I just like the fact about how she handles her followers.
To some of my original statements, she isn't handling anything, she's being managed and letting those folks and their marketers promote her. Duke, Mo', John and Macca, and tons of others made it on their talent, talent that evolved and grew. Her talent is marginal, but the propaganda machine around is massive. The line between country and pop has been super thin for at least two decades and the crossover thing has been done by other artists, it's just that few have given over to one genre over the other.
Obviously the Beatles created a similar stir, but in the midst of being the biggest band in the world they stopped touring and they just went crazy in the studio. For the girls/teens that were hung up on everything up to HELP, Rubber Soul started fucking with their ears and kept going on from there...even HELP started straying away from the poppy love songs with Dylan impressions and deeper orchestrations. It's not about liking the Beatles though or placing them on pedestal, they're merely and example of how artists evolve given the opportunity. They could have failed, people could have stopped buying albums and buy the standards of the time they should have. The artist has to be willing to take a chance and not the notion of crossing an imaginary genre boundary.
Anyway, I get what you're saying, but I'm not listening to artists for anything other than their success at grabbing and keeping my musical attention. It would be great if Ian Moore were a household name and putting out the killer music he's been making his entire career, but I can't/don't worry about how rich he'll be when he dies.
As to the popular music angle, I'm still finding plenty of new artists and music to listen to and a certain amount of it is definitely pop, but it's not blockbuster chart topping American Top 40. In reading articles about and interviews with these artists, it's definitely a hope/goal for them to be the next Gaga or Swift, but it's not happening. I only listened to top 40 peripherally through my sister, so it's never been my area of interest EXCEPT for all of the various stuff throughout my life that found it's way there after the fact of my already being a fan. That said, some tunes that I hadn't heard until they were Top 40 hits that I heard via canned music or friends have found their way to my ears and hit those happy spots. I'm always searching and keeping my ears open and buying and listening to what I like, just like everyone else here. Admittedly some of the "new" stuff appeals because it feel like home via its touching on familiar things that I already love. Other stuff, however, grabs me because it's actually musically new and different from things I've heard and that's a big plus. I've also grown out of appreciation of a ton of music. Some stuff is always getting played and other stuff is like a fond remembrance. Hopefully we're all evolving/growing/changing as listeners and players (although the latter hasn't happened for me in WAY too long).
I feel like this a circular discussion, so I'll bow out now. Thanks for conversating, but I can't spend anymore of my time focusing on Ms. Swift.
) forward.
