Chapter 20 Michael and MTV

Chapter 20

Michael and MTV

In the early 1980s, the music channel MTV appeared. At first, the channel played mostly rock music by white artists, but Michael Jackson’s huge success changed all of this. In 1983, the channel agreed to play Billie Jean several times each day and it was hugely popular. The same was true for the Thriller videos, and many other Michael Jackson hits.

After Michael Jackson’s solo success in the 1980s, it was less unusual for black singers to be on MTV, to be on the front cover of magazines, and to be in the main pop charts.