Friday, April 4, 2014

The Nickleback Effect

Hardly anybody truly loves Nickleback.

Just like hardly anybody truly loves McDonalds.

Yet, Nickleback is consistently selling out shows, McDonalds is always packed, and both are making more money than I could fathom.

There is nothing wrong with money being the end goal, but in order to do so, consistency and accessibility usually win out over quality and creativity. Every time I buy a burger from McDonalds, I can be fairly certain of how it will taste: not bad and not great, just burger-y. Every time I hear a Nickleback song, I can be fairly certain of how it is going to sound: not bad and not great, just sing song-y.

In order to make something truly great, you will risk losing some of that accessibility. Not everyone will understand a truly magnificent piece of art, and truly talented, risk-taking artists are bound to have a few pieces that don't turn out well. Not everyone will enjoy the menus of world-class chefs, and they typically change daily or seasonly, so chances are a few of those may be busts.

However, with that lack of universal accessibility comes an increased risk of failure. That is why we have so many restaurants closing daily and starving artists; relatively few McDonalds close and Nickleback is at no risk of starving.

There is nothing wrong with choosing to be Nickleback, just like there is nothing wrong with choosing to be the (potentially-starving) talented artist. However, there is something wrong with the chef trying to lead the McDonald's kitchen.

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