A recent article by NPR proclaimed the newfound popularity of long-form music video via Netflix, where recent entries by Thom Yorke (Anima), The Boss (Springsteen On Broadway) and Sturgill Simpson's "Sound & Fury" have introduced conceptual music video to a new audience - as well as those of us old enough to remember when MTV played music videos.
This newfound interest in music videos by paid streaming companies like Netflix and Amazon, among others, is nothing new, but it does remind us of the age-old question: Why did music video ever go away?
Keep in mind that during MTV's glory days where they were raking in money hand over fist from corporations eager to advertise, all of the content video content the network aired was provided to them free of charge.
To put that another way, imagine launching a shoe store where all of the shoes were provided to you at no cost.
With that kind of profit margin, after witnessing the overwhelming nationwide response to the Beatles' first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show", there had to be at least one ambitious network exec who immediately phoned their superiors screaming "Screw 'Ozzie and Harriet', we need to run rock music, all day, every day!"
Hell, even a traditional, safe-as-milk TV show like the aforementioned "Ozzie and Harriet' knew the power of music video, leading Ozzie to write his real-life son's musical talent into the show's story arc, helping to sell millions and millions of Ricky Nelson records in the process.
In hindsight, it is quite amazing that three decades would pass before a network like MTV finally came along to scratch that very profitable itch. After all, the content was free, provided to the network by a record industry that asked how high anytime the powerful network said "Jump!"
Thing is, MTV wasn't the first to try this concept, they were simply the first to put their money where their mouth is after ex-Monkee Michael Nesmith proved the concept had legs. His "PopClips" had debuted on Nickelodeon in 1980 to great reviews and much industry chatter, but when the former Monkee refused to sell Warner Cable the rights to the "PopClips" trademark and concept, that didn't stop the Warner folks from moving forward.
I remember thinking at the time that Nesmith was crazy to walk away from millions of dollars after Warner execs Robert Pittman and John Lack merely simplified the "PopClips" concept and quickly launched MTV in 1981.
What none of us knew at the time was that Nesmith would inherit half of the Liquid Paper fortune (roughly $25 million plus royalties) that year after the passing of his mother, inventor Bette Nesmith Graham from complications following a stroke.
Nesmith invested part of his inheritance in a production company (Pacific Arts) and filmed a long-form video called "Elephant Parts" that provided the template for conceptual song length videos as well as full length video albums. The result was not only critically acclaimed and commercially successful, it also led to his first Grammy award for Best Video.
It also provided many Monkees fans the answer to the question "Why doesn't Michael take part in any of the Monkees reunion tours?"
The question that now must be answered is "Are music videos making a comeback?"
I would surmise that if MTV begins playing music videos again in lieu of their own reality content, we will certainly have our answer.
Somebody wake up Martha Quinn.