<p>I’m not speaking as an American, but as a musician. It’s insulting that people like Britney Spears make millions of dollars off CDs with absolutely no original quality or musicianship, and records like that are a direct byproduct of the average American citizen’s laziness. I can’t fault record companies like Elektra for signing ****ty bands/“vocalists” just to make money: that’s their intention, and they succeed by capitalizing on American’s poor musical perspective. The record sales speak for themselves: if a band has anything resembling originality, technicality, or has a more challenging sound, it just typically won’t sell well. And I’m not just talking about music like underground heavy metal, or avantgarde trip hop. Orchestras across the United States are suffering huge financial losses and many are considering ceasing their performances. You just don’t see these things to the same degree in Europe or Russia or Japan, the other large economies of Western music. Therefore, it’s an American phenomenon.</p>
<p>And since when is recognizing the flaws of your own country evidence of nationalist arrogance?</p>