Video Killed the Radio Star

The Buggles said it best with their song, "Video Killed the Radio Star". The song is about a singer whose career is cut by the introduction of TV. For children of the 1980s, this was one of the first videos we would see on something called MTV.

The technological revolution we see now has certainly given much to society and continues to do so, but there are some things that no longer seem to be as useful as they were years ago. 8 tracks and betamaxs were replaced by tape decks and VCRs, while tape decks and VCRs went to the wayside for CD players and DVDs. Even now, MP3 players and Blu-Rays are replacing those.

The downside to all of this is the fact that films and music are being washed away by the advances. There are some films that may never see the light of day due to their very form of reel format, some music that can only be played on a record player. These things are actually very timeless; it's like the black and white photographs one sees in a family album, way before even the invention of the Polaroid camera.

They are a history in themselves; a history of families, of people, of industries, and of society. They are the time-line of our lives - the time in which silent movies were first shown on the big screen seems a lifetime from the movies we see in theaters now; even the days of VCRs and DVD players seem different from where we are now.

Will the emergence of technology take this away from us? That is a question that is hard to answer. While technology will continue to make new strides and will begin to replace certain things, this technology can also be used to keep intact those films that may be lost. Already there was the colorization of certain black and white movies, the renovation of some film's favorites, and there's also cable and the internet.

These very inventions are enabling the renovation and rejuvenation of our past in entertainment. Cable channels such as AMC and TCM show classic movies on a daily basis, bringing film to a new generation. The internet also allows for information on classic films, their stars, and their recording formats to a younger audience.

Video may have killed the radio star, but Got Memories is using new technology to keep your memories alive.