Last Sunday, the Video Music Awards aired, and the internet was not happy with its execution, calling for the award show to change tactics or simply stop airing altogether. The VMAs will continue to see a decline in viewers and attendees if they keep desperately trying to create viral moments and steer away from the celebration of the visual aspects of music, through being a visually appealing ceremony.
Music Television has been a hub for music’s visual media, pairing the audio and visual aspects of music and creating an essential partnership. In the streaming era, music videos have become less of a craze and the VMAs seem to be falling with it. However, that is not entirely to blame for the lack of excitement around the VMAs. MTV has simply failed to fully adapt to the ever-changing music industry, and there needs to be fundamental changes to the event if MTV plans on keeping the VMAs afloat.
This year's VMAs felt curated and manufactured to capture the previous effortless and chaotic moments that garnered many iconic pop culture moments such as Lady Gaga’s meat dress and Britney Spears holding a giant python. A manufactured moment being critiqued online is the “Artists Directors Honor” granted to Taylor Swift. The honor was specifically created to guarantee Swift's appearance and debut her music video for her new single “Patient Zero.”
Curating a specific moment for the biggest pop star to attend feels desperate from the network to keep its guest list full of A-listers. Instead of them wanting or needing to attend, MTV has to persuade them with guaranteed awards and time on stage for their event to be worthy of attending. The creation of this award came off as an advertisement rather than a true celebration of Swift’s directorial achievements.
Despite Swift's attendance, there was a noticeable lack of celebrities in the audience. Because of the lack of A-listers in attendance, there weren't as many cuts to the celebrity audience in the crowd, creating less opportunity for viral audience moments.
MTV shouldn’t view the empty guest list and grasp at straws to get celebrities to attend; instead, looking inward as to why celebrities feel the VMAs no longer benefits their careers and making adjustments will likely be a more effective solution. The VMAs now seem desperate to cling to whatever celebrity they can get to attend, and it's noticeable through the screen.
The VMAs are often praised for the performances, and this year's ceremony was still stacked with incredible performances such as Kacey Musgraves’ tribute to Dolly Parton, Madonna, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX’s elaborate choreography and stage setup and Sienna Spiro's performance, just before winning Best New Artist.
The VMAs' visually powerful performances have been a focal part of the ceremony to celebrate the visual aspect of music. Yet, this year’s performances didn't entirely live up to the expectation set by previous performances such as Carpenter's set at the 2024 VMAs, Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga’s 2020 performance or Miley Cyrus’ widely-talked-about 2013 performance. Time will only tell if this year's performances will have the same longevity.
Although the VMAs are an awards ceremony and the astronaut trophies are a staple of the night, to revamp the status of the show and get more people to attend and watch, the performances should be the top priority of the night, specifically, the visual aspect of the performances.
Giving the audience a show with more elaborate, diverse and high-level production will keep audiences coming back and engaging with the ceremony. It will also make the VMAs step out from behind the shadow of other music award ceremonies, and bring A-listers back to watch and have their own iconic, exclusive set for themselves and their fans.
Grace Schmidt is a junior studying journalism and fashion merchandising at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Grace about her column? Email her at gs326823@ohio.edu or reach her at @graceschm1dt.
