So biased... So one sided on SO many things...
Contemporary concert hall music is dying only because it is full of fools and ignorant one sided people (and no, I don't mean you, although it does seem so. I don't know you so I can't make any such assumptions, I mean some people that I know). Healthy contemporary concert hall music has no complexes against anything, has no trouble enjoying Beyonce and has little problem with
popularity!
I'm also part of the contemporary "scene" (although rather distant and not very interested, thus rather invisble...) so don't think that I'm not including myself into it.
On very small specific issues:
1. since when should music be complicated to be worthy? If something is put with effort without ignorance, then it should be ok. I don't mind if Beethoven spent months writing something and I don't care if Mozart made it in secs. The quality is evident! Same with many pop artists, bands, etc
2. Pop music includes some amazing stuff that you wouldn't believe. Sure it is tonal most of the times, but yet there are some pretty fancy stuff, if you consider that they still remain popular!
3. Classic composers as much as anyone else need to be out, meet people, network, go to concerts etc; and f*cking Classic FM has made sure to make starts those morons G4, G5 or whatever they are called! Do you detest those as well? Or Jenkins? Or all those HUGE pianists, who are stars on their own right? Do you think that Richter was less in the newspapers? Maybe chicks didn't chase his car, but he sure was a star.
Moreover why should beautiful people be retained from public? If I was beautiful like Jenna Jameson, I'd be sure to hit the pRon industry! Why not after all? (<-of course I'm exagerating, right?)
Were we in a pub together I would agree 90% with you!
I can't say that I find much reason for Britney's existance or the come back of Spice Girls, but I sure own more than 300 pop records (rock, pop, even hit 85/86/87 from when I was bellow 10 years old
)