Editorial: Rush of celebrity corpses largely illusory

Mark Dawson, Editor of Wanganui Chronicle

The death of Ray Columbus on Wednesday has added another music icon to what many see as a swingeing cull on pop stars in 2016.

David Bowie, Prince and Leonard Cohen would be the big hitters but there are plenty of others (Bobby Vee, Leon Russell anyone?), and that has some suggesting this year is particularly cursed.

I think that perception is largely illusory.

Many of those lying in the morgue of fame - and you can add a slew of TV and movie names - these past months came to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s at a time when stardom was a more limited commodity and so was its exposure through television, radio and newspapers.

In recent years, the media has become increasingly diffuse. Musical wannabes crowd an array of departure points, be it YouTube, 24-hour MTV or TV's The Voice and they battle for space in the public consciousness.

While it has never been easier to get your songs out there, earning global attention has never been harder. No one will again command the world stage the way The Beatles did in the 60s.

There is also the influence of an industry which, threatened by free music downloads, has become ever more bottom-line minded and controlling. How many have the chance to develop a career and some longevity these days; the turnover of "talent" is ferocious and instant celebrity brings instant oblivion.

Technological innovation has made music omni-present. Every kid comes with earphones attached but ask them who they are listening to - or even to name the song - and they probably won't know.

Once people queued outside shops in the cold morning air for the latest release by The Beatles or - a decade later - The Jam. Perhaps, because of that, it meant more.

So, I suggest the Grim Reaper is working at his standard, steady pace and in a decade or so the death of a "pop star" will mean very little to the masses.