Lead Singer Disease

[CAPSRAWK]

there's 40 billion members on here ?!?!

[debra1rlo]

... I have gone into hiding in order to escape a KVR Fatwa. Actually I'm off to find grace. Peace K

It's all in fun, hun.

[eduardo_b]

You guys are living on planet food network. Find me one Thai restaurant chain that can come anywhere close to McDonald's 40 billion dollars in annual sales in the past decade or two. Food consumers buy burgers and fries. Is that a problem?

well played sir

Only if you like analogies that don't say anything about the topic. The restaurant business offers no meaningful comparison to the music business, and consumer behaviors are completely different.

Meh, bullshit. That analogy was actually rather good.

In what way?

40 billion retards can't be wrong?

Not if you want their money. The customer is always right because they're the customer. But whereas food is an essential product consumed (and paid for) every day, music is not, so customers for music have to be won over with product they are willing to pay for.

[debra1rlo]

You guys are living on planet KVR. Find me one instrumental in the top 100 sales of any week in the last decade or two in the real world. Music consumers buy vocals and lyrics. Is that a problem?

You guys are living on planet food network. Find me one Thai restaurant chain that can come anywhere close to McDonald's 40 billion dollars in annual sales in the past decade or two. Food consumers buy burgers and fries. Is that a problem?

well played sir

Only if you like analogies that don't say anything about the topic. The restaurant business offers no meaningful comparison to the music business, and consumer behaviors are completely different.

Really? I consider music as nourishment for my soul. As with sustenance for my body, I have to be careful of what i consume so that it agrees with my system. And while I wouldn't technically die without music, I feel like my life would be pretty empty without it. (Lucky you, getting a direct response as one of my 5% on-topic posts. )

I'd also like to point out that I am and usually have been the lead singer in the bands I've been in. All musicians can be wankers in one way or another, otherwise there wouldn't be so many drummer jokes.

[vespers75]

In what way?

Anyone who can't find any parallels between fast-food/pop music and fine dining/non-mainstream music is either pretending to be ignorant for the sake of maintaining their stance on an issue, or genuinely ignorant.

[robogone]

With only a few very rare exceptions, all the best known, most successful guitarists also sing.

Really?

What about Jimi Page, Jeff Beck, Duane Allman, Carlos Santana, Peter Green, Robert Fripp, Ritchie Blackmore, Eddie Van Halen or Tony Iommi? Don't even think that anyone on that list did backing vocals, let alone lead vocals.

Hardly a 'few rare exceptions'.

[vespers75]

I'd also like to point out that I am and usually have been the lead singer in the bands I've been in.

+1

But that could lead to an entirely different debate on what constitutes 'singing', so I'll go with vocalist.

[debra1rlo]

I'd also like to point out that I am and usually have been the lead singer in the bands I've been in.

+1

But that could lead to an entirely different debate on what constitutes 'singing', so I'll go with vocalist.

and I fully agree vespers. one of my favorite vocalists is Lux Interior of the Cramps, who's definitely not what a lot of purists would deem a traditional "singer."

[eduardo_b]

You guys are living on planet KVR. Find me one instrumental in the top 100 sales of any week in the last decade or two in the real world. Music consumers buy vocals and lyrics. Is that a problem?

You guys are living on planet food network. Find me one Thai restaurant chain that can come anywhere close to McDonald's 40 billion dollars in annual sales in the past decade or two. Food consumers buy burgers and fries. Is that a problem?

well played sir

Only if you like analogies that don't say anything about the topic. The restaurant business offers no meaningful comparison to the music business, and consumer behaviors are completely different.

Really? I consider music as nourishment for my soul. As with sustenance for my body, I have to be careful of what i consume so that it agrees with my system. And while I wouldn't technically die without music, I feel like my life would be pretty empty without it. (Lucky you, getting a direct response as one of my 5% on-topic posts. )

Well, of course, but you are actively involved with music creatively, so that is to be expected. But the majority of those who listen to and buy music (and concert tickets) are spending far more money on food than music for any number of reasons -- some obvious, others personal to each person.

I think the very fact that this discussion is on a site that is dominated by those who create music in some way with software and hardware -- with relatively few being vocalists -- totally biases the topic. If fact, it's why the topic even exists. It sounds like musicians griping because singers get most of the attention.

[robogone]

I'd also like to point out that I am and usually have been the lead singer in the bands I've been in.

+1

But that could lead to an entirely different debate on what constitutes 'singing', so I'll go with vocalist.

and I fully agree vespers. one of my favorite vocalists is Lux Interior of the Cramps, who's definitely not what a lot of purists would deem a traditional "singer."

Come on, admit it - you only like him as a 'vocalist' because he'd spend half of each gig with his pants down.

[eduardo_b]

With only a few very rare exceptions, all the best known, most successful guitarists also sing.

Really?

What about Jimi Page, Jeff Beck, Duane Allman, Carlos Santana, Peter Green, Robert Fripp, Ritchie Blackmore, Eddie Van Halen or Tony Iommi? Don't even think that anyone on that list did backing vocals, let alone lead vocals.

Hardly a 'few rare exceptions'.

I don't consider all of these* to be the most successful guitarists relative to those who are, and the ones that are still represent a minute percentage of the whole. The list of singer guitarists is very long indeed, dwarfing the list of those who don't sing and have had significant commercial success. Does that mean singer guitarists are also better players? I would doubt it for many, but some are very good indeed. Their skills as singers very considerably depending on one's tastes, of course.


*For example, Jeff Beck has never been that successful commercially in comparison to many despite the admiration of fans. Most people don't even know who Jeff Beck is...at least now.

[eduardo_b]

In what way?

Anyone who can't find any parallels between fast-food/pop music and fine dining/non-mainstream music is either pretending to be ignorant for the sake of maintaining their stance on an issue, or genuinely ignorant.

No ignorance needed. The facts, as already noted, are that food and music have very different roles in the lives of most people -- meaning, not musicians or singers. Food is not a discretionary income category, whereas music is. The amount of money spent on food -- fast food versus fine dining -- is irrelevant, whereas the discretionary income spent on music with lead singers versus instrumental music is completely relevant.

[debra1rlo]

er, never mind

[Chuck E. Jesus]

Don't even think that anyone on that list did backing vocals, let alone lead vocals.

sorry, that's not true...maybe towards their latter days, actually a trend i don't care for...

[robogone]

With only a few very rare exceptions, all the best known, most successful guitarists also sing.

Really?

What about Jimi Page, Jeff Beck, Duane Allman, Carlos Santana, Peter Green, Robert Fripp, Ritchie Blackmore, Eddie Van Halen or Tony Iommi? Don't even think that anyone on that list did backing vocals, let alone lead vocals.

Hardly a 'few rare exceptions'.

I don't consider all of these* to be the most successful guitarists relative to those who are, and the ones that are still represent a minute percentage of the whole.

Actually I got all of these from Rolling Stone's list of top 100 guitarists. Considering that list is 9 of 100, that's 9%. Not sure that 9% is considered a 'minute percentage'.

You really don't know when to quit when you're behind, do you...