Is Britney THAT popular?

Started by crowbi_wan, December 11, 2008, 02:06:01

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nosigner


who's going to spear britney?  :-D
"looking for love in a trashcan"

rodney

I'm glad that Britney's doing better these days.  It's always nice to see someone managing their mental illness and achieving success.

As far as blaming her for the downfall of alternative music, which is another subject all together, I'd say we'd be better off blaming bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Goo Goo Dolls.  These bands achieved commercial success with a certain kind of song, and have continued to replicate that song over and over again for 15 years, thereby becoming parodies of themselves.

Kurt Cobain's face being on everything from lunchboxes to pillowcases didn't help either.

japanesebaby

Quote from: rodney on January 08, 2009, 15:02:13
I'm glad that Britney's doing better these days.

i hope you're being sarcastic... 
and ok, sure it's good that people get back on their feet and so on and so on, nothing wrong with that. but what comes to her career, i certainly would have rather been happy without seeing britney making a comeback. imo her getting back to music business didn't really contribute anything positive to the industry, so i do find it difficult to be glad for her.

Quote from: rodney on January 08, 2009, 15:02:13
As far as blaming her for the downfall of alternative music, which is another subject all together, I'd say we'd be better off blaming bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Goo Goo Dolls.  These bands achieved commercial success with a certain kind of song, and have continued to replicate that song over and over again for 15 years, thereby becoming parodies of themselves.

Kurt Cobain's face being on everything from lunchboxes to pillowcases didn't help either.

(if i got it right) i think alt.end wasn't talking about how mainstream is always up and ready to suck alternative artists into their consumeristic abyss, to grab anything that might potentially sell and what could be turned into a product (or, an endless series of products if possible). sadly, that always seems to happen very easily. it takes a lot of effort to keep it not from happening (and it's a bit difficult to make that effort if you're actually dead already, like kurt).
so if i understood correctly it was not about that but about how crap "artists" like ms. britney (who never even were alternative to start with - NB!) rule the market with sheer force of money and therefore keep pushing (the real) alternative music more and more into margin - more money to britney, less money to alternative section. kurt cobain's face getting (sadly) exploited is a bit different aspect imo.
i was going to say at least i'd rather blame it on britney than RHCP. at least RHCP has conributed something to the music scene during their career - britney hasn't. and so all money spent on her is money thrown away, money that could have been used more wisely - for instance for alternative section.

Ay, in the very temple of Delight
Veil'd Melancholy has her sovran shrine

fiction

Quote from: japanesebaby on January 08, 2009, 18:32:32
and so all money spent on her is money thrown away, money that could have been used more wisely - for instance for alternative section.

Well I wonder. Do You mean to say that people buy what they´re told to buy and not what they want to buy? Do You really think that commercials have that impact? That people buy stuff they think is shit?

My taste of music is immaculate but that only goes as far as to myself, i.e. people who likes BS has got a say aswell but only as far as for themselves. Still, if they buy her (crappy or whatever) music I assume that that´s what they want for themselves. So I´d say it´s well spent money from the record companies. They´d promoted a product that they managed to sell in huge quantities all around the globe.

Don´t get me wrong, I don´t have any BS records but I still think that people are entitled to like whatever music they feel like. I just guess that there are a lot of BS-fans who think that the records with The Cure are crappy and who am I to dictate what is right and what is wrong outside my immaculate bubble of glorious music?
again and again and again and again and again and...

japanesebaby

Quote from: fiction on January 08, 2009, 20:30:39
Quote from: japanesebaby on January 08, 2009, 18:32:32
and so all money spent on her is money thrown away, money that could have been used more wisely - for instance for alternative section.

Well I wonder. Do You mean to say that people buy what they´re told to buy and not what they want to buy? Do You really think that commercials have that impact? That people buy stuff they think is shit?

yes, they buy it because it's advertised and because it's already selling well - so they buy it too. it's an "it's got to be good because everyone else is buying it" kind of thinking. and no, those people don't think they are buying shit - they just buy the product because it looks good and sounds... well, ok (NB: not because it sounded good and looked ok. that's the whole point).
look, i mean people who are not even real music fans - we here are (fans of music) so we know better, of course. but let's face it, a lot of people out there just really don't care that much about music. for them music is just a product, just like anything else you can buy. and mostly it's a (more or less) disposable product too. so it's not a question of whether they are aware that they are buying good music or bad music - because many people simply don't care. music is just something you put on when you're having a party and so on. it's a product.
and so they go and buy britney & co.


but, of course at the same time, the musical taste of these people is immaculate. just like you said, they can always say britney is great and it would be the truth as far as for themselves. that's true. so in a way, they do have their right to their opinion (just like we do) and their opinion is not any worse than ours. true.
but
whereas their opinion might be true (as far as for themselves), that still doesn't mean they had any (good) taste or that their really care about music -  also true.
and that's the whole point:

one has to care about something, in order to "insist" that their opinion (about something, whatever it was) "should count", that it should make any difference. if it's (pure) consumerism, people just buying what's currently on top 10 or whatever is "cool" at any given time, then it's all pointless to talk about (these) people really having any real opinions on their own.


with that said:
of course people are entitled to like what they wants. so i'm not preaching to anyone or anything. so i am simply observing. i'm just seeing a lot of people out there (not here!) who are just as passionate about music as they are about the plastic bags they bring those cds back home with them.
but anyway, i'm not saying they are wrong or something. just like they don't care about music, i don't care about them.  :-D
Ay, in the very temple of Delight
Veil'd Melancholy has her sovran shrine

fiction

Quote from: japanesebaby on January 08, 2009, 21:18:20
one has to care about something, in order to "insist" that their opinion (about something, whatever it was) "should count", that it should make any difference. if it's (pure) consumerism, people just buying what's currently on top 10 or whatever is "cool" at any given time, then it's all pointless to talk about (these) people really having any real opinions on their own.


with that said:
of course people are entitled to like what they wants. so i'm not preaching to anyone or anything. so i am simply observing. i'm just seeing a lot of people out there (not here!) who are just as passionate about music as they are about the plastic bags they bring those cds back home with them.
but anyway, i'm not saying they are wrong or something. just like they don't care about music, i don't care about them.  :-D


Yes of course you have to make room for the "caring-variable" in the equation. And I totally agree with You that there is a difference between "disposible music", that you easilly can buy at any gas-station or mall, and music that you care about and have choosed from out of persoally developed taste. But still; It´s You (or me) that draw the line and then we are inside our own taste bubbles again and inside those we make our own rules.

I guess that this issue is difficult to discuss because of the fact that the variables of human taste in music varies both when it comes to the bands we prefere and, as You say, how important the music is and how strongly it affects us.

If I may put forward some personal words it´ll be that taste in music matters and that I think You´re right when You assume that the music is disposible and just ment to be in the background for lots of people. Hey, I had a girlfriend that couldn´t cope with my music and that matter was infact hard to deal with for me.
again and again and again and again and again and...

lostflower4

Quote from: fiction on January 08, 2009, 20:30:39My taste of music is immaculate


Quote from: fiction on January 08, 2009, 20:30:39Don´t get me wrong, I don´t have any BS records but I still think that people are entitled to like whatever music they feel like.

I'm sorry, but I just found this really funny for a moment. I overlooked the fact that BS stood for Britney Spears, and I thought you were simply claiming that you didn't have any bullshit records in your collection.  :lol:

I was thinking, "Wow, that's a pretty bold claim. I'm sure we all have some lame/embarrassing stuff in our collections somewhere."

Anyway, I see that I misunderstood now. But isn't it interesting (and perhaps appropriately ironic) that her initials are BS?  :P


crowbi_wan

Quote from: lostflower4 on January 09, 2009, 05:03:46
I'm sure we all have some lame/embarrassing stuff in our collections somewhere."

Quote from: lostflower4 on November 29, 2008, 22:34:16


Artist         Title                 Notes
      
Spice Girls   Spiceworld   missing insert



Well, we know that you do.  :lol:

dsanchez

For all the many replies in this topic, is obvious the Britney is popular :-D
2023.11.22 Lima
2023.11.27 Montevideo

japanesebaby

Quote from: dsanchez on January 09, 2009, 09:26:14
For all the many replies in this topic, is obvious the Britney is popular :-D

you beat me to it david. i was just looking at the list of recent posts and thinking about the same.  :-D

here's a personalized avatar option for us all to consider:




on a more serious note, i suppose it's the best and the worst that always get the most attention....
Ay, in the very temple of Delight
Veil'd Melancholy has her sovran shrine

lostflower4

Quote from: crowbi_wan on January 09, 2009, 07:31:23
Quote from: lostflower4 on January 09, 2009, 05:03:46
I'm sure we all have some lame/embarrassing stuff in our collections somewhere."

Quote from: lostflower4 on November 29, 2008, 22:34:16


Artist         Title                 Notes
      
Spice Girls   Spiceworld   missing insert



Well, we know that you do.  :lol:

Hey... It's better than your favorite album of all time:





:smth016

crowbi_wan

Damn Caley, have you been snooping through my "bumping uglies" music?  Those CDs are reserved for the ladies that pay me a visit.   :smth053

alt.end

Quote from: fiction on January 08, 2009, 11:14:21
Quote from: alt.end on January 08, 2009, 02:08:07

oh well, that's why word 'popularity' or 'pop' has become so lame. People judge music by sales. A very bad and dangerous thing if u ask me.



But still U have to accept that the amount of sold records that "people judge music" from are bought by a great number of people. I mean that if The Cure is liked by, say 50.000 people, and 4 000 000 people like Britney Spears then BS is more liked than The Cure. That also mean that she is probably better than the Cure according to what these record buyers think. But is she better? Well that my friend is a highly philosophical issue to be debated by those who find interest in the matter.

i never heard anybody saying: this band is better than this because they sold 4 000 000. What i might have heard is: this band is better and they also sold 4 000 000 (which proves they are better).

(- that's not about the cure and britney)

fiction

Quote from: alt.end on January 12, 2009, 01:41:27

i never heard anybody saying: this band is better than this because they sold 4 000 000. What i might have heard is: this band is better and they also sold 4 000 000 (which proves they are better).

(- that's not about the cure and britney)

I just ment that whatever band that sells 4 000 000 copies of a record is more liked than a band that sells 50 000 copies and therefor better to more people.
again and again and again and again and again and...

alt.end

Quote from: fiction on January 12, 2009, 08:05:13
Quote from: alt.end on January 12, 2009, 01:41:27

i never heard anybody saying: this band is better than this because they sold 4 000 000. What i might have heard is: this band is better and they also sold 4 000 000 (which proves they are better).

(- that's not about the cure and britney)

I just ment that whatever band that sells 4 000 000 copies of a record is more liked than a band that sells 50 000 copies and therefor better to more people.

yeah, it makes sense. but what if you asked all those 4 000 000 a question: Is Britney talented? Is her music good? I'm not sure how many would say yes. Maybe fewer than if you asked those 50 000 the cure fans.
so of course it's all relative.