Two recently released songs, by Static and Ben-El and by Adi Beatty, were accompanied by wide and stubborn public criticism • We checked if the check worked and the results are surprising • Opinion
Adi Beatty, Static and Ben-El, Anna Zack
Photography:
From the clips
Like every new song by Static and Ben-El Tavori, "Cubes", the duo's collaboration with Anna Zack, attracted tremendous attention, but this time not in a positive context.
The phrase "girls as hot as cookies" from the song, which came out a few days after the rape in Eilat, shocked many, and in the public debate around it, calls arose to boycott it.
• "Big Brother": Our first final bet
Did the check work?
Data that came up in a test we conducted in collaboration with Media Forest, suggest that it is.
The song was released on August 17, and on August 26, singer Narcissus released an angry post that actually ignited the media criticism and angry tsunami of reactions.
Media Forest's analysis reveals that in September, that is, after a wave of protests began, there was a drastic drop in the number of plays of the song, and some radio stations stopped playing it altogether.
A comparison with the play data of the duo's previous hits shows that "Cubes" largely failed, at least by Static and Ben-El standards.
All of the duo's previous hits achieved within a few weeks the number of plays accumulated by "Cubes" in more than three months.
Statik and Ben-El's overall performance average dropped and did not return to normal for about two months, until early November, when the single "Shake Ya Boom Boom" was released and the duo returned to lead the charts, as usual.
• "Looks like an adult movie promo"
• Watch the provocative music video by Adi Beatty
By the way, another song that came out recently and was received with barrages of criticism arrows is "Hamsa Hamsa" by Adi Beatty.
What ignited the protest this time was the video clip, which included erotic images perceived as offensive or defamatory.
According to Media Forest's transcript system, from the moment the single was released on October 25 to November 1, the song and clip were mentioned 44 times in various items, 29 on TV and 15 on radio.
But what about the effect of the protest on the success of the song?
Well, the comparison to the data obtained by the previous three songs released by the singer does not reveal any significant differences: each was played only 31-45 times in the first month of its release.
Beatty's provocative music video has been criticized, but the song itself has not.
• The confession of Static and Ben-El
• Our review of "Cubes"
Back to Static and Ben-El.
Despite the drop in broadcasts, their hits were still aired 379 times in August and 313 times in September, numbers that guarantee a place in the parade of the ten hottest songs.
The two also returned to star on screen in late September as part of the "Singer in the Mask" panel.
On the face of it - nothing happened.
But this is a hasty conclusion.
The drop in broadcasts of "dice" and the fact that some radio stations have stopped broadcasting indicate that public criticism is working;
Joy in cultural issues is able to set boundaries and red lines.
This does not mean that artists should align themselves with the moral rage - which sometimes slips into moral sermons - but it certainly indicates the existence of a dialectic between the creators of the culture and its consumers.
The commercial dimension in the interaction between the artists and the audience is also accompanied by a value or normative dimension.
Did that protest over "dice" create a normative change in the long run?
Early to know.
But such waves of protest may cause artists of the Static and Ben-El type to stop wanting women in their songs, if only to avoid harming the performances.
This sweet silence will be our greatest victory.
