In a recent interview that I conducted with Suzie Quatro, she succinctly summed up this current state of affairs. The subject of young artists being thrust into the media spotlight literally overnight seemed a bone of contention for her. Although instant fame is common occurrence it does seem to be happening more often than it has in years gone by.
Gone are the days of bands or singers traipsing the country in hired cars along with their P.A systems & playing to a crowd of 30 or less night after night for pittance.
Quatro said of overnight successes, 'They haven’t done their trade. One day they’re working in a supermarket, the next day they’re in Hollywood. It’s no wonder these kids go off the rails. They’re spoon-fed. Everything’s handed to them on a plate.' These words may sound harsh and more than a few famous artists may take offence, whether they’ve done their trade or not. I suspect those who have, infact, done their trade wouldn’t shout too loudly about it.
So is there a target to point a finger at? Is it the naivety of these young musicians? I doubt it. I suspect it’s a combination of desperation for fame and not necessarily wealth that drives the majority of them. Genuine musical integrity or pride seems to be left behind as so-called success beckons. With this, enter the umpteen middle-men who see the golden opportunity to make some serious money out of their new ‘product’. It is here where the fabrication and smokescreens begin. By the time an artist gets a song into the charts it is so far removed from what the artist initially was aiming to achieve. Unfortunately too many of them jump on the rollercoaster and cling to it for as long as they are able.
With regard to the internet and the music industry, it is loaded to the gills with extreme and legitimate talent; so much so that it would take one eons to sift through it all to actually find it. Flashy websites, blanket marketing and so forth will take the artist only so far; and not too far from home at that.
Since my discussion with Bob Findlay last week, he has recently had a song go to Number 1 on numerous internet radio and commercial radio stations. I asked him how he felt about this. 'It hasn’t changed a thing. There aren’t promoters or record labels calling me and I’m getting only marginally more feedback from people than I was the week before.' The song, 'A Thought Away', is a diversion from Findlays usual style. This also underwhelmed him. 'It’s not the usual sort of thing that I write, so no-one can guage what’s going to be well-received….least of all me.'
So who does decide what’s popular? Is it the listener? Most likely, but bare in mind that the listener has been programmed to some extent to be attracted to a certain artist or genre by flashy advertising, sledge-hammer-subtle promotion at every turn and the ‘must have’ attitude pushed at them by promoters, record companies and the way society in general is heading.
At the end of the day, however, the listener is the one who has the final say. One must wonder, though, at how heavily influenced by external forces that these choices are made.
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