The Death of Music

             In his novel Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman describes the relationship between substance and its appearance and discusses how society as a whole has begun placing a higher priority on appearance. Postman affirms this notion by using Japanese technology as an example: “Even the Japanese, who are said to make better cars than the Americans, know that economics is less a science than a performing art, as Toyota's yearly advertising budget confirms” (Postman 5). The Toyota workers in Japan have discovered this trend in society and have begun to increase advertising costs because consumers are beginning to prioritize flashiness over actual quality. Consumers are much more likely to buy products that look “cool” or increase their own social appearance than products that might be better or less costly.

In honor of the 57^th Grammy Awards that took place on Sunday night, let’s examine the American music industry and see how appearance, not talent, is the most important factor when it comes to succeeding. In the early parts of the 20^th century, when America’s music identity was forming, the most popular artists were people with actual talent – Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, etc. Musicians like those became successful not based on image but because they possessed pure talent through performance and/or music composition. While arguing about what kind of music is better can’t be done due to the subjectivity of music, comparing how musicians market themselves is a much more objective topic. Frank Sinatra is unarguably one of the greatest male vocalists in American history, and he achieved his fame through his pure talent. His image was consistent with most of other musicians at his time: he always donned a suit of some sort with a fedora. Generic, but still very classy. Compare that to a modern singer today such as Katy Perry, who unarguably is one of the most popular musicians in recent memory. Despite whether or not you like her music, one thing is certain: she doesn’t market herself through her music or talent; she markets herself through her body and image. Katy, along with many other popular young female musicians of today, make their fortunes through their looks and shock value. Just as Postman argues that what society is interested in reflects their values, the success of those musicians reflects American culture’s emphasis on the importance of sex. A young woman only makes it into the music industry if consumers find her attractive.

Understanding why this trend in American society has surfaced is not a huge leap. In the early 20^th century, technology was not nearly at the level as it is today. If you look online, you can find tens of thousands of articles that discuss the latest celebrity gossip. The speed of modern communication and use of social media makes it easy to keep up with celebrities. Back in the 20^th century, people didn’t know where Billie Holiday was at any given moment or what Etta James had for dinner the night before: they became popular through their sound, not image. American society’s ability to keep up with musicians forces modern ones to try to appease consumers through their image if they want to remain successful. That notion in turn created a trend that sacrificed music quality for appearance and marketability.