“Music always has been and continues to be at the core of our identity and our brand," MTV executive vice president of music and talent Amy Doyle told a roomful of folks on Saturday (March 20) at South By Southwest. "Now we have more screens and platforms than ever to showcase music and work with artists in creative ways.”
Doyle was speaking on a SXSW panel called "Reaching Your Audience on Their Terms," which, though it sounds rather stiff, was actually an incredibly interesting chat, one that detailed not just MTV's continuing efforts to expose audiences to new artists and weave music into its programming, but provided the answer to the age-old "Why don't you guys play music anymore?" question.
Because, as Doyle pointed out, we do. In new and interesting ways, and in a time when the entire music industry is hurting.
“When the music business suffers we feel it too; but the good news is that while the business is challenged, music has never been more important to any generation previous to [this] generation," Doyle said. "And reaching the consumer has never been more important.”
The panel -- which also featured MTV's head of Creative Music Integration Joe Cuello and Matt McCartie of the band Theft -- was part of SXSW's ongoing examination of the industry, and where it goes from here. And it was definitely intriguing to anyone who's interested in any of that.
To wit, Doyle outlined a series of new music-based initiatives, designed to "score the channel" and put music — and the bands making it — front and center. It's a plan that involves not just airing an artist's video on AMTV, but working closely with them to develop a wider plan, one that integrates their music into programming, and build relationships that will last far beyond the promotional cycle of an album. It's a plan dubbed PUSH — "Play Until Someone Hears" — and it's definitely a top priority.
And that's just the beginning. Doyle also discussed the burgeoning Rock Band Network, which allows bands to upload their songs for inclusion in the ultra-successful video game franchise, the ongoing "$5 Cover" series, and a host of other initiatives that will be rolled out over the coming months.
All in all, it was a pretty interesting way to spend a Saturday. It provided a blueprint of where MTV — and probably the entire industry — is headed, and how they plan on getting there. And that's more than you can say about the BBQ sampler plate at Stubb's now, isn't it?