The Good Die Young?

[gilf]

Why is it that whenever a young or even not so young singer dies they were always the next big thing and about to hit the big time? So people like Lisa Left Eye Lopez, Alliyah, Ephraim Lewis and Jeff Buckley. I doubt many people have heard of Jeff Buckley let alone Ephraim Lewis were these people really the next big thing or is it just a reaction to people being so young. The Manic Street preachers were pretty lowkey before one of their most influencial members died.

[treaclefight]

there is definately an injustice in dying young that we all relate to, so i understand why the people who loved the deceased starlet would be concerned to make sure everyone knew how great that person was. but i cant help thinking that ordinary people die young and very few people remember them and theres no justice in that either. i'd never heard of aliyah until she died so i struggle to have an opinion about her 'work'. In summary, i know what you mean :-)

[treaclefight]

after a little more reflection, i wonder if the attraction of people who have died is that their image is finalised. they wont appear in the tabloids next week accused of dating a 14 year old or going on a cocaine binge. they cant let us down, making them a safe object for our devotion.

[gilf]

Yeah thats a great point. Jeff Buckley's only full studio album Grace is brilliant but whos to say that then next one may have been a big disapointment. I dont think many people had heard Alliyah but shes been around for Donkeys years, she used to be R Kelly's girlfriend when she was about 14, so shes been around a while so if she was that good why was it just after she died that she was going to be famous.

[woodpam]

This probably sounds very cynical, but IMO record companies capitalise on the burst of (free) publicity generated by the death of someone young and charismatic. It gives them a window of time in which to get the product recognised and build a market. There will be a limited amount of product for sale even though they are prepared to scrape the bottom of the barrel in terms of unreleased material. Being in business, they need to turn their investment in the artist into profits.
On the other hand I'm sure that the people who worked with, befriended and developed the young talent will be desperate to see that their work doesn't disappear unnoticed.
BTW Lisa Lopez was surely already a big thing with TLC.

[gilf]

I have no doubt that record companies use the death of an artist to push a few more sales through. Ok go out in the street and ask 10 random people if they know who "Lisa Lopez" is, you may get a few but I doubt "the man in the street" has really heard of her (use the Left Eye bit and a few more might know). She was doing some solo work and released an awful but strangley catchy tune not long before she died, the reports of her Hitting the big time were based as an individual rather than as part of TLC (who I still dont think are that big with TMINS). Having said that I included her as I was watching a show recently and the line "She was going to be a huge super star in the next 5 years" was used specificly against her.