Is beauty necessary in music industry?

I asked myself several times: is beauty really necessary to succeed in music industry nowadays?

Looking around it seems that way. First you have to look good, then you can ALSO get success you deserve (although i don’t think this happens in all music styles).

Obviously in the magical world of pop music this phenomenon is more evident. Stars like Beyoncè, Taylor Swift, Rihanna and before them Jennifer Lopez, have to be singers, dancers and overall great performers. Their concerts are more like big shows, following in the footsteps of Madonna, probably the first pop singer to perform in this way – full of special effects, great dancers and wonderful scenography.

Don’t misunderstand me, i don’t think this is wrong, they are very talented and their voices are incredible. I just ask myself: what if they didn’t look so good alongside their talent? Would it work the same?

In other music styles appearance is not important at all, i’m talking about rock and electronic music. You can be a real rock star but not be very attractive (think about Iggy Pop or Ozzy Osburne).

The same goes for electronic performers, who cares how they look? In the last concert in Verona electronic icon Aphex Twin played almost without showing himself (ok, he’s probably an extreme example).

What about classical music? Same, nobody cares about the show, only about music.

Another chapter is about DJs, i noticed that the new generations are becoming more fashion-victims compared to the previous ones and i don’t like. Still looking nice beside being a good DJ is not a problem but also it’s not necessary.

Probably the final answer is not definitive, i think beauty is kinda mandatory in pop music and certainly helps a lot but it’s still not required for other kind of music styles (like it should be).

Live concerts business

Were you be able to attend te concert you planned ? After Covid-19 pandemic times -with forced ‘captivity’- people turned out to be crazy for live music (and for live events in general).

Beside concerts that are always difficult to attend, such as Coldplay for example with tickets selling out in minutes, mostly all the live shows are fully packed. When i went to Primavera Sound -first live music festival authorized after pandemic- i expected that amount of people (80000 per day), but this trend seems to be stable. However it was a festival where you get to watch several artists and performances, sometimes even in iconic places (like Glastonbury). Now we are seeing this phenomenon also for simple concerts.

We have recently read about the impact on the american economy due to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour or Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour (Beyonce also raised inflation in Sweden according to the news). The effects aren’t limited to just tickets but also include outfits and accessories that people purchase to attend these events.

[I still don’t understand why TS had to sing with pouring rain on her and her piano in one of her dates, without even an umbrella if they got so much money but this is another topic]

Another issue to consider is that artists are making most of their money from live shows and this happens for the digital era, more downloads on platforms less physical sources in the stereos. This results in never-ending tours, dates on dates to meet the demands of record companies and artists trying to be as perfect as they can in their shows.

Not long time ago, in the fabulous nineties, Kurt Cobain often complained about those long tours worldwide (although it was less evident than now). Obviously he had also drug and depression issues but his ‘scream’ went unheard by the media (especially when record companies were trying to maximize their income during a time where LPs and CDs were selling massively).

I personally am always happy when i can watch a live performance and feel frustrated when i can’t get the ticket for the show i want but we have to be careful that our favorite artists won’t be squeezed by the system and will maintain high standards for their live gigs.