Music Using sex in the music industry
- Thread starter rainforests1
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Dedalus
Mercurial and fleeting
I don't have a problem with the use of sex to sell music. There is a distinction between the music by itself - and the performance of the music by the artist(s). The performance of the music is simply a promotion of it - and that promotion is not limited to sex. Ever since The Who began smashing up all their equipment onstage - this became a grand spectacle that has been often copied. Take into account all the artists who've utilized outlandish costumes, makeup, pyrotechnics, laser shows, elaborate special effects, etc, etc. Though all of it may enhance your experience and bolster your love of the band/musicians, none of that stuff has any bearing on whether or not the artist wrote a great song. Artists create music and then go out to sell it. Some of them clearly need a boost; some of them don't. Some artists choose to put on a live performance that involves a lot more than simply playing the instruments and singing the parts. Some of them just play their instruments and sing the parts.
Dedalus
Mercurial and fleeting
....in addition, since the OP specifically cited Miley Cyrus - I will underscore what many here have already stated. Love it or hate it, this is exactly the kind of 'buzz' that an artist dreams of. It is a perfect storm of great marketing to have public uproar of the horrified and outraged voicing their displeasure over whatever x has done/said/etc. The fans rally, parents cringe, the uninformed (me in this particular case) take notice, the ignorant pay closer attention and sales sky-rocket. If not sales directly linked to a product - then at least potential future sales stemming from the subject of the controversy. The cliche is valid - there is no such thing as bad publicity in show business.
That is all true, but the important question is whether this development with increasingly sexualised performances has a detrimental influence on young people and children. And what happens to immature and fragile minds when they see this all over, from "music" to commercials to reality shows and newspapers? That's right, they start to think this is the norm, or at least not that far off. The next step is of course that they start copying this behavior. In turn, this development will recruit even more people to adopt this sexualised behavior. In life's great competition for attention, they now have to go even further. The end result? People masturbating on street corners and humping each other between the aisles in the supermarket. Twerking and daggering are only the beginning of the end for western civilization. Well, I'm just saying!
Very true.
I had to watch the Miley twerking thing as I was so sick of hearing and reading references to it and not knowing what people meant. Billy Ray Cyrus is her father too which I don't think I realised.
Twerking is similar to what people in the Caribbean call wining, as my friend moved over there and she said she was too shy to dance like that when she went to the night clubs.
Mr Crunchy
Forum Legend
I have a hard time believing Elvis would have ever appeared on stage wearing only a tube sock.
We crossed a line somewhere around the time Michael Jackson started grabbing his crotch. It seems to have evolved to a more exploitative state and less a celebration of youthful exuberance and desire.
And then there's the fact that Presley was simply the coolest cat who ever walked the planet. He could get away with anything.
Dedalus
Mercurial and fleeting
I don't mean to trivialize your concerns - but this diatribe sounds an awful lot like parents a few decades ago who worried about what the effects of heavy metal; (IE: Satanic music) would be on their kids. There was a rampant panic that we would all kill ourselves, or others, do drugs, follow
Satan, etc.) The fact is, we were all exposed! We LOVED the music, worshipped the artists as uber-awesome, endured the backwards Satanic messages and came out just fine!And then the same thing happened with the hype over the effects of violent video games years after that. There will always be demons in the world waiting to swoop down and corrupt the souls of our children.
IMHO, it takes a parent being a parent. If you don't want your kid exposed to something - then have an intelligent conversation with them about it. It is very unlikely that you will be able to shelter them from exposure - but at least they'll have some insight as to what they're seeing when/if they do. I think parents do their kids a real disservice by believing that simply witnessing bad behavior inspires young people to mimic it - and that by virtue of imitation - they themselves become a corrupted seed. Growing up involves exposure to the often dark and unpleasant sides of society. Kids often do imitate bad behavior. But this doesn't necessarily lead to their demise. They can learn from it. Parents can and should be constantly engaged and involved in their childrens lives to the point where it renders the horrors of society moot. And they should be allowed to be kids. I don't think of their minds as fragile and immature. They are impressionable and they pick up on everything. But don't treat them like they are stupid - that is what triggers them to stop listening. They can tell when their parents throw up a wall in front them - and if it involves keeping them away from something that they are naturally very curious about - you can forget it. They will find a way around you.
das_nut
Forum Legend
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I have a hard time believing Elvis would have ever appeared on stage wearing only a tube sock.
We crossed a line somewhere around the time Michael Jackson started grabbing his crotch. It seems to have evolved to a more exploitative state and less a celebration of youthful exuberance and desire.
And then there's the fact that Presley was simply the coolest cat who ever walked the planet. He could get away with anything.
So basically, the sexuality in Elvis's style of playing you're fine with, but this modern stuff the youngings listen to has too much sex?
Do you yell at people to get off your lawn?
Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, as the man said (Ian Dury for those of you who are too young to remember).
As for Billy Ray's sprog, she is just doing what Charlotte Church did some years ago, trying to shake off her goody-two-shoes image to be a bad girl. It is nowt new and not even worth getting worked up about.
As for Billy Ray's sprog, she is just doing what Charlotte Church did some years ago, trying to shake off her goody-two-shoes image to be a bad girl. It is nowt new and not even worth getting worked up about.
