How else can you judge quality other than popularity in ratio to exposure??

You could say "technically" but by whose standards????

Of course you could argue quality over popularity e.g. big Macs might be popular - and not good for you (they still can be at the top when it comes to the quality of burgers though) - but if they're the most popular food variety chosen by a large quantity of people they must taste "good" to the individuals otherwise they wouldn't keep buying them.

Going back to the original thread topic and question "Shirley Collins - can she sing?" The answer must be yes! because everyone can sing - maybe the question was phrased wrong - maybe it should have been "Do you like the way Shirley Collins sings?" or do you like "Shirley Collin's voice?"

QED people vote by buying CDs going to Concerts etc etc.... so by being popular and commanding a following it must mean a lot of people like the way she sings - and we've already established she can sing so now we know not only that she can sing but a lot of people enjoy her singing - but will these facts change the individuals opinion of whether they like her singing or not - I presume not!