Essay/Term paper: The consumer and the gimmick

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Music

The Consumer and the Gimmick


Today there are many factors that hurt the music industry. One factor
involves the way we push musicians into allowing the industry to popularize one
good song thus forgetting the rest of the album.  We the consumers have somehow
been satisfied with just one good song from one mediocre band.  Perhaps there is
a simple formula for disaster.  First the song is played on the radio and then
the video is constantly on MTV, thus causing us to get tired of the music.  It's
as easy as that!

We sit and whine about not hearing enough from our favorite band, but
once they come out with new music we smother ourselves in it. We then get sick
of it and are left looking for something new to fulfill our cravings. This is
when we, the monster consumers of music, decide to take our interest to the next
hit song. It's not all our fault. You have to put at least some blame on the
bands themselves. They feel that it is part of their job to indulge our wants. 
We as lovers of what these songwriters do are appalled and disgusted by hearing
anything but the best from our favorite bands.  Once we have what we want it's
not long before we want more.  This is because we consume the musicians' talents
like a fast food happy meal.  We open the box, take out the toy, throw away the
contents, and then bitch about being hungry.  When we do this we always say,
"It's a cool song, but they are a one hit wonder."  We the hungry consumer do
not give the bands a chance to show their true musical talents. One example
involves the group Verve Pipe and their hit song "The Freshman." This songs LP
was out in December. No one noticed it until halfway through the month of
March.  "The Freshman" was played every thirty minutes on the radio and fifteen
times a day on MTV. This in my opinion results in the complete overplay of one
bands hit song.  Now we consider them a "One hit wonder."  The Verve Pipe has
more good music, but who is to say that anyone will ever hear it?

Another thing that hurts the industry is the reliance on gimmicks.
Finding   talent in a band that relies on gimmicks is as easy as lifting a
three-hundred pound man above you head.  Sure for some it is easy, but for
others it's damn near impossible.  A few bands that rely on gimmicks are Marilyn
Manson and basically any rapper you can think of off the top of your head.  Sure
there are a few rappers that have produced good songs, but many rappers rely
very heavily on gangster mentality and vulgar language.  These gimmicks make rap
music liked by those who see their music as a way of breaking social norms. 
It's the attitude of these rappers that say, "I don't care if my music is
offensive because that's what I grew up with."  Is this really true?  Is it
really their momma's fault that every song they write relies on vulgar language
and gang-banging situations?  It's simply a way to keep their music popular
because that's what kids want to hear.  If the kids keep pumping out the cash,
then the music industry will keep producing the vulgar and obscene records.
This causes the industry to be run by bad mouthed money makers.

Another band that relies heavily on gimmicks is Marilyn Manson. Marilyn
Mansons small band of social screwups owe it to themselves to perhaps step back
and see that he is not a heroic leader, but more like a ringleader at a circus. 
I truly don't believe that he is a leader of the Satanic Brotherhood, but that
he could possibly travel with a circus and perform in his own side-show.  This
is something that I personally believe is not worth following.  This just shows
how crazy one man can pretend to be.  He creates some crazy satanic album and
then he just sits back and watches as the money and fans roll in.

Marilyn Mansons music is however very potent. Even I have been pulled
in by a small portion of his music.  I love his remake of "Sweet Dreams," and I
also think that his song "Beautiful People" is awesome.  I am just one of many
prime examples of how one person who is disgusted by all of the gimmicks can
easily be pulled in by creating or even recreating catchy tunes.

It's gimmicks and consumer consumption that I feel make up relatively
ninety-five percent of all that is bad with the music industry today.  Sure you
still have the bands like Beck that try to show how to break those gimmicks by
poking fun at the very heart of all that they stand for, but there are also
bands that are strictly about making music.  It doesn't matter if you like their
music or not.  This decision is up to you.  It seems to me that these are the
types of bands that are much happier making music and not just making money. 
Gimmicks stand for failure within music and disaster for any decent and talented
musician whose dreams were shattered by some gimmick reliant one hit wonder. 
Maybe one reason that kids follow gimmicks is that since time began they have
always wanted something there to grab hold of and to call their own.  I think
that some bands that I consider gimmick bands try to give the kids something to
take a hold of.   Even though in my opinion only one or two out of twenty of
these bands will be around for a sophomore record release.

Today we are all fixed on ourselves. We say things like, "I want to hear
a new single" and "I want to see new videos."  The problem is that when we
finally do hear these songs we are quick to make opinions on them.  We still
listen to music but we no longer hear it.  All bands are seeing is dollar signs
and all the consumers are seeing is a group of lyrics and some catchy tunes.

I feel that new bands are not taken as seriously now as they were in the
past.  When we get hungry we eat.  Perhaps the same food over and over again. 
How often do we try something new though?  This relates very well to the music
industry.  We are quick to spin the same records, but how often do we try out a
new band?  We very rarely give the new guys a fair chance.  I feel that
everything in the music industry has been going down hill for quite some time. 
We have to change our ways.  The next time you take a crap don't flush right
away.  Just stand up and look in the bowl because what you see is exactly where
the music industry is heading in the future.  All that it's going to take to
ruin it is a simple flush.