THIS!
ITs the difference in public perception that does the damage to one artist where it assists another.
No one would expect any less from someone like Taylor or Rhianna, or many others...
But then when an artist has built themselves a legacy built on a certain idea (in Gagas case it is anti-establishment / in Carries case it is honesty and integrety above all) it seems out of character and "worse" for them than others who might do the same thing.)
Most of the examples listed above seem like legitimate "attempts" to promote and push a product. That is just what marketing is and that is how it is done.
But the idea of instructing and encite an audience on how to "pull a fast one" and force feed a computer into showing more views than are actually viewed in order to get you to the top is just a flat out cheater!!
And thats not cool at all.
And anti-establishment is one thing, cheating is another.
Usually, an aritst like Gaga who is "anti-establishment", uses a different deeper code of ethics that directs them. That is part of what people wind up respecting about them.
But a cheater is a cheater.
So yeah, I'm mad at Gaga this time. Just not cool at all.
HEr personna has always indicated a higher level of understanding and arrogance at the status quo.
But it turns out she is worse than the standard.
Most people don't cheat.
(I personally don't believe that anyone cheats who is given a chance.)
(many people return the wallet with the money still in it)
Completely agree with your entire post.
Gaga is one of those artists who has made it a point to toot her own horn about being unique and creative and different, when in fact she is just the opposite of those things now. Her whole persona wouldn't be so bad to me if she hadn't made so much noise about being so much more unique and creative than most of her peers.
She's been criticized from the start for being nothing more than a copycat, and she has continued to basically call herself legendary, and act as if she's among the best.
Gaga is extremely talented, but I lost all interest in her when she started letting her antics take priority over her music. If you are talented and have something to say, people will listen, but if you keep rehashing the same act over and over, acting like you're somebody special, people are going to move on to someone else.
I used to really like Gaga's music, but her ego has really gotten in the way, and I just don't like that she used to seem to care about actually having integrity and being unique, and now she's basically sold out as a person and an artist.
People like Katy Perry and Rihanna make good pop music, but they don't pretend it's so deep and special, and they're so unique. They're just creating music for their fans, and letting the public decide its fate.
Whereas Gaga comes across as incredibly insecure, as if she's trying so hard to be cutting edge (and I think she believes her own hype), and now it's coming off as if she's compromising everything she once claimed to have stood for.
Another talent lost to the corporate machine who seems to be too far gone to realize she's the only one who thinks she's still the 'hot' artist of the moment.
At this point, I don't even think a gigantic flop would wake her up, because she knows she looks bad right now, and she's continuing to make herself look even more pathetic as time goes on. IMO, she will end up being her own worst enemy soon enough, promotion be damned. Her ego is ruining her, and she's the only one who doesn't seem to notice, or care.
