''Turn It Up!'' is a musical game show that aired on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

from June 30 to December 7, 1990. It was the second game show to be produced and broadcast on the network after ''

Remote Control A remote control, also known colloquially as a remote or clicker, is an consumer electronics, electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operat ...

'', produced by

Albie Hecht Albie Hecht is an American film and television producer and media executive. In 1997, Hecht was the president of film and TV entertainment for Nickelodeon before becoming president of the television channel Spike TV in 2003. In 2005, he founded ...

Alan Goodman Alan Eliot Goodman is an American actor and media marketer. He is one of the founders of TESTD Inc, a health and data management products company. He was formerly a television writer and producer who has worked in media since 1981. Early life an ...

, and

Fred Seibert Frederick G. Seibert is an American television producer and media proprietor. Seibert began his professional career as a jazz and blues record producer and audio engineer in the 1970s. He co-founded the record label Oblivion Records by 1972 an ...

, of Chauncey Street Productions in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The series was hosted by Jordan Brady with Stuffy Shmitt as co-host and announcer.

Gameplay

The show, co-hosted by comedian Jordan Brady and musician Stuffy Shmitt, features contestants competing to answer trivia questions about music.

Rounds 1 and 2

In each round, four categories each with three point values (10, 20 & 30 points) were displayed on a video wall. The player in control selected a category, then host Brady asked a question. The first player to ring-in had a chance to answer. A correct answer added the chosen points to the score, and chose another category, but an incorrect answer gave the opponents a chance to answer. Round one was played with normal music questions, while round two was played with audio/video clips using the video wall. Regular categories in round 2 include: Total Recall: Contestants are shown thirty seconds of a music video. After the clip was played, the players were asked questions about the video. Sing This: Contestants must sing the next verse after a music video stopped. Say What?: Contestants have to repeat the lyrics the singer sang in the music video. Talk Radio: An audio clip of an interview was played (the video featured a

VU meter A volume unit (VU) meter or standard volume indicator (SVI) is a device displaying a representation of the Signal-to-noise ratio, signal level in audio equipment. The original design was proposed in the 1940 Institute of Radio Engineers, IRE pap ...

). Contestants must identify the artist. Spare Parts: A portion of a photograph of an artist was shown and Brady reads a clue about the artist. Pick a Player: A member of the band asks a question about musicians who play the same instrument as he/she does. Scratch 'N Lick: DJ Jazzy Joyce scratches a song on her turntable, the contestant must identify the name of the song. During the round, a horn playing the ''Charge'' fanfare would sound, indicating one minute of gameplay remained for the round. The round ended when all 12 questions were asked or if time ran out (the band would play the theme song, signaling the round's end). The two high-scorers at the end of round two went on to play the final round, "Add-A-Track."

Add-A-Track (Final round)

In the final round, the two surviving players listened to four songs for two minutes (30 seconds per song). On each song, only one musical instrument played the song, with a new one added every five seconds. The player rang in once he/she thought they could identify the song. If correct, that player earned the points plus a prize; if wrong, the opposing player got a chance to answer. Each song had a different point value: *1st song - 25 points *2nd song - 50 points *3rd song - 75 points *4th song - 100 points The scores from the previous two rounds were not carried over until after the round was over, at which point the scores from the Add-A-Track round were added to the scores from the other two rounds. The player with a most points won the game and a prize. In addition, if a player had correctly identified all four songs in the Add-A-Track round, he/she won a grand prize.

References

{{Music based programs on MTV MTV game shows MTV weekday shows Musical game shows Television series by CBS Studios 1990s American game shows 1990 American television series debuts 1990 American television series endings