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From Lightning Rod to Promotional Must: Hitting Rewind on Billboard’s Coverage of the Music Video
History of the Music Video: MTV, YouTube and the music industry.
Elektra chairman Bob Krasnow told Billboard in an Aug. 25, 1984, article that “MTV exposure for the accompanying videos” fueled The Cars’ Heartbeat City album. “Our research shows that young record buyers are greatly affected by the channel’s airplay and promotional efforts,” reported the Sept. 8, 1984, Billboard, and “40.1% of those influenced by MTV” preferred new wave. By the mid-2000s, industry executives longed for reruns of the days “when music videos, not longform reality and lifestyle programs, ruled the roost at MTV,” reported the Feb. 12, 2005, issue.
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