Homegrown R&B acts face a lot of competition from the US. Let’s face it; they’ve pretty much got it sewn up over there-it is where R&B started! The US music industry & acts have a lot of history available to them, whereas in the UK, it’s still in it’s infancy to a certain extent.
I think one of the big differences between US & UK acts is the quality of production. Although there’s ultimately talent on both sides of the pond, the production of a song ultimately has a bearing on the success of the artist. Another reason may be the vocal quality of our singers. When you look at competitions like American Idol, the singing on those shows is of such high quality that those who don’t make it can still get record deals. You don’t see that in the UK-the only people who have made any real impact are Lemar (who didn’t win Fame Academy) and Leona (who won but makes pop), both of whom have stunning voices. But it’s telling that only Leona is being pushed from the start of her career for worldwide domination. Why? She has a voice that rivals Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.
US artists like to collaborate with each other, which helps their scene to grow & gain in popularity. In doing this, fans are exposed to other artists from other genres, whilst also being treated to something new & different from their favoured artist. They also collaborate with people from other scenes like fashion & film. Why don’t UK acts do this more often? A lot of UK acts have lots of talent but don’t know how to work it constructively. US acts have often been trying to become singers since they were kids, & by the time they reach the top, they know how to use the media & any opportunity to their advantage. They work hard, & what we see is the end product of a long struggle. Often they come from impoverished backgrounds, where not succeeding would’ve meant going hungry. As Britain is a welfare state, there’s always a possibility that you will be rescued by the state with some sort of handout should you fall on hard times. This is a good thing, make no mistake, but with that option to fall back on, does it really give British artists the ambition to work as hard as US artists?
What you’ve got to remember is that the music industry is like any other business-profit is the bottom line. If a company invests in a product (in this case an artist), the return has to justify the investment. The music industry is not like it used to be, due to the influence of the internet. The scope to achieve sales is growing smaller & smaller; therefore, they have to be really careful when picking who to invest in. If UK artists can’t show them that they are professional & worth the investment, then they won’t do it. It’s only a few UK R&B artists that can do it, and even fewer who actually achieve it.
It’s a vicious circle as if the UK artists don’t make a good quality recording, the record company won’t be willing to support it & promote it and if the record company doesn’t promote it, the radio stations don’t play it. If the radio stations won’t play it, how can British people support homegrown artists?
I would say it’s a combination of a lack of talent and a lack of backing. Perhaps the UK R&B artists are a bit too different from the US R&B artists, so record companies shy away. But remember, it is possible to get lots of exposure & backing if you’re good enough-look at Leona & Lemar.