Ghosthouse, a great post. It is true that once a "star" has been identified, it appears that the machine of promotion follows and incessant flogging of what sold before. I do find it disheartening that in 1973, there was an incredible variety of popular (not pop) music. Now there appears to be two kinds: white girl pop or rap music, neither one artful. AS I was thinking about this subject I remember hearing "Yummy Yummy I got love in my Tummy" in the 70s and thinking , oh God, that's it, its over. So I have to say there is a tremendous variety of music available, its all hidden.
You ask a brilliant question, "how are pop stars made". I am no expert at that answer, but it appears that entire machine is now driven by online /social media and music sites like Itunes. The kids are now using social media to talk to each other and they talk about pop music just like we did (but in person). It appears the corporate machine (Disney, Warner, Sony etc) waits in the wings to identify what generates excitement online and then jumps in with both feet.
Good examples of this are Justin Bieber, a complete online creation- he was a You Tube phenom. Some serious people but serious money into him and have succeeded in promoting him to superstar status. Some vocal training and hooking him up with real producers/writers has paid off. The PR game has not changed, but the tools of PR have. Taylor Swift another online "sensation", appealing to little girls with heartache all over the country. My two teenage daughters LOVE her. To be fair, she earned it, it took super hard work and a complete sacrifice of your life to achieve something like that. Giving up privacy forever and a sense of being alone is a very hard thing to walk away from. Her last record was a brilliant production, and her videos are the best in class for sure. She's now moved over to pop star land (long long way from country) and embraced fashion as a part of her persona. She's a huge star and the tours sell out.
You ask a brilliant question, "how are pop stars made". I am no expert at that answer, but it appears that entire machine is now driven by online /social media and music sites like Itunes. The kids are now using social media to talk to each other and they talk about pop music just like we did (but in person). It appears the corporate machine (Disney, Warner, Sony etc) waits in the wings to identify what generates excitement online and then jumps in with both feet.
Good examples of this are Justin Bieber, a complete online creation- he was a You Tube phenom. Some serious people but serious money into him and have succeeded in promoting him to superstar status. Some vocal training and hooking him up with real producers/writers has paid off. The PR game has not changed, but the tools of PR have. Taylor Swift another online "sensation", appealing to little girls with heartache all over the country. My two teenage daughters LOVE her. To be fair, she earned it, it took super hard work and a complete sacrifice of your life to achieve something like that. Giving up privacy forever and a sense of being alone is a very hard thing to walk away from. Her last record was a brilliant production, and her videos are the best in class for sure. She's now moved over to pop star land (long long way from country) and embraced fashion as a part of her persona. She's a huge star and the tours sell out.