I saw the picture of the whole "Carter family" on stage....it actually reminded me of what MJ was trying to achieve when he slobbed Lisa Marie Presley on stage at the VMA's in '94.

[Edited 8/26/14 4:56am]

I haven't watched either the VMAs or the BETS Awards for the past 5 years. Gargling with battery acid sounds more inviting.

If video really did kill the radio star, MTV may have in turn killed its own creation: the video. For years, of course, the network has seemingly been video-phobic, devoting nearly all of its time to reality shows, scripted dramas and other programs that beg the question of why the letter “M” still appears in its name. Once a year, though, MTV remembers that videos still exist (even if they air primarily on other cable networks and internet sites) and celebrates them.
But if 2014’s show is any indication, the party is over.
The Video Music Awards have become a halfhearted, one-dimensional, and quite frankly inexplicable use of airtime, and in the post-TRL years have become about as relevant and vital as the music video itself. Once an important date on every celebrity’s calendar, the VMA broadcast has outgrown its purpose. TruTV doesn’t blow the cobwebs off of old Court TV shows once a year, so why does MTV continue pretending to care about its legacy by holding an event that celebrates the videos it no longer even shows? Here are five reasons why, as its 2014 broadcast showed, the Video Music Awards no longer matter.

1. Lack of interest. MTV’s biggest night of the year kicked off with a high-octane performance by Nicki Minaj that featured a lot of booty-shaking, crotch-grabbing and floor-grinding, but perhaps more shocking than any of that — because let’s face it, what part of that hasn’t been done on the VMAs before? — was the wide shot that revealed a large number of empty seats in the Forum’s lower level. True, some fans were still filtering in from outside when the show started, but the fact that they were in no rush to get to their seats only shows how missable this show has become, even for live attendees. Plus, the Forum was hardly a sellout — the day before the show, plenty of seats were still available through Ticketmaster, including entire rows. Even MTV itself seemed to not care that much — as soon as the live show had ended, the network immediately showed it again. No post-show interviews, no analysis of the winners, nothing. The next day, entertainment giant TMZ had hardly any VMA coverage that didn’t involve a pre-party shooting that had occurred the night before.

2. Lack of diversity. Among the biggest knocks on MTV’s early years was that, until Michael Jackson broke its unspoken color barrier with “Billie Jean,” the network was almost exclusively a celebration of rock music. In 2014, the closest that the VMA broadcast came to the network’s flagship genre was what it teased as “a rockin’ performance” from Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer, which turned out to pretty much be a ballad that happened to feature a couple of guitars. Still, they should be commended for at least playing something — other than Maroon 5 and Usher (who briefly held a bass that he may or may not have actually even been playing), none of the night’s performers even touched an instrument. On a night when current or former judges from The Voice, American Idol, and The X Factor appeared as presenters or performers, MTV showed that the only type of musician that still matters is the female pop vocalist who can sing while backed by a prerecorded track and scores of dancers.

3. Lack of credibility. The only thing weaker than the field of nominees in some categories were the winners themselves. Drake picked up a Moonman for Best Hip Hop Video for “Hold On (We’re Going Home),” a song that features no rapping and, since the show doesn’t offer an award for R&B videos, was probably better suited for inclusion in the Pop category. (See number one above for why Drake didn’t even bother showing up to accept his award, despite having a four-day hole in his tour schedule.) Best Rock Video, meanwhile, went not to a legitimate rock nominee like Linkin Park or the Black Keys, but rather to Lorde’s “Royals,” which is the 2014 equivalent of Jethro Tull defeating Metallica for the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. And the Artist To Watch trophy, as voted on by fans — at least those in the nation’s time zones that saw the show live — went to Fifth Harmony, a Simon Cowell creation that, based on the response by the crowd inside the Forum every time the award’s nominees were shown, were only a fraction as popular as fellow nominees 5 Seconds of Summer or Sam Smith
.
4. Lack of celebrity. The Video Music Awards used to be a huge event that drew not only the biggest names in music, but also hip, young stars from film, TV, standup comedy and sports. In 2014, among the non-music stars who appeared on stage were nearly 40-year-old comic Chelsea Handler and nearly 60-year-old actor Jeff Daniels. Sure, they tried to shoehorn Robin Williams into the show, but his tribute segment was so arbitrary and awkward, it might as well have not been part of the broadcast at all. Hey MTV, want to pull in more TV stars? Don’t hold your broadcast the night before the Emmys.

5. Lack of purpose. Short of serving as a glorified twerk-off, what did the 2014 Video Music Awards actually contribute to popular music? Is anyone discussing the show’s winners? (Is anyone discussing the show at all?) Self-promotion was a big part of the evening: presenters Jason Derulo and Demi Lovato used their stage time to mention their own upcoming concert tours while introducing Maroon 5; Miley Cyrus, meanwhile, won the once-coveted Video Of The Year award for “Wrecking Ball,” and allotted her acceptance-speech time to someone who spoke about homelessness, which was admirable… until he got to the part about having to go to Miley’s Facebook page for more information.
Celebrating music videos should have been the purpose of the show, but Beyonce won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award — named for a guy who not only carved out a spot for African-American musicians on MTV, but also revolutionized the music video itself — and gave a nearly 20-minute concert, yet made no mention of the videos that won her the award to begin with. Worse, “Single Ladies” — the song that served as the basis for what Kanye West infamously proclaimed during the 2009 VMAs as “one of the best videos of all time” — wasn’t even part of her medley of hits.
If MTV were to set aside even an hour or two of its daily schedule for airing videos, the Video Music Awards might still have a chance. The landscape has changed, however, and while there is still a need for a fun music-awards show that can balance the uptight Grammys broadcast, the VMAs are no longer it.

^^^

HAPPYPERSON said:

5 Reasons Why the VMAs No Longer Matter

Sources: Huffington Post – By Mark Carpowich

If video really did kill the radio star, MTV may have in turn killed its own creation: the video. For years, of course, the network has seemingly been video-phobic, devoting nearly all of its time to reality shows, scripted dramas and other programs that beg the question of why the letter “M” still appears in its name. Once a year, though, MTV remembers that videos still exist (even if they air primarily on other cable networks and internet sites) and celebrates them.
But if 2014’s show is any indication, the party is over.
The Video Music Awards have become a halfhearted, one-dimensional, and quite frankly inexplicable use of airtime, and in the post-TRL years have become about as relevant and vital as the music video itself. Once an important date on every celebrity’s calendar, the VMA broadcast has outgrown its purpose. TruTV doesn’t blow the cobwebs off of old Court TV shows once a year, so why does MTV continue pretending to care about its legacy by holding an event that celebrates the videos it no longer even shows? Here are five reasons why, as its 2014 broadcast showed, the Video Music Awards no longer matter.

1. Lack of interest. MTV’s biggest night of the year kicked off with a high-octane performance by Nicki Minaj that featured a lot of booty-shaking, crotch-grabbing and floor-grinding, but perhaps more shocking than any of that — because let’s face it, what part of that hasn’t been done on the VMAs before? — was the wide shot that revealed a large number of empty seats in the Forum’s lower level. True, some fans were still filtering in from outside when the show started, but the fact that they were in no rush to get to their seats only shows how missable this show has become, even for live attendees. Plus, the Forum was hardly a sellout — the day before the show, plenty of seats were still available through Ticketmaster, including entire rows. Even MTV itself seemed to not care that much — as soon as the live show had ended, the network immediately showed it again. No post-show interviews, no analysis of the winners, nothing. The next day, entertainment giant TMZ had hardly any VMA coverage that didn’t involve a pre-party shooting that had occurred the night before.

2. Lack of diversity. Among the biggest knocks on MTV’s early years was that, until Michael Jackson broke its unspoken color barrier with “Billie Jean,” the network was almost exclusively a celebration of rock music. In 2014, the closest that the VMA broadcast came to the network’s flagship genre was what it teased as “a rockin’ performance” from Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer, which turned out to pretty much be a ballad that happened to feature a couple of guitars. Still, they should be commended for at least playing something — other than Maroon 5 and Usher (who briefly held a bass that he may or may not have actually even been playing), none of the night’s performers even touched an instrument. On a night when current or former judges from The Voice, American Idol, and The X Factor appeared as presenters or performers, MTV showed that the only type of musician that still matters is the female pop vocalist who can sing while backed by a prerecorded track and scores of dancers.

3. Lack of credibility. The only thing weaker than the field of nominees in some categories were the winners themselves. Drake picked up a Moonman for Best Hip Hop Video for “Hold On (We’re Going Home),” a song that features no rapping and, since the show doesn’t offer an award for R&B videos, was probably better suited for inclusion in the Pop category. (See number one above for why Drake didn’t even bother showing up to accept his award, despite having a four-day hole in his tour schedule.) Best Rock Video, meanwhile, went not to a legitimate rock nominee like Linkin Park or the Black Keys, but rather to Lorde’s “Royals,” which is the 2014 equivalent of Jethro Tull defeating Metallica for the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. And the Artist To Watch trophy, as voted on by fans — at least those in the nation’s time zones that saw the show live — went to Fifth Harmony, a Simon Cowell creation that, based on the response by the crowd inside the Forum every time the award’s nominees were shown, were only a fraction as popular as fellow nominees 5 Seconds of Summer or Sam Smith
.
4. Lack of celebrity. The Video Music Awards used to be a huge event that drew not only the biggest names in music, but also hip, young stars from film, TV, standup comedy and sports. In 2014, among the non-music stars who appeared on stage were nearly 40-year-old comic Chelsea Handler and nearly 60-year-old actor Jeff Daniels. Sure, they tried to shoehorn Robin Williams into the show, but his tribute segment was so arbitrary and awkward, it might as well have not been part of the broadcast at all. Hey MTV, want to pull in more TV stars? Don’t hold your broadcast the night before the Emmys.

5. Lack of purpose. Short of serving as a glorified twerk-off, what did the 2014 Video Music Awards actually contribute to popular music? Is anyone discussing the show’s winners? (Is anyone discussing the show at all?) Self-promotion was a big part of the evening: presenters Jason Derulo and Demi Lovato used their stage time to mention their own upcoming concert tours while introducing Maroon 5; Miley Cyrus, meanwhile, won the once-coveted Video Of The Year award for “Wrecking Ball,” and allotted her acceptance-speech time to someone who spoke about homelessness, which was admirable… until he got to the part about having to go to Miley’s Facebook page for more information.
Celebrating music videos should have been the purpose of the show, but Beyonce won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award — named for a guy who not only carved out a spot for African-American musicians on MTV, but also revolutionized the music video itself — and gave a nearly 20-minute concert, yet made no mention of the videos that won her the award to begin with. Worse, “Single Ladies” — the song that served as the basis for what Kanye West infamously proclaimed during the 2009 VMAs as “one of the best videos of all time” — wasn’t even part of her medley of hits.
If MTV were to set aside even an hour or two of its daily schedule for airing videos, the Video Music Awards might still have a chance. The landscape has changed, however, and while there is still a need for a fun music-awards show that can balance the uptight Grammys broadcast, the VMAs are no longer it.

Preach. That's it. Why Usher why. I remember an interview with him, I believe it was MTV cribs, where he had a piano in the living room and was bragging about not being able to play it, it was just for show in that room. Now he wants to be a one man band. Also nice to give a video vanguard award to a performer that hasn't done an a unique/original video. Hell she has the same damn look/dance in every shot. This show needed to end 5 years ago.

Preach. That's it. Why Usher why. I remember an interview with him, I believe it was MTV cribs, where he had a piano in the living room and was bragging about not being able to play it, it was just for show in that room.

*******

I would love to see a "where are they now" MTV cribs edition. That would be a huge wake up call for a lot of celebrities and the kids who idolize them. They neglected to say that 99.9% of those cribs were leased/rented. MTV is the devil and it's ruining the youth of america.

*

mjscarousal said:

GoldDolphin said:

I honestly think Jay was caught in the moment, when he said that. Also in his eyes - Bey might be the greatest entertainer and he is her husband. That's not strange at all. I don't think Beyoncé had nothing to do with the presentation of the award and in fact, I thought it was badly done. I think they should have had a presenter like they had with Justin Timberlake, although I think it was adorable that Blue Ivy was on stage. Beyoncé adores and respects Michael Jackson, without him there wouldn't be no Beyoncé.

Beyoncé might not be your cup of tea (the org has never been fond of her, but that's fine this is a site dedicated to Prince) but I don't think she's overrated at all, she's the best of this generation of pop acts. As for the performance last night, it was alright - not the best I've seen Beyoncé do but still far better than anything the others performers did and will ever do (I still can't believe Iggy Azalea is known, when I saw her last year with her two backup dancers - I was laughing at her; cause she was that horrible).

Her ballads are the best thing for me personally. Also, interestingly in the mid 90s - people wrote that Michael Jackson was robotic, the songs were the same (no emotion in his lyrics), lypsynching etc - not true at all of course and with that said, I would NEVER compare Beyoncé to Michael because there will never be anyone like him. I mention this because after a while, people get sick of seeing the same artists on award shows or in the press - when it has nothing to do with their artistry. I do think that Beyoncé channels Michael just like Bruno Mars, but in two different ways of course and that's why people compare her to Michael - but Beyoncé herself has never stated anything of that matter.

[Edited 8/25/14 8:40am]

Beyonces PR machine has often compared her to Michael don't be fooled by that. I think everyone is entitled to their opinion but just so you know this Prince site is not the only music forum that finds her to be overrated so it is not just "Prince fans". I know you say you are not trying to compare her to MJ but you kinda are making a comparision when you use him as an example. I am not sure why you brought up the Michael Jackson example and what exactly it was trying to justify. Were you bringing Michael up to justify Beyonce's critcism? It seemed inappropiate to me although I know it probably was not your intentions. When I define what makes a good artists, I am not looking at how well they perform because if that was the case Stevie Wonder would not be one of the greatest artists of all time It is nice when you have artists who can visually express their music on stage but it doesn't take away from the artistry at the end of day. Objectively, there are better singers and artists of Beyonce generation. She is not the best of the best musically or even performing wise. Of course this is my opinion and if you think otherwise you are entitled too.

We will just have to agree to disagree. I don't think an artist has that much power, not even my love Michael did (look what they did to him). I just think people love Beyoncé and she has a large fanbase and either you like her or not. Tickets and albums around the world wouldn't sell as they do, if she wasn't loved or interesting to people. There are many acts that I personally find overrated, but at the end of the day - it don't matter to me personally because I'm not invested in their affairs unless they're racist or something like Iggy Azalea or ignorant... I'm not comparing her to Michael but I'm using him as an example, since he is the person I always compare most artists to - since I believe him to be the GOAT. I define great artists in different ways and I respect different aspects of creating music/music art as well, not everyone will be the same nor do I want them to be. I often look at various criterias; when I look at their art. Exactly that's your opinion - because many people around the world do think that Beyoncé is the greatest of her generation ; and that is OK. Just like many people on this forum would say Prince is the greatest artist of all time when many outside of it might not agree. Anyways, light and peace to you girl ;D

HAPPYPERSON said:

5 Reasons Why the VMAs No Longer Matter

Sources: Huffington Post – By Mark Carpowich

If video really did kill the radio star, MTV may have in turn killed its own creation: the video. For years, of course, the network has seemingly been video-phobic, devoting nearly all of its time to reality shows, scripted dramas and other programs that beg the question of why the letter “M” still appears in its name. Once a year, though, MTV remembers that videos still exist (even if they air primarily on other cable networks and internet sites) and celebrates them.
But if 2014’s show is any indication, the party is over.
The Video Music Awards have become a halfhearted, one-dimensional, and quite frankly inexplicable use of airtime, and in the post-TRL years have become about as relevant and vital as the music video itself. Once an important date on every celebrity’s calendar, the VMA broadcast has outgrown its purpose. TruTV doesn’t blow the cobwebs off of old Court TV shows once a year, so why does MTV continue pretending to care about its legacy by holding an event that celebrates the videos it no longer even shows? Here are five reasons why, as its 2014 broadcast showed, the Video Music Awards no longer matter.

1. Lack of interest. MTV’s biggest night of the year kicked off with a high-octane performance by Nicki Minaj that featured a lot of booty-shaking, crotch-grabbing and floor-grinding, but perhaps more shocking than any of that — because let’s face it, what part of that hasn’t been done on the VMAs before? — was the wide shot that revealed a large number of empty seats in the Forum’s lower level. True, some fans were still filtering in from outside when the show started, but the fact that they were in no rush to get to their seats only shows how missable this show has become, even for live attendees. Plus, the Forum was hardly a sellout — the day before the show, plenty of seats were still available through Ticketmaster, including entire rows. Even MTV itself seemed to not care that much — as soon as the live show had ended, the network immediately showed it again. No post-show interviews, no analysis of the winners, nothing. The next day, entertainment giant TMZ had hardly any VMA coverage that didn’t involve a pre-party shooting that had occurred the night before.

2. Lack of diversity. Among the biggest knocks on MTV’s early years was that, until Michael Jackson broke its unspoken color barrier with “Billie Jean,” the network was almost exclusively a celebration of rock music. In 2014, the closest that the VMA broadcast came to the network’s flagship genre was what it teased as “a rockin’ performance” from Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer, which turned out to pretty much be a ballad that happened to feature a couple of guitars. Still, they should be commended for at least playing something — other than Maroon 5 and Usher (who briefly held a bass that he may or may not have actually even been playing), none of the night’s performers even touched an instrument. On a night when current or former judges from The Voice, American Idol, and The X Factor appeared as presenters or performers, MTV showed that the only type of musician that still matters is the female pop vocalist who can sing while backed by a prerecorded track and scores of dancers.

3. Lack of credibility. The only thing weaker than the field of nominees in some categories were the winners themselves. Drake picked up a Moonman for Best Hip Hop Video for “Hold On (We’re Going Home),” a song that features no rapping and, since the show doesn’t offer an award for R&B videos, was probably better suited for inclusion in the Pop category. (See number one above for why Drake didn’t even bother showing up to accept his award, despite having a four-day hole in his tour schedule.) Best Rock Video, meanwhile, went not to a legitimate rock nominee like Linkin Park or the Black Keys, but rather to Lorde’s “Royals,” which is the 2014 equivalent of Jethro Tull defeating Metallica for the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. And the Artist To Watch trophy, as voted on by fans — at least those in the nation’s time zones that saw the show live — went to Fifth Harmony, a Simon Cowell creation that, based on the response by the crowd inside the Forum every time the award’s nominees were shown, were only a fraction as popular as fellow nominees 5 Seconds of Summer or Sam Smith
.
4. Lack of celebrity. The Video Music Awards used to be a huge event that drew not only the biggest names in music, but also hip, young stars from film, TV, standup comedy and sports. In 2014, among the non-music stars who appeared on stage were nearly 40-year-old comic Chelsea Handler and nearly 60-year-old actor Jeff Daniels. Sure, they tried to shoehorn Robin Williams into the show, but his tribute segment was so arbitrary and awkward, it might as well have not been part of the broadcast at all. Hey MTV, want to pull in more TV stars? Don’t hold your broadcast the night before the Emmys.

5. Lack of purpose. Short of serving as a glorified twerk-off, what did the 2014 Video Music Awards actually contribute to popular music? Is anyone discussing the show’s winners? (Is anyone discussing the show at all?) Self-promotion was a big part of the evening: presenters Jason Derulo and Demi Lovato used their stage time to mention their own upcoming concert tours while introducing Maroon 5; Miley Cyrus, meanwhile, won the once-coveted Video Of The Year award for “Wrecking Ball,” and allotted her acceptance-speech time to someone who spoke about homelessness, which was admirable… until he got to the part about having to go to Miley’s Facebook page for more information.
Celebrating music videos should have been the purpose of the show, but Beyonce won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award — named for a guy who not only carved out a spot for African-American musicians on MTV, but also revolutionized the music video itself — and gave a nearly 20-minute concert, yet made no mention of the videos that won her the award to begin with. Worse, “Single Ladies” — the song that served as the basis for what Kanye West infamously proclaimed during the 2009 VMAs as “one of the best videos of all time” — wasn’t even part of her medley of hits.
If MTV were to set aside even an hour or two of its daily schedule for airing videos, the Video Music Awards might still have a chance. The landscape has changed, however, and while there is still a need for a fun music-awards show that can balance the uptight Grammys broadcast, the VMAs are no longer it.

THIS!^

But I just cant believe this:

Maria Shriver @mariashriver · 15h

My daughter @KSchwarzenegger just said 'So much of my confidence as a women comes from @Beyonce' This mother says thank you madam for that

Like seriously Maria?!?!?!!!

All those celebs fawning over Beyonce on twitter... I swear must be getting some kind of payoff in some kind of way. Every time she gives a performance on an award show (which most are mediocre) all these celebs take to twitter to praise her to the heavens...it just seems very odd and calculated to me. Jmho.

[Edited 8/26/14 8:15am]

NaughtyKitty said:

HAPPYPERSON said:

5 Reasons Why the VMAs No Longer Matter

Sources: Huffington Post – By Mark Carpowich

If video really did kill the radio star, MTV may have in turn killed its own creation: the video. For years, of course, the network has seemingly been video-phobic, devoting nearly all of its time to reality shows, scripted dramas and other programs that beg the question of why the letter “M” still appears in its name. Once a year, though, MTV remembers that videos still exist (even if they air primarily on other cable networks and internet sites) and celebrates them.
But if 2014’s show is any indication, the party is over.
The Video Music Awards have become a halfhearted, one-dimensional, and quite frankly inexplicable use of airtime, and in the post-TRL years have become about as relevant and vital as the music video itself. Once an important date on every celebrity’s calendar, the VMA broadcast has outgrown its purpose. TruTV doesn’t blow the cobwebs off of old Court TV shows once a year, so why does MTV continue pretending to care about its legacy by holding an event that celebrates the videos it no longer even shows? Here are five reasons why, as its 2014 broadcast showed, the Video Music Awards no longer matter.

1. Lack of interest. MTV’s biggest night of the year kicked off with a high-octane performance by Nicki Minaj that featured a lot of booty-shaking, crotch-grabbing and floor-grinding, but perhaps more shocking than any of that — because let’s face it, what part of that hasn’t been done on the VMAs before? — was the wide shot that revealed a large number of empty seats in the Forum’s lower level. True, some fans were still filtering in from outside when the show started, but the fact that they were in no rush to get to their seats only shows how missable this show has become, even for live attendees. Plus, the Forum was hardly a sellout — the day before the show, plenty of seats were still available through Ticketmaster, including entire rows. Even MTV itself seemed to not care that much — as soon as the live show had ended, the network immediately showed it again. No post-show interviews, no analysis of the winners, nothing. The next day, entertainment giant TMZ had hardly any VMA coverage that didn’t involve a pre-party shooting that had occurred the night before.

2. Lack of diversity. Among the biggest knocks on MTV’s early years was that, until Michael Jackson broke its unspoken color barrier with “Billie Jean,” the network was almost exclusively a celebration of rock music. In 2014, the closest that the VMA broadcast came to the network’s flagship genre was what it teased as “a rockin’ performance” from Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer, which turned out to pretty much be a ballad that happened to feature a couple of guitars. Still, they should be commended for at least playing something — other than Maroon 5 and Usher (who briefly held a bass that he may or may not have actually even been playing), none of the night’s performers even touched an instrument. On a night when current or former judges from The Voice, American Idol, and The X Factor appeared as presenters or performers, MTV showed that the only type of musician that still matters is the female pop vocalist who can sing while backed by a prerecorded track and scores of dancers.

3. Lack of credibility. The only thing weaker than the field of nominees in some categories were the winners themselves. Drake picked up a Moonman for Best Hip Hop Video for “Hold On (We’re Going Home),” a song that features no rapping and, since the show doesn’t offer an award for R&B videos, was probably better suited for inclusion in the Pop category. (See number one above for why Drake didn’t even bother showing up to accept his award, despite having a four-day hole in his tour schedule.) Best Rock Video, meanwhile, went not to a legitimate rock nominee like Linkin Park or the Black Keys, but rather to Lorde’s “Royals,” which is the 2014 equivalent of Jethro Tull defeating Metallica for the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. And the Artist To Watch trophy, as voted on by fans — at least those in the nation’s time zones that saw the show live — went to Fifth Harmony, a Simon Cowell creation that, based on the response by the crowd inside the Forum every time the award’s nominees were shown, were only a fraction as popular as fellow nominees 5 Seconds of Summer or Sam Smith
.
4. Lack of celebrity. The Video Music Awards used to be a huge event that drew not only the biggest names in music, but also hip, young stars from film, TV, standup comedy and sports. In 2014, among the non-music stars who appeared on stage were nearly 40-year-old comic Chelsea Handler and nearly 60-year-old actor Jeff Daniels. Sure, they tried to shoehorn Robin Williams into the show, but his tribute segment was so arbitrary and awkward, it might as well have not been part of the broadcast at all. Hey MTV, want to pull in more TV stars? Don’t hold your broadcast the night before the Emmys.

5. Lack of purpose. Short of serving as a glorified twerk-off, what did the 2014 Video Music Awards actually contribute to popular music? Is anyone discussing the show’s winners? (Is anyone discussing the show at all?) Self-promotion was a big part of the evening: presenters Jason Derulo and Demi Lovato used their stage time to mention their own upcoming concert tours while introducing Maroon 5; Miley Cyrus, meanwhile, won the once-coveted Video Of The Year award for “Wrecking Ball,” and allotted her acceptance-speech time to someone who spoke about homelessness, which was admirable… until he got to the part about having to go to Miley’s Facebook page for more information.
Celebrating music videos should have been the purpose of the show, but Beyonce won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award — named for a guy who not only carved out a spot for African-American musicians on MTV, but also revolutionized the music video itself — and gave a nearly 20-minute concert, yet made no mention of the videos that won her the award to begin with. Worse, “Single Ladies” — the song that served as the basis for what Kanye West infamously proclaimed during the 2009 VMAs as “one of the best videos of all time” — wasn’t even part of her medley of hits.
If MTV were to set aside even an hour or two of its daily schedule for airing videos, the Video Music Awards might still have a chance. The landscape has changed, however, and while there is still a need for a fun music-awards show that can balance the uptight Grammys broadcast, the VMAs are no longer it.

THIS!^

But I just cant believe this:

Maria Shriver @mariashriver · 15h

My daughter @KSchwarzenegger just said 'So much of my confidence as a women comes from @Beyonce' This mother says thank you madam for that

Like seriously Maria?!?!?!!!

All those celebs fawning over Beyonce on twitter... I swear must be getting some kind of payoff in some kind of way. Every time she gives a performance on an award show (which most are mediocre) all these celebs take to twitter to praise her to the heavens...it just seems very odd and calculated to me. Jmho.

[Edited 8/26/14 8:15am]

-

I think its a little of both her machine and people wanting to feel "hip/cool" that factors into that. This accounts for her huge endorsement deals. It's all based on her popularity.

HAPPYPERSON said:

5 Reasons Why the VMAs No Longer Matter

Sources: Huffington Post – By Mark Carpowich

If video really did kill the radio star, MTV may have in turn killed its own creation: the video. For years, of course, the network has seemingly been video-phobic, devoting nearly all of its time to reality shows, scripted dramas and other programs that beg the question of why the letter “M” still appears in its name. Once a year, though, MTV remembers that videos still exist (even if they air primarily on other cable networks and internet sites) and celebrates them.
But if 2014’s show is any indication, the party is over.
The Video Music Awards have become a halfhearted, one-dimensional, and quite frankly inexplicable use of airtime, and in the post-TRL years have become about as relevant and vital as the music video itself. Once an important date on every celebrity’s calendar, the VMA broadcast has outgrown its purpose. TruTV doesn’t blow the cobwebs off of old Court TV shows once a year, so why does MTV continue pretending to care about its legacy by holding an event that celebrates the videos it no longer even shows? Here are five reasons why, as its 2014 broadcast showed, the Video Music Awards no longer matter.

1. Lack of interest. MTV’s biggest night of the year kicked off with a high-octane performance by Nicki Minaj that featured a lot of booty-shaking, crotch-grabbing and floor-grinding, but perhaps more shocking than any of that — because let’s face it, what part of that hasn’t been done on the VMAs before? — was the wide shot that revealed a large number of empty seats in the Forum’s lower level. True, some fans were still filtering in from outside when the show started, but the fact that they were in no rush to get to their seats only shows how missable this show has become, even for live attendees. Plus, the Forum was hardly a sellout — the day before the show, plenty of seats were still available through Ticketmaster, including entire rows. Even MTV itself seemed to not care that much — as soon as the live show had ended, the network immediately showed it again. No post-show interviews, no analysis of the winners, nothing. The next day, entertainment giant TMZ had hardly any VMA coverage that didn’t involve a pre-party shooting that had occurred the night before.

2. Lack of diversity. Among the biggest knocks on MTV’s early years was that, until Michael Jackson broke its unspoken color barrier with “Billie Jean,” the network was almost exclusively a celebration of rock music. In 2014, the closest that the VMA broadcast came to the network’s flagship genre was what it teased as “a rockin’ performance” from Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer, which turned out to pretty much be a ballad that happened to feature a couple of guitars. Still, they should be commended for at least playing something — other than Maroon 5 and Usher (who briefly held a bass that he may or may not have actually even been playing), none of the night’s performers even touched an instrument. On a night when current or former judges from The Voice, American Idol, and The X Factor appeared as presenters or performers, MTV showed that the only type of musician that still matters is the female pop vocalist who can sing while backed by a prerecorded track and scores of dancers.

3. Lack of credibility. The only thing weaker than the field of nominees in some categories were the winners themselves. Drake picked up a Moonman for Best Hip Hop Video for “Hold On (We’re Going Home),” a song that features no rapping and, since the show doesn’t offer an award for R&B videos, was probably better suited for inclusion in the Pop category. (See number one above for why Drake didn’t even bother showing up to accept his award, despite having a four-day hole in his tour schedule.) Best Rock Video, meanwhile, went not to a legitimate rock nominee like Linkin Park or the Black Keys, but rather to Lorde’s “Royals,” which is the 2014 equivalent of Jethro Tull defeating Metallica for the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. And the Artist To Watch trophy, as voted on by fans — at least those in the nation’s time zones that saw the show live — went to Fifth Harmony, a Simon Cowell creation that, based on the response by the crowd inside the Forum every time the award’s nominees were shown, were only a fraction as popular as fellow nominees 5 Seconds of Summer or Sam Smith
.
4. Lack of celebrity. The Video Music Awards used to be a huge event that drew not only the biggest names in music, but also hip, young stars from film, TV, standup comedy and sports. In 2014, among the non-music stars who appeared on stage were nearly 40-year-old comic Chelsea Handler and nearly 60-year-old actor Jeff Daniels. Sure, they tried to shoehorn Robin Williams into the show, but his tribute segment was so arbitrary and awkward, it might as well have not been part of the broadcast at all. Hey MTV, want to pull in more TV stars? Don’t hold your broadcast the night before the Emmys.

5. Lack of purpose. Short of serving as a glorified twerk-off, what did the 2014 Video Music Awards actually contribute to popular music? Is anyone discussing the show’s winners? (Is anyone discussing the show at all?) Self-promotion was a big part of the evening: presenters Jason Derulo and Demi Lovato used their stage time to mention their own upcoming concert tours while introducing Maroon 5; Miley Cyrus, meanwhile, won the once-coveted Video Of The Year award for “Wrecking Ball,” and allotted her acceptance-speech time to someone who spoke about homelessness, which was admirable… until he got to the part about having to go to Miley’s Facebook page for more information.
Celebrating music videos should have been the purpose of the show, but Beyonce won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award — named for a guy who not only carved out a spot for African-American musicians on MTV, but also revolutionized the music video itself — and gave a nearly 20-minute concert, yet made no mention of the videos that won her the award to begin with. Worse, “Single Ladies” — the song that served as the basis for what Kanye West infamously proclaimed during the 2009 VMAs as “one of the best videos of all time” — wasn’t even part of her medley of hits.
If MTV were to set aside even an hour or two of its daily schedule for airing videos, the Video Music Awards might still have a chance. The landscape has changed, however, and while there is still a need for a fun music-awards show that can balance the uptight Grammys broadcast, the VMAs are no longer it.

QFT.

GoldDolphin said:

mjscarousal said:

Beyonces PR machine has often compared her to Michael don't be fooled by that. I think everyone is entitled to their opinion but just so you know this Prince site is not the only music forum that finds her to be overrated so it is not just "Prince fans". I know you say you are not trying to compare her to MJ but you kinda are making a comparision when you use him as an example. I am not sure why you brought up the Michael Jackson example and what exactly it was trying to justify. Were you bringing Michael up to justify Beyonce's critcism? It seemed inappropiate to me although I know it probably was not your intentions. When I define what makes a good artists, I am not looking at how well they perform because if that was the case Stevie Wonder would not be one of the greatest artists of all time It is nice when you have artists who can visually express their music on stage but it doesn't take away from the artistry at the end of day. Objectively, there are better singers and artists of Beyonce generation. She is not the best of the best musically or even performing wise. Of course this is my opinion and if you think otherwise you are entitled too.

We will just have to agree to disagree. I don't think an artist has that much power, not even my love Michael did (look what they did to him). I just think people love Beyoncé and she has a large fanbase and either you like her or not. Tickets and albums around the world wouldn't sell as they do, if she wasn't loved or interesting to people. There are many acts that I personally find overrated, but at the end of the day - it don't matter to me personally because I'm not invested in their affairs unless they're racist or something like Iggy Azalea or ignorant... I'm not comparing her to Michael but I'm using him as an example, since he is the person I always compare most artists to - since I believe him to be the GOAT. I define great artists in different ways and I respect different aspects of creating music/music art as well, not everyone will be the same nor do I want them to be. I often look at various criterias; when I look at their art. Exactly that's your opinion - because many people around the world do think that Beyoncé is the greatest of her generation ; and that is OK. Just like many people on this forum would say Prince is the greatest artist of all time when many outside of it might not agree. Anyways, light and peace to you girl ;D

There are just as many people who find her to be overrated as well. I am not invested in her affairs either but I am very opinionated and like discussing music. All pop stars at a certain moment have sold out arenas or stadiums but when you can't sell out those venues what is left is the music and the impact which Beyonce objectively does not have. She has no classics/groundbreaking albums or songs. Thats what makes you the greatest. Selling out an arena does not make you the greatest especially if the industry is only choosing to market you and no other act. Love peace and chicken grease

mjscarousal said:

GoldDolphin said:

We will just have to agree to disagree. I don't think an artist has that much power, not even my love Michael did (look what they did to him). I just think people love Beyoncé and she has a large fanbase and either you like her or not. Tickets and albums around the world wouldn't sell as they do, if she wasn't loved or interesting to people. There are many acts that I personally find overrated, but at the end of the day - it don't matter to me personally because I'm not invested in their affairs unless they're racist or something like Iggy Azalea or ignorant... I'm not comparing her to Michael but I'm using him as an example, since he is the person I always compare most artists to - since I believe him to be the GOAT. I define great artists in different ways and I respect different aspects of creating music/music art as well, not everyone will be the same nor do I want them to be. I often look at various criterias; when I look at their art. Exactly that's your opinion - because many people around the world do think that Beyoncé is the greatest of her generation ; and that is OK. Just like many people on this forum would say Prince is the greatest artist of all time when many outside of it might not agree. Anyways, light and peace to you girl ;D

There are just as many people who find her to be overrated as well. I am not invested in her affairs either but I am very opinionated and like discussing music. All pop stars at a certain moment have sold out arenas or stadiums but when you can't sell out those venues what is left is the music and the impact which Beyonce objectively does not have. She has no classics/groundbreaking albums or songs. Thats what makes you the greatest. Selling out an arena does not make you the greatest especially if the industry is only choosing to market you and no other act. Love peace and chicken grease

I don't know. Single Ladies and Crazy In Love were such modern phenomenons that they might one day be considered her classics.

mjscarousal said:

GoldDolphin said:

We will just have to agree to disagree. I don't think an artist has that much power, not even my love Michael did (look what they did to him). I just think people love Beyoncé and she has a large fanbase and either you like her or not. Tickets and albums around the world wouldn't sell as they do, if she wasn't loved or interesting to people. There are many acts that I personally find overrated, but at the end of the day - it don't matter to me personally because I'm not invested in their affairs unless they're racist or something like Iggy Azalea or ignorant... I'm not comparing her to Michael but I'm using him as an example, since he is the person I always compare most artists to - since I believe him to be the GOAT. I define great artists in different ways and I respect different aspects of creating music/music art as well, not everyone will be the same nor do I want them to be. I often look at various criterias; when I look at their art. Exactly that's your opinion - because many people around the world do think that Beyoncé is the greatest of her generation ; and that is OK. Just like many people on this forum would say Prince is the greatest artist of all time when many outside of it might not agree. Anyways, light and peace to you girl ;D

There are just as many people who find her to be overrated as well. I am not invested in her affairs either but I am very opinionated and like discussing music. All pop stars at a certain moment have sold out arenas or stadiums but when you can't sell out those venues what is left is the music and the impact which Beyonce objectively does not have. She has no classics/groundbreaking albums or songs. Thats what makes you the greatest. Selling out an arena does not make you the greatest especially if the industry is only choosing to market you and no other act. Love peace and chicken grease

So many people find different artists overrated. Beyoncé has been in the industry since the 90s (I became a fan when I was a kid) and she's one of the most popular artists of the 00s and right now as well. Very few pop artists as you call em, can have success all around the world after 17 yrs in the industry - meaning that she has a large fanbase. She sells albums and is highly popular among many different age groups. That's def an impact, whether you like it or not. I'd say Crazy in love and single ladies are her "classic" songs and with her newest album release Beyoncé was surely "groundbreaking". I don't speak in such terms when talking about music; then everything post 1980s shouldn't be considered - since most chords, songs, melodies, videos etc have already been invented. Nothing is truly new or groundbreaking nowadays, that age has passed. Post-modernism in essence is a sort of recylism and re-invention of old ideas into new formats. Blues and jazz were the newest innovations in music of the 1900s and that was hella long time ago. Arnold Schönberg and his 12 tone music, should also be included as one of the innovators of the last century. With that said, very little music is really "groundbreaking" and "classic" is defined by music lovers. Again, it's funny you're speaking about her "marketing machine" - when she didn't market her latest album nor her tours. Beyoncé hasn't been seen on most TV shows or radio stations promoting her album/tour like most artists do, she knows her fanbase and that's her main objective for the past 2 yrs it seems. I think the industry is mostly choosing to market white singers and artists, which is why we have seen white artists taking over the charts the last 5 years. Lady Gaga, Iggy Azalea, Katy Perry,Miley Cyrus, Adele, Sam Smith, Macklemore, Taylor Swift etc - and the rest of the gang of mostly untalented artists that the industry is putting millions on every year - yet you say; that Beyoncé is their main concern? Beyoncé is relevant because of her fans and because people like her music and interested in her life; else she'd be like Alicia Keys or any other late 90s or early 00s singer/dancer.

NaughtyKitty said:

HAPPYPERSON said:

5 Reasons Why the VMAs No Longer Matter

Sources: Huffington Post – By Mark Carpowich

If video really did kill the radio star, MTV may have in turn killed its own creation: the video. For years, of course, the network has seemingly been video-phobic, devoting nearly all of its time to reality shows, scripted dramas and other programs that beg the question of why the letter “M” still appears in its name. Once a year, though, MTV remembers that videos still exist (even if they air primarily on other cable networks and internet sites) and celebrates them.
But if 2014’s show is any indication, the party is over.
The Video Music Awards have become a halfhearted, one-dimensional, and quite frankly inexplicable use of airtime, and in the post-TRL years have become about as relevant and vital as the music video itself. Once an important date on every celebrity’s calendar, the VMA broadcast has outgrown its purpose. TruTV doesn’t blow the cobwebs off of old Court TV shows once a year, so why does MTV continue pretending to care about its legacy by holding an event that celebrates the videos it no longer even shows? Here are five reasons why, as its 2014 broadcast showed, the Video Music Awards no longer matter.

1. Lack of interest. MTV’s biggest night of the year kicked off with a high-octane performance by Nicki Minaj that featured a lot of booty-shaking, crotch-grabbing and floor-grinding, but perhaps more shocking than any of that — because let’s face it, what part of that hasn’t been done on the VMAs before? — was the wide shot that revealed a large number of empty seats in the Forum’s lower level. True, some fans were still filtering in from outside when the show started, but the fact that they were in no rush to get to their seats only shows how missable this show has become, even for live attendees. Plus, the Forum was hardly a sellout — the day before the show, plenty of seats were still available through Ticketmaster, including entire rows. Even MTV itself seemed to not care that much — as soon as the live show had ended, the network immediately showed it again. No post-show interviews, no analysis of the winners, nothing. The next day, entertainment giant TMZ had hardly any VMA coverage that didn’t involve a pre-party shooting that had occurred the night before.

2. Lack of diversity. Among the biggest knocks on MTV’s early years was that, until Michael Jackson broke its unspoken color barrier with “Billie Jean,” the network was almost exclusively a celebration of rock music. In 2014, the closest that the VMA broadcast came to the network’s flagship genre was what it teased as “a rockin’ performance” from Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer, which turned out to pretty much be a ballad that happened to feature a couple of guitars. Still, they should be commended for at least playing something — other than Maroon 5 and Usher (who briefly held a bass that he may or may not have actually even been playing), none of the night’s performers even touched an instrument. On a night when current or former judges from The Voice, American Idol, and The X Factor appeared as presenters or performers, MTV showed that the only type of musician that still matters is the female pop vocalist who can sing while backed by a prerecorded track and scores of dancers.

3. Lack of credibility. The only thing weaker than the field of nominees in some categories were the winners themselves. Drake picked up a Moonman for Best Hip Hop Video for “Hold On (We’re Going Home),” a song that features no rapping and, since the show doesn’t offer an award for R&B videos, was probably better suited for inclusion in the Pop category. (See number one above for why Drake didn’t even bother showing up to accept his award, despite having a four-day hole in his tour schedule.) Best Rock Video, meanwhile, went not to a legitimate rock nominee like Linkin Park or the Black Keys, but rather to Lorde’s “Royals,” which is the 2014 equivalent of Jethro Tull defeating Metallica for the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. And the Artist To Watch trophy, as voted on by fans — at least those in the nation’s time zones that saw the show live — went to Fifth Harmony, a Simon Cowell creation that, based on the response by the crowd inside the Forum every time the award’s nominees were shown, were only a fraction as popular as fellow nominees 5 Seconds of Summer or Sam Smith
.
4. Lack of celebrity. The Video Music Awards used to be a huge event that drew not only the biggest names in music, but also hip, young stars from film, TV, standup comedy and sports. In 2014, among the non-music stars who appeared on stage were nearly 40-year-old comic Chelsea Handler and nearly 60-year-old actor Jeff Daniels. Sure, they tried to shoehorn Robin Williams into the show, but his tribute segment was so arbitrary and awkward, it might as well have not been part of the broadcast at all. Hey MTV, want to pull in more TV stars? Don’t hold your broadcast the night before the Emmys.

5. Lack of purpose. Short of serving as a glorified twerk-off, what did the 2014 Video Music Awards actually contribute to popular music? Is anyone discussing the show’s winners? (Is anyone discussing the show at all?) Self-promotion was a big part of the evening: presenters Jason Derulo and Demi Lovato used their stage time to mention their own upcoming concert tours while introducing Maroon 5; Miley Cyrus, meanwhile, won the once-coveted Video Of The Year award for “Wrecking Ball,” and allotted her acceptance-speech time to someone who spoke about homelessness, which was admirable… until he got to the part about having to go to Miley’s Facebook page for more information.
Celebrating music videos should have been the purpose of the show, but Beyonce won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award — named for a guy who not only carved out a spot for African-American musicians on MTV, but also revolutionized the music video itself — and gave a nearly 20-minute concert, yet made no mention of the videos that won her the award to begin with. Worse, “Single Ladies” — the song that served as the basis for what Kanye West infamously proclaimed during the 2009 VMAs as “one of the best videos of all time” — wasn’t even part of her medley of hits.
If MTV were to set aside even an hour or two of its daily schedule for airing videos, the Video Music Awards might still have a chance. The landscape has changed, however, and while there is still a need for a fun music-awards show that can balance the uptight Grammys broadcast, the VMAs are no longer it.

THIS!^

But I just cant believe this:

Maria Shriver @mariashriver · 15h

My daughter @KSchwarzenegger just said 'So much of my confidence as a women comes from @Beyonce' This mother says thank you madam for that

Like seriously Maria?!?!?!!!

All those celebs fawning over Beyonce on twitter... I swear must be getting some kind of payoff in some kind of way. Every time she gives a performance on an award show (which most are mediocre) all these celebs take to twitter to praise her to the heavens...it just seems very odd and calculated to me. Jmho.

[Edited 8/26/14 8:15am]

Did it ever occur to you, that they don't think like you? Beyoncé certainly has the BEST and most succesful PR team in history; to be buying off all these people all around the world. Man, I'd tell Prince or any other artist to hire Beyoncés Pr machine, because they're fucking amazing. (I'm being ironic). Beyoncé has many fans and of course they'll tweet about it after a performance... It is not that serious, honestly... Imagine how much money the carters must spend on paying off all these people; they'd actually spend more money on that than earning their money. The music industry don't work like that. Either people buy your product or they don't. One thing is for sure, they sure aint making no money on here. Which is fine because we all need to buy Prince's albums anyways in a month and tweet our asses off for our purple yoda !

Pop Music Gadfly, a site that usually talks about things before they happen in the industry, claims Beyonce actually pays media outlets to hype her up:

http://www.popmusicgadfly.com/2014/08/27/beyonce-media-payola-industry/

GoldDolphin said:

NaughtyKitty said:

THIS!^

But I just cant believe this:

Maria Shriver @mariashriver · 15h

My daughter @KSchwarzenegger just said 'So much of my confidence as a women comes from @Beyonce' This mother says thank you madam for that

Like seriously Maria?!?!?!!!

All those celebs fawning over Beyonce on twitter... I swear must be getting some kind of payoff in some kind of way. Every time she gives a performance on an award show (which most are mediocre) all these celebs take to twitter to praise her to the heavens...it just seems very odd and calculated to me. Jmho.

[Edited 8/26/14 8:15am]

Did it ever occur to you, that they don't think like you? Beyoncé certainly has the BEST and most succesful PR team in history; to be buying off all these people all around the world. Man, I'd tell Prince or any other artist to hire Beyoncés Pr machine, because they're fucking amazing. (I'm being ironic). Beyoncé has many fans and of course they'll tweet about it after a performance... It is not that serious, honestly... Imagine how much money the carters must spend on paying off all these people; they'd actually spend more money on that than earning their money. The music industry don't work like that. Either people buy your product or they don't. One thing is for sure, they sure aint making no money on here. Which is fine because we all need to buy Prince's albums anyways in a month and tweet our asses off for our purple yoda !

Hun, its got nothing to do with whether or not they think like me, the fact is these tweets from celebrities are way over the top with their praise and it does not come across as genuine, like its too over the top and ridiculous for me to take those tweets seriously It almost reads like they were fed tweets from her own PR hype machine lol. I dont think you understand how the music industry works. $$ = power and the more money you have, the more power and influence you have especially within the media. This is a show BUSINESS, its more about the business than it is about the show, it all comes down to doing whatever it takes to generate that almighty dollar. You really believe the Beyonce hype and think its all genuine? Please, she and Jay Z DO pay for the OTT praise and hype they get in the media--they arent the first celebs to do that and they wont be the last either. This kind of thing has been going on for decades. Yes the Carters do spend top dollar on paying for the hype and PR, awards and accolades...but they have PLENTY of money to do it and you would be surprised how easily ppl can be bought. Read the article that phillymonster posted below. In fact, I think I'll copy and paste it

[Edited 8/27/14 10:48am]

phillymonster said:

Pop Music Gadfly, a site that usually talks about things before they happen in the industry, claims Beyonce actually pays media outlets to hype her up:

http://www.popmusicgadfly.com/2014/08/27/beyonce-media-payola-industry/

Thanks for posting this article phillymonster! About time someone called her out on what many have suspected all along...

Beyonce and the media payola industry

First of all, let me get this straight: I am not a Beyonce hater. I think that she is, perhaps, the best pop star of the past ten years. But she is not the best and biggest pop star since Michael Jackson, as Ryan Seacrest and others on KIIS FM keep telling us.

Beyonce is not God. She hasn’t surpassed Janet Jackson. She hasn’t surpassed Mariah Carey. In no way has she passed Madonna. I would say that she hasn’t even surpassed Britney Spears. But don’t tell the entertainment media that. Forget Lady Gaga; Beyonce has become the poster girl for media payola.

According to most media sites, Beyonce’s performance at the MTV VMAs was historic. It changed the course of history. Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Michael Jackson are no longer relevant after Beyonce’s performance. But comments from people on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram were mostly mixed. Why is there such a difference between media reviews and what the general public thinks? One symbol will give you the answer: $

This weekend, I learned that Beyonce’s PR team paid a Huffington Post lead entertainment writer and editor to write nothing but positive headlines about her in early 2013. He was given a salary of $10,000 and given exclusives to new information about Beyonce. To the Huffington Post’s credit, that writer/editor was fired. But their over-the-top positive headlines about Beyonce still continue.

I also learned that Beyonce’s PR team has tried to bully some writers who happened to not like Beyonce with litigation. That silences a lot of writers, but it won’t silent me. Beyonce has become so overrated that it’s become difficult to appreciate her as an artist. Anybody who calls themselves a feminist before declaring “Bow down, Bitches!” is spreading a dangerous message.

According to many inside sources, the Grammys will be rigged this year to make Beyonce the big winner. Let’s hope that happens. Multiple Grammy wins lead to the career downfall curse. Hello, Alanis Morisette!

http://www.popmusicgadfly.com/2014/08/27/beyonce-media-payola-industry/

the music of Beyonce is so boring and the whole hype around her is faked anyway, she will never be in the same league with Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse or Whitney Housten etc.

her luck is that the current music industry is so trash ... in the 80's Beyonce would have been one among many others

HAPPYPERSON said:

5 Reasons Why the VMAs No Longer Matter

Sources: Huffington Post – By Mark Carpowich

If video really did kill the radio star, MTV may have in turn killed its own creation: the video. For years, of course, the network has seemingly been video-phobic, devoting nearly all of its time to reality shows, scripted dramas and other programs that beg the question of why the letter “M” still appears in its name. Once a year, though, MTV remembers that videos still exist (even if they air primarily on other cable networks and internet sites) and celebrates them.
But if 2014’s show is any indication, the party is over.
The Video Music Awards have become a halfhearted, one-dimensional, and quite frankly inexplicable use of airtime, and in the post-TRL years have become about as relevant and vital as the music video itself. Once an important date on every celebrity’s calendar, the VMA broadcast has outgrown its purpose. TruTV doesn’t blow the cobwebs off of old Court TV shows once a year, so why does MTV continue pretending to care about its legacy by holding an event that celebrates the videos it no longer even shows? Here are five reasons why, as its 2014 broadcast showed, the Video Music Awards no longer matter.

1. Lack of interest. MTV’s biggest night of the year kicked off with a high-octane performance by Nicki Minaj that featured a lot of booty-shaking, crotch-grabbing and floor-grinding, but perhaps more shocking than any of that — because let’s face it, what part of that hasn’t been done on the VMAs before? — was the wide shot that revealed a large number of empty seats in the Forum’s lower level. True, some fans were still filtering in from outside when the show started, but the fact that they were in no rush to get to their seats only shows how missable this show has become, even for live attendees. Plus, the Forum was hardly a sellout — the day before the show, plenty of seats were still available through Ticketmaster, including entire rows. Even MTV itself seemed to not care that much — as soon as the live show had ended, the network immediately showed it again. No post-show interviews, no analysis of the winners, nothing. The next day, entertainment giant TMZ had hardly any VMA coverage that didn’t involve a pre-party shooting that had occurred the night before.

2. Lack of diversity. Among the biggest knocks on MTV’s early years was that, until Michael Jackson broke its unspoken color barrier with “Billie Jean,” the network was almost exclusively a celebration of rock music. In 2014, the closest that the VMA broadcast came to the network’s flagship genre was what it teased as “a rockin’ performance” from Australian boy band 5 Seconds of Summer, which turned out to pretty much be a ballad that happened to feature a couple of guitars. Still, they should be commended for at least playing something — other than Maroon 5 and Usher (who briefly held a bass that he may or may not have actually even been playing), none of the night’s performers even touched an instrument. On a night when current or former judges from The Voice, American Idol, and The X Factor appeared as presenters or performers, MTV showed that the only type of musician that still matters is the female pop vocalist who can sing while backed by a prerecorded track and scores of dancers.

3. Lack of credibility. The only thing weaker than the field of nominees in some categories were the winners themselves. Drake picked up a Moonman for Best Hip Hop Video for “Hold On (We’re Going Home),” a song that features no rapping and, since the show doesn’t offer an award for R&B videos, was probably better suited for inclusion in the Pop category. (See number one above for why Drake didn’t even bother showing up to accept his award, despite having a four-day hole in his tour schedule.) Best Rock Video, meanwhile, went not to a legitimate rock nominee like Linkin Park or the Black Keys, but rather to Lorde’s “Royals,” which is the 2014 equivalent of Jethro Tull defeating Metallica for the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. And the Artist To Watch trophy, as voted on by fans — at least those in the nation’s time zones that saw the show live — went to Fifth Harmony, a Simon Cowell creation that, based on the response by the crowd inside the Forum every time the award’s nominees were shown, were only a fraction as popular as fellow nominees 5 Seconds of Summer or Sam Smith
.
4. Lack of celebrity. The Video Music Awards used to be a huge event that drew not only the biggest names in music, but also hip, young stars from film, TV, standup comedy and sports. In 2014, among the non-music stars who appeared on stage were nearly 40-year-old comic Chelsea Handler and nearly 60-year-old actor Jeff Daniels. Sure, they tried to shoehorn Robin Williams into the show, but his tribute segment was so arbitrary and awkward, it might as well have not been part of the broadcast at all. Hey MTV, want to pull in more TV stars? Don’t hold your broadcast the night before the Emmys.

5. Lack of purpose. Short of serving as a glorified twerk-off, what did the 2014 Video Music Awards actually contribute to popular music? Is anyone discussing the show’s winners? (Is anyone discussing the show at all?) Self-promotion was a big part of the evening: presenters Jason Derulo and Demi Lovato used their stage time to mention their own upcoming concert tours while introducing Maroon 5; Miley Cyrus, meanwhile, won the once-coveted Video Of The Year award for “Wrecking Ball,” and allotted her acceptance-speech time to someone who spoke about homelessness, which was admirable… until he got to the part about having to go to Miley’s Facebook page for more information.
Celebrating music videos should have been the purpose of the show, but Beyonce won the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award — named for a guy who not only carved out a spot for African-American musicians on MTV, but also revolutionized the music video itself — and gave a nearly 20-minute concert, yet made no mention of the videos that won her the award to begin with. Worse, “Single Ladies” — the song that served as the basis for what Kanye West infamously proclaimed during the 2009 VMAs as “one of the best videos of all time” — wasn’t even part of her medley of hits.
If MTV were to set aside even an hour or two of its daily schedule for airing videos, the Video Music Awards might still have a chance. The landscape has changed, however, and while there is still a need for a fun music-awards show that can balance the uptight Grammys broadcast, the VMAs are no longer it.

TRANSLATION: The MTV VMA that exist is nothing more but a freaking neo-Illuminati Block Party.

But of course, Vigilant & company already proved this point in their own essays. The one about the 2014 VMA is no exception.

http://vigilantcitizen.co...y-puppets/

GoldDolphin said:

mjscarousal said:

There are just as many people who find her to be overrated as well. I am not invested in her affairs either but I am very opinionated and like discussing music. All pop stars at a certain moment have sold out arenas or stadiums but when you can't sell out those venues what is left is the music and the impact which Beyonce objectively does not have. She has no classics/groundbreaking albums or songs. Thats what makes you the greatest. Selling out an arena does not make you the greatest especially if the industry is only choosing to market you and no other act. Love peace and chicken grease

So many people find different artists overrated. Beyoncé has been in the industry since the 90s (I became a fan when I was a kid) and she's one of the most popular artists of the 00s and right now as well. Very few pop artists as you call em, can have success all around the world after 17 yrs in the industry - meaning that she has a large fanbase. She sells albums and is highly popular among many different age groups. That's def an impact, whether you like it or not. I'd say Crazy in love and single ladies are her "classic" songs and with her newest album release Beyoncé was surely "groundbreaking". I don't speak in such terms when talking about music; then everything post 1980s shouldn't be considered - since most chords, songs, melodies, videos etc have already been invented. Nothing is truly new or groundbreaking nowadays, that age has passed. Post-modernism in essence is a sort of recylism and re-invention of old ideas into new formats. Blues and jazz were the newest innovations in music of the 1900s and that was hella long time ago. Arnold Schönberg and his 12 tone music, should also be included as one of the innovators of the last century. With that said, very little music is really "groundbreaking" and "classic" is defined by music lovers. Again, it's funny you're speaking about her "marketing machine" - when she didn't market her latest album nor her tours. Beyoncé hasn't been seen on most TV shows or radio stations promoting her album/tour like most artists do, she knows her fanbase and that's her main objective for the past 2 yrs it seems. I think the industry is mostly choosing to market white singers and artists, which is why we have seen white artists taking over the charts the last 5 years. Lady Gaga, Iggy Azalea, Katy Perry,Miley Cyrus, Adele, Sam Smith, Macklemore, Taylor Swift etc - and the rest of the gang of mostly untalented artists that the industry is putting millions on every year - yet you say; that Beyoncé is their main concern? Beyoncé is relevant because of her fans and because people like her music and interested in her life; else she'd be like Alicia Keys or any other late 90s or early 00s singer/dancer.

Is that a joke? Literally the second that Beyonce released her "suprise album" its was literally PLASTERED all over itunes, and everywhere else for that matter. And if you think Beyonce hasn't been "seen promoting her album." you haven'tlooked very hard.. Oh Beyonce's sister beats up Jay Z in an elevator... Oh Beyonce and Jay Z are getting A divorce? Oh wow, that sure has been all over EVERYWHERE.. Hmm... I wonder whats going on.. Oh... wait... a commercial just came on, its for Beyonce and Jay Z's television special.. Oh and look a there, turns out Beyonce is getting the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the VMA's this year...Oh and look at that, she's got a hyped up 20 minute performance at the VMA's.. Awww... Jayz and Blue Ivy are all on stage, they all look so happy.. but wait... wait a second.. hold up, i thought.. but? what... Ohhhhhhhhhhh... okay... yeah... Yeah it's all makes since now..

dm3857 said:

GoldDolphin said:

So many people find different artists overrated. Beyoncé has been in the industry since the 90s (I became a fan when I was a kid) and she's one of the most popular artists of the 00s and right now as well. Very few pop artists as you call em, can have success all around the world after 17 yrs in the industry - meaning that she has a large fanbase. She sells albums and is highly popular among many different age groups. That's def an impact, whether you like it or not. I'd say Crazy in love and single ladies are her "classic" songs and with her newest album release Beyoncé was surely "groundbreaking". I don't speak in such terms when talking about music; then everything post 1980s shouldn't be considered - since most chords, songs, melodies, videos etc have already been invented. Nothing is truly new or groundbreaking nowadays, that age has passed. Post-modernism in essence is a sort of recylism and re-invention of old ideas into new formats. Blues and jazz were the newest innovations in music of the 1900s and that was hella long time ago. Arnold Schönberg and his 12 tone music, should also be included as one of the innovators of the last century. With that said, very little music is really "groundbreaking" and "classic" is defined by music lovers. Again, it's funny you're speaking about her "marketing machine" - when she didn't market her latest album nor her tours. Beyoncé hasn't been seen on most TV shows or radio stations promoting her album/tour like most artists do, she knows her fanbase and that's her main objective for the past 2 yrs it seems. I think the industry is mostly choosing to market white singers and artists, which is why we have seen white artists taking over the charts the last 5 years. Lady Gaga, Iggy Azalea, Katy Perry,Miley Cyrus, Adele, Sam Smith, Macklemore, Taylor Swift etc - and the rest of the gang of mostly untalented artists that the industry is putting millions on every year - yet you say; that Beyoncé is their main concern? Beyoncé is relevant because of her fans and because people like her music and interested in her life; else she'd be like Alicia Keys or any other late 90s or early 00s singer/dancer.

Is that a joke? Literally the second that Beyonce released her "suprise album" its was literally PLASTERED all over itunes, and everywhere else for that matter. And if you think Beyonce hasn't been "seen promoting her album." you haven'tlooked very hard.. Oh Beyonce's sister beats up Jay Z in an elevator... Oh Beyonce and Jay Z are getting A divorce? Oh wow, that sure has been all over EVERYWHERE.. Hmm... I wonder whats going on.. Oh... wait... a commercial just came on, its for Beyonce and Jay Z's television special.. Oh and look a there, turns out Beyonce is getting the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the VMA's this year...Oh and look at that, she's got a hyped up 20 minute performance at the VMA's.. Awww... Jayz and Blue Ivy are all on stage, they all look so happy.. but wait... wait a second.. hold up, i thought.. but? what... Ohhhhhhhhhhh... okay... yeah... Yeah it's all makes since now..

Itunes is supposed to to advertise new releases right? Usually promotion of a record, starts months in advance - Prince has been doing this with his new albums (Paisley Park concerts, twitter mystery, using fans to talk about him/his band, journalists etc). Beyoncé didn't do this for her latest album. It was released at once without advertising and then Itunes did what their job is all about. If you remember, many companies such as Target didn't want to sell her album because they didn't agree with the marketing of the album. I guess you just read the Matthew Knowles interview right? Come on now, that fight wasn't planned... The divorce rumors started after the fight. Again, this is not your typical marketing of an album. Where are the typical Good Morning America promotion? The radio marketing? The interviews with journalists and different magazines? Beyoncé has done "regular" marketing before, but she hasn't done that for this album. Compare Justin Timberlake's massive ads for his album and interviews vs this season of Beyonce... You'll see what I'm talking about. Also you're probably talking about the US, remember not all people on the org lives in the good ol USA.

GoldDolphin said:

dm3857 said:

Is that a joke? Literally the second that Beyonce released her "suprise album" its was literally PLASTERED all over itunes, and everywhere else for that matter. And if you think Beyonce hasn't been "seen promoting her album." you haven'tlooked very hard.. Oh Beyonce's sister beats up Jay Z in an elevator... Oh Beyonce and Jay Z are getting A divorce? Oh wow, that sure has been all over EVERYWHERE.. Hmm... I wonder whats going on.. Oh... wait... a commercial just came on, its for Beyonce and Jay Z's television special.. Oh and look a there, turns out Beyonce is getting the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the VMA's this year...Oh and look at that, she's got a hyped up 20 minute performance at the VMA's.. Awww... Jayz and Blue Ivy are all on stage, they all look so happy.. but wait... wait a second.. hold up, i thought.. but? what... Ohhhhhhhhhhh... okay... yeah... Yeah it's all makes since now..

Itunes is supposed to to advertise new releases right? Usually promotion of a record, starts months in advance - Prince has been doing this with his new albums (Paisley Park concerts, twitter mystery, using fans to talk about him/his band, journalists etc). Beyoncé didn't do this for her latest album. It was released at once without advertising and then Itunes did what their job is all about. If you remember, many companies such as Target didn't want to sell her album because they didn't agree with the marketing of the album. I guess you just read the Matthew Knowles interview right? Come on now, that fight wasn't planned... The divorce rumors started after the fight. Again, this is not your typical marketing of an album. Where are the typical Good Morning America promotion? The radio marketing? The interviews with journalists and different magazines? Beyoncé has done "regular" marketing before, but she hasn't done that for this album. Compare Justin Timberlake's massive ads for his album and interviews vs this season of Beyonce... You'll see what I'm talking about. Also you're probably talking about the US, remember not all people on the org lives in the good ol USA.

Kind of like how MJ planted stories of him sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber and buying the elephant mans bones right before Bad dropped.. Is it "conventional" marketing.. No. And with Beyonce and her team literally trying to mimic every step of MJ's career.. I'm sure they know what they're doing..

Good points. However, Mike just planted two stories though and that was it (not justifying what he did but just saying it was two stories). Beyonce's camp are planting bundles of stories almost every week

I'm not going to lie...
I didn't read this thread, nor did I watch the VMAs...

But I loves me some Legends Panel, so I thought I'd add this:

Prince reads Li'l Mo at the end.

HuffingtonPost said: