Has American Idol's affect on the music industry been positive or negative?

Answer 1

I think neither. The music industry has been a circus joke for decades, American Idol just put the shallowness and superficiality on display for all to see. The sheep still flock the the "glamour" and "specticle" of it all, but intelligent people see right through it all.

Answer 2

Yes and no. Idol helps people who wouldn't normally have a chance at a music career, but it also makes a mockery out of people who have struggled for years to make it into the business. I have to admit, I watch the show every second season or so. Technology helps to make music more accessible, but it also helps to sell sub-par music. The authenticity of music has been lost. Most albums now are over-produced with machines doing most of the work. Haven't you ever heard a song and thought "Wow! That's a really good song and the artist has such a good voice!" and then heard the performer live and thought "What the hell is that screeching? That's not the same song or person singing it!". And it really isn't the same song or the same person singing it. The album/single was mostly mechanical, but because people don't pay to see machines on a stage, you have to suffer through the human version of a song. With the good comes the bad. If you want a good song or album you need to cover the performers voice with synthesizers and everything else because, let's face it, the talent pool has been drained. Shows like American/Canadian Idol give me hope that out there somewhere there are people who can really sing, and some of the contestants really can, and perform and that not all artists are pre-packaged-talentless crap like the Britney's and Jessica's of the world. And, just for the record, I believe that what hurts the music industry the most is the price of CD's and concerts. To be honest, I have only bought 1 CD in the past 5 years, not counting blanks. If the CD's were cheaper, I would buy more, that is if there were more bands/singers that were worth spending my hard-earned money on. I have only been to one show in 10 years, and I went only because I scored free tickets. I refuse to pay the $70 (or more) per ticket for a show that ends up sounding nothing like the music I hear on the radio or the CD. Sorry, but I can't justify spending $25, or more, on a CD that is mostly machine sung. Don't these performers have big enough houses in L.A., Malibu, Florida, New York, and wherever else they find prime real estate? Do they need to charge their fans so much? Do they really need 20 Rolex watches, 5 bottles of Cristal a day, a different car for everyday of the week, and a new purebred dog in every color to match every single one of the 50 designer purses they own? Until artists start singing honestly and performing to real bands instead of synthetic music tracks, and until they stop ripping off the fans and charging reasonable prices for their merchandise and performances, I'll spend my money on earplugs, thank you very much!

Answer 3

I think it's helped in ways that it isn't exactly garbage that's being rolled out here - the winner you would hope is someone who has the talent couple with mass appeal (at least that's how it's voted).
It hurts the industry in a sense that the Idols are all more or less cut from the same packaged mold - and I'm sorry, the industry is much more than Pop and Country.
It gets pretty frustrating when an extremely talented singer is cut from the competition, but then again, when you consider the track record of some of the past winners (only 2 out of the past 6 have really blown up), is that necessarily a bad thing?

Answer 4

I dont think it has any effect on the music industry, but I do think its a good show. These contestants may have never gotten discovered or had a chance like Idol gives you. It has its good qualities and there's the cheesy side too, but is anything perfect? As Far as the music industry is concerned, it is already in a mess and it needs all the help it can get. If Idol does help it out, then good for them.

Answer 5

I can say both. American idol has produced most of the biggest stars of today such as winners like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood who both have won Grammys for their individual genre. Jennifer Hudson may not have one but a well-deserved grammy and emmy award was a proof what AI really is- to search for the next big superstar. Daughtry and Kat mcphee was also given their big breaks because of the idol impact to the masses mainstream. But on the negative side, i can say is that great singers like Melinda and Mandissa were not given the chance to make it to finale because of the voting system. There are great idol boot-outs who deserve more than the winners if given the chance to win.
One negative impact too is that successful idols who were now on top of their pedestals never acknowledge their roots, which is AI. Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson never added AI on the list of the people to thank of as soon as they received their grammy awards. And one final negative impact is that some idols contestants were given too much black propaganda and negative issues by the media, one best example was Frenchie Davies' internet issue as well as Antonella Barba's pics and last, who will not forget the Sanjaya controversy?

Answer 6

I agree that the affect on the music industry has been minimal. However it has affected the television industry profoundly. Look at all the shows that have a similar format. There are dancing competitions, battle of the bands, modeling contests. I even took the time to watch the one about competing drectors last night. The ratings AI has garnered have turned television upside down.


Deac

Answer 7

I think it is positive because it shows you how many marginally talented people are out there.

Fact is a lot of people sing and sing reasonably well, but very few people have a unique quality that makes their voice special.

In addition many "singers" lack a passion for the music and/or just lack musical talent (ability to write music, play instruments etc).

Many of these borderline singers who technically can sing are on Idol.

So the benefit is that you can see that some people who are big celebrities are just lucky (Britney, J-Lo) or riding on looks.

It helps you identify people with true musical talent and discard the mediocrity.

People with powerful/unique voices include Stevie Nicks, Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera, Chrisse Hynde.

Answer 8

Hello..Hmm your question requires some deep thought. I think ( I can be wrong ) that American Idol effect on the music industry has been positive becuase whether the stars win or not esp if they are the "FINAL TEN".....music excutives are always on the looklout for new talent. the show is one of the many ways they find talent. for brand new never heard of potenial music artists: ITS EXTREMELY tough to break in the industry UNLESS they had prior exposure.

Answer 9

Depends how people look at it. Everyone says it's just a new way to find undiscovered stupid teeny pop singers that can't write their own songs.

However, that's coming from people who like darker music genres, and I think that it's pretty lame when you insult a show where it helps people get a career in the music industry. But I think it's neither positve or negative.

Answer 10

Positive (Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Bucky Covington, Josh Gracin, Chris Daughtry, Clay Akins, Kelly Clarkson, and Jennifer Hudson.) I haven't heard much from Fantasia Barrino or Rueben Studdard (I listen to country music mostly), but I'm sure that have been doing great in the music business too.