Back to Part I
 

Don�t question the cult doctrine.  This is another defining aspect of cults, blind obedience to the cult doctrine.  Few TRL loyalists question the musical integrity of the groups shown on the show. If TRL convinced its viewers that Michael Bolton is cool, you�d be surprised at how many TRL viewers would buy up Bolton�s CD�s. The heresy comes when you question a so-called �cool� group that appears on TRL.  TRLies have a ready-made attack to those who question their favorite TRL groups or performers. If you don�t like say N Sync, a TRLie will tell you that you are just jealous! Remember it has nothing to do with the music, it�s about what�s cool and what�s not. So if you simply don�t find Destiny�s Child�s music appealing, to a TRLie you are just jealous.  But what happens to a group when they fall out of favor with TRL? That�s simple, they are no longer cool and you shouldn�t listen to them any longer if you want to remain cool. 

There is a difference between a benign and a destructive cult. Which camp does TRL fall into? That really depends on your perspective. If you are music purist then you see TRL as destructive to music because of its sure influence over the music markets. Record companies aren�t stupid; they will follow whatever trends will bring in the most money and because of this quality suffers. Where goes TRL so goes the industry. Even a talentless hack like Missy Eliot can sell CD�s when her videos appear on TRL. Then you have TRL exposing young people to the verbal venom of Eminem. Is TRL dangerous in its influence over the music industry? Does the music industry as a whole become so narrowly defined that rock groups can�t get record deals? Will TRL kill rock?  That�s a little extreme but there is some truth to those statements. If a band like Queen came out today, chances are they wouldn�t be able to get a record deal or exposure because they don't fit the mold of TRL. So the world would be robbed of their music. Sure there is plenty of rock still out there, but fewer and fewer record labels are taking chances on innovative artists; those who propel music to a new dimension and keep it from becoming stale. Judging by the current state of music and TRL, would Nirvana even have a chance at a major label deal and the exposure that can come from it? 

On the other hand, some people see TRL as being no different than Top 40 radio. They simply play what they feel will be popular and by that action make it popular.  Next week, next month or next year a new artist will come along and change the direction of popular music and TRL will change with it. While that is plausible, the sad fact remains that since TRL has such a stranglehold over the industry and caters to only certain forms of music. How is an innovative artist going to change the industry if no one has a chance to hear them? 

So there you have it. This rant many have been a little out in left field but I feel it does ask some important questions that should be of concern to music fans. Like it or not, TRL�s impact is felt throughout the music industry. You can choose to ignore it but when your favorite rock band gets dumped by their label and can�t find another record company willing to take a chance on them because they don�t fit the TRL mold; the TRL influence will hit home.  Then again, I could be making a mountain out of a molehill. But discussing this possibility can�t hurt and that�s what these rantatorials are all about. So now I leave this topic with you, the reader to draw your own conclusion and to discuss it with other fans.