On 31st December 2025, MTV bid farewell to five of its iconic channels, MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV and MTV Live. After four decades on air, this comes as a huge hit to the music industry.
MTV is famously known for playing ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ by The Buggles as the first track on its launch day, as a nod to the shift from radio to music television. In a full circle moment, they played this as their last track before the channel closed forever at the end of last year, ironically showcasing how the music industry is changing once again.
As streaming becomes increasingly popular, it raises the question of the future of music consumption. MTV was a groundbreaking launch upon its release. The ability to play any song at any given time has had a knock-on effect on buying physical media, and now on music television.
If you’re old enough to recall music before Spotify, you will probably have fond memories of tuning into MTV and other video channels, in the hopes that they would play your current favourite music video. It felt like a time when music videos were the most exciting and highly anticipated part of a new single release. With streaming now taking the lead for the consumption of music, videos are becoming increasingly redundant.
When MTV launched in 1981, it created a new era of music, playing videos 24 hours a day. The channel was responsible for the growth of many artists by playing their music videos on rotation. It highlighted the importance of needing a good video to increase sales. The mainstreaming of the channel propelled smaller acts into fame and helped them break into the industry. The likes of Nirvana and U2 hugely benefited from MTV by gaining exposure and, in turn, a larger fanbase.
There is not one factor that has sole responsibility for MTV’s death; it’s more the result of many digital modernisations that have occurred in the 21st century. In an age where songs gain popularity because of the TikTok dance associated with it, or if it’s used over the top of a viral video, it seems as though anyone can get a song in the charts. If you look at the current UK top 10, almost every song can be associated with at least one TikTok trend, for example, ‘End of Beginning’ by Djo and ‘Lush Life’ by Zara Larson. There are songs in the charts that were released two or three years ago, but are still extremely popular on TikTok and reels.
In 2025, it doesn’t seem to matter if a song has a good music video, as long as it has good lip-sync-ability or lyrics that can be used to create a trend. This is one of many reasons behind the decline in MTV’s popularity and the inevitable death of music video production. In a time where short-form media is at its peak, lengthy music videos that don’t just feature a song, but a story too, seem slightly unnecessary.
MTV is not the only music channel that has been lost, with channels like Kiss and 4Music being axed in 2024. This further proves the increase in vertical content and short videos means music television is no longer the go-to for most people. The habits of how we consume media have transformed our brains into thinking a 20-second video needs to be listened to on 2x speed, so it’s no wonder that people have no interest in watching full videos anymore.
It is interesting to think about what the future of music will hold and whether music video production will make a comeback in the future. At the end of the day, music videos are not just another way to generate income; they are, to many artists, another form of art.
Words by Lydia Potter
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.