Tree Lighting Fiasco at Rockefeller Center

I wish I carried a slingshot with me everywhere I went. That way, I would be prepared to take action when I saw performances like the ones last night at the Tree Lighting Ceremony at Rockefeller Center. Now I’ve known for awhile that the music industry was in dire straights and quite literally grasping for straws, and I’m sure you have too, but last night was a shocker.

I actually found myself saying out loud last night, “Are you serious?” And not just once! Almost every artist offered their own unique kind of disappointment. Susan Boyle for example; can someone please explain to me how this woman still has a budding music career? I realize that she had a beautiful performance on Brittain’s Got Talent, and it was moving to see someone like her really have a moment in the spotlight. But the continual pumping of marketing dollars into her and putting her on major stages across the country is mind boggling. Since when did we let performers that consistently look like a deer in headlights continue to vie for our attention? There is nothing moving about watching a statue move their lips to some music, no matter how good their voice is.

And the Justin Beiber effect is another phenomenon sweeping the nation that makes me want to spew chunks. Just because there is one successful, talented and cute star under the age of 16 doesn’t mean that any cute, young 16 year old has the chops to cut it with the big boys (or girls) and that we should start scouring the nation like Harrod looking for Jesus to find another young clone to thrust into the spotlight in order to make a quick buck. Last night, Charise, who is supposedly the new hottest up and coming puppet of the music industry, delivered a robotic performance at best. Yes, she has a good voice and is awkwardly endearing…but there are millions of good voices and cute faces out there. What used to mark a star was their ability to put on a show, or write amazing songs, or do just about anything except stand there with a gimpish smile on their face and wait for their music to start. Last night Charise’s track didn’t begin properly and instead of turning the flub into a moment to shine, like any performer with any true credibility would do by making a joke, or breaking out into an accapella number…she stood there fidgeting and looking like shy Ronnie from Saturday Night Live. These are the moments that test real talent! When things don’t go perfectly, if you sink faster than an anchor tied to a kitten…then you are not ready to be performing on National television. Her pianist finally took the mic from her and said, “Gotta love live television.” “Are you serious?” Now, I can hear some of you saying, but she’s only 16, give her a break..and to you I would say, “Would Michael Jackson have waited for one of his brothers in the Jackson Five to snatch the mic from him and save the day?” Hell no! He actually had talent and knew how to command the stage! He was actually living in a time when record labels came to see you perform before they signed you and actually cared about putting their name on something that would make them look like they couldn’t tell a shining star from a crashing satellite.

To Charise’s credit, once the music actually started, she did recover and deliver a well sung song. But once upon a time musicians were not just about delivering the status quo…they were innovators, pushing music and performance to new heights.

But sadly one of the major problems with the music industry these days is that labels are putting no money into artist development. They are no longer looking for acts with serious heart and passion and signing them to multiple record deals in order to see what they can create and how they can evolve. They are no longer looking for those acts that might be slightly off the beaten path, but that just might change the way we listen to music. It used to be about inspiring music. It used to be about moving people! Now it is about trying to make a quick buck and jumping on any bandwagon that has had it’s 5 minutes of fame in reality television and riding it like a dog in heat until the wheels fall off. Please tell me how true art comes from this? If your answer to this question is “Hey, Don’t be Tardy for the Party is some good shit,” then please get in line for me to shoot you with the sling shot that I’ve now decided to carry around. It’s sad, but it seems that the days of Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan truly are dead because those two legends would never get signed today. Stevie would get overlooked because he’s blind, and in the days of 360 deals, we aren’t sure how to pitch a blind artist to fashion labels…and Bob Dylan wouldn’t get signed because his songs aren’t the “run of the mill, proven formula devoid of any real heart and feeling.” And even if he did get signed by some miracle…they would end up auto-tuning his voice to a point where none of his raspy emotion could come through.

But it’s not just the labels fault! We are the ones buying this crap (or stealing it by downloading it for free and therefore eliminating the value of music altogether and perpetuating the problem). We have proven lately that musicians who take a risk and make innovative music are NOT what we want. We want people like Ke$ha and Kim Zolciak and songs telling us to make haste and not be late for the awesome party tonight…woooooh!!!

Annie Lenox though….now she’s still got it! Whether she’s singing a Christmas song or “Walking on Broken Glass” that woman sings her ass off and delivers a performance that moves her audience every time! Quite frankly, she single handedly saved the show.