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Bye-bye TRL, hello Internet
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It was quite the star-studded occasion. After a ten year run, Sunday night, “Total Request Live” had its final live taping and ended as it had begun, hosted by Carson Daly and filled with hit songs, big stars – Beyonce, Fall Out Boy, Nelly, 50 Cent, ’N Sync, and P Diddy -- and grand coups, such as Blink 182’s Travis Barker’s first interview since his horrendous plane crash.
For a decade, “TRL” was an immediate and efficient way to young music fans’ hearts, minds, and pockets. A heart throb himself, Carson Daly returned to the show he launched in 1998 (and left in 2003), which must have been something of a slap in the face to the less high-profile replacement VJ, Damien Fahey.
"TRL's" parent stattion, MTV has long been criticized for turning its back on music, which was the station’s original MO, and favoring reality shows. Others think that teens – “TRL’s” and 27-year-old MTV’s core audience – don’t watch music videos on television any longer. Instead, they watch them on the Internet, where the choice of sites with music video content, if not total music programming, just grows and grows. Even MTV has its own music site now; a grand archive curiously named MTVMusic.com. Yes, that’s music television music dot com.
And, of course, if you were too busy clicking around the Internet and missed the “Total Finale Live” extravatanganza , just belly up to the ‘puter and watch clips online at MTV.com. Clearly, though, the music video isn’t dead, more likely it’s the format of television that’s old hat. Just as television pushed out newspaper for news, simply because it brought it quicker, the Internet makes television redundant for the “I want it NOW!” generation. But neither does music justice. It's appeal is in the visuals; the song takes second place. Here’s a thought: Perhaps because of “TRL” kids are less interested in music and more into the idea of music and celebrity. After all, most teen music -- from Fall Out Boy to Beyonce – is basic hummable tunes tied up in glitz and glamour masquerading as culture. It’s do-re-mi with a stylist.
Rob Campanell believes in music videos. He thinks there’s a huge audience for music television, just not on TV. Ten years ago, as “TRL” was taking off, Campanell was about to launch a dedicated music video channel on the Internet. The George Washington University grad began working in music video programming for college television. But, as early as 1994 he decided, Internet television was the future and started ITV, Internet television. In 1999, he launched Blastro.com, an urban and top 40 pop music video Internet site, which has now spawned a dedicated rock, metal, and indie site, Roxwel.com, and one for country music,Yallwire.com. The company is based in Austin and Los Angeles.
Blastro alone reported 26 million video plays in September. Its success is simple, explains Campanell, easy access to free music videos, all of which are high definition quality, not fuzzy amateur shots and without the danger of stumbling on YouTube’s increasing sleazy content. All three channels are spiced up with live performances, be it a live DJ mix session or a performance. As well as video blogs and artist interviews, Campanell has already moved into programming live footage from festivals and award shows, such as the Ozone Music Awards, Lollapalooza, and the CMAs.
What you won’t see, says Campanell, who, as well as being a co-founder, is the company’s director of content programming, is a “Pimp My Ride” or “Real World.”
“We keep content based around music,” he insists. “We won’t be putting people in a room and having scripted teen fights.”
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