MTV to bring African Music and other cultures to US with 'Iggy

  MTV  new program, "The MTV Iggy Show," and its new Iggy branding,  is plannining  to  bring African music and other cultures to US

"The MTV Iggy Show" will debut Monday on all of its networks, including MTV2 and MTV, as well as on its website. The half-hour weekly show will include videos and dispatches from around the globe. In addition, a new website, MTVIggy.com, includes videos, performances and other content from worldwide artists. MTV also plans to promote its Iggy brand through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

"Our audiences are discovering music now because of digital technology and social music. They're connecting from artists from faraway places. Frankly, we think that America could benefit from understanding the world a little bit better, and music is one of those windows. So what MTV Iggy does is provide America with a window to view global pop culture through," Nusrat Durrani ,MTV World's vice president said.

    While Iggy content will feature bands from Africa, Korea, Pakistan and other countries where English is not the native language, Durrani said that shouldn't prevent American audiences from connecting.

    "When Lady Gaga performed in China ... not every Chinese kid understands English. They respond to the imagery and to the whole sort of package that Lady Gaga represents, for example. I think the reverse can also be true," he said, noting that a recent Iggy taping in New York attracted an audience of about 3,000 for a Korean act.

"We need to be a little bit more open, frankly. Why should we expect the world to always respond on our terms?" he said.

     MTV is kicking off its Iggy brand with a contest that will crown the "best new band in the world" on Nov. 10.

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