Fans of Britney Spears are said to be unhappy after she reportedly mimed during her UK concerts this week. But does it still matter whether pop stars sing live?

Fans of Britney Spears are said to be unhappy after she reportedly mimed during her UK concerts this week. But does it still matter whether pop stars sing live?

One report suggested Spears did not sing a single note during her concert at London's Wembley Arena.

Artists from Madonna to Janet Jackson have been accused of miming during live shows, while others have been caught out on TV or records.

Popstars TV show winners Hear'Say mimed their way through their stage debut on the Pepsi Chart Show in 2001, blaming their backing tracks not being ready in time.

But the most notorious instance of lip-synching involved Milli Vanilli, the Germany-based pop duo who were shunned by the industry when it was revealed they did not sing on their records.

Scandal

They were forced to hand back their 1990 Grammy award after it emerged they had not contributed a note to hits such as Girl You Know It's True and Blame It On The Rain.

The scandal ultimately ended in tragedy when Rob Pilatus, one half of the duo, was found dead in 1998 from an overdose of drugs and alcohol, aged 32.

He had suffered years of depression after the pair were ridiculed or ignored by their former peers.

Milli Vanilli's career fell apart after their secret came out
Pop groups have mimed on TV shows since the 1960s, and there was a time when bands lip-synching to their hits on Top of The Pops was the stuff of national debate.

Julianne Regan, singer with 1980s goth-pop group All About Eve, famously mimed the wrong words on the show when she was unable to properly hear her band's live backing track.

New Order only agreed to perform Blue Monday if they could play it live - a rare event in the early 1980s. However, it was not widely seen as one of their better performances, and the song subsequently slipped down the chart.

"Most bands want to play live," said a Top of The Pops spokeswoman, "and if we can do it acoustically, then we will. It makes for a better show.

"Some acts will only come on if they play live. Ronan (Keating) always plays live, as does Will Young."

Did she or didn't she? Spears' apparent miming has split critics and fans
It seems some of the chart's more choreographed pop acts have accepted they cannot jump around the stage and sing pitch-perfect at the same time.

Jonathan Bown, features editor at Smash Hits, said it was fair enough that Spears had focused on her dance routine.

Spectacle

"It's part of the spectacle of her show, which is not just about the singing," he said.

"If you are doing the heavily choreographed moves you have to make a choice whether you are going to stand still and sing, or dance.

"With Britney, people are going to see a spectacle. They want to see her perform and they want something they can talk about afterwards."

Mr Bown also pointed out that Spears was not lip-synching because of any suggestion she could not sing.

"When she does the ballads, she sits on a stool and does those live."

Another critic, The Sun's Victoria Newton, disagreed. She said it was wrong that Spears was "not performing at the highest level when (she was) being paid millions of pounds".

In a web message board, a more sympathetic fan said while it was not perfect, "isn't the ideal also being able to dance and keep a crowd of 12,000 entertained for over two hours"?

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Do you think it matters if a pop star like Britney Spears mimes? Here is a selection of BBC News Online users' views.

It certainly matters, if you purchase very expensive tickets for a live performance you expect just that, otherwise it is fraud. You might as well just listen to the CD at home instead of travelling to the show. If they say on their advertising that it mimed then that is fair enough, we can make our choice based on information. Mostly it is about poor singers who cannot perform live, and that is the difference between studio singers and great and long lasting talent.
R.Morgan, Bridgend Wales

My fiance plays guitar and sings in his own band and he sings live for up to three hours most Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. People like him are proper musicians, he has never tried to make excuses unlike pop 'stars' of today and always gives 110%, whether the audience have paid £10 or nothing . Isn't dancing the same as guitar playing?
Beth Evans, Nottingham

I think it is absolutely appalling when so called 'pop stars' mime throughout performances. It is so obvious and insulting to us the viewer. One can pay upwards of £60 to see such artists perform, the least they can do is sing live.

I appreciate such artists like Miss Spears have active dance routines to perform and therefore seem to think this justifies them miming, but if you went to the opera or a musical and the performers simply mimed to a backing track you would demand your money back.

Considering the cost of tickets to these concerts and the expectation that you are going to see your favourite artist sing live, that is what you, as a customer and a fan should get!
Miss Jenifer Chapple, London

Singers such as Britney Spears who are unable to sing live highlight all that is wrong with the music industry in the UK. An industry full of manufactured bands/artists whose records are sold purely on their looks and not their musical ability. In my opinion if you cannot sing or play live you are not a musician.
Mike Garner, Chester, England

No pop star should mime. Singing live is the whole point and highlight of the concert.
Janice Rainey, Belfast

Of course it matters - what is the point in them going on the road with a live show if they aren't able to sing live...you may as well watch a video!!!! Surely it shows that the present day stars aren't a patch on the old school crowd of people like Prince, Michael Jackson, or the greats like Marvin, Sly, James Brown.
MB, Derby

It makes me sad to think that music and the music industry is no longer about talent. It is all about if you look right your voice can always be altered to make it sound good. I think it matters, I have a lot of respect for artists like Beyonce who are amazing live and obviously very talented. You never hear of opera singers miming, so why should pop stars be able to get it?
Donna Joint, Salisbury, Wiltshire

Dance routines are what you'd expect from a Britney show and of course the kids would be bored if she just stood there, but imagine Mommy or Daddy's disappointment after forking out all that cash to bring their kids along to find her miming.
Jamie Hamilton, Kilmarnock, Scotland

Having attended Britney's concert on Monday evening, I was very impressed; although this was more a stage show than a concert.

Britney accompanied most of her numbers with the kind of energetic dance routines normally reserved for the video; so it's hardly surprising that she mimed most of her songs!
Alex B, Birmingham

While it's understandable that it is difficult to pull off dance routines and sing at the same time, it should also be said that these are allegedly the biggest musical stars in the world. They should be able to do these things if they are to claim such a title. The other issue is that this is killing what live music is meant to be about, how can people knowingly enjoy the magic of live music knowing that it's fake?
Allan Preston, Belfast

I think that if you've paid money for a performance, then that is what you should get. It's a shame that they can't seem to sing live, which suggests that any old bod could get up on stage, shake their booty to a few tunes and then get all that money....what a waste...
Jan Harding, Dagenham, Essex

Surly miming removes any point of going to see her live? As nice as watching her dance may be going to see a live act, for me, is a one-off experience.
J Paul Doherty, Manchester

Popstars owe it to their fans to sing live, after forking out £40+ for a ticket. It's only fair, surely? Adding in a few dance routines and fireworks is part of the act, but not part of the music.
Neil Marshall, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Of course it matters. The whole point of going to a gig is to hear a LIVE show. Throughout her career, I don't think I've heard Britney sing live more than five times. And that includes live concerts on TV. The same goes for Westlife, Beyonce, etc. Busted might not be my cup of tea, but at least they sing live. If stars mime at concerts, then their fans might just as well stay at home, put on a cd and save some money. Those who went to see Britney should demand their money back. I would.
Liz, London, UK

If people cannot perform live on a show such as Top of the Pops, a video should be shown instead. As for concerts, if the performer cannot do almost everything live (partial backing tracks excepted), they should work on their act more until they can. After all, Spears isn't the first singer dancer, and many have previously been able to do both, thereby not cheating the audience.
Craig, London, UK

Last week I went the see the local amateur operatic society perform West Side Story, it was excellent, the performers all had small mikes taped to their cheeks and sang and danced live and at the same time. These people had day jobs or courses to go too and were not paid a single penny for doing it. If they can sing and dance for free then Britney should be able to do it for the thousands she's paid.
Polly Bee, Mirfield, England

The "music" hasn't been live for over 20 years, usually from a backing track and often performed by computer in the first place, so why should anyone expect the singing to be live as well? When you buy pop music, you are not buying music, but a show of extreme conformist perfection to the fashion standards and sexual stereotypes of the day, in a shiny, plastic package.
Iain Nicholson, UK

Yes, it matters; she should sing. I know it's very difficult if you're doing a vigorous dance routine but Kate Bush pioneered the technique and did it well. The whole point of seeing someone 'live', is that is just that - live. All artists used to start out performing live before they were signed up and recorded, it was a natural progression.

Some things may have changed but I think that seeing if someone really can deliver the goods in a live performance is still the best way of sorting genuine talent from manufactured fakes -take note Britney.
Hilary Mudge, Calne, Wilts

I believe it is important that the paying public knows exactly what it is paying for. Pre-recorded backing tracks have been used to a lesser or greater degree during 'Live' concerts for many years by artists. This is because they find it difficult to replicate their studio sound or it is uneconomical to do so.

If a concert is to use pre-recorded material then fact needs to be made clear to people before they purchase a ticket otherwise the accusation could be that they are being tricked into believing something is not what it is. An artist who relies totally maiming could be accused of having less talent and than your average Karaoke singer.
Budfrog, UK