Rihanna more talented than the Beatles. Bollocks!

After stumbling across an article quoting in English DJ Tony Blackburn saying "Rihanna is more talented than the Beatles because she can sing and dance", I felt compelled to weigh in on the heated conversations brewing int he comments section:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/9237215/Is-Rihanna-more-talented-than-the-Beatles.html

Comparing Rihanna to the Beatles is like comparing Red to Blue. It's largely a matter of preference as to what music you prefer as the two artists are come completely, undeniably different. There is no comparison at all. To say that Rihanna is better because she can dance as well as sing, doesn't mean she is more talented. The Beatles played all their own instruments - would any Rihanna fans out there care to talk about what that means? You really can't measure talent this way.

Since I believe it is a matter of opinion, I am going to say that making such claims are quite funny. As a fan of the Beatles, and a non-fan of Rihanna and the current generation of pop-stars - if you could measure talent on how many things an artist can do while performing, Rihanna doesn't even come close to some amazing artists that play their own instruments and write their own music. That to me, is the epitome of talent.

On the other hand, reading between the lines, this article might be more about a has been  DJ's failed attempt to penetrate the current spotlight? I'm struggling to understand what his bed post figure has to do with this discussion. Here I am thinking, its not a question of talent as much as a question of taste, but perhaps its a question also pillow credibility.

Lets see if anybody cares to rebut?

Twitter Flow - #thebeatles experiment

I was overwhelmed with choice when searching my topic #thebeatles on twitter. I narrowed it down to recent trends, one of which was the price producers of Mad Men paid to use "Tomorrow Never Knows" in the latest episode - $250,000USD (Epstein, 2012). After finding a tweet already on the topic, I have re tweeted rather than start a new tweet. Music by the Beatles is notoriously difficult to license. Proof is in the pudding, when my husband uploaded our wedding to YouTube for international friends and family to watch, YouTube promptly blocked any downloads due to The Beatles playing in the background, so this should be interesting to follow the reaction.

Mad Men producers pay $250,000 to use Beatles song in last Sunday's episode: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/07/how-mad-men-landed-the-beatles-all-you-need-is-love-and-250000/

Another recent topic is the premier of "The Beatles: The Lost Concert", the latest documentary following the 1964 performance from the Washington Coliseum (staff reports, 2012). I have since tweeted a link to this article:

http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/stcharles/newsnow/x1266596831/-The-Beatles-The-Lost-Concert-documentary-to-premiere-at-Charlestowne-18-movie-theater-in-St-Charles New documentary for fans to enjoy #thebeatles

I'm hoping by including #thebeatles, it will generate some activity.

Its worth pointing out that in the 30 minutes I have had the # search open on twitter with the keywords "thebeatles" a further 99 new tweet mentioning #thebeatles have occurred. A quick scan of the topics show over half the tweets relate to the Mad Men topic.

Lets see how the activity from my tweet and retweet flows from now?

Epstein, E. A (May 8, 2012) Mail Online: How Mad Men Paid $250,000 - 5 times more than any other song. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2141092/How-Mad-Men-paid-250-000-license-The-Beatles--FIVE-times-song.html (on May 8, 2012)

Staff Reports (May 7, 2012) My Suburban life: ‘The Beatles: The Lost Concert’ documentary to premiere at Charlestowne 18 movie theater in St. Charles. Retrieved from http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/stcharles/newsnow/x1266596831/-The-Beatles-The-Lost-Concert-documentary-to-premiere-at-Charlestowne-18-movie-theater-in-St-Charles (on May 8, 2012)

Talk to me...

When reviewing my past “beatlebum” posts and the site activity in the “dashboard” area of blogger, I can see that my blog has attracted 180 views. My own views probably amount to 10% of those with the other 80% potentially being students from Curtin University, although I have no way of telling. Campbell (2012) describes many ways of promoting your blog, but one in particular appeals to me most  - Social Networking. I am a very active member of social networking and have access to it at all times of day. The trouble is, I do my networking on a personal level using my own name. Since starting to create a digital footprint under my digital persona, “the.pony”, I think it’s time to take it up a notch and start networking as my alter ego. Who knows, I might get some more traffic and some conversations happening on my blog. Arrow (2012) insists that promoting your blog and inviting reader conversations attracts new readers and contributes to user generated content. Listing sharing personal stories, sparking a debate and sharing video’s as good ways to invite conversation, Arrow (2012) shows me I am already doing one of those. Let’s see if I can squeeze the others in the next few weeks?

Arrow, S (2012, Jan 19) The business of being a blogger, Boost Your Blog. Retrieved from http://www.saraharrow.co.uk/inviting-reader-interaction-on-your-blog/

Campbell, J (2012, Mar 8) Business2Community: 6 ways to promote your blog) Retrieved from http://www.business2community.com/blogging/6-ways-to-promote-your-blog-0143927