Music to our ears: VMAs coming to Brooklyn

It’s the biggest news since Madonna kissed Britney.

The 30^th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be coming to Brooklyn this year, at the Barclays Center to be exact, on Sunday, August 25. The blockbuster, globally watched event usually takes place at the Los Angeles Staples Center.

It’s the first time an awards show of this caliber comes to our fair borough.

“From a vibrant musical scene for up and coming artists to epic concerts by today’s biggest stars and the triumphant return of pro sports to the borough after nearly 60 years, Brooklyn has re-emerged as a cultural capital where music, sports and entertainment history is made every day,” saidStephen Friedman, president ofMTV. “We can’t wait to help write the next chapter on August 25^th

Mayor Michael Bloomberg added, “Bringing the VMAs to Brooklyn will mean hundreds of jobs as crews work on the production and provide a boost to our local economy as attendees stay in hotels, visit local eateries and experience all Brooklyn and our City have to offer.”

“From hip-hop to hipsters, JAY Z to MGMT, Brooklyn musicians have a long history of dominating the ‘spotlight’ on MTV. Brooklyn is a cultural mecca—the hippest, coolest place for young people across the country, and has played a crucial role in the careers of some of 2013’s biggest bands, like Fun and the Lumineers,” stated Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

“Now, it is only fitting that the first time Brooklyn will ever host a major awards show, we are welcoming the most exciting and talked about spectacle in the music industry: the ‘MTV Video Music Awards.’ What better venue than the newest, most beautiful, most state-of-the-art arena in the country, Barclays Center, he went on. Bravo to MTV on a decision that hits all the right notes and strikes all the right chords. I’m so thrilled that I’ll probably get ‘no sleep till Brooklyn’ hosts the VMAs!”