Springsteen vs. Cowell

I wasn't going to weigh into this whole Cowell controversy because it wasn't really worth it. By doing so, others have actually made it a bigger story than it deserves to be. Cowell is right and he's wrong.

He's right in the way that if Sony looked solely at revenue, American Idol (in a very short timeframe) is larger and more popular than Springsteen's lifetime of work. The AI artists combined will eventually outsell Springsteen but so do all the one-hit wonders from the 80's -- it's all about context.

Springsteen sells out stadiums during his tours and has done that since he picked up a guitar. Springsteen has been (off and on) one of the most influencial musicians of ours or any generation and continues to write meaningful lyrics. You can't compare that to Simon Cowell and the trash that happens every week on network television.

The influence AI has had on our culture is a sad reality and might actually hurt artists in the long run but Cowell is wrong to compare himself to Springsteen in any way -- if he could sing, write and perform and had success doing so there would be common ground to compare. Here there is nothing, just another amusing statement from a man who has made a living out of them.