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Michael Jackson: The Last Megastar

sunnyday81

sunnyday81

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I just wanted to post this, as I truly believe Michael was the last megastar, the last supernova, of this age at least. I find it difficult to see a future with a music star of this calibre, as Michael was... it may take years, decades or a century, maybe more who knows... I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on that...


Michael Jackson: The Last Megastar

Robert Paul Reyes
July 18, 2009
Michael Jackson's legacy was celebrated all over the world. The King of Pop ruled the pop charts, and his kingdom spanned the globe.

Jackson was comfortable working in several genres (new jack swing, disco, r & b and rock), but his music transcended labels and his many hits like "Billie Jean" were simply pop masterpieces.

Michael Jackson is the last music megastar; there will never again be an entertainer whose memorial service is televised to most of the world.

Today there is a multiplicity of Internet, cable, terrestrial and satellite radio stations playing every conceivable genre of music. Many radio listeners never venture outside of their niche to explore other forms of music. With a gazillion and one radio stations it's much more difficult for an artist to break out of his little box and become a pop superstar.

Rap has been the most popular genre for the past few years, but it has failed to deliver a pop star of the magnitude of a Madonna, Bruce Springsteen or Michael Jackson. No rap star will ever be a rock star. To be an iconic rock star you have to sell out arenas and stadiums all over the world. The most famous rap stars can barely sell out a club, let alone an arena. The heavily produced and soulless rap drivel was meant to be played booming from a car stereo. Rock has a spiritual element, and its best enjoyed in a huge stadium of worshipful fans who know all the lyrics to their favorite songs.

Michael Jackson was bigger than life, and in the 80's his fans waited with bated breath for the premiere of his latest video. Today MTV and VH1 don't even play videos, and most people don't watch music videos on their huge HD TV's but on YouTube. A tiny Justin Timberlake dancing on a tiny YouTube screen does not make a superstar.

The CD is a dead format; an album that sells a million units is considered a huge hit. We will never again witness a supernova like Michael Jackson who has sold about a billion albums worldwide.

The future is digital, but digital doesn't have a soul. Digital does away with the magic, all you have left are numbers. Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was released in vinyl, cassette and CD. It was a tangible product, not only did you have terrific songs, but you could read the liner notes and take time to appreciate the albums' artwork. The digital age is going to produce fewer artists that fans care enough about to buy their albums.

As we say a long farewell to the King of Pop, we are also saying goodbye to the age of the superstar. Check out the Billboard Charts, not a single superstar in the mix: Lady Gaga, The Black Eyes Peas, Jonas Brothers, Brad Paisley. Talented and in some cases respected artists, but no superstars the caliber of the King of Pop.

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/110658
 
He's with bootlegging and digital format now,there is never going to be a megastar like that again,I'm glad i was around during this era
 
I'm glad I was around too, I agree 100% with this article, and was talking to my mom about it last night. Even if there was another superstar like Michael Jackson, they could never do/achieve what Michael has.
 
I so totally agree. And I am also so glad that I was around this era as well. I just wish I was born in 1970 instead of 1980. That way not only would I have been old enough to remember Off The Wall and Thriller eras. I would even be old enough to remember the start of Michael Jackson mania. I bet that must have been great back then. I only remember a little bit of Michael Jackson mania. But what I do remember was the most greatest experience of my life to be a fan of someone this huge. Even though I don't remember Michael's earliest eras. Cause I was just too young to remember them. I do however remember some of the Bad era and I remember how much I loved Michael even more then. Especially when I saw Michael's Bad video. I had gotten the most biggest crush on him then. So I really do agree with that article and its a shame too that he was the last. There really is not ever going to be another star that can ever do what Michael has done.
 
That is so true, I loved the days of going into HMV and buying his CD's on a Saturday morning! Now everything is download.

50 Cent I think made a massive fortune from all his past sales and now his music sales/fortune gained 3 mil because of all the pirates!!! ( If you saw the you tube video called Michael Jackson laughing at pirates. You should check it out!!!)

No one will ever come close to Michael on any level, he was a Megastar when he was at the finish line the others hadn't even made it to the starting block!!
 
Wow, that article is fantastic and spot on. The era of megastars died with Michael. We will never witness that kind of success ever again. MTV and VH1 do not play music anymore and produce such low shows such as Hills and the City to create false idolization. Young artists today are so similar it is difficult to separate them apart. Music fans of today do not connect to pop singers the same way we did with Michael. Kids today do not look up to the singers/rappers and what not the same way we did with Michael.

Many people blame the Internet for music not selling like it used to. And that is a factor but I also think music is not selling because it's not universal anymore. Rap fans buy rap music and nothing else. RnB fans buy RnB music and nothing else. Rock fans buy rock music and nothing else. Michael had everyone buying his albums, from the hard rockers to the easy listeners to soul fans and pop fans. He is universal and thats why even after he's gone record stores are still selling out his music. Just now as I was jogging I heard 12 years old girls singing to You Are Not Alone. That will never happen 15 years from now with Poker Face by Lady make me wanna vomit Gaga. He is universal and everyone from the kids to their grandparents love Michael. Michael has no limits. All the artists of today have limits and thats why they will never be megastars.

Talent is lacking. No one is talented. Sure people can sing and dance. Justin, he can sing and dance but you tell me this guy has talent and I'll laugh. I'll recommend you watch Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal or anything by Michael Jackson and then tell me Justin is talented. You got Justin, Chris, Usher, Mario and who the hell else trying to be like Michael but they can never be Michael. They will never perform in stadiums or perform for a public as large as 60 000 or more. No one can. Michael was unique. No one will ever be like Michael. The man could do it all.

Music died 25th of june 2009 and I'm so sad to see it go. But Michael is still selling CDs. He just saved the music industry just like he did with Thriller back in 1982.

Michael, you will be missed forever. Thank you for being you...
 
JoanMJ said:
Wow, that article is fantastic and spot on. The era of megastars died with Michael. We will never witness that kind of success ever again. MTV and VH1 do not play music anymore and produce such low shows such as Hills and the City to create false idolization. Young artists today are so similar it is difficult to separate them apart. Music fans of today do not connect to pop singers the same way we did with Michael. Kids today do not look up to the singers/rappers and what not the same way we did with Michael.

Many people blame the Internet for music not selling like it used to. And that is a factor but I also think music is not selling because it's not universal anymore. Rap fans buy rap music and nothing else. RnB fans buy RnB music and nothing else. Rock fans buy rock music and nothing else. Michael had everyone buying his albums, from the hard rockers to the easy listeners to soul fans and pop fans. He is universal and thats why even after he's gone record stores are still selling out his music. Just now as I was jogging I heard 12 years old girls singing to You Are Not Alone. That will never happen 15 years from now with Poker Face by Lady make me wanna vomit Gaga. He is universal and everyone from the kids to their grandparents love Michael. Michael has no limits. All the artists of today have limits and thats why they will never be megastars.

Talent is lacking. No one is talented. Sure people can sing and dance. Justin, he can sing and dance but you tell me this guy has talent and I'll laugh. I'll recommend you watch Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal or anything by Michael Jackson and then tell me Justin is talented. You got Justin, Chris, Usher, Mario and who the hell else trying to be like Michael but they can never be Michael. They will never perform in stadiums or perform for a public as large as 60 000 or more. No one can. Michael was unique. No one will ever be like Michael. The man could do it all.

Music died 25th of june 2009 and I'm so sad to see it go. But Michael is still selling CDs. He just saved the music industry just like he did with Thriller back in 1982.

Michael, you will be missed forever. Thank you for being you...
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Good points! Plus nobody is original or creative any more. I mean you mentioned Justin, Usher and Co. but in all honesty, what have they done that Michael hasn't done long before them in a much better, much more original way? Michael invented things, but today there are no more innovators, just copycats.

I can't even watch MTV for 10 years because there's hardly anything enjoyable or original in today's music. I cannot see anybody really exciting or interesting among today's hot acts. Also Michael was involved in everything he did, from songwriting to dance coreopgraphy or ideas for videos. Today's stars are the "creatures" of the mind of managements.
 
Its possible someone with a different concept comes and rules the world but theres very little so real musicians and artists nowadays than Michael was... The art comes first if you want to be big. And all has to be in connect with it. You cant just fill your performances and recordings with a nonsense. All has to be in harmony. That's what Michael did. That's what already Elvis did, but Michael improved it so much by composing, coreographing and everything more.
 
Yep!!!!!!!!!! MJ was the last of the Mohicans. Great artist aren't made like him anymore. Everything now is all about marketing and not talent. The singers now days all look alike, sound alike, dance alike, dress alike, you name it they all do it exactly the same. NO!!! orignalilty what's so ever. That's what's missing in todays music. One record company has success with an artist and all the other record companies must have their carbon copy of that same artist. Case in point, Ciara is a carbon copy of Beyonce in my opinion. You had Michael and the next best thing was Prince. They were totally two different artist with two taotally different styles.

YUP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MJ you will be missed in more ways than one and you broke the mold. There will never be another MJ.
 
You know how people say there's always room for improvement? That statement simply does not apply to pop stars anymore. One cannot improve upon what Michael did. He was everything and more. I actually want someone to come along and do it better than Michael, but I doubt that will come to pass.
 
It is true that there is very little creativity and orignality in today's music production. Most of it is regurgitated garbage with a loud beat and rapping, or digitally edited vocals for when the vocalist can't hit the right note or hold it properly. Michael introduced black culture into modern music and merged varous music genres together to create performances never seen or heard before. That has now been and gone, the black culture has sunk back into soul or rap music and there's little effort contributed from westrn culture. Evacuate The Dancefloor is close, I've heard of a few other artists trying to merge different genres to make a "unique" style but it ends up clashing badly and can leave the listener confused in wondering where it's going.

Since music is so readily available through various media it makes it very difficult for an artist to reach the same level of stardom like Michael Jackson. Music videos themselves tend to be poorly thought out too. Michael put his creative genius in both writing his music, singing it, performing to it, and making kick-ass music videos in the form of mini films. Nowadays most if not all artists rely on CGI and lose the viewer. Remember Bonnie Tylor's music video of Eclipse of the Heart? That's where it feels today's music video production has gone.
 
respect77 said:
Good points! Plus nobody is original or creative any more. I mean you mentioned Justin, Usher and Co. but in all honesty, what have they done that Michael hasn't done long before them in a much better, much more original way? Michael invented things, but today there are no more innovators, just copycats.
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I agree!!!
 
victorytour84 said:
He's with bootlegging and digital format now,there is never going to be a megastar like that again,I'm glad i was around during this era
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I am glad I was in MJ's lifetime, and that I was born when I was. I am a big fan of the Jackson 5, and MJ's and to me, no music can ever top that. The music from that era is timeless. It never sounds old!! It takes me back to my youth and I love it.
 
MJsBollywoodGirl7 said:
I so totally agree. And I am also so glad that I was around this era as well. I just wish I was born in 1970 instead of 1980. That way not only would I have been old enough to remember Off The Wall and Thriller eras. I would even be old enough to remember the start of Michael Jackson mania. I bet that must have been great back then. I only remember a little bit of Michael Jackson mania. But what I do remember was the most greatest experience of my life to be a fan of someone this huge. Even though I don't remember Michael's earliest eras. Cause I was just too young to remember them. I do however remember some of the Bad era and I remember how much I loved Michael even more then. Especially when I saw Michael's Bad video. I had gotten the most biggest crush on him then. So I really do agree with that article and its a shame too that he was the last. There really is not ever going to be another star that can ever do what Michael has done.
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Bad was my favorite era! It was released before I went to kindergarten.On a school trip to Chuck E Cheese, I left my Skee Ball game to dance as "Bad" played through the speakers. He had me drinking Pepsi when I was a Coke girl :) He had me rearrange my schedule to see his videos premiere. How many of today's stars have that kind of power? Before Michael passed, I had the same thoughts about the current music industry's lack of superstars and how these kids today are lacking what we experienced. It's pathetic that these companies are peddling flesh/looks rather than talent. I'm so fortunate that I grew up with the likes of Michael, Prince, George Michael, Whitney and Madonna. We'll see plenty of future copycats but they'll never reach his level of stardom.
 
the stars were truly aligned and everything was perfectly in place for MJ to be a megastar. everything hadn't been done before AND he was a GREAT looking guy. Videos were just starting, so he could revolutionize that. Genres hadn't been mixed, black/white artists hadn't tried to really intergrate styles...he changed that. fashion looks hadn't been worn out. There were records to break. He could be "the first" whether that's first black on MTV or first for this amount of records sold, there were firsts to still be had. He truly was born at the exact right time to secure his place in history. There was no internet for mass piracy of music. Had michael jackson been born in 1990, there would have been no Michael Mania. While it is true that there just doesn't seem to be much unique talent to love these days, there is also a huge block in emerging talents way when it comes to ever reaching sales like he did. And if you are emerging when everything's already been done, what is there to innovate? I'm sad for this generation, because there are truly some insurmontable odds.

I wish that I had been born in 1960 so that I could have experienced the full span of Michael's career, Luther Vandross' career, the Supremes, etc. It was a glorious time for creativity and fashion and innovation in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Now there is just a bleak wasteland of remakes, copycats, and redone fashion. I say RIP not only to Michael, but to entertainment as well.
 
Brilliant article, having been fortunate to be nearly 40 in a couple of weeks, i got to adore Michael with the Jackson 5 when I was 6, remembered when OTW came out when I was 10 and couldn't get enough of it and as a teen during the Thriller and BAD eras go to see the Victory and BAD tours, those were the best days of my life. Only Michael could save an industry that treated him like garbage not once but twice he did it in the 80s and he's doing it in death. As of this week, he has 5 of the top 100 selling albums in the USA THIS year and next week he could have 6 with Dangerous joining the others being Number Ones, Essential, Thriller, Off The Wall and BAD, instead of people downloading they are going to stores and buying the actual albums that most current stars can't get to happen for them. My hope and belief is that Michael is in heaven no longer suffering and being rewarded by the Lord. I will miss him forever :cry:
 
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