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Guess what folks the DJ's are not the ones, for
the most part, creating the music. There is something called an artist. Well look, I know
there isn't much artistry happening in dance music these days you might say. Now, maybe
that's
true. Well, possibly, that's because the real artists can't penetrate the
grotesque cycle that dance music now appears to be spinning (Ha! Ha!).
How many truly talented artists have slipped through the fingers of the elite
sleazy circle that envelops our dance music industry. How can characters
that appear to be directly spun out of a Scorcese movie hope to recognize
a brilliant writer? How can an office administrator, now A&R, hope to
recognize the talent and work it takes to be able to pick a song out of the
air, write it, sing it, breath life into it and then share it with an audience.No way! Now the way I see it the record industry is about selling records,
right?
Well honey, no record label these days is gonna get rich off selling vinyl.
Now unless these DJ's and record labels get hip to that they're just going to
shoot each other in the foot.
Let's start again shall we?! Didn't we already go through
Milli/ Vanilli?? It starts with a song. Then it's about the song and who's delivering it.
The marriage of the artist and the material. We, especially in this country, are in an
extremely visual age. Yet, why is a culture, the dance culture especially, priding itself
on "The cool factor, clubs man.......", still in the dark ages. Get with it
baby! Remember the power of television, the power of the media in general. Remember MTV,
VH1.......,let's see the song! Let's see the artist!!
Years ago we had performers! They made records in addition to
dancing, in addition to acting. It was called a triple threater folks! Amazing
that a form of music as visually and actively named as Dance music cannot
recognize the importance of bringing a great performer in front of the
public to sell the music. After all someone who has $15 to spend on one CD
in Boisey, Idaho has surely never heard of Junior V., or Danny T. Sadly
enough, they've probably never heard of Gina G.. Have you?
This year an entertainer was brought back to the forefront
again to
remind us of the power that a celebrity can hold. CHER FEVER! "Believe",
Sonny & Cher re-runs, a book, a movie, WOW! I'm a believer! Cher at age
53 proves to those in the record business, that a truly talented artist is
ageless.
Help us dance community. We want our Chers', our Bettes', and
our
Barbras'! We want Liza with a Z! Patti LaBelle with a P! Where are the
performers?
Where are our dance artists?! When are the record labels
going to
understand that artistry needs to be nurtured and paid for? After all dancing
for Grandma was expensive! Ballet twice a week, one day jazz, one day
tap. How else could an aspiring, performing, attention-suck acquire the skills
necessary in which to woo an audience. And we want to be wooed. Boy,
do we ever! We crave it, fantasize to it! "Give us what we want, what we
really, really want"! No, not the Spice Girls, not the Funky Green Dogs, not DJ
Company!! We want the real stuff! Someone who we think we know.
Someone who comes into our living rooms and explodes on the screen into
song and dance in one moment, and then can turn and deliver a tune that
wrenches the heart in another. Someone who represents the fashions and
the voice of our times. Someone controversial but caring, fantastic yet
human. Where are the stars? Where are our Judys', our Freds' & Gingers',
our Michaels', even Madonna. Where are the dancers? Dance music, huh?
Dance music. You like dance music? I love dance music!! |
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