Why has music become image?

I just can't understand how something that is so reliant on sound has become more associated with vision than hearing. I don't know why people keep buying into this image based manufactured music. Music companies have got it down to a formula of how to produce music and it's all about image and how people see the artist.

Do people just not care anymore about the music itself? Or is musical talent and vision so scarce that record companies have to resort to building up image? Am I the only one seeing this?

Why has music become image?

-(Myspace music www.myspace.com)

1. Videos: Brittany Spears and NSync figured out a long time ago that if your stuff is on TRL then you go platinum overnight.

2. People with bad taste in music buy lots of it.

3. But you should understand that just because somone makes a music video doesnt mean that they are "fake" or "manufactured". Alot of people i notice only like small indy artist just because they havent gone platinum and they arent on TRL or the radio. Indy music fans tend to be prejudicial and judgemental by automatically not liking an artist just because they are on a major label or on MTV.

4. Dont worry about the overnight pop/rock/rap/country sensations who have gone triple platinum in like 2 weeks. I have noticed that the artists who blow up real fast also fizzle out real fast. But the truly self made talented artists struggle in the begining and then they finally start to flourish and get mainstream recognition and they wind up being around for 10- 20 years (see:Greenday).

Why has music become image?

-(Myspace.com graphics myspace.com)

I know how you feel. You have to dig deep sometimes to find good music. That's why I use radio stations on the internet so that I can actually listen to music, and find stuff that I like, instead of just seeing it on TV, or on Yahoo. Pandora is a good one that has good quality, and is good for discovering music that you will like. It's also good, because most of it that I listen to is indie, and I've never seen half the bands they put on there, so thier image can't really affect how I feel about them.
I believe it to be that the consumer has become ignorant and lazy. They want people to think for them and tell them what to buy. Too much intake of flouride through water it is thought.
YOU PREACH IT.I REMEMBER WHEN YOU COULD BE THE HOMELIEST LOOKING BAND BUT IF YOU COULD PLAY AND SELL MUSIC COMPANIES WERE ALL OVER YOU.LOOK AT LEMMY OF MOTORHEAD.IT'S ALL COOKIE CUTTER BANDS

ANDS SINGERS NOW.WHAT HAPPEN TO BEING DIFFERENT?