bigbrain_biggerego99
I know where you're coming from...Mr Cowell has certainly foistered some hideous acts on us (Robson and Jerome), but his influence shouldn't be overstated. He simply gives the people what they want. Also, we need to keep it in perspective. Whilst Song BMG may have a number of artists in the UK singles and albums charts simultaneously, it's no where NEAR as tight as the stranglehold that Stock Aitken and Waterman had in the mid to late 80s.
And as to whether British music is suffering? I reckon we're currently sitting in the middle of a new golden age|:
Mika
Duffy
Adele
Estelle
Artic Monkeys
Coldplay
Keane
Kasabian
Take That (don't scoff - their last album was superb)
Kaiser Chiefs
Amy Winehouse
Florence and the Machine
Dizzee Rascal
Lily Allen
Goldfrapp
The Streets
Those are just the British artists off the top of my head who have released stuff over the past decade which has blown me away.
When you think of it on that scale, you realise we have a cubic tonne of great acts consistently producing interesting and varied music. No other country can boast a vibrant music scene like ours. And The X Factor is there to supply pop, pure and simple.
If you want more challenging stuff, it's out there, and you don't have to look very far.