I was on YouTube and found this little two-part time capsule. It was a documentary about using images in music to help the (at the time) sagging music industry. Again, this was recorded in 1980 - before MTV! There's a few primitive music video clips, along with discussion about then-high tech gadgets, like this video disc player, where the discs that looked like giant DVDs. ;)

It was just interesting to see an "in the present" view of it. Some of their predictions came true, and some didn't. Just like in the early MTV days, it was met with some skepticism along with some people who thought it was to be "the future".

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vz7Z42Fl9s
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9KRtuEttIQ

I was on YouTube and found this little two-part time capsule. It was a documentary about using images in music to help the (at the time) sagging music industry. Again, this was recorded in 1980 - before MTV! There's a few primitive music video clips, along with discussion about then-high tech gadgets, like this video disc player, where the discs that looked like giant DVDs. ;)

It was just interesting to see an "in the present" view of it. Some of their predictions came true, and some didn't. Just like in the early MTV days, it was met with some skepticism along with some people who thought it was to be "the future".

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vz7Z42Fl9s
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9KRtuEttIQ


Kate Bush, Tom Petty and Mike Nesmith!

It's actually pretty interesting that they got Nesmith in there, because he was very responsible for getting the whole Mtv idea off the ground.

I was on YouTube and found this little two-part time capsule. It was a documentary about using images in music to help the (at the time) sagging music industry. Again, this was recorded in 1980 - before MTV! There's a few primitive music video clips, along with discussion about then-high tech gadgets, like this video disc player, where the discs that looked like giant DVDs. ;)

It was just interesting to see an "in the present" view of it. Some of their predictions came true, and some didn't. Just like in the early MTV days, it was met with some skepticism along with some people who thought it was to be "the future".

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vz7Z42Fl9s
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9KRtuEttIQ


oooh... Selctravision!  yeah, RCA lost a lot of money on that flop.

oooh... Selctravision!  yeah, RCA lost a lot of money on that flop.


Yeah, from the looks of it, they seemed so convinced of it at the time, too. As the reporter was saying in one of the narratives, I don't think music videos would've taken off as they did if they were strictly marketed as "video albums" like they were talking about (i.e. not having repeated playability), so Nesmith was right in his thinking.

It was probably not until Thriller that videos became "secured" in the industry. 1979-1983 was very transitional, so that's why I thought it was really cool to see a period piece on it (not the same if you hear about it later on).

Yeah, from the looks of it, they seemed so convinced of it at the time, too. As the reporter was saying in one of the narratives, I don't think music videos would've taken off as they did if they were strictly marketed as "video albums" like they were talking about (i.e. not having repeated playability), so Nesmith was right in his thinking.

It was probably not until Thriller that videos became "secured" in the industry. 1979-1983 was very transitional, so that's why I thought it was really cool to see a period piece on it (not the same if you hear about it later on).


it's also the timing of it too.. I've got a Mtv book that covers most of the business side of things, and by the time of this report, Nesmith had already pitched the idea of a network devoted to video clips.  He had a difference of opinion of what the channel should look like with John Lack, and decided not to be a part of it.  Nesmith was also busy putting together his Elephant Parts video, which is probably why he's so heavily pushing the idea of selling video discs for music.  In early 1980 Nesmith had put together a show called PopClips on Nickelodeon, with video clips and radio deejays, essentially the format that Mtv would later take.  The idea was being pitched as early as the fall of 1979.

I have to wonder if the reporter knew of the TV show angle and chose to ignore for some reason.  Broadcast TV was fairly hostile to the new cable only TV stations that were up and coming at the time.

When i was a kid my dad had one of those video disc players. I remember watching Barbarella and Star Wars: Empire Strikes back.

When i was a kid my dad had one of those video disc players. I remember watching Barbarella and Star Wars: Empire Strikes back.


those Star Wars laser discs are probably worth some money now, since George Lucas still hasn't released a proper original edit of the Star Wars movies on DVD.

Good thread, Mar-tay.
20/20 was *THE* show to watch back in the late '70s and in 1980.

I probably saw those two shows when they originally aired, but the only part I remember is the computer graphics example near the end of the Part 2. And that was pretty impressive graphics for 1980.

I always liked that "Young Blood" song and video by Rickie Lee Jones. They showed some of it in both Parts 1&2. I still remember the first time I saw that video (it was also the first time I heard the song, so it was proably on Midnight Special or something at the time). I always hated her "Chuck E's in Love" but "Young Blood" redeemed her in my eyes and ears.

  Hey, neat..!

  Sounds with piccys.  pretty revolutionary, eh..?

  the 20/20 opening sequence brings back some memories.  the parents watched it regularly...

  Come to think of it, I do remember hearing, somewhere, that it was illegal to copy music...

oooh... Selctravision!  yeah, RCA lost a lot of money on that flop.


  Hmm, giant CD?  Maybe laserdisc..?

  We owned an RCA SelectaVision player and around twenty, or so, mov..., no, vid...no, uh, discs for it...

  They came in rigid plastic sleeves so you never saw the disc itself, though I did peek at it.  I guess it was a flop but, suprisingly, it was cheaper than a VCR which, at the time, was out of our reach price-wise.  So was a microwave oven, eghad..!

  There's a website dedicated to the whole SelectaVision, CED phenomenon.  Would you like the linky..?

  Long live that adorable, crappy, wonderful SelectaVision thing..! groove ;) on...

'those Star Wars laser discs are probably worth some money now, since George Lucas still hasn't released a proper original edit of the Star Wars movies on DVD.'

Actually, Lucas has released the 1993 Laser Disc versions on DVD as the original theatrical versions. They were a limited release and production was stopped on December 31st 2006. They are still available now, but once stocks run out, then thats it, no more.




AN