Marc you obviously do not get reality either. Look around you look at the crap that is selling...you admire these people and like that stuff? Sheesh.
There is a difference between truth and bitterness. I am not bitter just truthful. Yes there are some good people who deserve fame and fortune but hey there are so many who do not. At the end of the day nobody deserves to earn the obscene amounts of money some people in the industry earn...especially when there are people just as good and talented who earn peanuts in comparison. The industry is unfair and corrupt but we all want a part of it. I at least admit that it is corrupt.
As for Simon Cowell....he has done more to set back the industry and ruin its development by failing to promote, introduce new innovators than probably anyone else. His finger is not even close to the pulse. He exploits the lowest of the low and probably would not know talent if it bit him on the ass. How many more Karaoke acts and reality shows exploiting sad delusional people can we take.
People do have bad taste are gullible and will buy into just about anything...that is why there are so many rich con men.
The vast majority of the record buying public are youngsters who are easily led and easily influenced.....I would rather educate them than con them. People need wider horizons and to be able to choose freely what they like not what they are spoon fed or peer pressure dictates them to like.

PS This is not me saying things were better in my day..this is a general observation since I became involved in the music industry 0ver 40 years ago. It was the same then doors generally only opened to a few and for the bulk of them talent did not enter the equation. Nothing has changed.
I take satisfaction from saying that so and so is not much good and I know I could do better. I see it as a positive. The bar has been lowered and rather than drop our game to their level we should strive to encourage people to be better after all listening to what is out there it is not so hard. It is no wonder that there are so many wannabes....they listen to the charts and reckon they can do that easy. They may have a point.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=687727&songID=5238055