I originally wrote this as a comment, but felt it was important to post to my regular journal, as it is a pet subject of mine...<p><p>
All MTV2 is supposed to be is a version of MTV which shows videos. I understand that they market it as a sort of 24-hour 120 minutes, but let's not forget; 120 minutes didn't show super-indie stuff in the first place. They showed stuff like Hum and 4 Non Blondes and stuff like that. It wasn't college radio; it wasn't meant to be college radio.
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It's a commercial tv station. They probably play a lot of stuff promoted by big promoters (i.e. SPECTRE and/or major labels) and that's teh way they do business. They do not look to play stuff that flies under the radar; they don't look to be KCOU. They look to play the stuff that all the 'real' (or whatever we called ourselves) DJs hated: the Strokes, Radiohead, Ben Folds, etc.
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Look, it's better than MTV. Instead of showing Beyonce, they show India.Arie. Instead of Chingy, they show Common. Instead of Eminem, they show the Roots. And, instead of Good Charlotte and Evanessence, they show A.F.I. and Interpol. There's something to be said for that.
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No, it's not perfect. They don't show the best videos and they don't show the most indie stuff in the world. But, let's ask a couple of questions: 1) Who wants to watch that?(i.e. Is there an audience for such a thing?) <b>and</b> 2)Could they even do that? I mean, Tortoise has two videos and neither is amazing. The Sea and Cake has two, I think. How many videos has Cat Power made? I know Elliott Smith has only made one.
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As for the post-VMA show, that's what you have to expect. Yes, they had two people that don't know as much about music as our precious college radio friends, but that's the nature of the beast. It is our cross to bear, being the bearers of good music. What are we talking about here? MTV2 is the Spin Magazine to MTV's Rolling Stone. It's not Magnet, it does not purport itself to be Magnet, it's simply Spin. If you're 15 and are tired of watching dumbass shows about Britney Spears' choreographer, I think MTV2 is a great alternative.
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I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, what do you guys want MTV2 to play? Everyone complains about MTV2 (I say this because I've had this conversation at work), but no one has a better idea as to what they should play. Again, I would've loved MTV2 when I was, like, 15. It wasn't as widespread.
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As we all know, MTV(1) is now almost exclusively non-video programming. Whether or not you like that, that's the way it is. So, please, no one comment with the "Well, when I was 13, they showed Nirvana." Yes, they did, but they also showed Whitney Houston and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and shit-ass Candlebox. It's not like they were showing the video for "TV Party" or "Touch me, I'm Sick" very much (if at all).
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Today, MTV2 is the place to get most of the videos that don't get on TRL. Really, that's what it is. It's not supposed to be college radio, nor is it even supposed to be BXR. It's just supposed to be MTV2.
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Dip Sauce out
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P.S. And who cares if they give a fuck about Johnny Cash? If they show his face on MTV or MTV2, it's recognition. It doesn't matter where their hearts are; he's getting well-overdue credit. I say that's better then them just ignoring him, which was what was happening until this point.
All MTV2 is supposed to be is a version of MTV which shows videos. I understand that they market it as a sort of 24-hour 120 minutes, but let's not forget; 120 minutes didn't show super-indie stuff in the first place. They showed stuff like Hum and 4 Non Blondes and stuff like that. It wasn't college radio; it wasn't meant to be college radio.
<p>
It's a commercial tv station. They probably play a lot of stuff promoted by big promoters (i.e. SPECTRE and/or major labels) and that's teh way they do business. They do not look to play stuff that flies under the radar; they don't look to be KCOU. They look to play the stuff that all the 'real' (or whatever we called ourselves) DJs hated: the Strokes, Radiohead, Ben Folds, etc.
<p>
Look, it's better than MTV. Instead of showing Beyonce, they show India.Arie. Instead of Chingy, they show Common. Instead of Eminem, they show the Roots. And, instead of Good Charlotte and Evanessence, they show A.F.I. and Interpol. There's something to be said for that.
<p>
No, it's not perfect. They don't show the best videos and they don't show the most indie stuff in the world. But, let's ask a couple of questions: 1) Who wants to watch that?(i.e. Is there an audience for such a thing?) <b>and</b> 2)Could they even do that? I mean, Tortoise has two videos and neither is amazing. The Sea and Cake has two, I think. How many videos has Cat Power made? I know Elliott Smith has only made one.
<p>
As for the post-VMA show, that's what you have to expect. Yes, they had two people that don't know as much about music as our precious college radio friends, but that's the nature of the beast. It is our cross to bear, being the bearers of good music. What are we talking about here? MTV2 is the Spin Magazine to MTV's Rolling Stone. It's not Magnet, it does not purport itself to be Magnet, it's simply Spin. If you're 15 and are tired of watching dumbass shows about Britney Spears' choreographer, I think MTV2 is a great alternative.
<p>
I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, what do you guys want MTV2 to play? Everyone complains about MTV2 (I say this because I've had this conversation at work), but no one has a better idea as to what they should play. Again, I would've loved MTV2 when I was, like, 15. It wasn't as widespread.
<p>
As we all know, MTV(1) is now almost exclusively non-video programming. Whether or not you like that, that's the way it is. So, please, no one comment with the "Well, when I was 13, they showed Nirvana." Yes, they did, but they also showed Whitney Houston and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and shit-ass Candlebox. It's not like they were showing the video for "TV Party" or "Touch me, I'm Sick" very much (if at all).
<p>
Today, MTV2 is the place to get most of the videos that don't get on TRL. Really, that's what it is. It's not supposed to be college radio, nor is it even supposed to be BXR. It's just supposed to be MTV2.
<p>
Dip Sauce out
<p>
P.S. And who cares if they give a fuck about Johnny Cash? If they show his face on MTV or MTV2, it's recognition. It doesn't matter where their hearts are; he's getting well-overdue credit. I say that's better then them just ignoring him, which was what was happening until this point.