Dean Winchester
01-12-2008, 04:33 AM
I know people will be quick to say American Idol, but... while AI is a good vehicle for artists (and a lot of people will become a guest judge simply because it spikes sales the week afterwards, proven.... even Diana Ross had her first top 40 album in 23 years as a result of doing Idol), deep down it's still a talent show where you vote singers off one by one.
I was talking to someone earlier who is a big fan of the music variety shows of yesteryear, like Bandstand, Soul Train and Solid Gold. Those shows were a big deal in their day and continue to be classics to an entire generation of people, as well as attracting younger people who have an appreciation for older music through tape trading.
We're currently in an industry where there is so much music around, but no place to really take in everything there is to offer right now. MTV doesn't even know what the M stands for these days, radio is more stale than ever and too obsessed with demographics instead of good music. Plus, sales are in the crapper, and part of why is because there are no real "stars" anymore. Britney, Justin, Beyonce, Eminem are the last real wave of superstars and they've all been around a decade now. Does anyone else think this would be a great time to come out with a new music variety show featuring the brightest and biggest artists of the day, with a throwback to the old days (kinda like how Solid Gold would have a group from the 60's or 70's come in and perform a hit that was already 10-15 years old by 1982) and re-establish music as a force in America. I believe not enough blame is put on MTV/VH1 for abandoning their original mission statements for the downfall of record sales, and too much on illegal downloading. Without MTV or any outlet for these artists to be heard outside of YouTube or American Idol, there just isn't a real vehicle for artists to establish themselves like in the old days.
I was talking to someone earlier who is a big fan of the music variety shows of yesteryear, like Bandstand, Soul Train and Solid Gold. Those shows were a big deal in their day and continue to be classics to an entire generation of people, as well as attracting younger people who have an appreciation for older music through tape trading.
We're currently in an industry where there is so much music around, but no place to really take in everything there is to offer right now. MTV doesn't even know what the M stands for these days, radio is more stale than ever and too obsessed with demographics instead of good music. Plus, sales are in the crapper, and part of why is because there are no real "stars" anymore. Britney, Justin, Beyonce, Eminem are the last real wave of superstars and they've all been around a decade now. Does anyone else think this would be a great time to come out with a new music variety show featuring the brightest and biggest artists of the day, with a throwback to the old days (kinda like how Solid Gold would have a group from the 60's or 70's come in and perform a hit that was already 10-15 years old by 1982) and re-establish music as a force in America. I believe not enough blame is put on MTV/VH1 for abandoning their original mission statements for the downfall of record sales, and too much on illegal downloading. Without MTV or any outlet for these artists to be heard outside of YouTube or American Idol, there just isn't a real vehicle for artists to establish themselves like in the old days.