This is a quote from a news article....Good points made here; Relevant info(read on)

Why hasn't NeoSoul "mainstreamed" given its steady underground following since the early 1990's?? New German rennaissance philosopher Mannheim once pointed out that cultural innovation begins in small groups of elites and artists, and that if these groups are thwarted or shackled, then the conditions for the mainstreaming of new art and music is disabled.

There have been 4 major market forces at work that have delayed mainstreaming of this next innovation in American Black music:

(1) the 1996 FCC Deregulation of FM radio resulted in most FM stations being acquired by 5 major companies (Infinity, Clear-Channel, Radio-One, etc) (2) ratings-itis keeps FM from taking risks with new formats, so greed and fear by a small few has held an entire nation captive musically for over a decade (3) the record labels have also consolidated into just 5 major companies (4) current "mainstream hip-hop" is big-business (in spite of the fact that it's rapidly losing its luster with its core audience because it's no longer perceived as being "authentic", and instead is blatant blaxploitation -- history repeats itself, recall the death of Disco).

These trends add up to the "homogenization" of Black Music in the USA over the last 10 years, and a false perception that there is an insufficient quantity of new product on which to base a Soul radio format ( or so the Big 5 labels, who are frustrated by the emergence of the internet and independent artists, would like for the mainstream (US) to believe ).

Going forward, New Media (internet radio, iPod, clubs) has kept things alive as various Soul subcultures have flourished in cities across the USA. Now, there are 4 future trends that promise a new Rennaissance in Black Music very soon: (1) the advent of H.D. radio for FM which will triple the of available FM stations and make it easier for the risk-averse Big 5 to experiment with new Urban formats, (2) an affluent professional African American audience (Boomers, Generation Jones, X and Y) with $40 Billion in buying power is increasingly *offended* by the "Ghetto Nation" portrayed by mainstream hip-hop, (3) the young Generation Y is big on things "retro", (4) the international ear for New Soul being well-developed (far more than the USA's). Add it all up, and Soul has the chance to be a powerful format/ Seller to audiences completely across the board, regardless of age groups/ demographics...