The Mad Men behind Pop Music
It is a given fact that music
over the years has become a major industry. Some people also
feel that music has been ruined due to being treated solely as a business,
and that is backed by the number of people in the music business who don’t care
about the music at all and are driven only by money. That's the reason we have the
mainstream pop genre. A pretty face (preferably young, in her/his 20s) is picked
by a label to become one of the faces of that company. But what does music
have to do with this? Not much… It is assumed that the “artists” picked have
skill enough to perform what others will write for them… That’s right! Others
will write for them!
In fact, hardly any Pop artist
writes her/his own music or gives ANY contribution for that matter. For example, The Weeknd’s single “I
can´t feel my face” (ranked nr. 1 on the Billboards), who also won the Grammy Awards, Record
of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, was
co-written by FOUR different people, and not one of them was The Weeknd
himself.
In the music industry,
everyone has their task. On one hand, there are the “artists”/singers who get fame and money thanks to their looks (and to some extent their skill). On the other,
there are the songwriters who couldn’t make it on their own and make a living writing
songs for the labels to be performed by the artists, just for the sake of the paycheque… Indeed, this is an industry itself
and as it happens with all other industries, its the main objective is to make money.
Also, companies spend tons of
money developing the image of the artists who represent them, because they know image sells (check Arianna Grande “before and after” pictures below) and it’s
the main attribute someone should have to become a pop star (along with good vocal
chords in some cases), because the major labels are not going to trust the “artists”
with the songwriting – that’s not even what they were hired for! They are just
the face!
If we compare a Victoria Secrets
poster with a The Weeknd/Taylor Swift/whatever artist poster, it is basically
the same. The people on the cover are just the face of a company, are just the
face behind the brand, behind hundreds of stylists, make-up artists, producers,
songwriters, lyricists, audio/recording engineers, session studio musicians,
mixing and mastering engineers, video directors, executives, managers,
publicity experts, and much more. The Victoria Secrets model in this example
wouldn’t be the lady who knitted/sewed/designed the lingerie, she would be just
the face of the brand. Just as the Grammy winning singers wouldn’t and didn’t
write their songs.
As many people would like to
believe, most “artists” (not to say everyone) don´t write their own songs.
There’s no honesty or any genuine aspect behind the music. They are just the
face of a big company hungry for money.
João Pinto, nº 137917
It's rough and raw - but it's like that. And yes - it is horrible. I agree with your post but would just like to bring up the fact that not performing your own music is not so tragic. Many most iconic musical figures didn't write a single piece during their lifetime but were good performers and good singers and that's what mattered the most. Elvis Presley is the best example for that. The King of Rock 'n' Roll didn't actually write a single rock 'n' roll song during his career and lifetime. And he wasn't bad at all. He was a good performer and many of those songs were written especially for him. Let's say also that writing specifically for other singers and performers also takes some talent and skill. But the fact about the new, so called, "pop stars" is absolutely true. They are just faces and nothing more and it's blasphemy for music that we have people like that who are publicly calling themselves "musicians". Do they even enjoy performing those songs if they are only in the bussiness because of the money?
ReplyDeleteKristina Mandarić
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ReplyDeleteI would agree with Kristina. I believe it is very rare to have it all. To be a great writer, to have amazing voice, to make your own music, to play instrument and to performe. It takes a special kind of person and we would have much less different music if this was the case. That only 'perfect musicians' would exist. I believe you need cooperation. If the case is (which is mostly not in pop music) to make a quality song, you should take a 'hook' or chorus written by someone else if it makes the song better. Eveything should be OK and blessed if its for the sake of music itself. Some people are amazing performers, have incredible charizma, but lack creative aspects of writing and it would be a shame if we would not use their talents in the area of performance itself. Some artist enjoy writing and seeing their work come to life in a form of music, even though it is not them who sing it, or perform. They are part of the creative process and music in my opinion is a process of collaboration.
ReplyDeleteBojan Toprek
I agree whit everything that has been said. Very few artists are capable to do it all by themselves. We have the case of the singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. His albums are only composed of songs that he has writen. He also writes for other artists, such as Hilary Duff, One Direction, Olly Murs, Rixton, among others; and also plays the guitar and piano, and is a record producer. Right there we have the whole package, but artists like Sheeran are not very common on today's music scene. Like it has been said, some artists are not that creative and therefore, not able to write their own stuff, but some of them actually have talent. It would be a shame to waste an amazing voice due to lack of creativity. Beyonce is an incredibly talented woman, she writes or co-writes many of her songs, yet she has had other people writing for her. The same happens with a lot of other artists in the industry. But I do agree that there are some people out there that only do it for the money and the lifestyle of the "superstar". Like Kristina said, do they even enjoy doing it?
ReplyDeleteCatarina Coelho
Nº 146208
Sadly the current music industry is set on falseness. As you've said, the artists do not even participate in the creation of the only thing they should do for a living. It is true that it is a process of collaboration, as Bojan said, but the artist should not be completely apart from the creating process, as often happens.
ReplyDeleteAlso another issue regarding this new wave of pseudo-artists is the ever-growing role of the media in their carreers. I find it absolutely dreadful how artists' management itself worries a lot more about launching said singers via creating drama between two or more artists. The recognition accomplished in consequent bickering over trivial and petty matters is what management aims for, and not the quality of their artists. Not anymore, at least. I won't argue that this type of game hasn't been around for a lot more time - it probably has - but nowadays it's more scandalous than ever, I believe.
As you have said, it's all about creating puppets - and making money pour.
Inês Morais
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe sad truth is: sex sells. By maintaining a sexualized image of women in front of a product, advertising, music, film, and other companies turn an immense profit. Although some of these artists do have talent, their actions and creative "freedom" is on a tight leash. Companies must keep up a certain public image, a certain aura of "coolness" and innovative spirit to remain relevant in an era where everything changes at lightening speeds.
ReplyDeleteJoana Rita Santos Janeiro
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