...because of greater accessibility through mass media, music was nowadays seen more as a commodity that is produced, distributed and consumed like any other. It could also account for the popularity of television talent competitions, particularly in Britain, which allow viewers from the "iPod generation" a rare chance to engage and appreciate music and live performances...

Yes, blame the iPods for that. Perhaps people see music as "a commodity that is produced, distributed and consumed like any other" because it is. Why don't these guys swith off BBC 4 long enough to have a look at what passes for music these days on MTV? It's all about grillz and lovely lady lumps, and God knows the Pussycat Dolls are some sort of atrocious result of a brainstorming session in the marketing department over at Maxim. Maybe, just maybe, people lack a deep emotional commitment to today's music because it is, with so few exceptions, utter, irredeemable crap. People don't like American Idol and Popstar because these shows are a "rare chance to engage and appreciate music." They like them because they are just as prepackaged and nonthreatening as the music they're downloading for free from Russian websites. The message of American Idol is not about authenticity, it's about the opposite. We can mold you into a star. No artistic vision necessary. Hey, maybe they'll sing a Kelly Clarkson song!

"The degree of accessibility and choice," says North, "has arguably led to a rather passive attitude towards music heard in everyday life." So what's the solution? Apparently, music should be less accessible. North sounds like a hipster who gets pissed off when his favorite underground band goes mainstream. [Insert lame-ass band here] can only be truly appreciated by smart people like me. The rest of you are posers! Yeah? Well I have the ultra-rare, limited-edition, numbered quintuple seven-inch box-set. And you only think of music as a commodity.

What North doesn't understand is that most people have a passive attitude toward music. So they're listening to a wider variety of stuff now. So what? Don't blame iPods, blame the shallow, repetitive, cannibalistic music industry instead. If only you were as smart and discerning as North. Then you'd know what I was talking about.