Disclaimer: the opinions
expressed are those of the author, not necessarily those of antiMUSIC,
or the iconoclast entertainment group
In recent months it has occurred
to me that its an interesting irony that the very mechanism the BMG/RCA
execs have set up to make themselves even richer has wound up painfully
exposing their own creative bankruptcy. The raison detre of American Idol
has been to sell records, and in as mass a quantity as possible, and theyve
certainly succeeded at that. But somewhere along the way, as the show has
become a mega-phenomenon, something has gone a bit awry for The Machine.
American Idol has attracted millions of
viewers internationally. Young idealistic singers go on with (often) tons
of talent, singing material that is actually worth listening to, get tons
of exposure and, in the process, everyone's hopes up. Then they're released
to the so-called creative team of the BMG group and the recycled pseudo-music
that ensues disappoints so many nearly every time. Literally millions of
people, who have become invested in the success of their favorites, are
left scratching their heads and asking, "What the Hell happened there?"
I am beginning to see that question asked
in so many places. USA Today's blog of July 24, in discussing records deals
for Elliot Yamin added, BMG did have the wisdom to let Kelly Clarkson
venture into new territory (but only on her second album), but I just heard
a chilling reminder of the damage the label machine can do when it's unchecked:
Bo Bice's The Real Thing, which is an innocuous enough little pop rocker,
not unpleasant at all, but that could be your pizza delivery guy singing
it. There's hardly a trace of Bo detectable. Similar comments may now
be found all over the internet in the major American Idol websites and
blogs (eg. MJ's Big Blog, Yaminions, TaylorIsTheBoogie, The Taylor Hicks
Page).
There are those who are too cool for American
Idol, who dismiss it as a glorified karaoke contest. Yet the popularity
of the show, and the legions of people who guiltily admit they watch it,
suggests that the public is hungry for this kind of entertainment. Its
also true that singing, just singing, can be an art form in itself. The
history of music of the 20th century is filled with artists who only sang,
never penned a single recorded tune of their own, and that are nevertheless
considered legendary artists.
I think the argument that an artist is
only an artist if he or she writes his or her own songs plays right into
the hands of an ailing Industry. If an Idol contestant is forced by the
BMG/RCA conglomerate to record substandard pop that bears no relation to
his or her own unique style, the label can excuse itself with the argument
that they had to create material with a view to radio play (youd think
there was no internet that could be used as a promotional tool). If the
label puts nothing into supporting an original artist, other than providing
a recording studio and a short stint of radio promotion, they can shift
the blame onto the artist if his or her CD fails. Either way, the music
industry never has to do anything differently, never has to show any genuine
creativity and never has to take any responsibility to assist in the creation
of music for the public that is actually meaningful and lasting.
I think the music industry, then, would
be in far less trouble today if it had retained any ability at all to develop
and nurture the artists on their rosters. The label, the original artists
and artists that are solely singers could all be benefiting, as well as
the public, who would actually have a current library of classic music
to listen to. How ironic that the Industrys big 21st century success story,
American Idol, has only set out their own failings in stark relief.
Music Matters contains highlights from Felicity's music industry blog
at TheBoUnderground.com. Articles may be revised and/or updated for syndication
on antiMusic. Gain more insight into the music biz by reading all of Felicity's
articles at The
Bo Bice Underground
Agree or Disagree?
Fan
Speak:
Posted by GTD:
HAIL BUTCH!
Posted by Butch:
First of all, the "raison d'etre" of American Idol IS to make money. Why on earth would anyone act surprised at that? There's no big mystery there man. As a musician, I've never mistaken AI for a search for Rock's Next Big Thing. Really, would a Bob Dylan, a Mick Jagger, even a Dave Matthews or a Green Day ever in a million years have sold their soul to enter AI? I highly doubt it. But then again, they had true talent. The "winners" and runner's-up on AI are mediocre at best. Let's take Bo Bice as the example since the writer, Felicity Estrin, is apparently a member of several fangirl Bice forums. Mr. Bice was very good as a frontman on AI. But can he hold his own, on his own? I dont really see the evidence there. In fact, he recently played a local fair where my parents and sister live. I was home visiting, so I took my sister because she's underage and the 'rents didn't want her going alone. Let me just say that Mr. Bice has talent but he seems unable to recognize where his actual talent lies. He is a front man. A Jagger. A Matthews. A A Garcia. A Billie Joe. But he plays very mediocre guitar and his band sounds much like the band I was in during high school. And while his debut CD does indeed suck, is it because its full of the evil pop that you refer to? Or is it because it is badly performed? I dont think the songs on that album are terrible per se. They could be a hit if Nick Lachey sang them. But Bice put himself into "the AI Machine" and nobody can tell me he didn't know what the consequences would be. If you dont like the heat, stay out of the kitchen. If you dont like your songs watered down to popular tastes, dont go on AI. And if you dont like what the music industry is putting out - here's a thought - dont buy it. I buy very little mainstream music these days. I mainly support indie labels and new artists, some of which are putting out their own music now that home studios are affordable to anyone with a job.
Lastly, I'm not really sure the intention of this article. My sister, as I already mentioned, is a little fangirl for Bice - but I give her a pass because she's 15. She reads all the fangirl boards and knows the minute details of his life, which I could care less about. But what I found surprising is that I learned from her, that Ms. Estrin, the author of this article, is not only a serious Bice fanatic, she also belongs to, and posts on no less than three fangirl Bice forums including the "official Bo Bice" fan club boards, paid membership required. Also bizarre yet interesting to me was to learn that Ms. Estrin is also the author of a fan petition to let Clive Davis know that about 1000 or so people would like Bice to do original recordings on his next album. Apparently this petition veered off course when legions of Bice fans decided it was a stupid idea.
My intention in bringing this to light is twofold:
1. If you are indeed the author of this petition (I understand you post as Fifi and Little Wing on several boards), then why would you even write the above article. It seems to be that you are so invested in the very machinations that you supposedly abhore that it makes little sense to me why you would try to intellectualize the music industry being in such disarray, if you in fact are one of the legions of AI fanatics anyway. To me, people that call up to vote for that show, then are disappointed in the results, then bitch about it, are in a way, part of the problem, not the solution. To me, the solution is to not participate in AI call ins, nor to buy the crap they sell afterwards. Nor to buy anything those labels put out. Money talks people.
2. After learning that the author is basically a fangirl of Bo Bice and AI, I have to pause and wonder what the hell this site is all about anyway. I mean, there's alot of big talk about real metal, the Ramones and crap like that but you have Bo Bice fangirls writing articles that we're supposed to take seriously? That seems really off to me.
Posted by slider:
Hey haven't I heard this same old stuff over and over and over. AI is still the top rated TV show and right now thousands are getting in line to try out to be AI#6. If you do not want to be Clive-itized do not go on AI.If Bo and Taylor did not want to produce the music RCA was going to ask them to record why go on AI and sign a recording contact. If they thought they could do it their own way better why bother with AI. They should have tried to write and produce their music on their own. I took a look at The bo bice underground. Hannah I agree what makes these people think they are experts because they blog.
Posted by Kaz:
Wheres the irony? The record companies want to sell records. They come up with a way to sell records by giving a television audience an imaginary connection to their boy or girl of choice on American Idol. The company makes the record. Its not so great, but people buy it anyway. Still no irony. And the last time I checked theres no restless hordes pounding the pavement in front of the RCA building, scratching their heads or their asses and calling for the head of Clive Davis on a platter. What is this Music Matters blog supposed to be about? Of course music matters. Of course singing can be an art form . Well duh. Is it about the myth of creative bankruptcy in the music industry or a lament that the authors American Idol made a sub par cd? Boo hoo. Blah blah. If you cant put together a current library of great music you cant be trying very hard. How many cds did this Music Matters Maven buy in the past year? Ive bought maybe 25. 2 or 3 were crappy. 6 or 7 were pretty good. The rest were awesome. Ive bought metal, rock, pop, jazz, classical, gospel and blues. Covers and originals. New and established artists. Major and indie labels. I didnt buy any cds by American Idols because I figured they probably suck. No irony there.
Posted by Tara:
A rant on American Idol? Why even watch? Do you eat Kraft Mac & Cheese and then complain about how it's too plain and not exciting enough?
Posted by Nick:
Some of the people posting here have confirmed what I have suspected for a long time, most pop fans are morons. To that last poster try reading all the RIAA press releases about their declining balance sheets idiot! And EMI in trouble, RCA dropping artists like flies. Talk about talking out your ass.
trolls posts removed - postings by the same person under different names will be removed and the poster banned. Disagree, make your point but don't spam the Fan Speak
Posted by aG:
PS and congrats on being part of the lowest common denominator. "Let them eat cake"
Posted by aG:
Typical
Posted by aG:
Great job Felicity. I agree wholeheartedly and I also think that AI and the aftermath really demonstrates what is ailing the music industry and why they keep seeing a decline in sales year after year. Sadly, Clive Davis is so preditible that it doesn't matter who the singer is he will cheese him up. While Bice isn't at the top of the game when compared to the field of rock singers out there he was a strong singer and could have made a credible album if given the chance but sadly when you sign a deal with the devil you have to play by his rules and people are too blinded with Clive-envy to see just how out of touch he is. It's a no brainer for an AI star to sell a couple million CDs but what about translating the viewership of the show into CD sales? By cheesing things up for artists like Bice that stand out from the pop, they lose millions. But that's the name of the game, go read that Clay Aiken article from today and you see it right there, Clive picked the cheesy cover songs for him to cover. Of course, that fits Clay and his cheesy style but shows us what kind of crap Clive is pushing down the public's throat. The industry is always resistant to change and it's just too bad that they are no "risk takers" left in power like David Geffen in his day, so we end up with processed product instead of music that withstand the test of time. Then again that's a sign of the times, instant gratification and pale immitations, just look at Hollywood and all the cheesy remakes. Originality isn't dead, it's just not given the chance by the a**holes that run things.
Posted by Elaine:
Love or hate American Idol, the irony is that by introducing - perhaps unwittingly - something besides pop singers to such a huge audience, American Idol may have sown the seeds of a search for more authentic music. People did not get with Bice's first CD what they were expecting based on AI performances. This year's winner has vowed not to be "Clive-itized." Only time will tell, of course, but how interesting it would be if AI sparked a change in what the masses demanded in music.
Posted by helpmehannah:
The music industry has been recording radio friendly songs for as long as there's been radio. Some of the songs recorded by Elvis and The Beatles, and the list goes on and on, were just throw away, radio friendly songs. It's just a fact of life in the industry, especially when you sign with a big label.
Any one who goes on American Idol knows this before they get involved with that show, I'm sure. It's a price they are willing to pay for the exposure.
As far as The Bo Bice Underground, these days anyone can write a blog and consider themselves an expert on any given subject.
By the way Felicity, I think Bo's motto is Live Music Matters. The guy is awesome in concert, regardless of what one thinks of his first CD.
Posted by Dave:
Dude, this is so yesterday's news. At first I was like, "yeah, right on" but really? Anyone in the music biz or anyone who really loves music has known this for a long time. It's not gonna change. That's why indie records and home studios are so sweet now. You dont really need a label to make a record anymore.
One more thing, I checked out that link to "The Bo Bice Underground" and its kinda embarassing. I mean, it's a glorified fan site. Hard to take a column seriously when its writer is from a Bo Bice/American Idol fan site, isn't it? Seriously, I want my commentary coming from actual musicians or quality critics, not fans of Idol. That's just lame.
Posted by daedae:
The main thing I wanted to respond to was your comment about legendary artists who didn't actually pen any of their own songs. I admittedly have not paid much attention to Idol since the first season except for the audition episodes, but in my experience it's rather ridiculous to compare any of the better Idol contestants to, for instance, Motown/Stax performers who gained their status without writing their own tunes. In addition, I feel as though the professional songwriters have gotten worse and started pandering more to the generic pop market than writing good songs. Finally, again especially with Motown/Stax, their house bands were way better than what any of the produced artists sing over today. Even if the artist whose name is on the cover is "only" a singer, the backing band goes a long way in determining their success.
Posted by Lady Ravensnark:
Great article. The music industry today is more a business than ever, and it's well on the way to soulless husk.
Posted by GREENMUSE:
i say the sooner american idol is in its shallow grave alongside the gong show,the better.this is actually doing a disservice to the gong show,which was nifty in the fact that it had a gong.not many shows can say they had a gong.
