Realistically though auto tune is just a buzz word, there is a hundred other programs out there that studios use or can use that do the same thing auto tune was designed for. Live desks are just as powerful and controllable as studio desks, the producers need to work quicker and on the fly but the things these guys can do is just as impressive, it might not cover every studio trick but they can cover a lot.
Lip syncing sucks no matter who does it. I've hated the fact that so much 'live tv' often makes bands and singers lip sync and it's mostly because the powers that be believe it makes the performance error free. Concert lip syncing sucks too but it's not like that is a wide spread thing and bands/musos caught doing it have been shamed. I've not even a huge fan of backing tapes for live performances, but I bet for every band that has been caught, or suspected of using them there is five bands who haven't been caught and they'll be bands from all genres.
The problem with injecting even a portion of the money that pop gets into metal is that the people offering the money want a return for their upfront generosity. Pick any band and put them on the same level as any huge pop act and that band would have to return the money very quickly, the only way to do that is to put on the big shows, that means selling tickets, that means making a high profile on radio, tv and whatever. To many that's selling out. I think the TV shows like Idol etc prove that any shit can be marketed to success and metal would be no different, but is that what metal fans really want?
