Music conglomerates, agents, judge panels and TV networks – use to devise lists of famous singers and decide amongst themselves who would take home the top honors year after year. With the digital age, twitter, face book, American Idol and more – it now lies in the hands of the consumers themselves.

According to TipTopTen.com, Rihanna ranks as the #1 female singer of 2011 so far for her performances Love the way you lie, Rude Boy, and what‘s my name. Runners up on their presumptive 2011 list also contain Taylor Swift, Kesha, Katy Perry, and who could forget the odd and unforgettable Lady Gaga coming in at fifth place.

American Idol creates new teeny bopper singers ever year based on the vote of millions of American viewers. This year’s final two are Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina who are now well on their way to making a successful career in singing all because of popular demand, voters like you and I. However, whether they can successfully launch a super star career is far from certain.

As history shows us, many of the contestants and winners of American Idol go on to make mediocre careers and stay in the lime light. It just goes to prove that 30 million people may watch the final episode of American Idol, but those 30 million consumers don’t immediately go to iTunes and download the winners’ album or songs. It seems that American Idol was able to create a wildly successfully television show but they were unable to convert those viewers in additional sales for their winners.

American Idol does have one bright spot, however it resides within their judges panel. Jennifer Lopez, voted sexiest woman of the year. She also happens to be a super star singer and movie star grossing millions of dollars in profit, year after year.

Social Media is far becoming the number one way to solidify your position as a famous singer, whether you are good or not. One very famous example is a song called “Friday” that amassed millions of viewers in a very short amount of time (sung by Jessica Black). But there is one catch, it isn’t very good, in fact, it is more of a joke than it is a well made music video. Conan O’Brien even created a spoof of her music video, he called in “Thursday.” It goes to show you that a perfect pitch voice isn’t always required to become a famous social media icon.

To become immortalized in music history, you need more than just the fleeting fame from social media. You need a unique voice, character and the love of the American People (or the Japanese if you’re Michael Jackson or Baseball). Many chart toppers sell themselves using sex, Hollywood, or the lime light which is temporary and eventually leaves a bitter taste in the back of your throat. Taylor Swift has a reputation, great music, and is very young in her career – all of which point her in the direction of the greats like J-Lo and Michael Jackson that will last for a century.

In conclusion, this year’s list of famous singers will be determined by you, the consumer, the people based on your votes, your “likes,” tweets, and most importantly, your iTunes purchases. Whether Rihanna takes home the coveted top spot as 2011 #1 female singer or whether it falls on the new comer Scotty McCreey will ultimately be your decision so make your vote count.

Filed under: Artists