Just gotta ask this that why ALL of the '80s Musicians/Artists' STOP Performing TV Music Shows(AMERICAN BANDSTAND ,SOUL TRAIN & SOLID GOLD etc....) ONCE they ALL Reached 'SuperStardom or even MegaStardom'? I don't EVEN have to 'Mention or Name Names BUT I know you know who(In Plural Terms) I'm talking about? I mean ALL of the '80 Music Super/MegaStars', is that they're 'TOO BIG or becoming TOO BIG' for those Shows or that they just think/feel that it is even Necessary?

Maybe they became rich enough that the scale salary they would get for appearing on these shows wasn't worth coming out for. In the case of Soul Train, after getting the crossover audience where the big money & media attention was, superstar acts (or their managers) probably felt they didn't need it. Ironically, popular white performers like Don Henley, Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, Beastie Boys, Go West, Sheena Easton, etc were happy to appear on Soul Train in the 1980s.

samuelmcneal said:

Just gotta ask this that why ALL of the '80s Musicians/Artists' STOP Performing TV Music Shows(AMERICAN BANDSTAND ,SOUL TRAIN & SOLID GOLD etc....) ONCE they ALL Reached 'SuperStardom or even MegaStardom'? I don't EVEN have to 'Mention or Name Names BUT I know you know who(In Plural Terms) I'm talking about? I mean ALL of the '80 Music Super/MegaStars', is that they're 'TOO BIG or becoming TOO BIG' for those Shows or that they just think/feel that it is even Necessary?

I noticed this,too.We would see them on these shows in the early phase of their careers,but once they reached megastardom,they stopped appearing on these shows.For example,Michael Jackson was all over Soul Train in the 70s with his brothers,but you never saw him on that show during his 'Off The Wall' and 'Thriller' heyday same with Donna Summer.She made a few appearances in the mid-70s but once she became really big,she forgot that Soul Train even existed,lol.

Interestngly,Prince never appeared on Soul Train during his 80s heyday.He waited until 1994 (!) to finally make an appearance.

billymeade said:

MTV

We ALL can agree that say if the Music Video Channels(MTV/BET/VH-1 etc....) & REAL Music Video Shows(Friday Night Videos/Night Flight/Night Tracks/Video Soul/Video Vibrations/Video LP etc...) had NEVER EVER appeared in the 1980s Decade Thoroughout then it would be a 'Different Story'? We ALL would be seeing them in Music Shows(AMB/ST/SG etc....) MORE OFTEN than NOT? 'Super/MegaStar' or NOT?

[Edited 11/8/20 23:14pm]

[Edited 11/8/20 23:16pm]

[Edited 11/8/20 23:19pm]

Why travel and perform from tv show to tv show when you just can make 1 video and get it over with

Yep, I noticed the same when i was a kid, too. But, some of those same artists would come back to shows like Soul Train and Band Stand when there records sales started to decline.

Dalia11 said:

And Video Shows: "Video Music Box" DJ Ralph McDaniels(Pisces) and DJ Bobby simmons(Taurus) "Flava Videos" - they played/play the videos of All the Artists/Singers/Musicians on their Radio Show On Network TV Stations and Cable TV in the 1980s, 1990s, etc. And they play music on Social Media too!

I remember a local low powered music video channel and at one point, they would literally show Take My Breath Away by Berlin like every 3rd or 4th video. I got sick of hearing it even though I liked the song at first. Even now I don't have to hear it. I guess the channel was ahead of their time since that is how modern hit radio is post-Clear Channel.

kitbradley said:

some of those same artists would come back to shows like Soul Train and Band Stand when their records sales started to decline.

Donna Summer appeared on Soul Train in 1984,when she had the 'Cats Without Claws' album (which sold poorly).

Honestly $$$ is a major issue. Solid Gold and Bandstand were a place you went to get some exposure, if you were not a bigger name. But also remember that videos came into play here too MTV is born and Friday night videos it was a whole new way to get exposure and one that was getting more eyes than say Solid Gold or Soul Train and AB. Add that in with the popularity of Late Night tv like Carson and Letterman you could be asked on and play LIVE which is something that never or at least almost never was happening on those shows, so to travel and tape yourself miming to a record wore itself out and the idea of making a music video where you could really give your song a new life in that rising phenomenon.

lastdecember said:

so to travel and tape yourself miming to a record wore itself out

But they lip-synced in music videos. What's the difference? I remember some acts said they didn't like making videos and the videos making looks and fashion more important. "Video killed the radio star!"

RODSERLING said:

alphastreet said:

RODSERLING said:

BlueShakooo said:

MickyDolenz said:

lastdecember said:

so to travel and tape yourself miming to a record wore itself out

But they lip-synced in music videos. What's the difference? I remember some acts said they didn't like making videos and the videos making looks and fashion more important. "Video killed the radio star!"

these shows would have to pay them to show up and mime and as they got bigger it cost more, shows like Solid Gold and AB and soul train were already on the smallest of budgets, which is why the artist did not play live, costs more to book that. As for music video the artists at that time it was a new thing and it blew away the amount of people they could reach with their video as opposed to being on Solid Gold and being interviewed by Marilyn McCoo and Rex Smith

lastdecember said:

As for music video the artists at that time it was a new thing and it blew away the amount of people they could reach with their video as opposed to being on Solid Gold and being interviewed by Marilyn McCoo and Rex Smith

Not everybody had cable TV though. Plus there were some areas that did not have MTV or BET.

MickyDolenz said:

lastdecember said:

As for music video the artists at that time it was a new thing and it blew away the amount of people they could reach with their video as opposed to being on Solid Gold and being interviewed by Marilyn McCoo and Rex Smith

Not everybody had cable TV though. Plus there were some areas that did not have MTV or BET.

Video shows were not only on cable, Video Music Box, Friday night videos, New York hot tracks just to name a few, I mean I didn't have cable till later 80's and by then MTV was starting to go down the drain. They were sold in 1985 and once new owners starting making calls as the decade played out it slowly lost its appeal into the 90s and the became tv shows all over the place.

[Edited 12/17/20 13:56pm]

lastdecember said:

Video shows were not only on cable, Video Music Box, Friday night videos, New York hot tracks just to name a few,

That came on late at night and once a week. If you had a bedtime, couldn't watch it.