CoNtrivedNiHilism

I agree with this.

But my curious mind would still love to see visual proof that Swift has amassed more album sales, not just in the US, but worldwide than Metallica, Prince, Van Halen has in the time they've been active. For me, what Chula has claimed and supposedly proven to me, is an extremely bold statement of Swift and her accomplishments.

And, as I thought. Swift has sold 80 million digital singles, not albums. So, when you factor than in to the bigger picture. Swift has only sold 30 million actual albums, not 110 million albums. So, that does not place her above Metallica in actual album sales, or Van Halen, or even Prince. Now I want to go figure out how much those three have sold in digital singles...

Pet_Sounds

This really doesn't add anything to the debate, but… I turned on Taylor Swift after I saw a video of her doing "As Tears Go By" with the Stones. She absolutely butchered one of my favourite songs.

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CoNtrivedNiHilism

She's a country/pop singer, so her taking her pretty, delicate voice, and taking on a song like As Tears Go By, her voice won't fit. That statement makes it sound like I'm saying that singers with voices like Swifts can't tackle a song like that, even if it isn't really that difficult. I'm just saying that some singers just don't have the sort of voice that would compliment certain songs when they go to cover them.

Chula Vista

Of course.

I also love and admire a bunch of artists that didn't hit the jackpot.

Does that mean that I should sh*t on Taylor Swift because she's sold more albums than King's X?

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CoNtrivedNiHilism

Absolutely not.

But you know, that certified album sales of Swifts you linked me to, it's only at 110 million certified unites because of the 80 million digital single sales she has, those aren't 80 million album sales, they're digital singles, as in single songs.

And cut me a break, man. I said that I respect what Swift has accomplished. I just don't like her music, but she isn't without talent.

By the way...

Talent does factor in to success. But I don't want to get in to that debate with you, because I feel that if I do, I'll only come off in the wrong way to you and your idea of what defines an artists or bands success, because it does not rely only on the talent they possess. Justin Beiber is a good example of that. Talented? To a point, but there are other, more prominent or ruling factors in to the success he has had.

DriveYourCarDownToTheSea

I see what you're saying, but these are my sisters, and I know what they like and dislike, which is not terribly different from what I like and dislike. I might expect maybe 1 of the 3 to differ from my perception of a band like Tame Impala, but not all 3.

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Ninetales

wait tame impala aren't a bland band? fooled me

Screen13

It's not the "music" itself, but what is picked and how the show is ran. The unfortunate thing now is that it's mainly bubblegum without any true balance or holes in the system that provided some kind of well-heard alternative in the past in the Pop Scene. By The 90's, I'm sure some respected musicians got lectures from the New Suits on how to record their music - not advice, but hard lectures which read "get a hit or else".

Here's a fact that set the scene - during the MTV days, the companies spent themselves blind on those big music videos. Compile that money losing fact with their crap attempts to go modern with the technology or even ignoring it in true old fart fashion through The 90's, and you can see where their goal is the big hit and not the longer lasting great song. Passing the bill to the bands who would usually be left out in the cold used to work until they finally read what was going on.

The fact is that the number of people who treat music like wallpaper will always outnumber those who will seriously listen to it, and the industry was always trying to find ways to win full stop. Ever since the majors finally got a hold on how to handle music promotion in the post-MTV generations, after of course forming into one big monster with several heads, they closed and triple locked the doors making sure those who get in hold the cards given to them who will not question authority.

It's usually kind of like working at a big block store or Fast Foods - the star is behind the cash register being young and presentable while the lucky workers who know their place slave behind the instruments. No ugly old know it all is to be seen up front or anyone who represents something different, unless the elder is like a respected uncle or the something different is nothing more bit a small quirk they can work with.

Once something hits the Mainstream, it's usually this dire - Think of when MTV made it into every area in The US right in the middle of the Reagan years as well as being bought up by a TV company that thought of turning things away from it's original formula that did not provide stable ratings, think of when the method to chart music popularity called Soundscan only focused on the big stores (including Wal Mart!) who could afford to join in the beginning (many indie stores then rarely had a computer, and it's possible that some smaller chains also lacked the equipment, too!), think of when Boy and Girl groups dominated after Grunge faded away.


So in other words, real music listeners of all stripes including Pop always were seriously out numbered, it's that now the gap is even wider. It always was...that's usually a good thing.

Plus when the business went seriously visual through the Internet and DVD (Video Disc Killed the Audio Star!), the game plan had to be changed. And you can see through the carefully structured videos where that belief went into full force in the Music industry...

There may be a change in the near future, who knows?

Jade_City

silly subject to talk about, because the music that you're talking about right now that's apparently 'killing' music is very mainstream. There's plenty of other good stuff out there, hate it when people say stupid stuff like this

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WHERE DID YOU GET THAT THING?

FROM THE MOTHERSHIP!

Rexx Shredd

There are also some of us that like (some) mainstream music and don't feel that "mainstream" is necessarily a bad thing

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