I was shocked when I found out that TRL or Total Request Live, a music video countdown show on MTV will be officially cancelled November, 16, 2008.
Will MTV be changing its channel name because, as far as I know, TRL was one of the last remaining MUSIC shows on the Music Television channel?!? Sad.
I personally haven't watched TRL in quite some time but, even so, what is MTV planning to do to incorporate music into its Music Television channel now? Or do they feel that MTV2 or other music channels on cable or music videos online will be good enough for music lovers and they can put reality, dating, celebrity...etc...shows in its place?
I remember when I was a little girl I owned a couple New Kids on the Block cassette tapes and other fan merchandise like pins, watches...etc. I was too little to go to concerts but I remember the excitement of watching a VHS taped concert on the TV.
The other day I heard that the New Kids on the Block are back together after all these years (14 to be exact) and plan on going on tour and having a new album out soon. WOW! I feel old now. I'm tempted to go to their concert in Illinois this fall since this was something I couldn't do when I was younger. It's also amusing that when I was younger I didn't really understand the lyrics until years later. It's strange what children listen to without really knowing what they are singing.
I'm curious if the New Kids on the Block will be promoted as NKOTB like they used to or if they'll now be "Old Adults on the Block" or what. Haha. Either way it goes to show that as long as you have an audience any group can make a comeback. How successful it will be will be another story but I have a feeling the New Kids on the Block will do well.
For Christmas my parents received a 4-in-1 Entertainment Center which includes an AM/FM radio, CD player, cassette deck & a turntable...
My family still owns some records & cassettes so we gathered together to listen to them & as we did the songs brought back memories. From songs my Grandparents enjoyed, to the Eagles, the BeeGees, Billy Joel, & even Michael Jackson each record was enjoyed by everyone. I watched my younger brother become the expert at switching the record to the flip side & later I helped him put in a cassette into the slot. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was a little girl toting around my cassette player listening to Disney songs or even recording my own voice to listen to later.
It became clear that music certainly isn't what it used to be. My parents talked about buying records & 45s. I remembered the cassette & then buying the CD which I liked better 'cause it took the guess work out of the location of your favorite song. It seems weird that the days of physically holding a song is practically over. What I mean is with more people turning to MP3 players & iTunes the joy of going to the store & buying the record, cassette, and/or CD is becoming an inconvenience. People start to feel their music is taking up too much space in their rooms so why not have them conveniently in a MP3 player, cell phone, or computer. Right?
I went through a period where I certainly didn't buy cassettes anymore but even with CDs I started to feel like I would rather buy singles or download a few songs I liked instead of committing to all the tracks on the whole CD. It started to feel like a waste of money in my mind. Then I discovered a band in 2002 that I fell in love with & since then I have waited anxiously for their new CD & was excited on their CD release date to drive to the store to purchase it. I would then ceremoniously place it in my car's CD player & listen to it all the way to school or home. It is crazy how many CDs I have purchased of this band but I think if I downloaded all of the songs it just wouldn't be the same. I suppose some people have that same anxiety & excitement after a download but I think people take songs for granted. Everything is so quick & convenient. Now don't misunderstand me, I am not saying that no one goes to the stores to purchase music anymore. I know people do. However, when I witnessed my family interact with the new 4-in-1 Entertainment Center there was just something different about it than if my parents received a new MP3 player. The interaction was what I enjoyed. It is like a match vs. a lighter. Sure both give you fire but you need to work a little harder with the match to get a flame.
Lastly, I think musicians don't write quality songs anymore. The band I like does, which is obviously why I love them so much. Even so, like I said before, my family was able to listen to some of those old records with no major complaints. Why is that? Why does it seem to me that the majority of songs written these days are so inappropriate or something when you really sit & read the lyrics? Not to be another person to pick on Britney Spears but she's the first one that comes to mind as an example. I don't really like her recent song "Gimme More." I was a fan of hers years ago. I bought Britney's first two CDs when I was a teenager, however, after her 2000 album "Oops I did it again" & her increasingly provocative MTV videos, I didn't like her as much. It seems like many musicians write songs that if you really think about them make no sense or have no real meaning. I'm generalizing too much I know (there are many great songwriters out there) but overall I can't help but compare the "oldies" & "today" and question what the children & teenagers are listening to and downloading. Mariah Carey once said, "A lot of people are singing about how screwed up the world is, and I don't think that everybody wants to hear about that all the time." I think there's truth to that. There's more to life than what is portrayed in music or other media outlets. It's up to us to change that ourselves or promote quality songwriters.
