MTV News website taken down after decades of music journalism
Music outlet website MTV News is no longer available, removing thousands of articles and interviews with countless major artists since its launch in 1996.
Variety reported on Tuesday, June 25 that the site's been taken down after decades of music journalism. The outlet became known for its weekly “Mixtape Monday” column, which ran for nearly a decade in the aughts and featured interviews and reviews with many artists and producers early in their careers.
Trying to go to MTVNews.com will redirect users to the main MTV website.
MTV News' sister site CMT.com has also been taken down.
This came amid the financial woes of MTV News' parent company Paramount Global. In 2023, Variety reported that 25% of employees across Showtime, MTV Entertainment Studios, and Paramount Media Networks groups will be laid off following months of internal deliberation.
Ex-MTV News staffers react to the shutdown
Former MTV News staffers lamented the news on social media.
"So, mtvnews.com no longer exists. Eight years of my life are gone without a trace," former music editor Patrick Hosken said on X. "All because it didn't fit some executives' bottom lines. Infuriating is too small a word."
"I got let go over a year ago. Why didn't I archive more of my stories? Between looking for new jobs, being a dad, living life, etc., it simply never stayed at the top of the to-do list. That sucks, and I have myself to blame," Hosken added.
Crystal Bell, who served as one-time entertainment director and is now culture editor at Mashable, said the move was "sickening."
"Decades of music history gone, including some very early K-pop stories," she wrote.
Brian Hiatt, senior writer for Rolling Stone, called the deletion "disgraceful."
"They’ve completely wiped the MTV News archive, decades of pop culture history research material gone, and why?” Hiatt said.
Other users suggested checking the internet archive service Wayback Machine, but Hiatt noted that older articles "don't even turn up."
"Just a total wipe-out," Hiatt added. "Really despicable."
According to Los Angeles Magazine, MTV News started in the late 1980s with the show The Week in Rock, followed by its own website in the early 1990s. It was shut down in May 2023.