10.28.14 More Halloween, Roger confirms Q+AL DVD

I think, from the viewpoint of the radio, a la Taylor Swift success, it really doesn't matter who you are, what you look like, what you do, whether you have that great PR or not - it is all about the SONG(S). Hit makers have been coming in all shapes and sizes for the past I don't know how long. It explains so much, really. That's why there were so many one hit wonders - they just never made another hit song again, no matter what they did aside from that. Look at any long term star, they are there primarily because of the songs. Look at Sam Smith, who has a great voice, but it doesn't matter (shame), who is gay, which also doesn't matter (great!), who is far from the cutest candy in a candybox (if you know what I mean), but he has hittish songs, otherwise known as the most appealing to the widest possible auditorium songs. There's absolutely nothing that sets Taylor Swift (average voice, average looks, strong PR) apart from any other girl trying to make it in music world other than her ability to shoot out such songs at pretty regular intervals (no matter whether she wrote them or not). 
In one hand, it is solid proof that the wide audience is so much less shallow and more accepting than it is given credit for, since they put music in the first place. On the other, if we question the quality of such songs, the same shallowness can come back with a vengeance, because a hit song? Not always a good song. But, I get the appeal of all popular songs, even if I don't like each and every one of them. They always seem to find their way.

All that said, if you are a hit song kind of music consumer, go for it. But if you're not, if you're looking for great voices specifically, there's plenty to choose from as well, and of course, no one in their right mind is going to limit themselves to the top 40. Great authors, too. This vibe or that, this genre or that, it's all out there in this day and age especially. Top 40 consumers, for example, fixate on the song. Chances are, if they remember the artist when they release another album, they'll give it a shot (unlikely, but let's give them the benefit of the doubt), but if there are no hits on it, it's a deal breaker for them. They don't extend their interests outside of their self-imposed limits. Hence the maniacal search for hit songs among the artists for whom success = hits. And who can fault them for that, really, because that's what the society gives awards for. It is classic conditioning. Luckily, Adam is far from such an artist and he looks for his success primarily by satisfying his artistic urges.

What people on this forum want and look for is obvious, and what sets us apart is that we do care who Adam is, that he has amazing voice, that he makes great songs without patronizing to the audience, and we do care what he looks like because he looks great, and all the background, the history, the personality, the character, and so on. In other words, we share high standards. Adam is a conscious choice for me - I chose him specifically, the radio didn't choose him for me, and that choice was not based on a couple of songs. I hope he gets that hit he wants and needs, but it is not going to change my perception of him in any significant way, because I will keep choosing him and finding him for as long as he keeps making music, with or without radio success. I know why people want that for him, I get it and want it, too, especially if that equals big touring, but what I don't get is the additional frenzy about it, with a heavily implied 'no hit, no success' mantra. How so very First World. What Adam has achieved so far is so amazing, so great, that I have to keep reminding myself there's more left to wish for. 

Adam's kind of success has so much higher value than that not only because he has long ago risen above the 'make hits or else you're gone' modus operandi, but because he has a fan base interested primarily in him, in everything he has to offer as an artist. Now that he has achieved the essential, he can leisurely pursue the trivial. That is so utterly important, because it has given him freedom, hard earned through creating a passionate fan base, multitasking, branching out..., to function independently from the above mentioned mad race. And here comes the icing on the cake - on this particular level that Adam has found himself, it does matter whether you have talent or not, whether you can actually sing or not, which has got to be of great significance to him. His future hits are going to be about the songs, as all hits are. But his true success, the one he already has and will continue to expand, has been brought to him by his talent and voice, the most precious part of him. It is ultimately his greatest achievement. And his body of work is the one people will keep returning to because it transcends the usual shelf life of an average hit song.

I cannot help but wonder if Adam's desire for radio success is more about society than himself. Is he solely pragmatic in his wish to have a hit song, which is completely understandable, or if he wants that kind of success because it is required by this very Machiavellian sales/hits/awards-oriented society and he wants its recognition and acceptance by its own terms out of his own need for acceptance in general ... I can't finish this thought, my head is falling, I'm so sleepy... I don't know, I'm sorry, it's too late and I'm too tired to even go back and check what I wrote. 
Nighty-night xxxoooxxx

He was pretty good ---- but not Adam.

ETA: He was excellent ---- but not Adam.

Lÿndsey Parker ‏@lyndseyparker 24s25 seconds ago

Taylor John Williams on #TheVoice did "Heartless," now "Mad World." Can I request "Falling Slowly" & "Ring of Fire" next?

Love this girl!!   

Taylor...."and a lot of people have never heard this"......right    Meaning ....you  Taylor.......oh to be fair ! It is  not one folks were hearing on the radio back in the day, or now.......

The Voice would have a lot of AI folks also tuning in Taylor..... A few million comparing ....