Moments in Music History

Michael Nesmith, known best for his work on the 1966 show and pop-group The Monkees, pursued all sorts of interesting career pathways throughout his life, beginning as an actor on the aforementioned television show, finagling his way into singing, songwriting, and guitar-playing, and eventually famously overthrowing Raybert Studios to possess the rights and control over the group’s musical prowess. Outside of The Monkees, he formed the country band The First National Band and founded the distribution and production company Pacific Arts. However, one of the more interesting, and frankly unrecognized pursuits of his was his invention of the iconic studio MTV.

While many studios rejected the idea, Warner Bros. executive John Lack saw potential in the idea, comparing the concept to “a radio station.” He launched MTV partnered with American Express on August 1st, 1981, playing “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles as the first video to ever broadcast. Nesmith was asked to be the production head of the station, however he turned this offer down in order to work on more personal and creative projects.