Music · 2
Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' became historically significant on MTV in March 1983 for what reason?
Answer
It was one of the first videos by a Black artist to receive heavy rotation on the channel
MTV's early programming was widely criticised for playing almost exclusively white rock artists. CBS Records president Walter Yetnikoff threatened to pull all CBS artists from MTV unless Michael Jackson's videos were added. 'Billie Jean' broke through in March 1983 and helped transform MTV's programming.
💡 Did you know?
After 'Billie Jean' and 'Beat It' went into heavy rotation, MTV's ratings spiked so sharply that the network credited Jackson's videos with saving the channel during a viewership slump.
Other options people guess
- It was the first music video to exceed ten minutes in length
- It was the first video to be directed by a Black filmmaker on the network
- It was the first video to cost more than one million dollars to produce
Topics
- mtv
- 1980s
- michael-jackson
- music-history
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