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| 12.5.05 |
| pop stardum |
this morning i decided to listen to a christian music cd a friend made for me a few years ago. on it were a few songs by my favorite christian band, caedmon's call. hearing their music reminded me of how great they are as a band - talented musicians, singers, songwriters, etc. and they are well known in the sub-genre of christian pop music, probably among the most popular and most well paid (which probably isn't well at all).
but even though they are one of the bigger christian bands, and could be considered stars in their genre, they are certainly not pop stars. a few years ago i went to one of their concerts - in a high school gym to a crowd of only a hundred or so. i find this to be a vast contrast to the concerts played by an equally talented band, u2. and while we all realize that talent alone does not make a pop star (consider ashlee simpson, if you will), what is the difference between these two bands? why can one pull in billions of dollars playing for packed arenas, when the other can barely break even on the cost of producing a cd, let alone make a living as a musician? is the difference in the artists' subject alone or the genre in which they play? i specifically chose these two bands to compare because both have songs that blatently deal with faith.
i know there is no simple answer to this, but there is one conclusion i can come to. reality. while both bands are singing of a similar topic (in this case, christianity), caedmon's is more blatent about it and that is significant. i believe that people are more willing to pay for entertainment because there is a level of illusion to it. it is a performance, created, rehersed and scripted. even though a caedmon's performance is no less scripted than u2's, the caedmon's audience expects a certain 'reality' to their entertainment experience because they are seeking a spiritual connection.
now don't get me wrong, i'm not calling u2 fake or less genuine their spirituality, and i consider the u2 to be among the significant spiritual experiences in my life. but why the stardom difference between these two groups? marketing is powerful, but it is not that powerful. i believe that audiences see a significant difference between the two bands - a difference that is marked by the audiences' expectation of reality. audiences expect a "real" experience from a christian band like caedmon's call, but are more interested (as determined by their willingness to pay more money) in a pop experience that is performed.
a significant factor of popular culture is the appeal of the illusion. |
| posted by Paige @ 11:16 AM |
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