What’s Wrong with
American Idol
?
A Special Report from TheBuzzFactor.com
Four Music Business Experts Say the Popular Talent Show Is Misleading Tens of Thousands of Aspiring Musicians
American Idol
is no doubt one of themost popular TV shows of recent years,drawing millions of viewers every week.But, according to four music businessexperts, the program is doing adisservice to aspiring musicians anddistorting perceptions of how the musicindustry really works. “The show may be fun to watch, but it’sthe last place I’d recommend anyone goto learn how to succeed with a musiccareer,” says Bob Baker, author of
Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook
and
Unleash the Artist Within
. Bakercompared notes with three other musicbusiness pros: Derek Sivers, PeterSpellman and Danica Mathes. All fouragreed the show has created widespreadmisconceptions about what it takes tosucceed as a musical artist. They haveidentified five myths perpetuated by
American Idol
and are on a mission toset the record straight.
Myth #1Industry talent scouts actively lookfor artists to develop
“Shows like
American Idol
lead viewersto believe that there are hundreds of people like Simon, Paula and Randy outthere searching for talent they can moldinto the next big pop star. That’s an OldWorld view that simply doesn’t reflectreality these days,” Baker says.Danica Mathes, a St. Louis, MO-basedentertainment attorney, who has workedwith artists such as Nelly and AnthonyCosmo (of the band Boston), admitsthat record companies employ A&Rpeople whose job it is to sign andnurture new artists. “But as major labelsconsolidate, cut staffs and get nervousabout the bottom line, they no longerhave the time or money to develop newacts,” she says. “Instead, they look forartists who are already developingthemselves, attracting fans and sellingCDs on their own. “It’s easy to forget that a recordcompany’s investment in a newly signedact can mean the end of several careers— not just the artist’s — if it doesn’twork. So a label is much more likely tosign someone with a track record.”
Myth #2Most aspiring musicians lack talentand are delusional, struggling andstarving
The
American Idol
auditions, inparticular, create this illusion. “That’s ahuge misconception,” says Derek Sivers,founder and president of Portland, OR-based CD Baby, a web site that in 2003sold $4.6 million worth of CDs (morethan 400,000 units) by unsigned acts. “I’m blown away by the tremendousamount of quality music being producedoutside the mainstream. Many amazingmusicians have decided they’re happierselling 10,000 CDs on their own andmaking a hundred thousand dollars,than selling a million CDs and beingbroke on a major label. That’s thereality of today’s music business.”
As major labels consolidate,cut staffs and get nervous about the bottom line,they no longer have the time or money to develop new acts. Instead,they look for artists who are already developing themselves,attracting fans and selling CDs on their own.
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