Banner audition
So there she was in the spotlight - probably the harshest, brightest spotlight of her career. Heck, her opening act was Sir Paul McCartney. On Sunday evening, just before kickoff of the Super Bowl, with thousands in the stands and a gazillion television viewers watching to see whether or not she was going to experience a musical meltdown, Mariah Carey sang the national anthem with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops Orchestra as her backing band. It was without question the biggest, most high-profile audition in the history of pop music.
Having been recently dropped by Virgin Records, which paid her a whopping $28 million kiss-off, Carey suddenly found herself in the position of being an unsigned act looking for a label. Think about that for a second: She's notched more No. 1 hits than any other female artist (OK, we're using the term "artist" loosely here), but, unbelievably enough, the mega-million-selling Carey doesn't have a record contract.
Carey has been the target of countless jokes since she got the ax. Most of them followed along the lines of, "Well, if they're paying Mariah Carey $28 million not to record, how much have they been paying Celine Dion?" Or just fill in the blank, with "Vanilla Ice" or "Shania Twain" or any other superstar who's been out of the spotlight recently. And yes, the jokes were good for a chuckle or two. But there's a dark side to this situation, too.
Oh, don't worry about Carey. She sang just fine at the Super Bowl. She kept her ultrasonic yowling in check. She didn't suffer an emotional breakdown on stage. She didn't hip-hop up "The Star-Spangled Banner". And she will undoubtedly land another recording contract. (Although it would certainly be a lot more interesting if she were to set up her own record company with the mega-bucks that Virgin tossed her. Not only did Virgin buy out her contract for $28 million, but Carey also got to keep the $21 million bonus that she received when she signed the contract less than a year ago.)
No - instead of worrying about her, worry about what it all means to music fans. The bottom line is that the major labels are no longer willing to accept even one flop record from their superstar rosters. OK, so the soundtrack to Carey's movie "Glitter" failed to live up to her track record as a multiplatinum hit machine. It sold only half a million copies or so, and Carey found herself out in the cold, as Virgin decided to cut its losses after just one financial slip-up on Carey's part.
Record companies have already shown an increasing reluctance to nurture new talent. These days, new acts on major labels are rarely given the opportunity to slowly nurture a fan base in the hopes of hitting it big with their third or fourth album. Instead, the labels are looking for that big blockbuster payoff right out of the box. There are no more second or third chances for an artist to develop.
Even veteran performers - and Carey has been cranking out hit after hit for a dozen years - find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders. With the labels looking for that monster success with each album, only acts that can guarantee big numbers at cash registers are going to thrive ... or even survive. And that means that acts - even superstar acts - are going to take fewer chances. The major labels will support fewer and fewer musicians who take risks and make adventurous music. Interesting and unique music will never find the audience it deserves.
It's the blanding of pop. And if you think that the music industry is already churning out way too much pop-pap, just wait. It looks like things are about to get really ugly. (Times Union) Many thanks to Mariah Buzz.
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