Seemingly Intractable Questions In Pop, No.1 in a Series

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

How do you make pop work on TV?

Comments

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Only play pop that works on TV!

This is a pet topic of mine as regards popstars' image vs their music.

AMAZING TELLY: Avril, Lily, Fergie, Lionel Richie Girls Aloud (when Cheryl is talking). Popstars who have personality/charm and entertainment value, not just 'good songs'. You can hear music anywhere. You can only SEE it on youtube telly (at least, if you're not sure where online to look).

AWFUL TELLY: Bands with guitars who insist on playing 'live'. It's going to sound terrible! Why are you even bothering? Dudes might as well buy your CD and listen to it performed right, or go to a gig where the technical errors are not so obvious. Also, Sophie Ellis Bextor giraffing about. And popstars that are clearly so exhausted from a worldwide promotional tour they can barely keep their eyes open whilst talking to the interviewer.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

your erased youtube brings us to a related key point:

youtube is stuff you go to find (PULL) or have PUSHed at you by people you know. telly is like flyers - stuff thrown out (PUSH again) by distanced/gatekeeper/strangers in the hope that it sticks with someone.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

point being (grr post too soon) that viewers would rather look elsewhere and 'the talent/management' have more control if they put stuff out without that middleman.

so all telly can do between artists and public is publicity = "entertainment news" spots.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

See my comment to Ben below - the right format can extract the fun side out of popstars and endear them to the record-buying audience. This is the sort of thing that makes me buy eg the TashBed album.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

i'm sure yr right, but i don't know why anyone involved, apart from the tv production companies, would look to a tv programme to do this. and without viewing figures or enthusiasm/co-op from the 'content' it would be hard to get off the ground.

a youtube/cheap/grass-roots sensation could spawn a new telly show, but i am somewhat pessimistic. basically i suppose because i can't think of a good answer to this thread/qn. so why don't i just shup up and see what imaginative ppl haev come up with here...