MTV Stopped Playing Music Videos. Someone Built a Site to Bring Them All Back.

by | Jan 5, 2026 | CULTURE, MUSIC, NEWS

For a lot of people, MTV wasn’t background noise. It was the place where you learned what music looked like. You didn’t just hear a song, you watched it. Whole afternoons vanished in front of the TV, waiting to see what came on next.

As of December 31, that era officially closed another door. MTV has shut down many of its remaining 24 hour music only channels across the U.K. and several other countries, including MTV Music, MTV 80s, MTV 90s, Club MTV, and MTV Live. The final video aired on MTV Music was fittingly “Video Killed the Radio Star,” the first music video ever broadcast when MTV launched in the U.S. in 1981.

And then, almost immediately, someone on Reddit did what the internet occasionally still does best, they built an alternative

The site is called MTV Rewind, hosted at wantmymtv.xyz, and it does exactly what MTV no longer does. It plays music videos. All day. No commentary, no reality TV, no ads, no algorithm pushing you toward something else.

Just videos. Everything that once lived on Headbanger’s Ball and Yo! MTV Raps, organized and flowing through the decades.

According to its creator, the archive includes roughly 27,000 music videos spanning from the 1970s through 2025. You hit play and it behaves like classic television. You do not choose what comes next. You watch what’s on. 


Support RVA Magazine. Support Independent Media in Richmond.

At a time when media ownership is increasingly concentrated among corporations and the wealthy, RVA Magazine has remained one of Richmond’s few independent voices. Since 2005, the magazine has provided grassroots coverage of the city’s artists, musicians, and communities, documenting the culture that defines Richmond beyond the headlines.

But we can’t do this without you. A small donation, even as little as $2, one-time or recurring, helps us continue to produce honest, local coverage free from outside interference. Every dollar makes a difference. Your support keeps us going and keeps RVA’s creative spirit alive. Thank you for standing with independent media.

DONATE HERE PAYPAL
DONATE HERE CASH APP

We’ve got merch HERE
Subscribe to the Substack HERE
And Reddit HERE
And YouTube HERE

RVA Staff

RVA Staff

Since 2005, the dedicated team at RVA Magazine, known as RVA Staff, has been delivering the cultural news that matters in Richmond, VA. This talented group of professionals is committed to keeping you informed about the events and happenings in the city.




more in music

Photos | Djo & Pond at Allianz Amphitheater

Djo, the musical project of actor and musician Joe Keery, made his Richmond debut at Allianz Amphitheater on Friday night, drawing a packed crowd for one of the summer's most anticipated indie shows. Best known to many as Steve Harrington from Stranger Things, Keery...

Dispatch from the Lewis Ginter Picket Line

An on-the-ground account of the strike that prompted Jesse Welles and Graham Nash to cancel their Richmond performances. Tensions escalated as Jesse Welles called off his performance at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden yesterday amid an ongoing union fight for higher...

In Plan 9 We Trust

This weekend, Plan 9 Music marks 45 years in Richmond with a party at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. Over the past four and a half decades, the Richmond institution weathered some of the most turbulent periods in music history. It closed stores, sold its warehouse and...

RVA Pro Wrestling is on a Tear Right Now

Last year, Dogwood Dell was packed out. The hillside was full, the crowd was loud and RVA Pro Wrestling put on one hell of a show. It wasn't just wrestling. It was entertainment built for a Richmond audience, mixing big personalities, over-the-top antics and...

Photos | The Strokes at Allianz Amphitheatre

The Strokes are the most important rock band of the 21st century. In 2001, they changed the dial from grunge to garage, and singlehandedly sent every record label on a scavenger hunt for their sauce. If you weren’t around back then you might think I’m exaggerating....