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After a few years, MTV started to find its niche and began to capitalize on its unique position in the music and entertainment industries. MTV also brought artists and bands into the mainstream, often catapulting them into superstardom. Though they had plenty of fans before MTV's launch, Van Halen found a whole new audience with their campy and accessible videos like "Jump" and "Panama." With videos like "White Wedding," Billy Idol experienced a similar thrust into the limelight, jumping from the punk scene into the mainstream.
U2 gained fame with politically charged videos, using their music not just to entertain but to raise awareness as well. This changing attitude towards rock culminated in 1985 with Live Aid, the first rock benefit concert that brought stars--such as Queen and the Police--together for a cause (in this case, raising money for Ethiopia's famine victims). MTV broadcast the entire concert, which occurred in both London and Philadephia, live.
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