Which New York venue hosted the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards?

The inaugural MTV Video Music Awards were held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

The ceremony took place on September 14, 1984, and was hosted by Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler. MTV presented the event as a showcase for the rapidly growing importance of music videos, rather than as a traditional record-industry awards show.

Radio City Music Hall was temporarily renamed “Video City Music Hall” as part of the broadcast’s playful presentation. The venue is often confused with Madison Square Garden because both are major New York entertainment landmarks, but the first VMAs were staged at Radio City.

The ceremony’s major winners included Herbie Hancock, who collected five awards, and Michael Jackson, who won three. The Cars took the first Video of the Year award for “You Might Think.”