I'm not so sure it's a lack of talent really - hell we have such a lot of incredibly talented people right here on TheFret - it's just that the media and the record labels etc. prefer to not seek out talent but instead make a quick buck and do something that sells for sure. There are lots of great, superbly talented bands out there too, but they're not usually heard on mainstream radio etc. at all.

Actually there might be way more talent out there than ever before. I mean, there's like four billion more people out there than in the early 70's for instance, and a huge number of them have been exposed to a wide variety of music right from birth...and an incredible number of people actually take up an instrument and play these days. I've venture that if there were 100.000 guitarists out there in the 60's, the number must now be something like ten million aspiring players. There just has to be an incredible amount of talent to be found there.