Video Jockey or VJ is a term coined in the early 1980s to describe the fresh faced youth who introduced the music videos on MTV. The word VJ is also used to represent video performance artists who create live visuals on all kind of music.
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As time progressed and MTV's format changed, VJ's began to host game shows, talent contests and the like. Soon they were given their own shows based on the type of genre that their "demographic" was interested in.
Some of the individuals who have been VJ's (and their consequent gigs) are:
MTV-type VJ's
Originally hired to represent a wide array of musical tastes and personal ethnicities, eventually became famous in their own right. Essentially they were nothing more than on-air personalities, but as the popularity of MTV grew, they began to branch out past just introducing music clips. Soon they were considered by many to be full fledged music journalists, interviewing major music celebrities and hosting their own television shows on the network.Live visual artists
Although less known in the mainstream, the word VJ is also used to represent video performance artists who create live visuals on all kind of music. It originates from a parallel with DJ's, although most VJs nowadays have more to do with musicians than with DJs.