DiscoverTrapitalHow MTV Lost Its Way
How MTV Lost Its Way

How MTV Lost Its Way

Update: 2025-12-05
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Description

People say they miss when MTV played music videos, but their viewing habits say otherwise!


We revisited one of our most popular episodes from 2023, but trimmed it down to include the best parts. I’m joined by Zack O’Malley Greenburg to unpack MTV’s rise from a scrappy video platform to a cultural powerhouse. We break down breakthrough moments like Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”, the rise of reality TV, the networks influence, rise, fall, and what’s next?





CHAPTERS


01:04 The Birth of MTV
04:45 MTV's Business Model
13:01 Cultural Impact of Influence
21:28 Rise of Reality TV
29:59 MTV ‘s Decline




SPONSORS


Chartmetric: Listen in for our Stat of the Week




beatBread : A music funding platform that empowers independent artists to access advances on their streaming income while keeping 100% ownership of their music.




Splice, a cloud-based music creation platform offering millions of royalty-free samples, plugins (via rent-to-own), and AI-powered tools to inspire creators everywhere






GUEST


Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Author, Empire State of Mind




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How MTV Lost Its Way

How MTV Lost Its Way

Dan Runcie