Maybe it's just a fad, but maybe not. Hatsune Miku, the Japanese singing sensation who has performed on stage in Los Angeles, is a hologram that uses the synthesized voice of a real singer. She has her own fan club and has become a genuine star in Japan. At least one commentator (here) thinks that Hatsune Miku will revolutionize the music industry as well as the international pop music culture. Another describes (here) as "a singing, digital avatar." She can be bought by anyone and then programmed to sing whatever song one chooses. Her music can't be copyrighted. And evidently she is all the rage not only in Japan but also in Europe, especially France.
If this sort of thing does take hold, as does seem more than possible, why stop with singers? Why not newscasters, professors, and even preachers? In the not too distant future, pastors might not preach themselves but, instead, program a spiffy, exciting, challenging, bring the house down avatar instead. Small churches would be able to receive just as good a preaching as the megachurches. Who knows what the future holds? But do take note of the reaction of the young American crowd in the video clip and the skill of the performer. She blurs the boundary between animation and reality, no question. (When I linked to this YouTube video clip it had well over 8,700,000 hits. That's popular!).
