Want to break into the music industry, but dont have any actual talent? No problem! Auto-Tune will keep you in key, and a whole bevy of programs will write and then practically perform the song for you. There is, perhaps, no better example of this than the 2011 song Friday by Rebecca Black. It was invented as a vanity project for a well-off young girl, features heavily computerised instrumentation and Auto-Tuned vocals, and made its rounds through social media, propelling Black to nearly overnight stardom. And it stank. Pop and R&B songs use technology excessively to mask poor singing, weak writing or simple instrumental incompetence. In the process, it strips music of all its humanity which is really about the only thing that ought to matter. Its a way to create and market people who arent actually musically compelling, but have the right personality to sell tabloids and be a major cash cow to a record label. What else could explain the mystifying presumption so many people have that Miley Cyrus is actually talented? In live performances, the situation has gotten even more out of control. Lip-syncing is common; so is guitar-syncing. Modern musicians are actors first and foremost; the music is a secondary characteristic, almost an afterthought and entirely forgettable of the show. The true star is just the personality that's on stage.
Kyle Schmidlin is a writer and musician living in Austin, TX. He manages the news blog at thirdrailnews.wordpress.com. Follow him at facebook.com/kyleschmidlin or twitter.com/kyleschmidlin1.
