COLUMN: Simpson's performance shows industry's control

John Barrett
University Wire
11-05-2004
(University Daily Kansan) (U-WIRE) LAWRENCE, Kan. -- So, Ashlee Simpson was caught lip-syncing. Is anyone even surprised?

Ms. Simpson was set to perform on NBC's Nov. 23 episode of "Saturday Night Live." A technical miscue caused what was unmistakably a tape of her voice to begin playing before she was ready to lip-sync to it.

A visibly confused and embarrassed Simpson then favored the crowd with an unusual dance routine before bolting from the stage. Everyone from the crowd in attendance to a visible SNL producer mouthing "Oh, my God" in the background were completely shocked at the incident.

In an interview with a Los Angeles-area radio station, her manager-father Joe Simpson insisted that the tape everyone heard was merely a vocal-guide Simpson needed to use due to a particularly bad case of acid reflux disease that had caused her vocal cords to swell. Besides, he reasoned, all performers use these so-called vocal guides, from Celine on down.

As a music lover, I was more offended by this vulgar display of deceit than that of Janet Jackson's famous Super Bowl mishap that devastated the country and corrupted the nation's youth.

Apparently, I was not the only one. There are already several very amusing Internet sites dedicated to the lip-syncing fiasco, and even the message boards at Ashlee's own Web site are still not functioning. Betrayed fans caused traffic far too great for the site to handle, as angry messages directed to Simpson numbered in the thousands.

Unfortunately for the ears of the nation that has blessed the world with jazz, blues, and good old rock and roll, this is only one symptom of a much bigger problem concerning the recording industry. Recording companies today award rides straight to the top of the charts to those who possess a certain look that will sell the greatest number of albums, not to individuals who are the most talented. Because the same small groups of people and companies own all the facets of production and distribution, they essentially decide who and what is going to be popular.

Except for some of the more underground music scenes, gone are the days when artists slowly built up a fan base through hard work and effort, playing in smoky bars and opening for more successful musicians.

Instead, record companies carefully craft and market an image of pseudo-sexuality, slap it in heavy rotation on all 1,000 of their radio stations, and then rake in the profits. Since when are Paris Hilton and Hillary Duff musicians?

After all the tweaking that goes into those vocals, anyone can sound decent. Just as Ashlee Simpson so flawlessly demonstrated on national television, the actual music is really the least important aspect of the entire product. In a scene dominated by Clear Channel -- approved imitations of imitations, it's not astonishing to see deception of this type from any of the Top 40 radio artists.

However, performers can't do this to their fans. It's not what the people paid for, and it isn't fair to charge $50 to listen to a cassette tape at a concert. The only thing missing from these types of concerts is the album packaging that drives the price of albums up to $22.

For now, it's the record companies that decide what is going to be popular. They are in control of the airwaves, and their profit-driven formulaic approach to music is damaging an important and enjoyable part of the human experience. This is something that needs to change.



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