News Summary:
On March 18, 2026, Billy Corgan, frontman of The Smashing Pumpkins, asserted that the music industry intentionally muted rock music from the late 1990s, specifically around 1997-1998, citing a pivotal shift at MTV as a key factor. Earlier, on March 3, Finnish operator Elisa announced that Schibsted Media company MTV terminated the distribution agreement for its free-to-air channels, MTV3, MTV Sub, and MTV Ava. Unless a new deal is reached, these channels will cease live broadcasting on Elisa Viihte and Elisa's cable television service from May 13, though recordings and pay-TV services will remain accessible. Previously, on February 27, the NJ hard rock band Who On Earth premiered their "Dystopian Anti-Greed Anthem" music video for "DAWGZ" on MTV's "Metal Thrashing Madness." This followed the February 23 launch of MTV Rewind, a free simulator website featuring over 25,000 music videos, retro VJ intros, and classic ads, designed to recreate the "golden era of Music Television" through linear, era-authentic programming rather than modern algorithm-driven curation.
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