DS Forums

 
 

Should looks really matter in the industry...


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 25-01-2012, 11:43
aza1234
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 9

If someone has genuine 'talent' should looks really matter if they sell records, I can think of a recent artist who defies this (not calling this person either good looking or 'ugly') I really do like this artist and think there down to earth and genuine with good songs that I personally like

Just a few thoughts that I've been thinking about and wanted to post on here and see who agrees and who doesn't and why?

thank you once again, respect others opinions
aza1234 is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 25-01-2012, 14:12
starsailor
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 10,991
Depends if you want to be a pop star or not. If yes, then image, and looks, are always going to be a part of that.

Plenty of not good looking artists though, just not pop music. Look at David Guetta for example. One of the biggest stars on the planet, but not really gifted in the look department.

http://www.sweetslyrics.com/images/i...vid-guetta.jpg
starsailor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 16:11
AdzPower
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 4,789
Id say its not essential but these days it definitely helps. Would One direction have as many fans if they werent remotely good looking?
AdzPower is offline Follow this poster on Twitter   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 16:15
MrMeatAndPotato
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 3,230
Id say its not essential but these days it definitely helps. Would One direction have as many fans if they werent remotely good looking?
Wouldn't of even been given a contract...


Cowell knows that.
MrMeatAndPotato is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 16:22
mialicious
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: London
Posts: 3,848
"you don't have to look good, you can sing and get pu**y"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMl0_fmFcbQ
mialicious is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 16:35
Makson
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 17,413
Surely Adele has proven you don't need to be a conventional beauty to shift records?
Makson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 16:48
If_U_Seek_Amy
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 3,643
Surely Adele has proven you don't need to be a conventional beauty to shift records?
Adele's hardly repulsive though
If_U_Seek_Amy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 16:50
mushymanrob
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: derby
Posts: 14,764
looks only matter if the material is weak.....
mushymanrob is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 17:58
johnnybgoode83
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: The arse end of no where
Posts: 8,616
No, talent is the only thing that should matter.

PS Adele is a terrible example as she is attractive.
johnnybgoode83 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 18:01
McMons†erMan
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Ireland!
Posts: 447
Interesting thread, I think in general that looks do play a role in the music industry but that they only really matter for a certain type of artist.

For example, I think that the likes of One Direction, JLS & Justin Bieber rely heavily on their looks and their appeal to the likes of teenage girls (and some teenage boys too ) in order to sell records. I mean if Justin Bieber was a complete munter, would he be as successful as he is now? Of course not. In my opinion they are a kind of manufactured artist who have been formulated to sell records by and for their record companies.

However, for artists such as Adele, David Guetta, Skrillex, Lady Gaga and many others, it's their musical talent, the effort they make to create great music that appeals to their respective fans and not their looks that sells them their records. Taking Gaga for an example, I love her to bits and back both musically and as a person but she's hardly a beauty in the face department. In fact, I've seen a poster or two use the words "horse face" to describe her at times.

So in short, it depends on the type of artist (if you can call all of them "artists", but that's a whole other thread ) but in general, looks aren't vitally important in today's industry. Lady Gaga and Adele are testaments to this.
McMons†erMan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 18:04
little-monster
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 30,200
Wouldn't bother me and i mean that
I am more likely to wanna listen to their voice, than put their faces on my walls and watch them constantly on you tube etc.
little-monster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 18:13
Adcm
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,565
Interesting thread, I think in general that looks do play a role in the music industry but that they only really matter for a certain type of artist.

For example, I think that the likes of One Direction, JLS & Justin Bieber rely heavily on their looks and their appeal to the likes of teenage girls (and some teenage boys too ) in order to sell records. I mean if Justin Bieber was a complete munter, would he be as successful as he is now? Of course not. In my opinion they are a kind of manufactured artist who have been formulated to sell records by and for their record companies.

However, for artists such as Adele, David Guetta, Skrillex, Lady Gaga and many others, it's their musical talent, the effort they make to create great music that appeals to their respective fans and not their looks that sells them their records. Taking Gaga for an example, I love her to bits and back both musically and as a person but she's hardly a beauty in the face department. In fact, I've seen a poster or two use the words "horse face" to describe her at times.

So in short, it depends on the type of artist (if you can call all of them "artists", but that's a whole other thread ) but in general, looks aren't vitally important in today's industry. Lady Gaga and Adele are testaments to this.
Preach!
Adcm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 19:17
ElvisOnLSD
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 22
I think people's talent being judged alongside their physical appearance demonstrates all that is wrong with society. I would like to say it does not matter, but clearly, it does.
ElvisOnLSD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 19:53
Eric_Blob
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 7,124
I think looks have to be important.

The truth is, there's millions of great singers around the world, millions of great dancers, millions of great songwriters, millions of great rappers, millions of great guitarists, millions of great dance DJs, and so on.

So I think "looks" are important, since people need to stand out and differentiate themselves from all the other people out there that are also talented. They need to have something about them that catches the eyes of record labels and the general public. Not only just being attractive (like Katy Perry, Rihanna, etc.), but there's a plethora of other things.

Adele not being skinny allows a lot of people to think "Hey, she's so normal, just like me" for example. Gangster rappers appeal to young boys because they think they're cool. A lot of rock bands use to use their image to make a statement, and stand out and be more commercially successful that way.

There's lots of other things, but I think looks or image have to be important in the music industry, for that reason. There's just too many talented artists out there, so the ones that market themselves in the best way are the ones the public will pay attention to most (most people like listening to music, but they won't necessarily do extensive research for music they like in their spare time).
Eric_Blob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 20:38
Makson
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 17,413
No, talent is the only thing that should matter.

PS Adele is a terrible example as she is attractive.
Adele is the perfect example. I didn't even say she was unattractive, just not conventionally so. No need to be ultra defensive.
Makson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 20:43
iseloid
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 9,202
Adele is the perfect example. I didn't even say she was unattractive, just not conventionally so. No need to be ultra defensive.
but she has lost weight and streamlined since her debut. She is the worst example because she is very attractive. She has a pretty face. Most people are average/overweight. so its not so much convention but a fake image for models and the famous to be honest. And to be a dancer like Gaga or beyonce you have to be slim (in their industry).
iseloid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 20:44
ItsTimmyTime
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Ireland
Posts: 1,006
I've been thinking about this recently with all the talk about The Voice launching, and The Voice of Ireland being shown here in Ireland. I've come to the sad, but realistic, opinion that Yes, looks do matter in the Industry. The contestants on TVOI, while they can sing (Some brilliantly talented), I could picture none of them being successful on an International scale, or even long lasting in Ireland.

A brilliant voice and an amazing drive to be successful can all be deemed null and void if an artist is not considered attractive. Attractiveness can be different to everyone though; some may find confidence attractive, some might find a fuller figure attractive, etc.

So, if I had to put a nice spin on this, I would say that as long as an artist has passion and something unique about them then they will be deemed attractive, either partially or fully. This would help them a lot. Passion and a unique element is what you should have anyway in the Music Industry. It matters around a thousand percent more in the Pop industry: JLS (Constantly lifting their shirts), Bieber (Constantly singing about wanting to find that one girl to "love"), and One Direction (See Bieber above) would flounder and fail without their looks. Simple. Adele, although not conventionally attractive isn't ugly exactly but her music doesnt need a sexual image. Amy Winehouse could have been considered the same, her music wasn't pop, it was soulful, and so she didn't need to be considered sexual. Lady Gaga isn't considered sexy, and I'm sure she knows that, so she relies on her costumes and stunts to bring attention to her that she is lacking from sex appeal.
ItsTimmyTime is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 20:54
Makson
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 17,413
I've been thinking about this recently with all the talk about The Voice launching, and The Voice of Ireland being shown here in Ireland. I've come to the sad, but realistic, opinion that Yes, looks do matter in the Industry. The contestants on TVOI, while they can sing (Some brilliantly talented), I could picture none of them being successful on an International scale, or even long lasting in Ireland.

A brilliant voice and an amazing drive to be successful can all be deemed null and void if an artist is not considered attractive. Attractiveness can be different to everyone though; some may find confidence attractive, some might find a fuller figure attractive, etc.

So, if I had to put a nice spin on this, I would say that as long as an artist has passion and something unique about them then they will be deemed attractive, either partially or fully. This would help them a lot. Passion and a unique element is what you should have anyway in the Music Industry. It matters around a thousand percent more in the Pop industry: JLS (Constantly lifting their shirts), Bieber (Constantly singing about wanting to find that one girl to "love"), and One Direction (See Bieber above) would flounder and fail without their looks. Simple. Adele, although not conventionally attractive isn't ugly exactly but her music doesnt need a sexual image. Amy Winehouse could have been considered the same, her music wasn't pop, it was soulful, and so she didn't need to be considered sexual. Lady Gaga isn't considered sexy, and I'm sure she knows that, so she relies on her costumes and stunts to bring attention to her that she is lacking from sex appeal.
Careful now! You'll have the Adele stans shooting you sown for merely stating that she isn't considered conventionally attractive
Makson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2012, 21:23
ItsTimmyTime
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Ireland
Posts: 1,006
Careful now! You'll have the Adele stans shooting you sown for merely stating that she isn't considered conventionally attractive
Ha. And it was the Bieber, JLS, and 1D fans I worried would react. It's hard to logically debate with 15 year old teenage girls, I figured Adele fans would be all cultured and accepting of her natural, against the mould beauty! (That should keep them happy)

Last edited by ItsTimmyTime : 25-01-2012 at 21:24. Reason: Sentence Correction
ItsTimmyTime is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply




 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 14:28.