IF you have a spare moment could you read my article on the influence of Simon Cowell in modern day music, which for me is ruining it.
I would appreciate your feedback but please take into account that i am only 15 and this is the first ever time i have done this.
Simon Cowell has made me lose interest in music
5 years ago the idea of X Factor and Pop Idol didn’t seem that bad. Pop Idol produced Will Young who despite me disliking him turned out to be a decent singer and a decent pop artist. Next up was Michelle McManus...Yeah, remember her? ...Thought not! What did she do after Pop Idol? ...Oh yeah a diet.
X Factor produced decent solo artists but only Leona Lewis has really excelled in their music career, however the rest still make it to the number one slot and some even a Christmas number 1.
Now if you are a modern day musician, how much confidence does it give you if you are a young artist/band trying to break into the charts writing your own stuff and a singer singing other peoples songs/lyrics get number 1? Not a lot. Whose fault is this, Simon Cowell? The public? Producers? In my opinion it’s Simon Cowell; if you sent a demo of your song to him he would either turn it down or encourage you to go on X-Factor. Of course I don’t know that but many musicians have said they had been turned down, for example Mika who turned out to be the sound of 2007 on the BBC website ahead of...Leona Lewis.
The signals that people are getting sick of X Factor are starting to show now especially as the Christmas number 1 last year was occupied by a band who released the song originally 20 years ago! Was this a protest or a laugh? Well this is what the creator of the Facebook group (Jon Morter) did say on the description of the group, "Fed up with Simon Cowell's latest karaoke act being Christmas number one? Me too..."Clearly shows a protest, which thousands signed up to and actually went ahead with it.
Other signs include well known bands/artists blaming X Factor for ‘destroying’ music. Elton John stated, “Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke are at the mercy of the next song they can get.” He then went on to say “It is important they write their own songs, so they are not at the mercy of anyone. Songwriters today are pretty awful”.
Simon Cowell recently said he wouldn’t have put The Beatles through on the X Factor, he said, “'No', (is what) we would have said.’We'll take those three but probably lose the drummer'. Ringo, I'm afraid, we would have said is 'bad news'." Sorry Simon but wasn’t ‘The Beatles’ the biggest band in the 60’s? Whether you like Ringo or not, you cannot question that ‘The Beatles’ would not be the same without him. Of course he meant it as a joke, but that’s what I think of him.
I like to write my own songs, none of which I expect to be a single but it realises my emotions in a way that makes me believe in my music and one day, I could take it up as a hobby. But watching the rubbish that Simon Cowell puts on TV making others watch it like my mum makes me feel that I have no hope in the future, in the 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s you could send a demo of your song to a DJ and he would either play it or tell you it’s not good enough, never the less we don’t have the ‘John Peel’ DJ’s who give everyone a chance to prove themselves and some have gone on to be better and stronger despite the rejection of Simon Cowell e.g. Mika.
Of course you don’t have to agree with me, but if you are a music lover you can surely see that artists who write their own stuff are better than the ones who don’t. Even Eminem writes his own stuff, that is why his songs are so passionate and creative, that is called raw talent, not singing into a microphone.
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I shite thee not, it will provide you a very good backbone to what actually happens inside the music industry, more directly in the head of an A&R man. Those who really control what you listen to
I agree with almost everything you say. As a 52 year-old (amateur) musician myself, what really annoys me is the focus on singers and "boy bands", none of whom can get a note out of any musical instrument. It's interesting to contrast that with Strickly Come Dancing, which harps back to the Big Band era when the musicians were all important and the singer was employed by the band leader. I have to say, apart from that one aspect I am not a fan of SCD.
One thing though, some of the all-time greatest singers sang other peoples' songs - Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, etc.
Thanks for the feedback,
I totally understand some Bands/artists singing other people's songs..my favourite band, (due to my upbringing) is the Stranglers did quite a lot of cover versions but people realised that it was a cover version because they would often state that it was on a tour/gig. I was more talking about cover versions which many people believe is actually wrote by the group who covered a song i.e some people i know didn't know "Shout" by Dizzee Rascal was a cover version of the Tears for Fears song. Thats what really annoyed me about modern music.
What do you mean 'even Eminem', the man is God... Sing for the moment is lyrically one of the best songs ever imo
Unfortunately have to say I disagree with your basic premise. Cowell is just the latest in a long lane The beatles were put in suits and dumped another drummer cos ringo fitted the image. The stones dropped their ugly pianist.
But fear not the recession means that there will be a revival of garagebands and young angry musicians. Maybe you' ll be one of them. There will be, as you say, a reaction to Cowell.
On the other hand those that enter X factor, you can hardly say that is easy. Thousands enter and only one winner, Mr Cowell. Like you point out very few have had what you could call careers, so say someone is lucky enough to win the competition there is still the very high likelihood they won't have a music career at all.
Like I said good article and well written even discounting your age. Keep it up, it's healthy to debate issues like this and definitely keep up the song writing. It shouldn't be about looking for that number 1 but expressing your opinions and how you feel should be the priority.
That's fair enough Henners, thanks for the feedback and advice, my interest in music doesn't really involve garagebands, so i won't be involved in that
Dunno about being a sports writer, you would do pretty well as Charlton Lifes music correspondent
Yeah i agree with some of the points you have made there, my lack of knowledge in the 'background' of music, i often think 'new' music isn't on tv as much as it should be. For example, Daybreak often have a band like Take That, or Pixie Lott someone who has already proved in the music industry.
Thanks Kap, thats a nice complement, good luck to your nephew
A & R men/women will get sent thousands of MP3 emails a week from aspiring musicians. 75% of thse emails will be deleted without even being heard, there are more than likely a lot of A&R people who threw the Artic Monkeys demo away without hearing it or giving one look at the CD and not liking the name will have lobbed it. The other 25% gets split into categories of the following.
1) Lasts for more than 30 seconds on a sterero - then gets binned
2) Lasts for about 5 seconds then gets binned
3) Gets a full listen, in the ears of a artists and repetoire suit sounds like it will sell and gets put in a box to come back to and gets forgotten about
4) Gets a full listen, in the ears of a artists and repetoire suit sounds like it will sell and the band/artist are seen in the flesh and the decsision is made as to whether, with enough money and sound production they will be able to earn enough money to keep said a&r individual in a job and gucci gear for a while or they are tremendously ugly but obscenely talented that they will be able to earn enough money to keep said a&r individual in a job and gucci gear for a while
Simon Cowell, once upon a time was an A&R man who got very, very lucky. With a lot of hard work but his audience is the working class British Public. And we lap him and his shit up
As for the x-factor you've pretty much hit the nail on the head. Simon cowell exploits people to the max. Before the tv rounds (the ones we see) there are two opening stages where judges put through the good, the bad and the ugly knowing full well they will be mocked. And it's not even about being able to sing (katie waisel). She continues to stay in the comp because as a recording artist she has it all and can be marketed easily. Very good article, sorry for any spelling mistakes on me phone!
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You lost me at that point, it has never been in any way good or beneficial, except to keep the proles happy.
The whole pop idol/x factor thing wasn't about producing new musicians/bands but about radio and tabloid friendly unit shifters, pop music at that level has always been about chasing radio ratings and reaching that audience. all that's changed is that it's become a lot more cynical and obvious.
But so what? Just as there are tabloid newspapers there are still quality newspapers and just as there are formulaic airport novels there is still a fair body of critically approved literature in production. On TV inordinate numbers of people watch soap operas but there's still some quality TV out there. You can eat McDonalds or any other brand of fast food trash, or go to a decent restaurant. You can drink mass produced, over-hyped fizzy lager or properly brewed beer and so on. Despite the Simon Cowell stuff there is still decent music being produced and in any case no one over the age of 15 should give a toss what is number one.
I've never paid any intention to it other than to note that it gives people who don't know much about music something to like. I'm proud to say I've never watched as much as one second of x-factor or any other generic reality TV and I've no intention of changing that.
Very well said, tons of channels available nowdays to find new, exciting music.
I would say a good A&R man is a good business man
Richard Branson has been consistently lucky too
I don't like Simon Cowell but I don't think I can knock his nous or his track record in peddling shit to the ever-ready public
Blame commercial radio or music televsion then.
If the power of the internet was so powerful it would launch many more artists
Sorry that should read...'5 years ago the idea of X Factor/Pop Idol weren't bad in my opinon', only did it in a hour. I was about 6/7 when this stuff was on tv and yes it was entertainment for me at the time, clearly as i have grown up, i have realised it's a load of tosh.
I appreciate the info everyone has given me, it has made me consider a lot more things of which i didn't when i wrote this article. None of my family have ever been 'invovled' in the music business..which explains my lack of knowledge in the background of music, however i have a lot of passion for music and that explains me writing the article. I have learnt a lot and i really will consider all the points if i do happen to write another/different article.
Thanks again.
The problem is that Reality TV has created an instant fame culture, where acts expect to go straight to the top without putting any of the groundwork in beforehand. There has always been manufactured pop, and some of it has even been quite good - but to think that is the only way to make it in the music business is worong in my book.
As a music lover myself; I have never watched or really have any idea what X-Factor/Britian's Got Talent/Pop Idol is all about - it doesn't interest me in the slightest. It does seem like some kind of karaoke on steroids affair - and if that floats your boat, well good for you.
Myspace certainly looked like being a big player in finding new bands a couple of years ago but people deserted it in their millions because they owners would not leave the design of the site alone.
I have no interest in these programmes nor do I have any interest in the winners etc. I do understand however the appeal. A tescos cashier suddenly becoming s million seller.
Just don't call it music
Funny how these things go around. I still rate the late 70s and early 80s as one of the great times in British pop music and at 14 vividly remember hating Stock Aitken and Waterman for ruining it.
The fatc is that recorded music is less and less important these days. All the money is in the live industry and the big music companies will slowly die.