Video Village
Regarding “After All, Life Isn’t Just a Video,” by Daniel Cerone (June 12):
It’s always a riot when those that create a system condemn it, as if they had nothing to do with its invention.
The bedding down of the record companies with MTV a few years back killed off virtually all non-MTV airing of music videos. The granting of exclusives on broadcast rights of videos by superstar artists moved them from a marketing tool to a bargaining chip assuring extensive play.
The hands were washing each other pretty raw for a while. Now, when one of the kids wants to take his marbles and go home (or to the bank), everyone left behind gripes.
The whole MTV/record company/artist co-dependence (best exemplified by the “Unplugged” franchise) would have gotten Alan Freed the chair in the ‘50s, if he had thought of it.
I guess I keep forgetting that yesterday’s conflicts of interest are today’s vital marketing synergies.
BILL INGLOT
Los Angeles
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