Do Gifted Musicians Need American Idol and Which Role Does Social Media Play?

Finding myself watching a show - American Idol, Season 8 - that is supporting an industry which became rather questionable and self-supporting.

Despite all the talk on Idol to look for "talent" and "artistry", the music industry doesn't look for talent but for money making star vehicles. Nothing wrong with making money but what is with those who do have the talent and just don't get a chance? People, passionate about creating their own music, are often getting overlooked and remain "unsigned" if they don't fall into the small category of "marketability". It's much easier to market a good looking - young - girl or guy whose ideas about fame or even themselves are still rather vague and undeveloped.

I am not listening to any of the pop music stations or follow the whole pop circus too closely but I would need to have blinders on my eyes to not see what's going on. A pretty face and some padding at the right places still helps to bring in the big bucks. Just walk by an average New York magazine stand and you understand what I am talking about.

Even the best are selling themselves out, collaborating with the devil! U2 sells tickets for their 360 degree show (read: you can see the band from behind as I had the displeasure in September 2001, then again, a lot went wrong that month) starting at USD 33 face value, acknowledging the fact that many people are short on cash. And now show me the fan who actually has only paid 33 dollars for their U2 ticket! Hello? Scalpers?! - While I admire Bono for all his charity activities, there's nothing innovative coming from his band music distribution wise. A few others like Radiohead for example, are trying different distribution channels, and others are featuring and supporting new, unknown bands, Bjoerk is a good example for that. U2 still goes with the old concept: releasing the first single from a new album, guest appearances in high profile shows, releasing the whole new album followed by a world tour. (BTW, I think No Line On The Horizon is brilliant!)

So, why do we need a show like American Idol and why do I even care? (It's so far away from my usual taste of music that it almost kills me watching most of the performances.) Does the difference and the show's appeal lie in it's presumably democratic process? We, the audience, determine the person who goes home with a contract and not just the industry?

And do we even need a show like Idol where practically everybody can become a star? Every band maintains their myspace page often accompanied by YouTube videos, facebook fan pages and lately also Twitter updates. The whole package! (Many don't know yet how to use it all to their favor, and that's something I'll explore next...)

Why couldn't a charming guy like David Cook with cool ideas and a fantastic voice land a successful record deal and supporting fame on his own? What he did with his band Axium was so much more original and exciting then what he's presenting on his first major album. Watching his performance yesterday on Idol, I think, you could tell. He looked tired and exhausted. Like somebody who's doing her office drone job for too long! I hope he finds his groove back.

And I also hope that the music industry will reinvent itself or that we, the fans, are supporting our favorite, local musicians better. On that note, I have 4 concerts lined up for April and will continue with that topic. So, thanks for staying tuned!

Also, check out Oliver's reflections on Music online, still not what it's supposed to be.

-- Elke

Comments

[oliver]

I have to mention Depeche Mode here. This year's tour will be the first one we're missing. They're playing the Garden two times, but we could only get mediocre seats for big money. While others party in the GA area? Who are those people? I don't know.
Regarding "Idol": I'm not especially fond of performer-oriented music (http://www.nydiscovery.com/blog/2009/02/music-discoveries-bad-and-good-the-grammys-and-lastfm.html).
And I don't like this season, because it's a guy's show. Three guys for for one girl - are they serious?

[Elke Nominikat]

Not sure what has happened with American Idol or better yet the audience who's watching the show. No love for woman?!?! :( - I am a bit angry with the judges because there were at least 3 really cool girls whom they didn't even consider after "Hollywood Week". Nonetheless, I admittedly can't wait to see Adam Lambert next week again, and yes, I will vote for Allison. Promised.

As for Depeche Mode... Would be cool to see them once again. But and that's a big BUT I am not willing to pay USD 129 or more dollars per ticket just to see them from somewhere high above. While Depeche Mode delivers such an awesome show where everybody can karaoke in, it's just no fun anymore. Let's go to 5 club concerts for that money instead. Possibly even more than that.

I much rather support local music or smaller indie bands since I've seen all the BIG bands I've always wanted to see in my life. Maybe one or two are still missing - The Strokes come to mind - but who knows when and if they ever play again.