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Music industry

TV's music empires aren't easy to build

Bill Keveney
USA TODAY
Taraji P. Henson, left, and Terrence Howard play the leaders of a family music business in Fox's 'Empire.'

TV programmers are big fans of shows about the music business, but it's not exactly turning into a collection of greatest hits.

Fox's Empire has been a chart-topper, but HBO recently pulled the needle from Vinyl after one season, and Showtime's Roadies began its summer tour Sunday with a tiny audience (348,000) of same-day viewers. Nashville, never a hit, was canceled by ABC after four seasons, but CMT — spurred by the show's small but devoted fan base — picked it up for a fifth.

'Vinyl' won't make comeback as HBO cancels show

Shows that go behind the scenes of the music business offer great potential benefits: drama inherent in a high-stakes, high-dollar industry where excess often is rewarded; appeal to a younger audience  of music fans; and a great environment for captivating original soundtracks that can be broken into shorter clips.

A big success often leads to a copycat flurry of similar but lesser shows, and David Bushman, television curator at the Paley Center for Media, sees evidence of that in these tune-filled series..

"One thing that started this was the (initial) success of Glee, and now with Empire, you have two extremely successful shows that are very much talked about. TV programmers say, 'How do we get in on this?' " he says. But, "you'll see more often than not that it doesn't work."

Big-name performers and directors can be a draw, too. Mick Jagger and Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese produced VinylAlmost Famous director Cameron Crowe created Roadies; and 50 Cent (aka Curtis Jackson) is featured in Starz's Power. But marquee names don't guarantee success. (Even Empire lost a little glow in Season 2, with more criticism of episodes and a drop in ratings to a still-huge 16.1 million viewers.)

Here's a look at TV's summer music tour, along with a couple of upcoming acts:

Carla Gugino, left, and Luke Wilson star in 'Roadies,' the new Cameron Crowe drama on Showtime.

Roadies (Showtime, Sundays, 10 ET/PT)

Crowe, who made his early mark in rock journalism, looks at the road crew behind a top-selling band's national tour in this story of an unconventional work family. Carla Gugino and Luke Wilson play Shelli and Bill, the bosses and de facto parents of an indispensable group that is usually invisible to concertgoers. Imogen Poots and rapper Machine Gun Kelly also star.

John Corbett, left, and Denis Leary play musicians pursuing a second chance in FX's 'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.'

Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (FX, Season 2 premiere, Thursday,  10 ET/PT)

Denis Leary is back as Johnny Rock, a music has-been seeking a second chance at stardom in New York's crazy music scene, in this comedy that performed reasonably well last season. Friends and family, including Johnny's talented daughter, Gigi (Elizabeth Gillies), come together but personal and professional matters constantly threaten to divide them.The cast features John Corbett, Elizabeth Gillies and Elaine Hendrix.

Mamoudou Athie, left, and Shamiek Moore star in Netflix's 'The Get Down,' which looks at the turbulent world of music in 1970s New York.

The Get Down (Netflix, Aug. 12)

The Get Down shares some surface traits with Vinyl: a period setting in 1970s New York and a big force behind the scenes, this time in director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!). The series looks at a time when hip-hop, punk and disco clashed and converged, signaling a changing era in music. Jimmy Smits and Giancarlo Esposito star, along with an emerging cast that features Shameik Moore, Mamoudou Athie, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Herizen Guardiola.

Jude Demorest, left, Ryan Destiny and Brittany O'Grady play members of a girl group in the Fox midseason drama, 'Star.'

Star (Fox, January)

Star shares DNA with Empire, as it comes from Lee Daniels, co-creator of the Fox hit. Singer/actress Queen Latifah and Benjamin Bratt star in a story of three young singers (played by newcomers Jude Demorest, Ryan Destiny and Brittany O'Grady) who form a girl group and chart a path to stardom. Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz will guest star in the series, designed to fill the gap while Empire takes a winter break..

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