Gay (I know don't laugh) poll of the weekend

[syk]

That time is over. I doubt any artist will get as big anymore. Since the Beatles and Stones superstardom is on the decline. There's an oversupply and no chance a single artist will reach that level again.

[garbon]

Certainly not in the Martinus/garbon way, where 'gay' means 'adult man who acts like a junior high girl'.  Grallon is their superior in every way.

It is good that he gave up preying on children though.

[Martinus]

Well, she has an indie singing background (she started in the Ny gay scene), she had a very good pop culture start, she seems to be clever and she has a good voice (check one of the videos on youtube of her singing her songs acoustically - it's surprising there is something behind the CGE). However, I'm with Buddha in that it's too early to tell.

She could be the new Madonna, but she also could be yet another flash in the pan. Ask me again in 5 to 10 years.

That being said, I like her music - I just hope that, like Madonna, she is not going to keep to the same style for ever.

[DontSayBanana]

That time is over. I doubt any artist will get as big anymore. Since the Beatles and Stones superstardom is on the decline. There's an oversupply and no chance a single artist will reach that level again.

It's not just that; the whole nature of the music scene has changed.  A&R used to be able to fuel huge months-long tours on the proceeds of an album release.  Thanks to iTunes and its ilk offering purchases on a song-by-song basis, we're going to see a lot less golds and platinums over time, so recording companies are going to have to scavenge more to find funding for the huge tours and be more likely to do it on a case-by-case basis.

[Eddie Teach]

I always thought the tours paid for themselves, isn't that kind of the point?

[DontSayBanana]

I always thought the tours paid for themselves, isn't that kind of the point?

Most tours are a money pit.  The bigger the name, the higher the cost for the bulk insurance.  Added to the cost of stage equipment, technicians, additional lighting, sound or effects, outlay for merchandise... rap and R&B in particular have gotten expensive enough to insure to make most tours not worth it.

[Eddie Teach]

Then they just won't have tours. /shrug

The point was always about making money, whether it was from gate receipts or increased album sales. Record execs weren't thinking "we sold a million copies, let's spend it on a tour!"

[DontSayBanana]

Then they just won't have tours. /shrug

The point was always about making money, whether it was from gate receipts or increased album sales. Record execs weren't thinking "we sold a million copies, let's spend it on a tour!"

No, they were thinking "these people are icons, let's invest in a tour to generate even more interest and keep selling million-copy releases."  And the tours are indeed slowing down.
Repeating, the biggest hurt is actually per-song digital purchases.  Once upon a time, an artist could count on an amazing single to have people buy the album regardless, and now people can just get the song- probably more likely to only get the song if the focus is prominently on a single, in fact.  I haven't seen it happening on too large a scale yet, but eventually, I'm thinking artists are going to go for lower standards and higher consistency to salvage their sales.

[garbon]

(check one of the videos on youtube of her singing her songs acoustically - it's surprising there is something behind the CGE).

Well she did go to school for music.

[The Brain]

I like her newish song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACm9yECwSso

[Malthus]

I like her newish song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACm9yECwSso

Nice vodka product placement. 

Also ... "100 quatloos on the Blonde"

[Faeelin]

I like her newish song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACm9yECwSso

Too much Left4Dead makes me reach for my shotgun in the beginning.

Also, the fact that my 60 year old father likes Lady Gaga makes me feel old. 

[Siege]

I love Lady Gaga.

I brought her up here in languish long before she became famous.

[Richard Hakluyt]

You gay chaps are always ahead of the cultural curve 

[BuddhaRhubarb]