a better chance at airplay on MTV than a popular Black group. This isn't just opinion, it's been documented that this was the case.
I remember in 1984 as a kid binge watching this new cable channel MTV, and whenever black artists made a more rock oriented song, MTV did play them. For example Billy Ocean “Loverboy” and Eddie Grant “Electric Avenue” and Tina Turner
By 1984, the barrier had been broken. MJ's "Billie Jean" essentially kicked the door open, and MTV started adding black artists to their rotation.
I’m glad they highlighted the comparison to blued eyed soul & R&B…that’s the whole point. Why wouldn’t MTV play videos from the ppl who originated the music?
Black people created rock n roll! That’s the sad part about this! 😢
Hence the reason for BET.
When I first got my MTV in 1983, I watched that in between shows that I watched on HBO, Showtime, or Cinemax. I was living in an era of Fraggle Rock, Not Necessarily the News, and Solid Gold.
Sometimes HBO and Cinemax would show music videos between programs too.
40 years later and everything is perfect. Everyone in the world loves the blacks and they never complain about anything.
40 years later white people still think they own the world because they steal everything and take credit for it
@@mg19calgood one!!@ 😅😅😅
Too bad blacks still can't dominate tv and movies that ain't comedy like they do sports,music and comedy.
Personally I would have been making my calls to Jackson ahead of anyone else if I was running MTV. "Thriller" is all that needs said. One of the biggest stars of his time. At the same time I'd be calling Madonna to get her on there too.
Well, Madonna wouldn't be who she is without MTV. It heavily boosted her career.
BS. Saw a ton of Prince, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Billy Ocean, Janet Jackson, Lionel Richie, Steve Wonder, Whitney Houston, blah, blah, blah on MTV. Blacks 12% of the population.
Sorry for long post...just watched the recommended Bowie interview
This is the year David Bowie sat down with vj Mark Goodman and essentially called out MTV for their blatant bias toward showcasing white musicians and white music videos for white audiences. Bowie expresses an almost confounded realization that some of the great music videos from black artists were either being passed up or snuck on air during the early AM hours.
Goodman tries to defend and rationalize MTV's discriminatory tendencies of pandering towards white audiences, but Bowie ain't buyin' it. Without being rude or abrasive, Bowie shines the light on a giant media outlet, tail between legs, trying to justify making racially charged decisions that would subsequently exclude artists from their station based on their skin color. It's wild.
Well, when BOWIE here spoke of black artists who weren't getting played on THIS channel, I really doubt that HE was thinking of some big mainstream mega pop-tart like Michael Jackson. Rather I think he meant more UNDERGROUND artists like Grandmaster Flash, The Gap Band, Grace Jones, and maybe even Prince (who hadn't yet made his big commercial break at the time). If one knows much about Bowie, then they know that HE always had a greater affinity for such WIERDER and EDGIER or more PROGRESSIVE type groups whatever their race, nationality, culture, genre or scene. Like he was also a known earlier admirer and supporter of groups/artists like The Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, Pink Floyd, Roxy Music, Kraftwerk, Talking Heads, Television, Phillip Glass, Devo, The Mekons, Joy Division, Klaus Nomi, Bauhaus, and Sonic Youth to name just a handful for THIS same reason.
@@pheonix5597 Yes, I agree. Like, 100%
I haven't seen that interview in a while, but I can say with certainty that you are correct - it wasn't about pop-tart Michael Jackson. Early Prince (Pre-Purple Rain) was exactly someone who came to my mind.
I do, however, still think it was more about taking issue with MTV's reluctance towards exposing their viewers to a world of Black musicians during the early 80s. This subsequently would contribute to the one-dimensional "pop-rock" image - another justifiable gripe that Bowie likely held towards the network. That said, he clearly shows distrust in how race ostensibly proved to be a determinant factor in deciding whether a musician was MTV worthy or not.
Goodman really hung himself when he said white kids in the midwest might be scared when they see black people on their TV screen. I'm surprised he didn't get sacked or given a desk job after that 😂
Remember when MTV was for white kids, BET was for black kids, and VH1 was for old people?
A lot of hip-hop music was underground and controversial in 1983. Whodini, Run-DMC and breakdancing was coming out of the ghettos. In contrast, some black acts still looked "seventies", including a band from our hero, Dr. Dre.
anyone who knows anything about Rock music will know Rock is American Black music. jazz blues R and B all are African American arts. Beatles said “no lead Belly ..no Beatles “
IMITATORS GOT/GET TOP BILLING.
Donna Summer was the first black female artist to get a video played in heavy rotation (She Works Hard For The Money) in 1983.
I want my MTV...back!
If it hadn't been for Walter Yetnikoff threatening to pull the ENTIRE Epic catalog then MTV probably never would've played black artists' videos!!!!
You are absolutely right!! Hardly nobody knows that is how Michael Jackson and other black artists got played on MTV! And then Michael Jackson MADE MTV with Beat It, and Thriller!!
@@rucianapollard7098 Indeed!!!!
MTV isn’t worth watching anymore.
I never knew about the "as seen on MTV" sticker on album colors. That's hot. I hope they or something else becomes that relevant in the role of successful, quality music in my lifetime.
Pittman actually acknowledged the criticism from Rick James and started expanding with black music in response. Most notably, Yo MTV Raps.
Also keep In mind Cable was still fairly new in the early 80s remeber CNN and ESPN just started at that time too!
Exactly when b e t first came on the scene every black neighborhood couldn't get it.
In my opinion, Beat It is the greatest music video ever made. I'll never tire watching it.
One of the greatest but I wouldn't say its the greatest
Smooth Criminal was really good, too.
And your opinion that you have seen it is a greatest video.
My favorite song from the thriller album
MTV’s refusal to play black artists videos is what led Ted Turner to launch a new video show called Night Tracks on TBS and NBC debuted Friday Night Videos. Both shows premiered in 1983, not only that, those programs aired pop, rock and R&B (and later rap) videos so the music can be diverse. As far as Rick James is concerned, his videos were never seen on MTV(but they did air on Friday Night Videos and New York Hot Tracks among other music programs) but in the near future however he will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his contributions.
We didn't get MTV in my hometown so I was watching TBS and NBC so I was able to see Beat It, etc.
@@DCGuy1997 you’re very lucky. My family didn’t have cable when I was born (my birthdate is July 15, 1982). Shows like American Bandstand, Soul Train, Dance Fever, Solid Gold, America’s Top 10 and others gave us opportunities to see and hear our favorite songs and artists for free, other than the radio. I didn’t mention it in my comments, but Dick Ebersol (NBC executive) created Friday Night Videos in 1983 while still executive producer of Saturday Night Live until 1985 (Lorne Michaels, who created the show in 1975 and produced it in its early years [he left in 1980], is the current EP, I think)
@@rodneybuck5943 We had basic cable with none of the premium channels. I lived in a rural area so it helped us get clear signals. We really only had the big 3, PBS, TBS, and maybe one ore two more. I only had access to the same shows you did.
@@DCGuy1997 thanks for the info, keep on doing what you do, whatever it is
I remember that I used to record all my videos from any video channel.
By the time I started watching MTV in 1983, this wasn't a controversy. Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Musical Youth, Marvin Gaye and others were on it. I wasn't raised to associate colors with music, so it wasn't something that bothered me. They had the same target audience as the average pop/rock station did. Many of those stations were also slow to include rap and R&B in the late 1980s, although they did have black pop groups.
Fast forward to now and the people making the biggest fuss about "diversity" are huge fans of Taylor Swift and any white modern pop country singers.
Ok people need to understand this facts..... MTV was started in 1981 in August... BET started early 1980, and thier first Video show Video Soul started 2 months before MTV
Facts many people don't know this, like if BET wasn't Original
Black acts were generally not getting played on MTV and other music video programs at THAT TIME (1981/82) not because of a "racist policy" but simply because the TYPE OF MUSIC that blacks were generally associated with - disco, funk, r&b - was OUT OF FASHION at the time. I remember when MTV FIRST came out, again about 1981, they were mainly playing groups like Blondie, Devo, B 52's, Talking Heads, The Police, Tom Petty And The Heart Breakers, The Go Go's, The Buggles ("Video killed the radio star") and all those post-punk / New Wave groups which were mostly WHITE and THEY were the groups that were making most of the VIDEOS at that time. WHO were the popular black musical acts at THAT time again anyway? .. . Cool And The Gang? The Pointer Sisters? Earth Wind And Fire? . . and all these funk and disco groups left over from the late 70's? Disco, for example, was a primarily black musical phenomenon and had been the biggest most popular mainstream commercial and overplayed style of music during the late 70's - just a few years before the arrival of MTV - but was considered "dead" by the time MTV first appeared. It wasn't until after Michael "King of Pop" Jackson became a big sensation ( about 1984 ) that they started playing more BLACK r&b and funk acts like the Jacksons ( Michael, Jermaine, Janet ), Bobby Brown, Whitney Huston, Climax, Billy Ocean, The Fat Boys, New edition and MTV started playing THAT shit up the fuckin ass. MTV has always just played WHATEVER was POPULAR and TRENDY at the time throughout their history - THAT was their only REAL policy.
you've mentioned that...i guess what you're trying to say is...leave the Black music stations to the Blacks...and the Whites to the Whites. That in itself is hogwash and when Black ppl try to imply, it just about makes them every bit as prejudiced as white folk. Everybody is butt hurt over something. How about we just let ppl see and hear what they want to coz they will anyway?
Exactly and I live in West Los Angeles. I could not get BET until 1988 1989. I believe it was time warner cable back then.
Why is the record industry always ailing when there's new technology? It's ailing here, when Napster comes along, when streaming comes along, now AI... It's like it's able to maintain a constant existence whilst constantly ailing.
MTV IS FINISHED! That is what record companies get for relying on a cable channel for their livelihood. This channel narrowed the industry until it was no more.
INTERNET IS KING!
Your comment is interesting. What do you think would have happened if MTV hadn't existed?
Of course they discriminated. That’s want they do historically for centuries. Why surprised?
So, eventually, the early 1980s are the foundations of our modern tech society.
I hope MTV never come back.
SOLAR definitely couldn't be ignored at the time too. One of the industry's top music labels. CEO Dick Griffey fought to have his artists The Whispers and Shalamar played on the channel.
And they had to settle for light rotation. But you can bet their videos were on heavy rotation on BET.
@@timmy841212 shows like New York Hot tracks helped get more SOLAR Recording artists with that exposure since it was the only non cable network music video program that played at least 50 percent of black musicians on each episode. Unlike Hot Tracks, Friday Night Videos didn’t play enough black musicians. Not everyone had access to cable in the early 80s to catch Night Tracks, Night Flight, Video Soul, etc. To be honest, Shalamar (and maybe Midnight Star) were the only ones on the SOLAR roster to get on MTV. Lionel Richie had 3 videos from his first solo album, but MTV refused to air them. It didn’t take until Can’t Slow Down album (released in Oct. 1983) to be released to get his videos played (eg “All Night Long” and “Running With The Night”)
@@jeffrey5165 Yeah Dick Griffey mentioned on Shalamar's Unsung how he was able to get Night to Remember on MTV. And thanks for the correction. I should’ve known NBC would be biased too.
@@timmy841212 “A Night To Remember” came out in early 1982. Musical Youth’s video for “Pass The Dutchie” came out in late 1982 and they were the first black musicians on MTV. Dick Griffey didn’t say “A Night To Remember” got play on MTV. He said that he was able to get them on MTV after years of being rejected. The video for “A Night To Remember” happened to been played in the background when he said it on Unsung. “Dead Giveaway” was Shalamar’s first music video MTV aired (summer of 1983).
@@timmy841212 BET existed one year before MTV, but unlike MTV, it wasn’t a 24 hr a day station (it started out at 2 hrs a day and then it increased little by little until they were afforded to get to 24 hrs by 1984). BET did play videos as early as 1980 by musicians from the SOLAR Records roster as well as Prince, Rick James, The Commodores, Stephanie Mills just to name a few. BET did open doors to white musicians as early as 82 who sound soulful like Michael McDonald, Madonna, and Hall & Oates. When Video Vibrations debuted in Oct 1984, for the first few episodes their artist playlist consisted of 50% of white artists until after a few episodes that Alvin Jones had to request access for more black videos that MTV wouldn’t even look at (not even in 1984).
Let’s not forget which ethnic group was running the entertainment business then.
Rick James not being played said all you needed to know it said that MTV was without doubt racist.
Not the style of music played back then . Not racist at all but I’m sure everything is racist to you 🤡
To be brutally honest here. Looking at it now MTV did black music and those a huge favor. Because if you think about all the black music then that didn't receive any airplay on MTV are still highly appreciated to this very day
Also Remeber BET came out around the same time
Now MTV doesn't have hardly any white people and doesn't play videos
The demographic of MTV viewer was about 85% white and they liked top 40 and some rock. Black artists who made the top 40 were on mtv. They did better on VH1. By the same token, why were there no white artists on SOUL TRAIN?