Since 2003, we’ve been traveling back through time to rediscover and preserve the history of the legendary MTV U.S. series, 120 Minutes, which played alternative music videos with VJs, guests, and live performances, as well as its official successor, Subterranean on MTV2.
Music videos still exist, of course, but it’s just not the same. We want to remember some of MTV’s better moments, so we’ve assembled an incredible archive of playlists, videos, and interviews.
MTV minus Music TelevisionMarch 8, 2010 — It’s been 7 years since 120 Minutes went off the air, yet it somehow took MTV until this year to formally acknowledge that it doesn't play music anymore. In this update, we look
at life in the post-MTV era. Is there any room for music television in 2010 and beyond?
Playlists & Videos We’ve built a massive archive of playlists, spanning the 17-year history of MTV’s 120 Minutes on MTV and a few years of its successor, Subterranean on MTV2. Browse through 584 episodes from both series.
InterviewsIn an exclusive interview, former MTV VJ Jim Shearer chatted with Dave Kendall and Matt Pinfield about the great legacy they left behind. Plus, we asked Jim some questions of our own.
History & OverviewMTV’s legendary alternative music video series, 120 Minutes, premiered in 1986 and remained on the air until 2003, when Subterranean on MTV2 took its place. Read the entire history here.
Let’s face it, you can’t live on nostalgia alone. It’s great fun to look back through time at the videos from 120 Minutes, but if you feel like some quality present-day music, visit these great sites.
|
A.V. Club: Analysis, reviews, articles. HITS Daily Double: Top album charts. Idolator: Snarky music news daily. Indie Ear: The alt-music blog at IFC. Late Night TV: Live performances. MTV Music: 10,000+ music videos. mtvU: Streaming live videos all day. Pandora: Custom streaming music. |
Pitchfork: Indie-minded reviews, news. Playlist Archives: Even more playlists. Rolling Stone: The authority on music. Stereogum: New stuff and downloads. VH1 Classic: OK, admittedly nostalgia. WOXY.com: Live 24/7 music w/ DJs. YES.com: What’s on the FM airwaves. YouTube: Home of every video ever. |
We use Twitter for public feedback. Select one of the 
Comment / Share links across the site
to post your comments for everyone to read. For private feedback, you can always 
directly. You’re also invited to contribute to the archive by sending us additional information.
Take note, there are some things I can’t do for you. I can’t sell or trade any recordings or tapes,
and unfortunately, I can’t personally answer your questions about music videos.
So if you have a particular classic, rare, or otherwise obscure music video on your mind and you
can’t remember the song title or artist’s name, please use the power of the Internet’s hive mind;
places like Reddit and Yahoo! Answers can help. I wish you the best of luck in your video quest.