There's a huge difference between American Idol, where performers ARE deliberately chosen (by Simon Cowell's evil henchmen ) for how extraordinarily BAD they are (I guess the only way to feel good about yourself nowadays is to compare yourself with someone SO bad, there isn't the slightest chance you are worse than they are! ), and songwriter circles where a truly BAD song still has a chance of being successful, but at least the participants aren't deliberately chosen for their awfulness...

The whole POINT about songwriting is that it is supposed to be divorced from performance. I know several successful songwriters. You wouldn't necessarily want to go out and hear them perform , but you listen to other people sing the songs, and have huge hits . Yes, there ARE many 'singer-songwriters', but unless the forum or competition is set up specifically for them, you have to listen to the SONG, not the performance and not the arrangement.

The job of an A&R guy really IS to listen to stuff and disregard the performance. Or many a great song will pass him by.

But in public, on TV and radio, we are no longer a culture that celebrates excellence. We have become a culture that celebrates ourselves! And the most threatening thing for self congratulation is excellence and virtuosity (in others) .

Personally, I would get off a forum that bolsters the egos of the terrible. But be careful... Start to hang in circles where excellence and craft ARE appreciated, you may quickly find out whether you make the grade or not. Just like yourself, people at the business end of the songwriting chain don't suffer fools lightly. Are you SURE you are ready for a totally unvarnished opinion..? Lord knows, I get enough flack here if I ever offer one...

[This message has been edited by Diki (edited 05-12-2009).]