Ultra_Red wrote:
It's been over 5 months since the concert ended and no word of any DVD releases so we can assume there will be none.

I'm very disappointed by this to the say the least, I wonder why they decided to pull the plug on releasing a dvd just like they pulled the plug on the album and pretty much her English career.

I really have nothing but hate for IDJ and the whole American pop music industry as a whole.
When no talent clowns like Katy Perry and Kesha can make it big on just promotion and whoring themselves out to the public while Utada (who's music and voice is about 1000 times better then both combined) can't even get her songs played even once on the radio it makes me physically sick.

paradiseisland wrote:
I agree that while it is disappointing a DVD hasn't been released, you can't hate the whole American music industry for it. And like it has been stated, Utada's music is better and more soulful than Katy Perry and Kesha's, it doesn't mean they're talentless (censored)s. They have many catchy songs and they know how to create music that captures the American audience. They deserve credit for that.

Shurikid wrote:
Quote:

paradiseisland wrote:
I agree that while it is disappointing a DVD hasn't been released, you can't hate the whole American music industry for it. And like it has been stated, Utada's music is better and more soulful than Katy Perry and Kesha's, it doesn't mean they're talentless (censored)s. They have many catchy songs and they know how to create music that captures the American audience. They deserve credit for that.

While I'm not one to judge any genre of artistry (even if only in name) wholesale, I think there is some merit to being realistic. Ninety percent of the so-called "artists" that compose the pop music industry, Perry and Ke$ha included, do not engage in most and sometimes any of the following: writing their own lyrics (co-writing is usually a front and doesn't count); composing their own music; playing their own instruments; actually singing; mixing or in some other way closely observing the production of their works. These "artists" may have talents and qualities worth examining, but they certainly haven't proven that by any means of their own determination. What do they do? They stand on stage, they look pretty, they give interviews, and they get a lot of money to spend. If you consider that a "talent" then, sure, the American pop music industry is rife with budding potential.

I recognize that there are exceptions to the rule: look, Lady GaGa can actually kind of play the piano and she actually kind of writes her own lyrics and she can actually kind of sing and she also actually kind of has some sort of pseudo-political message (which she mainly uses to vague scandalous effect with little motivational intent behind any particular social movement or goal). But she's the sort of exception that sort of proves the rule- and when set next to Utada, I see very separate sets of capabilities that are on completely different levels from one another. Lady GaGa knows how to be more effectual than inspiring, and that places her firmly in the Ameripop talent zone; she constantly sacrifices her own obvious potential for visual shock effect and superficial social challenges. That's her prerogative, as it is every other American pop artist's- but it isn't Utada's, and I think that's what sets her apart.

What makes it frustrating is that Utada understands the workings of music, therefore she can make personalized art that isn't a reflection of anything but her own thoughts and feelings- that's something I would like to think people can really connect with, and I'm not sure why that isn't more integral to ANY major music industry. But it isn't. It's like people are being trained to disassociate music with emotion- and I'm not saying that it's deliberate but there is a group of people capitalizing on the absolutely undeniable superficiality of radio pop. Not only Utada, but artists like Utada, are out there doing things a little bit differently and a little bit the same, enough to be perfect catalysts for widespread change in collective musical awareness, yet they aren't given the kind of breakthrough opportunities and consideration that bland, uninspired pop robots like Ke$ha or Beiber are. That's saddening- and it's why I have to agree with the opening post. American pop is just no good so long as it remains a homogeneous collection of root music with no room for individual expression that isn't either so outrageous as to be marketable (GaGa) or so castrated as to be ignored (all of the above).

I can really see why Hikki has been saying she doesn't want to make it big here. I fear and loathe the things she would have to do.

Shurikid wrote:
Quote:

paradiseisland wrote:
I agree that while it is disappointing a DVD hasn't been released, you can't hate the whole American music industry for it. And like it has been stated, Utada's music is better and more soulful than Katy Perry and Kesha's, it doesn't mean they're talentless (censored)s. They have many catchy songs and they know how to create music that captures the American audience. They deserve credit for that.

While I'm not one to judge any genre of artistry (even if only in name) wholesale, I think there is some merit to being realistic. Ninety percent of the so-called "artists" that compose the pop music industry, Perry and Ke$ha included, do not engage in most and sometimes any of the following: writing their own lyrics (co-writing is usually a front and doesn't count); composing their own music; playing their own instruments; actually singing; mixing or in some other way closely observing the production of their works. These "artists" may have talents and qualities worth examining, but they certainly haven't proven that by any means of their own determination. What do they do? They stand on stage, they look pretty, they give interviews, and they get a lot of money to spend. If you consider that a "talent" then, sure, the American pop music industry is rife with budding potential.

I recognize that there are exceptions to the rule: look, Lady GaGa can actually kind of play the piano and she actually kind of writes her own lyrics and she can actually kind of sing and she also actually kind of has some sort of pseudo-political message (which she mainly uses to vague scandalous effect with little motivational intent behind any particular social movement or goal). But she's the sort of exception that sort of proves the rule- and when set next to Utada, I see very separate sets of capabilities that are on completely different levels from one another. Lady GaGa knows how to be more effectual than inspiring, and that places her firmly in the Ameripop talent zone; she constantly sacrifices her own obvious potential for visual shock effect and superficial social challenges. That's her prerogative, as it is every other American pop artist's- but it isn't Utada's, and I think that's what sets her apart.

What makes it frustrating is that Utada understands the workings of music, therefore she can make personalized art that isn't a reflection of anything but her own thoughts and feelings- that's something I would like to think people can really connect with, and I'm not sure why that isn't more integral to ANY major music industry. But it isn't. It's like people are being trained to disassociate music with emotion- and I'm not saying that it's deliberate but there is a group of people capitalizing on the absolutely undeniable superficiality of radio pop. Not only Utada, but artists like Utada, are out there doing things a little bit differently and a little bit the same, enough to be perfect catalysts for widespread change in collective musical awareness, yet they aren't given the kind of breakthrough opportunities and consideration that bland, uninspired pop robots like Ke$ha or Beiber are. That's saddening- and it's why I have to agree with the opening post. American pop is just no good so long as it remains a homogeneous collection of root music with no room for individual expression that isn't either so outrageous as to be marketable (GaGa) or so castrated as to be ignored (all of the above).

I can really see why Hikki has been saying she doesn't want to make it big here. I fear and loathe the things she would have to do.