(Not so) music industry

Mainstream music appears to be more about the image and visual aesthetics than it is about the actual music these days. So much of the “music industry” is about selling a product and getting audiences hooked on the artist’s image/persona than it is about the actual music. The classic example of this is Britney Spears (in her prime, at least). Her image (not her voice) is clearly what allows her to be constantly churning out hits which top the charts. As much as she does have talent in terms of performing, dance style, doing publicity for her albums and showing off an enthusiastic personality and curvy body which is necessary for a celebrity to have, these talents do not boil down to the ‘music’. She is out there in order to sell albums, merchandise, tickets, magazines and have the income flowing in to those who created her. Music seems to be a small portion of the equation. Perhaps this is why she is disliked by a lot of people; because there are many talented musical artists out there who aren’t given the spotlight because they may lack the image and other non musical talents to break into what is called the ‘music industry’.