i watch the performance channel in the UK becasue every now and again there are decent musicians aired. I watch "American Pop idol" or the "X Factor" factor purely for entertainment as thats what those programmes are for and the music content consists of less than 10% of these prgrams and of the 10 % that is music content 90% of the 10% is mediocre at best !

"when did music die" . Of course good music will never die but I believe that the advent of the TV and video have gone a long way to critically injuring good music. Ask yourself the question "do you listen to music or watch it ? ". You see its impossible to watch music. You can omly listen to it. But you can both watch and listen to a performance and most of what is paraded on TV today dressed up as music is in fact for the most part performance. ASk yourself the question when was the last time you saw a live band actually playing their instruments , singers actually singing without vocal backing tracks ?

The performance has become paramount and not the music which is why so long as you look the part, can dance a bit,have some charisma about you etc you can can make mega bucks by lipsyncing in huge stadiums whilst the real singers do backing vocals.

The great musicians and i am talking about masters of their instruments are booked to play in studios and lay tracks for the performers. I could give you lists of great gospel artists and musicians that have had to make a living featuring in much of the contempory music people my age and youinger listen to but whom most people would never have even heard of . Why ??? because what the market is purchasing an image, a performance.

Sorry went off on one Scott!!! Having a bad day today . Eexcuse my incoherent rantings ...