trinityvixen | (no subject)

Should I be worried about this?

We're talking about two mutually exclusive music ventures being brought under one group's control: Harmonix being bought by MTV Networks.

I hate MTV. There hasn't been anything on MTV to redeem that fucking network since they stopped making episodes of Daria (before that there wasn't a whole lot going for it either, but at least they used to play music). I hate everything about what MTV started with regards to the treatment of music. MTV, specifically TRL and shows of that ilk, elevated the pop musician to the level of superstar on the basis of popularity and looks regardless of actual talent. You want to know why Britney Spears' every move is all over your news? Yo, MTV sucks. They "pioneered" the reality television trend, and made space for it by...getting rid of music videos. They put Carson "I am a huge tool" Daly on TV (for which they shall never be forgiven) to supposedly intro music vids with special guests (reality check: they talk about how awesome the guest/s is/are, watch thirty seconds of butts being shaken, and go back to a studio full of screaming idiots).

Now, this network, which has shown continual disdain for the playing of actual music on their station (unless you buy their two other cable networks, and then you might see the odd video), is buying Harmonix, the people who brought you Amplitude, Karaoke Revolution, and Guitar Hero. How is this not going to mean they're going to interfere with a winning formula? I dread the thought of Guitar Hero 3 coming around where you are reduced to playing the pilfered back-beat from one of P Diddy's songs as the closest you'll actually come to any classic guitar riffs. Woo.

It also means that interesting, not necessarily pop-culture-present bands will probably have zero chance of making it onto a Harmonix game in the future. Let's be realistic here: MTV would only be buying this if they thought they could make themselves money off it. How best to do that? Sell the product that you sell through it. Fuck, now I'm pissed off.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Not to poke holes in your convenient little MTV-is-responsible-for-all-evils-in-music theory or anything, but:
elevated the pop musician to the level of superstar on the basis of popularity and looks regardless of actual talent
That's been going on forever. You think Elvis only starred in films cause his songs are good? You think women throw their underwear at Tom Jones because he has a good voice?

They "pioneered" the reality television trend
I don't know my chronology of reality tv too well, but I'd blame it more on Survivor than TRL. That and the writer's strike that led to networks taking on shows that didn't require writers.

And - wait - you're upset at MTV because they're threatening your experience of karaoke?

Yes, pop stars have been elevated based on looks forever, I concede, I concede. But it's more annoying the ones popularized by MTV. At least Elvis and the Beatles were talented.

And you're both right and wrong about Survivor being the reality show kicker. MTV really did start off the reality show in the non-game show era with The Real World. Its popularity, in addition to the other factors you mention, really is the reason networks thought reality shows could work. It's also responsible for the problems in every reality show whereby they decide to forgo the 'reality' part by casting guaranteed villains, goodie-two-shoes, etc.

Yes, damn it, I'm upset at MTV threatening to make me sing more Britney than Harmonix already did. I want more classics, less pop. Maybe they'll release a true karaoke set, one with ABBA on it like crazy...

I completely agree that MTV is going to destroy a great game, and has lent a big hand in destroying music. As for reality shows, there was never any hope for them.

You're right on that, I guess. I mean, there are some reality shows that are interesting (Project Runway fascinates me because I did some fashion art study in school and because the prizes actually relate to what the contestants want out of life), but for the most part, it was a doomed genre. I think MTV just pre-doomed it, is all.

I'm praying they don't interfere with Harmonix's style too much, but as you can tell, I'm already prepared for the worst.

This is all about acquiring rights for GH. It'll cost Harmonix a shitload less as part of the Viacom umbrella.

That said, it is definately the end of cool/weird music and genre bending games like Freq, Amp, and AntiGrav. I'm expecting KR and GH (and shallow clones/tieins) until Harmonix games look more tapped out than bemani.

That's what I don't want!!! I got a lot of exposure to different kinds of synth music out of Amplitude, and I liked it! I'm ashamed to admit that there were songs on Guitar Hero that I'd never heard before I watched it played, but now I like those songs and a lot more classic rock. If they start chucking crap songs at these games, I'll either start liking crap or else not pick up new songs. Crap!

The thing that protects Guitar Hero is that typical modern pop just doesn't work. You can't have a GH song without a guitar solo of some sort, and it's helpful to have an interesting guitar riff throughout. A Nickelback 3 chord song won't be on a GH sequel just because it'll be boring.

If it can get some bigger guitar songs on the sequels, I'm all for it (Sweet Child of Mine? Taking Care of Business?) Also, the planned 3rd wave of GH sequels will all be genre specific, which puts a strong limit on any MTV sucking.

KR, on the other hand, will get all the pop music it can handle. That's what people want to sing (though they also seem to be going with a genre trend, with the release of KR country.)

Genre is fine so long as they shunt the crap into the genre releases, a la KR Country. But it still pisses me off. Pop is fine for KR, but it needs to be singable pop, and a lot of what's pop is just trashy talk-singing that's made up for by whoever it is "singing" gyrating a lot. Blarf.