411mania.com: Music - 411 Music Fact Or Fiction 08.26.10: Mariah, Kanye/Bieber, Music Dying, Boy Bands Touring, Games, and Politics!

Round 1

1) You're going to check out the Justin Bieber / Kanye West collaboration. (Read 1) (Read 2)

David Hayter: FACT.

I've never actually heard a Justin Bieber track (well except the one that was slowed down 800% to sound like a classic shoegaze record) so I really don't share the communal hate that has built up around the young pop star. I'm always excited to hear what Kanye has to offer. Good or bad, I think he's a forward-thinking, creative mind, and I'm exciting to see if he can create something special out of this national hate-figure.

Lenny Vowels: FICTION.

No, no, no, no, no, no, and NO! Add a thousand more "no"s if you have to. Unless he's walking face first into a door or otherwise, I want nothing to do with Justin Bieber when it comes to media attention. The fact that Kanye and Raekwon have decided to work with the little twerp doesn't change my view of him. I mean, hell, Zakk Wylde is one of my favorite musicians of all time, and even though he publicly endorsed Justin's guitarist, that still won't get me to listen to him. I'm even surprised it didn't make me respect Zakk less. Either way, point is: if my favorite guitarist indirectly backing him won't do it, what chance does Kanye have?

Score Card: 0 for 1

Round 2

2) A tour featuring the New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys together is just too much to handle.

David Hayter: FACT.

It's certainly too much for me to comprehend and I'm sure it will have their nostalgic fangirls fainting in masses. Next.

Lenny Vowels: FICTION.

I already commented on this in the Music 3R's earlier this week. While I don't think it's too much to handle, I sure as hell think it's a stupid idea. The tour itself will likely cost more than it will gross, as I'm certain that public interest will fade out in less than a couple of weeks. The only way it would get to be too much to handle is if I knew a handful of people that would actually want to see it. Only then would overload be imminent. Until that happens, I'm sticking with Fiction.

Score Card: 0 for 2

Round 3

3) Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock has a bad-ass track listing.

David Hayter: FICTION.

For me, this is a pretty bland track listing. It actually has too many obvious (and simplistic, from a technical point of view) tracks, for my tastes. It does depend what you want to take from a guitar hero game. If you want to play along with some popular songs and sing along, then, yeah, this is a "badass" collection of tracks; but if you wanted to discover some exciting tracks you might not have been familiar with, then this is a pretty forgettable track listing.

As guitar hero has become more and more popular, the track listings seem more and more predictable. I mean honestly: Neil Young makes his big guitar hero debut and they pick "Keep On Rocking In The Free World"? Really? Sure it's well known and catchy, but it's not going to be interesting to play from a difficulty point of view, and it's hardly going to inspire people to check out an album that they hadn't previously heard. Now that being said, I am excited to see a big chunk of Megadeth and Rush on the listing. Those tracks should be very challenging, especially if all four of you are playing at once. Overall though, as a music fan, this doesn't excite me, too few curve balls, too much pandering.

Lenny Vowels: FACT.

Rhythm games are one of my favorite hobbies with friends, and while I haven't been looking forward to it as much as Rock Band 3, the newest installment of Guitar Hero has a pretty solid track list itself. I'm definitely looking forward to playing songs like "The Outsider", "Dancing Through Sunday", "Machinehead", "Love Gun", "Uprising", "Wish", "There's No Secrets This Year", "Black Rain", "Scumbag Blues", and all of "2112". The rest are either already on Rock Band (the superior franchise IMO) or just don't interest me. So overall, even with 10 songs I really want to play and the rest being gravy, I'll give it the nod.

Score Card: 0 for 3

Round 4

4) Wyclef Jean not listed on the ballot is a huge political blow for Haiti in their time of continued crisis. (Read 1) (Read 2)

Lenny Vowels: FICTION.

I think the idea of Wyclef running for office in an impoverished country seemed like a good move, but not having him on the ballot likely won't be the end of the world. Hell, to be honest, they've kind of already experienced that, in a way. Anyone being brought in to run things means that things can go nowhere but up for the unfortunate nation of Haiti. It doesn't necessarily have to be a musician.

David Hayter: FICTION.

This is not a blow for Haiti; this is an absolute triumph for the people of Haiti. These are dark serious times for Haiti (even by their tragic standards). The last thing they need is a gimmicky political race dominated by an international pop star. The people of Haiti need someone who knows the country, its infrastructure, and its people. They need legitimate representation, a leader who is politically savvy, and, most of all, stability. Wyclef doesn't live on Haiti; he isn't a part of the nation's politics; he has no experience; and his charity work has a dubious shadow of illegitimacy looming over it.

If Wyclef really wants to help the people of Haiti, he should look at the candidates and the organizations involved, make an informed decision about who has Haiti's best interests at heart, and support them. He has plenty of money; he can use it in a carefully considered way; attempting to win an election to represent a people with whom he has so little in common is completely fool hardy. Even his own band mates have disowned him on this one: he isn't qualified, isn't legally eligible to run, and doesn't represent his would-be constituents; Wyclef Jean has NO BUSINESS being in this race.

Score Card: 1 for 4

Round 5

5) Rocker John Mellencamp is right when he said that the Internet destroyed the music industry.

Lenny Vowels: FACT.

This is one of those things that I really hate to agree with. While technically the music industry hasn't been "destroyed," it's in a very heavy decline, and the biggest reason for this fall is obviously illegal digital downloads. It's not even just the free ones that people take advantage of, like Napster (back in the day) or torrents. Even legal services like iTunes and Amazon effectively null the need for physically having music in the form of CDs, which is where all of the production costs come from. It's not uncommon to walk into any retailer these days and see 10 to 20 times the number of discs lining the shelves that would've been there ten years ago. It's obviously too late to turn back, but hopefully something will turn this all around.

David Hayter: FICTION.

The internet has not destroyed the music industry; the internet has changed the music industry. The music industry, like almost every other business, evolved, grew, and adapted to changing market and circumstantial factors. The internet is simply the latest evolution; it's not the music industry that's dying, it's the current industry model, and they are NOT the same thing. The music industry doesn't have to be a multi-billion dollar industry; it doesn't have a divine right to resist change until the end of time. Instead it is just like every other business; when new challenges arise it has to adapt and overcome or fall by the way side.

Music isn't going anywhere because there is huge demand. In fact, there is so much demand that people who can't afford it in its current form still want it. Piracy is just an expression of these factors and it's actually providing the industry with vital information about their consumers wants and desires. Now the industry has two options; stick your fingers in your ears and pretend it doesn't exist and be satisfied with your established consumer base or evolve to face these new challenges. The fact is the industry is already evolving: Spotify is doing huge business in the UK, Last.fm is going strong worldwide, iTunes and other online downloads continue to flourish, people are going to concerts in record numbers in spite of a worldwide recession, and people have gained access to music they previously would never have heard from all around the world.

Delivery mechanisms change; pricings change; we live in a market economy, and nothing lasts forever in its original form. Now you could argue that the Music Industry should exist as is, and that's a fine argument, but the basic reality is, you either cut costs or you become state-funded and get bailed out as a failing industry. And believe me; I am all in favor of Nation states (I know Americans aren't so fond of this) subsidizing the music industry, the arts, and young artists, in general. But ultimately, we are in a period of transition. I don't know where we are headed, and neither does John Mellencamp, but the music industry hasn't been destroyed. We are in a state of flux; one business model may be being read its last rights but new ideas and mechanisms are waiting right around the corner. One thing is for sure; there is no shortage of demand (just ask Eminem).

Score Card: 1 for 5

Round 6

6) Adding Mariah Carey as a judge on American Idol, alongside Steven Tyler, would be a desperate PR move by the show. (Read 1) (Read 2) (Read 3)

Lenny Vowels: FACT.

It is a desperate PR move, but considering it's the Fox network, already a well-publicized PR nightmare, in its own right, and the tanking ratings of Idol from last season, they'll probably do anything it takes and shovel out whatever money is needed to get the attention that they want. Adding Mariah Carey certainly won't get me to watch, but if it brings in another million viewers (which it won't), then Fox will go for it. I still hope and pray that the fad is completely dead by 2012 anyway.

David Hayter: FICTION.

I genuinely think the potential addition of Mariah Carey and to a lesser extent Steven Tyler is a great move. Mariah Carey is a huge name, and an even bigger character. Sure she might be a bit temperamental and crazy; but she will add intrigue from a viewer's perspective. People will be interested to see what Mariah does and what she has to say. On top of this let's not forget Mariah has an incredible voice and great range. This after all is a singing contest; it's not about writing your own tracks and being creative, it's about singing and being a star. Mariah will know the ins and outs of vocals and will be able to offer genuine tips about how to use your range, when to pull back, when to let it rip and how to manipulate your vocal chords. In the UK, we recently had the pop/opera singer Charlotte Church giving singing advice to young vocalist and her advice was right on the money and genuinely insightful and informative.

As for Mr. Tyler he really seems to be in a bad place mentally (with his band, at least) and I'm not sure how he'll translate as a character to American Idols audience. Now while he may be an awkward fit, there's no doubt he's a charismatic guy who knows all about showmanship. Where Mariah can offer vocal tips and critiques, Tyler can tell the contestants how to spruce up their act and how to own the stage. Now all this being said, I really don't care about American Idol at all, but compared to some of the other judges I've had to talk about these two seem like a good fit.

Score Card: 1 for 6

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