"Until MTV, television had not been a huge influence on music. To compete with MTV, the country music moguls felt they had to appeal to the same young audience and do it the way MTV did"

Charley Pride's quote reflects on the substantial effect MTV had on the music industry and how it transformed the method music was taken in and marketed. Before MTV's launch in 1981, television's role in music promotion was relatively minimal, comprising primarily of music-related shows and occasional live performances on talk programs. The visual component of music was not as central to the industry as it would end up being with MTV's arrival.

MTV revolutionized the music industry by making video an essential aspect of an artist's marketing strategy. Videos were now used not just as advertising tools but as creative expressions that could raise an artist's image and reach a wider audience. MTV targeted and attracted a young demographic that was eager for new, visually engaging material. This more youthful audience became the driving force behind trends in music usage, and their tastes began to shape the market.

C and w, typically seen as more standard and resistant to trend-driven changes, faced the challenge of remaining pertinent in this changed landscape. The "c and w moguls" discussed by Pride recognized that to keep their market share, they needed to adjust to the MTV-driven model. This meant developing visually enticing material that could captivate the youth market in the very same way MTV provided for other genres. The c and w industry needed to incorporate more sleek, concept-driven music videos, align artists' images with contemporary trends, and sometimes even influence musical designs to keep relevance.

Pride's reflection shows a pivotal moment in music history, where the combination of visual media into music consumption essentially altered market dynamics. It propelled country music into modernity, urging the category to innovate along lines that were in harmony with youth culture and the prevailing multimedia technique, ensuring its survival and continued success in a rapidly changing entertainment landscape. This shift stresses the adaptability essential for any musical category to flourish as customer choices evolve.