Last.fm: Free Full-Song Streaming, For Better or Worse?

In an earlier post entitled “Digital Downloads: Who Should Profit Most?” I ventured into the blogosphere to research what other authors were saying about the digital royalties debate and left my own comments and questions for them as well. This week, I will be blogging here and abroad about a similar topic, as the digital debate never seems to sleep. Of current interest to the music industry is the press release issued last week by last.fm, a free online streaming service that has distribution deals with four major music labels as well as numerous independents, and pays the labels each time one of their tracks is streamed via the site (sample player screen pictured, right). Last week, last.fm announced that since the service began offering free access to streaming songs from its five million track music catalog in January, not only has this generated a boost in new traffic to the site, but it has also resulted in existing users buying sixty-six percent more albums and individual tracks than they did before the free on-demand service debuted. Currently, bloggers are debating whether or not such a service has the power to change music listening trends and revive dying CD sales. As a new user of streaming sites such as last.fm and the hype machine and therefore involved in these trends, I was very attracted to this topic and chose to offer my own thoughts on two prominent blogs. The first post I came across, “What last.fm’s sales increase means to me” is written by Glenn Peoples, founder and editor of the Coolfer music industry blog. While last.fm solely credits its acquisition of free music streaming as the cause of new CD sales revenue, Peoples’ stance is that it is not just free music that has the power to increase sales, but rather the type of music service that is offered. The second post I found is entitled “Why last.fm’s free music won’t replace your music collection.” Written by Nate Anderson of Ars Technica, Anderson takes the position that despite the high quality and amount of free music, we should be skeptical of such a service and aware of its limitations, examining it from a larger, more cautious perspective. He believes that an ad-supported service such as last.fm always has financial interests at heart before concern for the user experience, and thus it will not be possible for last.fm to replace our music collections anytime soon, although it may be an enjoyable supplement if you can face the ads. In addition to posting my comments directly on the authors’ respective blog entries, I have also displayed these comments below.

“What last.fm’s sales increase means to me”
Comment:
Thank you for your careful analysis of the press release issued recently by last.fm. The release states that last.fm prides itself on helping “drive the discovery” of its users through its unique recommendation engine. However, I too have to wonder whether the ubiquitous statistic of a 119% sales increase is really all that dramatic of a figure. If the base sales amount was small, then a doubling of profits might not be as much as last.fm is proudly advertising, and may not be entirely attributable to the new free streaming as the company claims. On that note, I agree that a better portion of this number likely comes from users buying songs they already know and like after listening to them on the new on-demand service. Therefore, it is important for last.fm to accurately note the role that the type of service plays in relation to the sales, which you believe superior to the offering of free music alone. As you say, you have to “dig” into the press release to see last.fm co-founder Martin Siskel make this connection. However, either I disagree with your statement that listeners will “take a sure thing over online radio’s crap shoot any day,” or I simply represent one of the few “early-adopter types” in that “small slice of the bell curve” (pictured, below left). As someone who just recently began listening to last.fm and blog compilation sites such as The Hype Machine, I cannot stop tuning in, and these are almost entirely new artists, songs, and music genres for me. Surprisingly, I have discovered a few new artists that I enjoy by listening to random playlists selected by algorithms. In that case, it seems that streaming services like last.fm actually have helped drive my discovery of new music. Of course, if I am merely in the minority here with my insatiable desire for new and less-mainstream music, I do understand how the majority of users would prefer on-demand streaming to non-interactive services. For the less adventurous, an on-demand service obviously delivers the songs and artists the listener will definitely enjoy and be more likely to purchase, which certainly may explain the sales increase. All in all, the connection between on-demand streaming and increased CD and download sales is an interesting one, and I look forward to seeing how it continues to play out.


“Why last.fm’s free music won’t replace your music collection”
Comment:
First of all, I would like to thank you for your well-researched and unbiased summary of last.fm’s advantages and drawbacks. Recently having read that last.fm’s sales through Amazon have increased 119% since the beginning of its free on-demand streaming, I wanted to see what the service was all about. As a brand new user, I agree with much of your account. Yes, the service works and is very responsive, but the ad-supported business model is frustrating. The whole point of such a service is for the user to have the ability to listen to their favorite artists and songs (as well as discover new ones) unlimited, for free; the three-time listening limit per track is a turn-off for me when I can listen to other full songs at sites such as The Hype Machine and Artist Direct without boundaries or advertisements. Artist Direct, for example, offers about two hundred free songs each week. If you are willing to take the time to individually download each one and organize them on your computer, your music collection really will increase in numbers pretty steadily and quickly. Granted, these free songs encompass all genres from heavy metal to Icelandic to international dance, so only a small portion will be likeable to the average user, and sorting through each takes a long time. However, the fact that last.fm does not allow free downloads and only partners with Amazon as opposed to iTunes severely limits its chances of making significant contributions to my music library. While you describe the possibility that the service may become the next “Music YouTube,” providing a legal way for friends to link up full songs for others to hear, ultimately I think that most listeners are primarily looking for a way to transport their music to external devices (and therefore permanently add to their music collection). If last.fm started a partnership with iTunes, I would be more likely to purchase songs that I first heard there. In the meantime, however, it certainly will not be replacing my music collection any time soon.

MySpace versus iTunes: The Battle Begins

In a previous post, I explored the up-and-coming music platforms on two social networking sites, MySpace and Facebook, and the implications each will have on today’s music culture. Presently, I would like to return to this topic in light of MySpace’s timely new developments and address the challenges that Apple’s iTunes music store will accordingly face. Since my initial post two weeks ago, MySpace Music (see logo, below left) has already made major changes to its site, signing a joint deal with three major record labels including Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group. Given the chance to share in MySpace Music’s profits, Universal unsurprisingly decided to quietly drop its 2006 copyright infringement lawsuit against MySpace, one of the chief reasons why the site did not debut when MySpace announced its plans to enter the music business two years ago. No money is expected to trade hands up front in this new business venture; rather, the labels are offering content rights to MySpace in exchange for minority equity rights in the service, expected to launch later this year. Additionally, the labels hope to benefit from the advertising revenues that will largely fund the platform. More than anything else, however, the record companies seek to expand the number of alternatives to the iTunes music store in their favor. As negotiations with the record companies continue in full force, it seems that nothing can stop MySpace Music from entering the industry and setting new standards for music accessibility and consumption.

Apple may beg to differ, however. These talks are occurring at a momentous time in the industry, because as of this past week, iTunes has finally overtaken Wal-Mart as the number one music retailer in the nation, totaling nineteen percent of all music purchases. With paid downloads accounting for thirty (and rising) percent of all sales and iTunes serving as the primary venue for these transactions, some, such as Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey, argue that MySpace Music will not be an impending threat to Apple because of iTunes’ “connection to an amazingly popular device [the iPod]”. Not to mention that iTunes reaches a wide international audience, whereas MySpace Music is currently only available within the United States. But what will happen when users can receive DRM-free downloads from MySpace instead, all the while in a more interactive environment that offers fans a personal connection to their favorite artists? Blogger Jacqui Cheng of Ars Technica believes that the new service “could give giants like iTunes and Amazon MP3 a run for their money.” With thirty million users who identify themselves as active members of the music community and five million artist pages that offer interactivity in the form of messages, feeds, and polls between the artist and the fan, MySpace Music might just steal iTunes' thunder. And iTunes is not at all oblivious to this possibility.

In fact, Apple representatives pulled what may look like a desperate stunt at last night's Family Force 5 concert, passing out $30 iTunes music gift cards to fans as they walked out the door. Last100's blogger Daniel Langendorf, who attended this show, made an observation of considerable note: the performers themselves announced to fans, “check out this song when you go home on MySpace!” This new trend on behalf of performing artists to recognize and promote their MySpace pages, combined with Apple's gift card giveaway, serves as a clear indicator that Apple and iTunes are not viewing the upcoming service without apprehension. Additionally, whispers are circulating that Apple has proposed a new "all-you-can-eat" music download package that would allow users unlimited iTunes downloads with their purchase of an iPod (see below right-hand iTunes + iPod ad graphic). While the price of iPod hardware would increase somewhat, Apple would pay a certain premium to the labels for the songs, such that no subscription fee would be necessary. As long as heavy music buyers switch to the iPod plus music bundle and some infrequent buyers jump on board as well, the plan would be profitable for Apple (if interested in the number crunching, see this recent article from Coolfer). Ideally, users would be satisfied, and if this service were enacted effectively it would certainly reduce MySpace's threat to Apple. Interestingly, though, the mp3 player manufacturer Zune has been offering a similar option with its devices since 2006, such that Apple's download package is not an entirely new idea. However, despite technology that is closely comparable to the iPod, Zune's plan never really caught on among the greater public, perhaps due to its smaller reach and lack of brand name power. Already excelling free of these limitations, I expect that Apple's proposal will experience far greater success.

On the subject of Apple's radical yet captivating potential counter-moves to MySpace Music, consider the following: as an April Fool’s joke, news of Apple purchasing Universal flooded the inboxes of industry officials. The hoax, which announced that all Universal tracks would be available through iTunes for a mere fifteen cents, temporarily convinced even Wired.com blogger Eliot Van Buskirk, who admitted that although somewhat outrageous, rumors of such an acquisition have been spreading for years. Despite the fact that the April Fool’s revival solely aimed to deliver humorous shock value, talks of this Apple-Universal buyout originated years ago, and perhaps these murmurs should be taken more seriously. A business deal to this extent would allow Apple to control both the content of their music and its distribution, resulting in economic benefits of huge proportions. Since these rumors have real roots, I wonder if Apple buying MySpace will ever be in the picture. That would certainly be the most dramatic ending to this epic fight, whether or not it is particularly feasible. In the meantime, however, I cannot help but be skeptical that the MySpace Music shopping experience will be as friendly as iTunes', since each artist’s page is equipped with different graphics, colors, and designs that could make navigation difficult and overwhelming. Additionally, I anticipate that MySpace tracks will cost more than those on iTunes, which, given the thriftiness of its young consumers, would likely discourage large amounts of purchases. Yes, MySpace Music does promise some exciting and innovative features, but I will be putting my money on iTunes for the duration of this battle.

Industry Connections Abound: A Concise Look at the Online Music Community

This week, I actively explored the Web once again in search of notable, lively resources that will supplement the content I address in my entries as well as provide my readers with additional links of interest pertaining to music industry issues and events. Using the Webby and IMSA criteria for evaluating websites and blogs, I have found what I feel are ten additional outstanding music blogs and magazines, new sites, and organizations based on their content, structure, visual design, functionality, interactivity, depth, and activity. These links have been added to my linkroll (right), but I will also evaluate each of them here. The first two sites I found are related to my last entry on social networking sites’ music platforms and their ability to help “break” new artists into the business. Taxi, self-described as “The World’s Leading Independent A&R Company,” helps unsigned bands and songwriters find record and publishing deals as well as placement in films and television shows. However, despite useful links to resources and industry job listings, Taxi's page comes off a bit like a cheesy infomercial, with a section for success stories and a corny front-page picture of a band huddled around a “What will Taxi do for you?” sign. Another site also deals with new artists, Rolling Stone’s “Breaking” blog. Although frequently updated, with each entry featuring a different emerging artist and encouraging interactivity via YouTube videos and leaving comments, the blog simply describes one band at a time and does not give thorough show critiques nor name any upcoming performances. Following up on my earlier post on digital downloads and songwriter royalties, Broadcast Music, Incorporated is a performing right organization that collects license fees and distributes them as royalties to their songwriters, artists, and publishers. The site is visually appealing and easily navigable, with catchy graphics spread throughout its extensive news feeds, online music magazine, and licensing information. However, it houses personal financial motives, presenting itself as a way to save businesses money and encouraging users to pay to join the service. Pro-Music, on the other hand, presents licensing issues in the digital era in a more balanced manner, outlining both sides of the debate and including artist testimonies with visually aesthetic graphics. Unfortunately, some of the links are slow to load or link to dead pages.

Music Connection Magazine is an all-encompassing industry site and my favorite of this bunch, with thoroughly researched columns such as the A&R Report and entertaining profiles on songwriters and engineers who might not normally receive the attention or gratitude they deserve from the music media. The “tip jar” section also includes interesting tidbits for aspiring artists, although despite the site’s unique layers, I was bothered by the flashy advertisements along the sides and top of each page. Similarly, Digital Music News’ tacky advertisement banners and dreary-looking interface overshadow its more helpful features, such as numerous recent news stories and an extensive job board. One step ahead of Digital Music, the visually attractive though perhaps simplistic news feed on Hits Daily Double’s news page covers all aspects of the industry, from charts to producers to music on television, easy to traverse and encouraging interactivity with a news search, album sales chart archive, and an appropriately witty “rumor mill.” Billboard’s Business page is similarly inclusive, highlighting news from every genre of music as well as the legal, publishing, and global realms, and allowing users to participate in polls and view the most popular and most e-mailed stories. However, the top headline graphics at the forefront of the page may change almost too frequently to stimulate interest in those titles. Downhill Battle, a non-profit organization run by music activists working toward a fairer industry, takes a more progressive and strongly anti-RIAA stance, a well-organized though biased site that includes links to spin-offs such as the RIAA Radar (example pictured, above left), a tool that consumers can use to distinguish whether an album was released by a member of the RIAA. Finally, the Velvet Rope Forums serve as open arenas in which to post thoughts on particular artists, venues, or events in the industry, with a community feel and frequent user activity and conversation, although the information found here must be examined critically given the anonymity and unknown credibility of those posting. Overall, my explorations this week lent me great insight into the music industry and its online cultural manifestations.

Social Networking Sites: The New Music Platform?

In an earlier post, I discussed the cultural shift away from record labels and hard-copy CD sales toward the world of digital downloads. Expanding on this topic, Facebook unveiled a new music section last week, allowing artists to post videos and songs for fans to stream, promote upcoming shows and sell tickets, as well as link fans to the iTunes store to buy their songs (sample Facebook top artists page, below right). Using the site, which is comparable to MySpace Music pages (see logo, left), musicians can create free profiles, and fans can “friend” their favorites on the popular social networking service. While the site is still in its implementation stage with many details yet to be revealed, Facebook Music's representatives are currently in discussions with several major labels to launch its companion, an additional music acquisition service.

However, Facebook is not the first social networking site to propose such a music platform. Record label representatives say that a new MySpace service will likely involve free ad-supported on-demand streaming, similar to popular internet radio sites like Last.fm, with the option of DRM-free downloads as well. It is this downloading option that will set the service apart from current on-demand radio sites, supported heavily by advertising, such that every artist page can become its own music store that sells music from friend to friend. And, since MySpace's overall advertising revenues reached close to $525 million in 2007, the site is in an advantageous position to try such a bold move as an ad-supported music service. Interestingly, however, digital business blogger Bill Houghton notes that were MySpace truly successful in their advertising, according to their number of ad impressions per year, this figure should actually be closer to $4.8 billion. The new platform has the potential to make up for this loss, strengthening and grounding MySpace's ad business as a whole because advertising on the music pages could be tailored to the target audience for each artist or to the personal hobbies, interests, and tastes named on each user's profile. Although this sounds like a feasible and valuable idea, it is important to note that MySpace executives seem, in CNet News blogger Greg Sandoval's words, only to be "taking the record industry's temperature" regarding such a service. Especially since MySpace's parent company NewsCorp still needs to make amends with Universal Music Group, which sued MySpace in 2006 for copyright infringement.

However, if all plays out in MySpace's favor, how well will Facebook be able to handle and counter the competition? Its sixty-six million members cannot easily compare to MySpace's 110 million users and three million registered bands. Then again, Facebook's smaller numbers may actually serve as an advantage, as artists want to go where there is less competition and a greater chance of being heard and discovered. I would expect Facebook to do something clever with the external applications that already dominate their non-music user profiles to create a tightly networked and personalized user experience, perhaps finding top-notch music companies to fund and invest in the new platform. Current applications include a Facebook music player, a MusicShop that allows artists to display their merchandise for fans to purchase, and iCast, a bulletin system that sends artists' multimedia blogs and bulletins across ten networks to engage with their fan bases, although comparable applications are already available on MySpace artist pages. If Facebook hopes to present itself as a worthy player in the digital music-networking world, its executives will have to find new ways to connect its users both with the platform and the artists. One suggestion I have would be to incorporate fans' RSVPs to upcoming shows so that users can see which of their online friends are attending or would like to go to various concerts in their area, something that the application iLike has already initiated.

Nonetheless, having both MySpace and Facebook involved in digital music distribution is an exciting new move that already has a potential 175 million members and will likely attract more. Combined, these networks have made unlimited, free exposure possible for millions of emerging and prominent artists alike, making significant contributions to the ways in which we consume and discover new music and helping guide music culture into its present digital stronghold. Ultimately, the timing is beneficial as the record labels can currently use the help and youthful appeal of social networking sites to win over the growing community of online consumers, in return providing the sites with the labels' support to share and stream the music. As negotiations continue, I am curious to see what the impact of these changes will be on the record companies, artists, and their fans.

Notes from Abroad: Exploring the Web for Music Connections

This week, I ventured out into the internet once again in search of high quality resources that will compliment the content I address in my entries as well as provide you, my reader, with additional links that may prove of interest to you and help further your musical explorations. Using the Webby and IMSA criteria for evaluating websites and blogs, I have compiled a list of what I feel are ten outstanding music blogs, news sites and organizations based on their content, structure, visual design, functionality, interactivity, depth, and activity. These links are available for you in my linkroll (right), but I will also evaluate each of them for you here. The first site two sites I found were inspired by my last entry on digital downloads. The National Musical Publishers' Association (NMPA) is an easily navigable site with visually appealing graphics that includes resourceful links to other recording industry, government, and licensing organizations. Its Press Room section provides links to press releases and events, but I wonder how current these are since the last event listed was in October; also, I am aware that the releases provided are all biased towards the NMPA, solely discussing positive achievements of the organization and not revealing any potential problems or battles. Similarly, the Recording Industry Association of America's site has a wealth of press release links biased in their favor, although a section on tools for parents and educators to teach kids appropriate downloading behaviors is new and innovative, unlike the visually unappealing home page, which features three shades of dreary, washed out gray. A third organization I discovered, Music United, has bias towards siding with protecting artists' music and prohibiting illegal downloads, but nonetheless provides useful information and links regarding music law, as well as accessible live links to educational campaigns on online music and copyright. MusicWeek's news page displays extensive news headlines with major stories displayed at the top with simple and effective graphics; however, the long list of news stories below is not organized or dated in a useful manner, and there is no news archive.

One step ahead of MusicWeek, the visually attractive news feed on National Public Radio Music's news page covers all aspects of the industry, from business to hip hop to classical music, an easily navigable site encouraging interactivity with a news search, “most emailed” section listing popular stories, and a full, well-organized news archive. Last100, dedicated to the digital lifestyle, features an audio section solely devoted to tracking digital music trends and changes. The news content is helpful, but the light blue background and title font look a bit childish. Pitchfork Media ups the visual ante with blog-style news entries and high user interactivity, allowing users to add stories to their favorites, although I wish they also allowed users to comment. The site also highlights daily links to current news stories not addressed in the blog, all the while marketed to a younger, concert-going audience, as evidenced by the bright color scheme and emphasis on artists. Coolfer's blog consolidates useful links to other publications’ news feeds and groups them by the current event they discuss, presenting straight music business simply and clearly and making it easy to subscribe to a reader; the only thing missing for me was a graphic element for greater aesthetic value. New York Magazine's blog (catchy graphic from last Friday's front page pictured, above left) is also aimed at a more youthful demographic, with a highly artistic interface that looks like a page from the magazine itself, living up to its slogan of "devouring culture" by addressing key trends in all fields of entertainment with current user comments. Its biting tone may offend some, but is nonetheless appropriate to the subject matter. Spin Magazine's site has an equally artist-oriented blog with high user interactivity, inviting readers to post photos and participate in polls on the site, also integrating videos and music clips into the mix. However, while the news is current, comments on the entries are low. All in all, an interesting and rewarding search of the web and its music industry and culture connections.

Digital Downloads: Who Should Profit Most?

As a new participant venturing into the blogosphere, I was pleasantly surprised to discover the number of blogs dealing entirely with music and recording industry trends and events. In my previous post I discussed the hypocrisy of American Idol and the recording industry in general for creating false promises of glamorized fame and success that only prove true for a select few lucky and hard-working individuals. Today, I wish to further this discussion by examining where the power really lies in the recording industry. Current debates in the blogosphere suggest that perhaps this power lies with Apple, iTunes, and digital downloads, not with the recording engineers or artists themselves. While the future of the industry is not certain, I was drawn to this issue of changing power by the large number of blogs centering on this issue. The first post I found, “Steve Jobs Rules the Recording Industry. Now What?” is written by Jimmy Guterman, editorial director of O’Reilly’s Radar group and former editor of Forrester, Gaming Industry News, and CD Review. His entry takes a look at the shifting arenas for the discovery of new music over the years, from radio to music videos to video games and commercials, the latter being where the focus remains today. The song that appeared in Apple’s recent MacBook Air commercial, for example, hit number one at the iTunes online music store, demonstrating how Apple has dominated the industry with its 99-cent singles and creative commercial campaigns (see magazine cover comparing Steve Jobs to "god," above right). The second post, “Music Royalties and How Not to Make a Living,” published by staff member at the University of Dayton’s Zimmerman Law Library Chris Martin, examines the two sides of the Copyright Royalty Board’s debate on songwriter music royalties and how much songwriters should receive for digital downloads, a first-time hearing on this issue as music industry and culture trends continuously change. In addition to posting my comments directly on the authors’ respective blog entries, I have also displayed these comments for you below.

“Steve Jobs Rules the Recording Industry. Now What?”
Comment:
Thank you for an insightful post on the music industry and Apple’s increasing role therein. I wonder about the possibility of Apple becoming an entirely self-proficient record label. This may actually be beneficial, allowing lesser-known artists the chance to promote their music inexpensively through the iTunes music store and gain a greater fan base without having to sacrifice the majority of their profits to a commercial label. However, do you feel that there is any great danger in Apple becoming too powerful in the industry? You wrote that the “music industry has much to learn from the computer software industry about reinvention and staying in touch with the customer.” Accordingly, then, if Apple were to become its own record label (see graphic, left), its role as a trendsetter in new technologies would make it a perfect candidate for success in this revolutionary move. Since digital is now the new realm for music purchases and downloads, the artists themselves must learn to capitalize on this medium in order to maintain relationships with their fans, since signed artists should expect their labels to do very little on their behalf in this respect. I particularly enjoyed following the link to one of your older posts, in which you discuss Jill Sobule as an example of an artist finding innovative ways of funding her record without a label. Providing fans with the incentive to donate to their favorite artists’ recording funds by affording them the opportunity to become more involved in the creative process or receive pre-releases of the working album is an excellent way to stimulate greater interest in the artist’s music and progress. Perhaps some of the problem with new artists is that they expect their affiliation with a label to increase their credibility and put them on the fast-track to success, while in reality the labels are not necessarily focused on talent and consumers will always look for the cheapest and most convenient ways to consume music (enter iTunes and illegal downloading software). New artists often fail to consider the possibility that starting independently with a small and loyal fan base will not only give them greater control over their work, but also put them on a more plausible and creative track toward success. I, like you, look forward to seeing how the music industry adapts to these changing technologies and counters Apple’s future moves.

"Music Royalties: How Not to Make a Living"
Comment:
First of all, I would like to thank you for your neatly presented summary of the digital songwriter royalty debate. It is a topic which interests me greatly, although one whose relevance and importance I had not previously considered. You expressed your position that “making a living from creating music is difficult enough for most people, even without having the music industry and retailers undercut what little there usually is to financially gain.” Certainly cutting royalty rates would hurt songwriters, but I believe that it is also possible that this reduction would damage the industry as a whole by negatively affecting the quality of popular music today. Those artists who rely on external songwriters would have to begin writing their own songs, which might lead to decreased song quality, fewer hits and sales, and therefore hurt the industry overall. To take this one step further, in light of the recent writers’ strike, what if songwriters were to begin their own strike in response to the RIAA’s demands for mechanical rate cuts? While this may be a radical idea, I wonder if the RIAA and DiMA have considered this at all or if they are solely focused on the possibility of “keeping the extra cash,” as you believe is a likely outcome. In any case, I anxiously await for the two sides to reconcile their differences, for, as Wired’s Eliot Van Buskirk recently wrote, if the "quality of music depends on keeping songwriters happy, music fans should hope the Copyright Royalty Board settles on a rate that keeps them solvent.” For the sake of keeping the American music culture an enriching one, I hope this debate results in victory for the songwriters this coming October.

Fueling the Dream: "American Idol" Expands its Marketing Machine

American Idol, fresh into its seventh season, has managed to find yet another outlet for expanding its commercial empire. Disney announced this week that the corporation plans to open an elaborate American Idol attraction at the Hollywood Studios amusement park in Buena Park, Florida (pictured, right). Scheduled to arrive in late 2008, the "Idol" attraction would aim to instill the same excitement in each customer as that experienced by the top twenty-four every season on American Idol, complete with auditions, live performances, and studio audience voting to determine each day’s finalist. Top competitors on the Disney stage would then be eligible for front-of-the-line American Idol audition passes for the next season, although the final details are still forthcoming.

All this seems pretty harmless, if not actually fun. However, as the authors of the Rolling Stone's Rock & Roll Daily mockingly suggest, this collaboration between the biggest cultural monopoly and the most popular American television show can only lead to more sarcastically-dubbed, "brilliant interactive entertainment concepts". These may include the “Pussycat Dolls Tower of Terror,” a hit-rock-bottom, porn-infused version of the “Twilight Zone” elevator drop ride, or a "Rock of Love" spoof on “It’s a Small World," complete with all the tiny male singers wearing bandanas and the girls plumped up with collagen implants. Yes, these examples are clearly absurd, but this is the point I (and the Rolling Stone editors) wish to make about such a merger of two huge entertainment icons. Perhaps we have taken American Idol just one step too far, with the corporations’ interest lying predominantly in turning a profit, lacking the necessary concern for finding and fostering the genuine talent that will truly enrich American culture in a positive way. And Americans, too, are getting caught up in the commercial glamorization of American Idol as a star-making machine, dangerously fueling the exaggerated shared dream of stardom that has proven inconsistent and unpredictable as previous winners have entered the real music industry.

So is the reality show experience really as glamorous for the artists as the media lead us to believe? No one can deny that the majority of hopefuls who audition must be prepared for disappointment from the start, with tens of thousands of auditionees fighting for only twenty-four spots on the show each year, not to mention the high probability of harsh criticism from the notoriously crabby and brutally honest British judge, Simon Cowell (pictured, below left, with co-judges pop artist Paula Abdul, producer Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest). Certainly, watching Cowell rip apart first-round contestants can be entertaining, although contrasting the sadistic tone of opening auditions with the sentimental qualities of the final weeks of competition proves the show to be confusing and slightly disturbing, not glamorous. Yet America has not tired of this predictable (though emotionally inconsistent) progression: according to Nielsen Media Research, last week's ratings reveal an overwhelming twenty two million viewers for American Idol’s Tuesday broadcast, second only to the Superbowl game and postshow even in its seventh season. Although ratings have dropped compared to past years, this number nonetheless suggests that the show has become an incredible cultural and musical phenomenon, one that is likely here to stay.

Where the series goes wrong is in its failure to prioritize quality singing over personality-biased voting. American Idol is really a voting competition, not a singing one; singing is merely the entry requirement for finalists. Yes, the show probably owes its high ratings to the millions of Americans who love to play the critic and voice their own votes, but what makes us so sure that these fans really have the ability to recognize true talent? Perhaps some members of the public who avoid tuning in do so out of awareness of the musical genius that exists outside the limiting bounds of American Idol. On this note, how can we be certain of the actual talent level in any given season, other than by listening to the judges’ comments? In fact, what the series’ viewers respond to most is actually not the talent, but rather the finalists' personal stories, which have grown consistently each year to become an integral part of the program. For example, American Idol video clips depicted Season Three winner Fantasia Barrino as a teenage single mother working hard to support her baby and turn her life around, a sentimental theme which many viewers could relate to and emphasize with; conversely, Season Six's Sanjaya won the audience's hearts with his crazy, ever-changing hairdo and quirky personality. Vocally, however, it is unlikely that either of these artists (nor many others that have appeared on the series) would have made it as far as they did if the goal and design of the show were actually to produce genuine talent and not just to capitalize off of the singers' personalities and heartfelt home videos, as I suspect is the case.

To be fair, Cowell has admitted that the producers of American Idol need to "do better" this year to find an artist with more long-term potential, expressing his disappointment that neither of last season’s two finalists have “caught on fire". Additionally, previous winners Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard, and Katharine McPhee all terminated deals with their record labels due to lagging sales. Cowell dismisses this as a reflection on the harsh character of the music business, where the results of “reality” television do not necessarily translate into long-term fame and musical success. Studdard similarly acknowledges this fact, calling American Idol a "crash course" in the entertainment industry. However, he also concedes that most of the winners--who generally represent the "average American" demographic--would never have become recording artists were it not for the show. Perhaps, then, the program does have some merit in affording a select few finalists the opportunity to rise to fame, however short-lived, as well as providing educational insight into the always unpredictable and often vicious nature of the music industry. Somewhat disconcerting, however, is the fact that contestants are contractually forbidden to discuss their experiences on the show, such that their true stories remain hidden from the public. Were former contestants and winners allowed to speak out, would American Idol still manage to continue the legacy of excitement and uphold the shared dream of sudden fame in its young contestants and viewers?

Unsurprisingly, the behind the scenes reality of the show's limiting legal contracts and of the music industry as a whole conflicts with the sunny, smooth-sailing images presented by the media. Perhaps this is because American Idol producers know that the show would cease to be popular were its hypocrisy and misleading promises of fame to be openly revealed. However, this contrast has dangerous cultural implications, including the perseverance of false dreams and the downgrade and commercialization of mainstream talent. In any case, unless Cowell keeps his word this season and adamantly helps guide viewers towards choosing the most genuinely talented--and not just charismatic--singer, I hope Disney's Idol attraction fails.