Youtube > MTV

I used to kind of hate that MTV and VH1 stopped showing music videos. That they became crappy reality TV and pop culture vehicles for the masses. Slowly over the years, each of these stations pretty much stopped playing music. Music went from being in the forefront, to the background, to being virtually nonexistent.* However, I don't see this as such a bad thing any more.

The internet has taken over the music video realm. Artists debut their videos on blogs, their own websites, etc. There is far less censorship involved in music videos, so artists can materialize their artistic visions more purely. They don't have to worry about bleeping or editing. Artists have more freedom to express what it is they are trying to express. And, I love it.

Take the Scissor Sisters' newest video for Invisible Light for example. This video would not be allowed on television the way it exists online. People would be furious and offended. Now, the rest of us don't have to suffer along with the thin-skinned and close-minded.

*Exceptions apply to CW shows that have actually increased their musical budget. They play indie, more "trendy" music, and even make note of telling you the artist and song titles at the end of each episode. This phenomenon is most widely credited to The OC, which truly put music at the forefront of a show that had nothing to do with music at all. The various volumes of soundtracks introduced pop-going-teens to indie pop rock and alternative California-based bands. The movie Garden State did something very similar.