It's amazing what changes are happening in todays world. I've been trying to figure out for the longest, just who is the oldest person to get a recording contract. You see, in the music industry, the younder you were, the better it was. If you weren't signed by 25 you were a has-been. Then the number stretched to 30. Allot of artists actually lied about their ages for the most part. No one could think of an artists STARTING a musical career in their late 30's or early 40's and that still rings true today...or at least it did.
It seems that's starting to change. Take Dan Powter. Nearing what most call "middle age" this man at 34 got signed to Warner Brothers Records. Now at 35, he's having great success with the American Idol "dammit, I got voted off" theme song, "Bad Day". This is his first release and recording contract. Technically, he's a complete newbie.
This goes to show that the world is looking for something more mature and sophisticated from older artists. Not to say that "Bad Day" really has anything to say, but it's most likely a start, as all artists usually break into the biz with a light hearted pop tune. However, his maturity could lead to more meaningful or adult contemporary music in the
styles of Maroon 5 or Dave Matthews.
Many older generation types have topped the charts, yet none were just breaking into the business.
The music business seems to have changed. The younger crowds are no longer looking for mere fluff. They seem to be in search of something to uplift them. Unfortunately, this may have been what started the whole Emo revolution. They seek things we don't have today and hadn't had since the New Romantic era of the late 70's, early 80's. Lest we forget the older generations... Those from that original time, that VH-1 now targets with the tag line: "it's 20 years later and you STILL hate labels...." Well, those are the worthwhile generations. The ones that bought music religiously then and would buy it again (not download it) if they had someone to respect and could also convey that these are the ageless generations... The people who were rebels then and still refuse to
conform today. These were the people who created and supported what we now call "alternative" today.
Funny thing about alternative... You can still play the old stuff for todays generations and they'll like it too. U2, Depeche Mode, the Cure, Erasure, the Sisters of Mercy, the Church, the Smiths, Sting, Midge Ure, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave, the Mission UK, the Eurythmics... Over 20 years later and they still sound cutting edge.
Rock and Roll has taken a severe nose dive. The quality of todays music has dropped so much that even the popsters are looking for something more exciting in venues like "American Idol". I hated Idol for so long because I hate pop. Then came the rocker invasion within which they found that even a mere tainted scent of a rocker could spark new interest in a sickly sweet bubblegum show.
Constantine, Bo Bice, Chris Daughtry... They're bringing the desire for rock back to an otherwise bored country. This is the pulse one must look to for what America wants. It craves a presence of a sound. It craves a hero. It craves a rebel. It craves a voice.
But as it would seem, that voice is yet to be heard...fortunately it seems the industry is now deciding to do itself a favour and open the gates a little more and look to older singers. Who knows... Maybe the next big icon will come from someone who's 38, or 41...or even 45! Not that that's something to strive for, moreover , something to consider in a world of bleak music and mediocrity.
We live in different times now. The age barriers are being destroyed. The average age of a Playstation 2 or XBox owner is 30-35. The same statistic goes for comic book collectors. Arcades like Dave and Busters cater mostly to the adult over 21 crowd as they are also bars with liquor licenses.
We now live longer. Children mature and develop faster and begin learning at a far more advanced rate than 30 years ago. The only drawback is that sex is now had at a much younger age, also. Teen pregnancy is at an all time high. Teens are becoming more emotionally distraught at an earlier age. Suddenly the news talks about how over the last year "cutting" or self mutilation has become a large trend....and believe me, when the news grabs a hold of something, it must be big, because cutting has been on the scene for a very long while. For the media to get it, means it'sgone mainstream and in this case become a problem.
Kids are put on pills so as not to deal with them. They cut themselves.They become complex and depressed. They shoot up schools or become prone to uncontrolled violence.
Can music save this world? No, but it's a hell of a band-aid. The right artist, with the right image and the right musical sound and ethos, could be the suture.
Times Online
August 06, 2005
Daniel Powter (Warner Brothers)
With most putative pop stars in their mid-teens, it is a brave record
company that seeks to launch the career of a man approaching middle age.
But in his 34 years, the singer-songwriter Daniel Powter has had time
to accumulate experiences worth writing about, and his sophisticated and
frequently excellent debut refreshes with its lack of impetuosity.
Powter’s vocals veer from a Liam Gallagher-style yowl with a few edges
knocked off (the anthemic and distinctly Beatlesy Free Loop) to a
growling male Macy Gray (Suspect, as near as this album gets to a snarl).
Meanwhile, the meticulous, polished production from the Crowded House
collaborator Mitchell Froom, ensures that the album occupies the same
soul-infected adult rock territory that Maroon 5 and John Mayer have made
their own. Bad Day entered the UK chart at Number Two after topping
charts across Europe following its use in a Coke commercial. He may thank
the soft drinks giant, but the association that is hardly apt; this is
far more satisfying than any brand of sugary, over-marketed pop could
ever be.
ANGUS BATEY