Simon bloody Cowell has a lot to do with it. He's trying to finish what Stock, Aitken and Waterman started - the removal of musical talent from fame. Having said that, while there may be proportionately less kids learning an instrument than in previous times, it appears to me that the quality of what is coming through has improved greatly. I would say that this is down to software like Guitar Pro etc, sites like Ultimate Guitar where you can get tabs to play along to, as well as the free lessons and stuff you can get on youtube and other sites. So it's not all bad... I've seen some cracking bands and artists out playing, and that's just in Cornwall - the arse-end of the country.