One of the biggest myths about fame is that stardom is the reward for talent. When Byron woke up after the publication of the first cantos of “Chile Harold”, he said that he found himself to be the most famous man in England. This was hyperbole. In a population where only 20% were literate, the publication of  ”Childe Harold” was neither here nor there. What Byron meant is that he achieved rapid fame among the cognoscenti  of London society… and this was probably the only “public” that mattered to him.

The mechanics and velcoty of fame are very different today. We have moved froma culture that is primarily organized around print, to an audio-visual motorway, in which images and sounds occupy the fast lane. Consider reality TV talent shows: When Susan Boyle debuted on “Britain’s Got Talent” this year, her performance was immediately downloaded to YouTube. It was NEWS. Withing 72 hours it received 2.5 million hits. After a week it was streamed no less than 66 million times. After 9 days, 103 million views on 20 different web sites were logged.

So who in the world is the mastermind behind all of this? Well, “Britain’s Got Talent”  is produced by the media company Syco. This is the same company responsible for “The X Factor,” “America’s Got Talent” and “Pop idol.” Their business model is beautiful:  Syco  recruits unknown talent and pays them nothing to audition and perform on TV.  It road tests the acts, often over an extended period of weeks, in front of a TV audience who pay premium phone rates to register their votes.  The winners are then contracted to Syco’s recording division which has a global distribution deal with Sony.

Who owns Syco?  Simon Cowell, of course, who is rumoured to earn anything between $50-100 million per year. His personal wealth is estimated to be about $200 million, and in 2009 he bought a $22 million mansion in Beverley Hills.

Seldom has the public been turned into a more formidable money-making engine.  In the name of giiving the ordinary Joe a lucky break, the public provides free market research by selecting winners, and a captive market that eventually buys the songs released by Syco recording artists.  It is part of a virtuous circle which takes money from the hands of the people, persuades them that they are doing good, and banks the money in ther Syco vaults.

It was recently announced that Syco will enter into coalition with the British buccaneer capitalist, Sir Philip Green, to create a new multi-media corporation, Greenwell Entertainment.  Susan Boyle’s of the world, your time has come.