I couldn't believe this, boy is this the pot calling the kettle black.

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - A top MTV boss on Wednesday slammed Pop Idol-type TV talent shows for producing a string of manufactured stars who did nothing to salvage the beleaguered music industry.



"These programs make good TV but from a musical point of view, they do not have any value," Brent Hansen, President and Chief Executive of MTV Networks Europe told Reuters.


TV shows that propel total unknowns to instant stardom have been huge ratings winners on both sides of the Atlantic but Hansen is clearly not a fan.


"I totally believe they have devalued us, taken us back to light entertainment and voyeurism" he said. "I think people will turn away from it. They are looking for more substance."


Hansen, whose music channels have a huge influence on pop tastes, is not alone in his caustic dismissal of Instant Pop.


Music veterans like Elton John (news) and George Michael (news) have complained bitterly about the trend and Bono, lead singer of the Irish supergroup U2, has argued: "People are sick to the teeth of processed and hyped pop bands. It is crap."


Hansen, in Edinburgh for Thursday night's MTV Europe Awards, said the beleaguered music industry must hold its nerve and take time to nurture talent if it is to recover from its current slump.


"Disposable and ephemeral will, I hope, become less of an attraction both to people who are signing the artists and to the audience," he said.


"I think it will come right as long as there is confidence from the labels right through from the indies (independents) to the majors in signing new talent," he added.


The latest industry figures paint a dismal picture. Global data showed music sales tumbled almost 11 percent in the first six months of this year, piling more pressure on music companies to do deals to survive.


Despite big hits from pop queen Christina Aguilera (news) and rapper 50 Cent, the industry has been ravaged by Internet downloading and CD burning.


Hansen was strikingly upbeat despite the gloom.


But he said it was vital "people don't lose their nerve and that the industry continues to be an art and not a science. It is not just about quick burns and quick returns."


Predicting a hit is almost impossible. Nine in every 10 albums in the United States lose money and labels get little change from a million dollars when launching a new artist.


"There is always a risk that you are going to put everything behind one or two acts because they are going to bring in the numbers you need," said Hansen.


That temptation, he added, should be firmly resisted.

Boo-fucking-who, MTV. Go back to actually playing music videos and people will care about you again.

Fuck MTV!!!

I want Jack Black's character in "School of Rock" elected president right NOW!!!

NikkiVail said:

what a load of shit !

ANY album no matter how fucking crap it is - will sell the numbers if you put the promotion and cash behind it.

Record companies have been proven this fact time and time again for at least the last 10 or more years.

...
[This message was edited Wed Nov 5 13:31:04 PST 2003 by FunkyStrange]

MTV: "If anyone's going to manufacture pre-fabricated pop music to teens with disposable incomes, IT'S GONNA BE US...GOT IT?!?"

The irony.

Angers me this does.

They're just pissed off that someone else is jumping on the "Marketing shit as music" bandwagon.

if this ain't the finest example of the pot callin the kettler black, I don't know what is



ahhh, good times...

endorphin74 said:

That has to be one of the funniest things I've ever heard. Nine out of ten CDs looses money? Holy shit!

stymie said:

Amen.

oh poo

NikkiVail said:

That's because they are SHIT albums ...

Are these music industry morons so stupid they can't even see that simple fact ?