We should pity Britney Spears.
And we should feel bad for Pink, Liz Phair -- even LeAnn Rimes and Courtney Love, too.
As much as it stings, these tramps/tarts can't sell records anymore. Whether file-sharing is to blame (doubtful), current disinterest in their product is more devastating than it has ever been, as three years' of industry-wide declination and poor chart performances (especially for Spears' and Pink's new releases) show.
Billboard.com suggests the problem is that the listening public has grown tired of their near-NC-17-rated videos, singles and merchandise. Again and again, we have been force-fed sex -- "The Kiss" on the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards; Pink's and Phair's abundant cleavage -- but it seems we don't want it, at least not like we used to.
Granted, in nine weeks, Spears' "In the Zone" has pushed two million copies. But in May 2000, her "Oops! ... I Did It Again" record sold 1.3 million in its first week.
Maybe the times are a-changin'.
Music-product consumers aren't buying these girls' burlesque acts like they did in the late '90s. Pink is overexposed. Phair has become a parody, and Spears' fetishistic personality cycles are wearing thin. Sales proved we accepted her "schoolgirl" phase in 1999. But, in 2004, as her appeal plummets and public opinion gets more-scathing, her "lipstick lesbian" tryst and forays into bondage -- especially with increasingly awful music accompanying them -- look pathetic.
Whether spurred by the events of Sept. 11, the country has developed a more cautious, less hedonistic attitude. Especially as our fear of terrorism and general anxiety continues, some experts believe we're abandoning our pin-up dolls in favor of artists who can express these emotions.
"Audiences are listening to lyrics more," Ron Vos said. "They're focused on content and story line, not dancing and having fun, and they want the artist to reflect that." Vos is the president and chief executive of Hi Frequency Marketing in North Carolina, and his quotation appeared on MSNBC.com in an article titled, "'Sexing it up' doesn't necessarily sell albums."-รก
Terry Pettijohn, a social psychologist at Mercyhurst College, said in the article, "When social and economic times are more threatening and pessimistic, we actually prefer others with more mature facial, body and personality characteristics."
He said, "In times of trouble, strong, stable, supportive people are favored. When times are good, we tend to favor the fun person."
Since you could claim we are in times of trouble, these opinions explain the popularity of Alicia Keys, Josh Groban and Evanescence -- each artist has released a record currently selling more copies per week (and having infinitely more appeal) than Spears' "In the Zone." And bands like Coldplay and Maroon 5 are doing similarly well because our country has a new taste for musicians who sing with depth and emotion. We seem to want artists who wear clothes and have a bit of substance. We seem to be tired of cooing and panting, and it's nice.
Though Spears' and Pink's bank accounts might have taken a few hits, it's good news their records aren't selling. Of course, not every album we buy has to be monumentally profound, and the days of vacuous pop are not gone, but even a slight movement toward music that reflects the times is welcome.
Write to Allyn at aswest@bsu.edu.
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