Idol Danger

This week’s lecture on the Idol phenomenon underlines the damage these shows can do to genuine musicians. While a number of singers and groups may not write their own songs and play their own music, there are plenty of singers and groups who do. This in itself is not a major problem, but it is exacerbated by the fact these Idol shows firmly communicate that the most important quality of a song (and performer) lies in the vocal and stage presence.
The audience votes on how contestants perform the song of the night, but the true success of any song is often determined by the writers and band also involved. This is one reason why on any particular album there are only one or two hits (even though the entire album features the same performer).
Similarly, the single that the ultimate Idol releases is pre-written and the same irrespective of which contestant wins (as finalists perform this song in the final episode. This suggests that the contestants’ ability (or lack thereof) is irrelevant to the music produced. Further, it downplays the importance of the songwriting process because it implies that songs don’t benefit from collaboration with the singer or benefit by being tailored to a particular singers talents (in other words, that songwriting requires little skill).
Accordingly, because of the huge popularity of these shows and because of their disproportionate emphasis on vocals and stage presence, Idol shows threaten to undermine the skills required in the other areas of music production.