14 DAY TRIAL // Not that long ago, music mogul Simon Cowell was saying in an interview that, instead of having to respond to attacks from various artists who claim he’s brought down the bar for pop music, the industry should honor him for boosting music sales. The industry seems to have been listening, for Cowell is to receive a special Emmy award for changing the face of television, FemaleFirst informs.
Simon Cowell is behind such hit shows like Britain’s Got Talent and the X Factor back in the UK, and American Idol in the US. For his overall contribution to television and music, which literally changed the face of both, he’ll get an Emmy and join the line of other personalities bestowed the distinction, like Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Al Gore. Understandably, Mr. Cowell is thrilled about getting the award.
“He is an entrepreneur and a performer in equal measure. Simon Cowell has built an international empire and has changed the face of TV around the world,” President of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Bruce Paisner said of the reason why Cowell was even considered for the prestigious award in the first place. As per FemaleFirst, all his shows put together (both in the US and in the UK) are worth an estimated £1 billion – and that alone should speak volumes as to his contribution to the industry.
Speaking of which, in the older interview mentioned above, Cowell was saying that he almost single-handedly saved the music industry, by boosting CD sales, which were dwindling at the time he came in the picture. Thanks to the popularity of his UK shows, fans were motivated to go into the music store and pick up an album, which kept sales going up, Cowell was stating. He should get due recognition and not be constantly criticized that he’s not helping create artists but manufacturing pop stars, with the two being miles apart.
“The music industry was in a huge decline. What I would argue in my defense is that shows like Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor have actually got people more interested in music again and are sending more people into record stores. We haven’t seen this kind of uplift in years,” Mr. Cowell said in December last year, as we also informed you.