Is the X Factor killing the music industry?

As I sit here in a Stirling University computer lab listening to "Alas, I cannot swim" - Laura Marling's first and, in my opinion, best album I can't help but ponder whether an artist such as Laura Marling is unfortunate to be born in a generation which sees the music industry monopolised by TV talent shows, manufactured artists and bands chosen for their aesthetic appeal who provide a conveyor belt of generic, uninspiring and artificially enhanced songs. The beautiful, original and organic music of Laura Marling is unlikely to ever receive the recognition and exposure that it deserves. I can't help but feel saddened as a result. The last few years have seen the charts dominated by talentless and uninspiring acts such as Pitbull (a man who rhymes 'kodak' with 'kodak' - whilst creating one of the most annoying songs of the year), JLS, Cher Lloyd and Jedward to name but a few. Genuinely talented musicians suffer as a result of the financially greedy industry. Sadder still, the public suffers directly as they are deprived of truly talented and unique musicians.

The industry is creating a greater gap between what is popular and what is good. The current generation is sorely deprived of an eclectic mix of original talent. This worries me. Not only for what I am likely to hear on the radio on the way home, but for what the repurcussions from a saturation of mainstream, monotonous rubbish are likely to be. Future artists are undeniably influenced by what they hear when they are growing up. Would there be an Oasis without The Beatles? Muse without Radiohead? Editors without Joy Division? No. Does this trend suggest that the next generation of artists will be a JLS, Olly Murs and The Wanted hybrid? I for one, certainly hope not. A bit unrealistic, perhaps, but concerning nonetheless.

It seems that artists who don't fit the image which has been created by the behemoth music industry are left behind and refused entry into the elite group at the top of the charts. One has to actively search for decent, original music. The bands which have defined generations in the past would perhaps struggle to be much more than a 'cult' band in this day and age. Alternative sounds are starved of the exposure that they need to reach a wide audience. I have provided Laura Marling as an example, but many more musicians fit this bill. If an artist is bold enough to reject current popular culture and create their own path, chances are they will struggle to make a significant impact in the industry.

The fact that the charts are being over-populated by mainstream, comfort-zone, generic sounds adds further anxiety to the future of music. The alternative is increasingly being cast further adrift from the popular. I fear that if this continues then new and original acts may never reach their full potential. Popular acts will fill stadiums and the Laura Marling's of this world will be playing to a well educated few. Future generations will miss out on genius. This generation will be defined by mediocrity. Are bands of the future going to be influenced by this mediocrity and go on to produce their own versions of what we have now? If the industry continues to be dominated by the X factor generation it seems like this will be the case. Of course, artist motivation is an important consideration. True artists who play for the love of music will play to their own tune, so to speak, regardless of what is popular. However, with the industry being in the grasp of the Simon Cowell's of this world who, despite claiming otherwise, are only involved to fatten their wallets - it looks ominous.

A grim prospect indeed.