Sting, Simon Cowell and the unintended consequences of government regulation
Posted: November 17th, 2009 | Author: Adam Macchi | Filed under: Politics, Pop-Culture | Tags: Clubs, Government, Music, Over-Regulation, Pubs, Regulation, Simon Cowell, Sting, X Factor | 1 Comment »The news is Simon Cowell has gotten into a bit of a tizzy over Stings disparaging remarks about X Factor, the British talent show Cowell conceived.
The X Factor is a preposterous show … and you have judges who have no recognisable talent, apart from self-promotion, advising them what to wear and how to look. It is appalling.
The real shopfloor for musical talent is pubs and clubs. That is where the original work is. But they are being closed down on a daily basis.
It is impossible to put an act on in a pub. It has become too expensive through excessive regulations.
What’s alarming to me about this juicy bit of non-important celebrity gossip is not two grown prima donnas in a cat fight but the fact that, according to Sting, the young blood needed to inspire the music business in England is quickly disappearing due to club and pub over-regulation. Between the smoking ban, heavy taxes on rent and excessive duty fees on alcohol, pubs have become almost inaccessible to burgeoning artists.
Perhaps they need to establish some sort of government committee to investigate the problem. 
Do you think government should have limits?