Originally posted by ND
So then what do you think makes a musician? I agree that just being able to sing doesn't necessarily make someone a competent musician, but i'm sure that most people who sing well also have other musical abilities.
I think that too much emphasis is placed on the abilty to sing. But I feel that if someone is only a singer, then it is harder for them to become a proper musician. Singers are rarely taught or know much about music. They are taught how to perform and connect with an audience. I'm not saying that is an easy abilty, but I think it is destructive when people ignore music entirely and instead look at how much they connect with the singer.
That is exactly how Australian Idol works. It has very little to do with being a talented singer, I'm sure most who made it to the top 40 are deserving of winning. But only one will win, and that person is decided solely on how many people like them as a person. Yet they will be paraded around as the next big thing in music, while they are really just a celebrity personality.
Originally posted by ND
Ok i concede that - to an extent; maybe popularity of music does have a bit to do with its marketing, but what type of music are you referring to? the type of music i'm referring to will never be appreciated by the mainstream, regardless of how much it's pushed... in fact, like 90% of people who listen to prog are musicians; it's hard for non-musicians to appreciate the complexity of the music (though i hope i'm eating my words in 5 years).
I'm only 18 so I can't compare today's popular music well to that of the past. But I remember just a few years ago when I could turn on the radio and listen to a variety of music. Today the only way I can hear new music that I might like is through the internet, and the records companies are doing everything they can to stop me. Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it has always been this way, and I'm only just starting to mature enough to realise. Either way it still sucks.