Soulflower

I have followed both of their careers and they have always sold sex but it appears the further along they have gotten in their careers they have made it more raunchier.A big portion of their appeal is because they do sell sex and their image not necessarily because of their music.

If these pop acts are not the majority in the mainstream then who are?


These are the only acts the mainstream industry chooses to market. These are the only acts that constantly perform at award shows. These are the only acts that constantly get all the awards.

These are the acts the industry only wants to market and I want to know why?

Because they suck.

Urban Hat€monger ?

It's interesting but I covered why this is happening and you totally glossed over it without a word.
There are only 4 major labels, all owned by multinational conglomerates that have blanket coverage over the media because they own record companies, film studios, TV stations, radio stations, print media, websites.... the lot.
This wasn't the case 20/30 years ago where there were many more record companies who's core interest was putting out music rather than being a small arm of a bigger company. Also because of that it was also easier for smaller labels able to make a bigger impact, that's why you had more variety back then.

The only reason you had more variety was because there were more labels, not that they did much different back then, they were all looking for the most marketable artists.

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DwnWthVwls

I'll admit I haven't seen most of the music videos for the songs I've heard on the radio. I have to assume all this sex marketing you are talking about is from their music videos and not the actual song content.

Do you agree?

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I don't got a god complex, you got a simple god...

Soulflower

Thanks!!!!! Good point!!!

However, if an artist like Adele can become a superstar overnight with a little industry push (keeping in mind she isn't the stereotypical pop star) what is stopping the industry from marketing others? What is stopping the industry from marketing other singers who do not fit the "stereotypical pop star type?" We can see by Adele's success that it is possible.


There are a ton of artists who could be as big Adele if the industry marketed them meaning play their music on the radio, nominate them or give them an opportunity to perform at an award show.

It just seems that today's industry has a hidden agenda.

Soulflower

No it is in fact both.

It is music videos, music as well as live performances.

The music industry (for some strange reason) wants to market this very hyper sexual female image and these female pop stars capitalize off of it in the worst way. It is obvious they do not want to be seen as artists or singer with artistic merit but instead "sex kittens"

The sexual image is getting old.

It is one thing if they were at least trying to be artistic with it because its nothing wrong with sex being used in music, just as long as it is artistic but instead all they are doing is "look at my ass and buy my records"

Ninetales

please like music that I like!!!

Urban Hat€monger ?

It's always been that way.

Here's a good story I read.
The Boo Radleys were an early 90s pop band signed to Creation records. They'd had a couple of albums that were well received by the music press but they'd on'y sold a few thousand copies of each.
When Sony bought a 49% stake in Creation records and Oasis had taken off and were selling huge amounts in Europe they had a band meeting with the Boo Radleys. The guy from Sony told them that that if they wanted to get anywhere near the success of Oasis they had to 'Write songs for the idiots'

The band went away and wrote this..


The song got into the top 10 and the following album got to No 1 and outsold everything else they'd done combined by a mile.
After that album they went back to doing their own thing and the resulting albums just about sold about the same as before their success and they were kicked off the label.

You want success, you have to dumb down your product. It was like that 20 years ago, it's like that now.

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Soulflower

I get the example you used but I don't think that was a good example.

Objectively, Adele's first album covers the same material as her successful "21" album. She didn't change anything for that particular album. Her album became successful because of word of mouth and eventually the industry started to market it.

My question is what is stopping the industry from marketing lets say.... someone like Jack White who by the way was more well known than Adele before she released her "21" album?


Adele's 21 is not a dance album. There are no R&B songs or dance songs. There are no pop "friendly" songs on the album.


Her success proves that the industry could market non traditional pop singers and musicians with the right backing.

There is an agenda going on.

The Batlord

What agenda could there possibly be beyond making money? They're a business. They don't care about anything else. Urban made a perfectly good example of a band playing mainstream palatable music and getting famous, then making different music and being ignored even with record company backing.

And Adele is totally pop friendly. "Rolling In the Deep", which let's face it is the only song most mainstream fans care about, is lobotomized soul that's trying to pretend it's not a made-for-radio pop song.

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Urban Hat€monger ?

Oh come on, Adele word of mouth? are you kidding me.
The woman was getting tons of attention ages before she even released an album, maybe not in the States but in the UK she was. She was signed for the exact same reason Duffy got signed, to be the next Amy Winehouse. And her record company threw everything behind her to make her that.
Just like I already said, if there's one breakout talent the rest try to find their own version of that. Adele is a perfect example of that happening.

As for your other point I would say although the White Stripes may have sold more records but Adele is much more marketable towards non music fans and a wider selection of people simply because of the material she sings which is much more accessible & commercial. Like I said, why would you use your advertising revenue on something you know is already going to sell?
The White Stripes had a following which would buy a new White Stripes album regardless and would know about it from having an interest in music.

Adele plays the type of music that you buy your mum for Christmas, you need your advertising budget to let those mums know it's out there for them to want it... that's the difference

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