Here is an interesting article that applies to all of our discussions about all the various art forms. Is popularity a bad thing? Is it better to be a “cult” favorite? or a “critical success?” Arcade Fire is a band that seems to be trying very hard to be “smart” and “interesting” and “complex.” These are not the kind of attributes one normally associates with “pop” music, but yet this indie band has become very popular. Are audiences getting smarter and more sophisticated? Is it OK to be a little bit geeky?
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I believe audiences are always looking for something new and innovative because they might have grown tired of the popular trends, therefore the audiences have branched out and grasped on to the “non-popular” and different interests, whether it’s in music or art. As humans, it is common for us to grow bored and therefore we find something unique to capture our own interests. When a concept is popularized after too many people follow the trend, people then brach out and find somethng new, which results in a cycle.
Popularity is not a bad thing, but at the same time, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything. There are many songs out there today that are considered “popular,” whose lead singers have little or no talent and whose words have little meaning. However, sometimes people are attracted to bands simply because their songs are straying from the norm. Audiences are not necessarily more smart or sophisticated but like Corina said, are always looking for something new and improved to feed their appetites for something “different.” That is why popularity shouldn’t be taken all too seriously. In today’s world, it is extremely short-lived and like the NY Times article said, Eminem could easily (and very likely) be at the top of the charts next week, kicking the new sensation of Arcade Fire from the no. 1 album spot.
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Of all the art forms, music in particular is most often associated with “lifestyles,” and it seems inevitable that those who use music to show that they subscribe to an “alternative” lifestyle will be miffed when their quintessentially Alternative music becomes mainstream. The music itself need not be involved when it comes to the whole “selling out” debate.
Unfortunately, success in the music business is not solely determined on talent. Networking and advertising are additionally crucial. Arcade Fire needed to build a network first with a record label, and then practically rub their music in everyone’s faces through public shows and internet promotion. Like the article stated, a band must do anything and everything possible to become popular – even if this means resorting to shock value. However, if the music is genuinely attractive and and artistically memorable, it will not be as short-lived as most mainstream music is today.