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Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
Icons: Don’t Talk to Me About Heroes!
Too many years have passed where no-one has launched themselves out of the underground and into the history books. 2004 has to produce some icons and music stars in their own right (rather than these famous by association, rather than adoration, types from soaps and talent shows). There’s a generation here that doesn’t have a figurehead, let alone a bunch of people wandering around the edge of the mainstream, saying the things we think and feel.
Record companies should be looking back through the history of pop and giving us something more than Dido and Stacie Oricoco. Find us some heroes, villains and deranged geniuses you buzz-chasing, history recyclers. Bowie, Prince, Dylan – anyone?
Inspiration: Scene Not Herd
Identikit bands, across all genres, are seriously killing music. You can’t seriously tell me it’s healthy for every band in your record collection to look and sound the same? You can’t seriously say 400 eMo/garage/nu-metal bands doing the same thing, is in any way better than 40 pop bands doing the same thing? Something’s gotta give.
There are exceptions to this problem, exceptions which are opening musician’s eyes (we know this, cus they’ve repeatedly told us) and twists going on culturally which are creating something different. The Mars Volta record last year for instance, truly struck a nerve throughout the music world and presented some fresh takes on old ideas and reminded the world about the idea of a concept album. Even the Saves the Day album was a twist away from the typical, expected, emo-formula. 2004 needs more bands to do this and more of these releases to hit around the edge of the mainstream, to inspire as many people as possible – although there are a few things which are nearly there. Inspirational sentiments from all corners need to be thrown out there too. It’s time for less negative reaction against something and so many more positive reactions to everything.
Opinions: Where did they go?
Just how many taste-makers tails do we have to chase? Why does no-one have any balls? Sheep will never a vibrant music scene make. We hear Everett True (Careless Talk..) is launching Loose Lips in the coming months, which could well do some good if it veers away from the bespectacled, elitist, back-biting, hell on earth that is this country's underground ‘scene’ – at least CTCL had some opinions and brought people together and reminded the music world what music journalism is all about. Also Logo and The Fly both have had circulation boosts in the past few months and the mags are now available, for free, in the major chains. There’s also a new mag called Bullit (not that we’ve seen a copy!), another called Vice (not out yet) and apparently some change in direction from some of the style-mags to become more music-focussed. Things might happen. But opinions and personalities need to saturate these pages to bring some life and vibrancy back into the media. Risks and chances need to be taken on amazing new bands, and not just because the marketing campaign is in place. Following suit just isn’t exciting.
Live Scene: More Venues to Save
Petitions and moaning after the event of yet another business, going out of business, isn’t going to solve anything. It may not be all your fault, but by opting for the over-hyped and over-priced shows, people are killing off live music, placing the power in the hands of major operations who dabble in a few things here and there. Then again, the difficulty with which you can spread the word about a tour, a show, a club or even a festival, is increasing. Major chains don’t allow posters and flyers for local events. Local papers employ ageing dim-wits who never go out to a gig unless it’s Beth Orton or Status Quo. And above all people aren’t willing, on the whole, to catch a band they’ve not read about in the NME or seen on MTV2.
Solutions? There are many. Advertising shows can be done on simple local scene sites or even on photocopied sheets, handed out at every show, with previews or even monthly/quarterly sampler cds (if a bunch of local bands were clever, they’d work out it’s cheaper than pressing loads of their own demos up!). Putting on your own gigs if there aren’t any good ones near you isn’t THAT hard either. Getting hold of good bands, however, is near-on impossible, as either they’re hard to contact, can’t co-ordinate a tour which takes in your area or an agent is only going to make £5 from a £50 band fee, so it isn’t worth him returning your phone call. The problems and downfalls here are endless, yet it’s such a vital part of the music scene, especially now that selling cd’s is getting harder, yet live music revenues are on the up, yet British acts aren’t breaking through because there isn’t the space to do the groundwork.
A&R: Scrums, Hype, Buzz, and Bidding Wars
This may sound like something boring, but the A&R world is getting filthier and filthier. Bands aren’t allowed any breathing space anymore and if you play some flavour of the moment genre, you may be about to win and lose a million in less than 12months.
From what we’ve seen, many bands are forced into hibernation for fear of being seen ‘too early’. There are no real second chances. And then when you are ‘so hot right now’ every label under the sun will traipse, on masse, from West London to Cornwall or the deepest depths of Wales, to see a band that ‘everyone is talking about’. The madness of directionless crowds takes over. Bands are sucked up to and offered huge sums of money. Lawyers, who cost a bomb, encourage bidding wars to ensure managers get a bigger cut of the advance, and then all sense of logic flies outta the window. What the band is capable of is exaggerated, the budget is blown waaay out of proportion and then, said band, gets signed to a deal which has such a huge expectation, that if within 12 months they’ve not had a Top 10 album, they’re dropped (to the disappointment of all their newfound fans), tarred with a brush, with a big debt (which was once the advance) and little hope of another deal, forever forgotten. The last thing we want is for great bands, with bags of potential, to fall by the wayside before their debut album is even released.
We’re not sure exactly what can be done to change this. But we’d really like the music industry and bands to be more aware of this and rethink, before too much more damage both financially and culturally is done. Give bands more time to develop (these development deal singles are a good start), take the foot off the gas a little, perhaps give the indies more of a chance and sooner or later, with some organic development and reasonable expectations, everyone’s dreams will come true, without too many job cuts or missed potential.
Promos: Legal Contracts for the Media?!?!
Many labels spent 2003 putting incredibly expensive research and development funds into action, in an attempt to stop people copying pre-release records and putting them on the net. But why didn’t any of them realise they could send out promos on tape or vinyl to overcome this problem? They were adequate enough formats for decades…
Downloads: No More, Shock and Awe!
Some record labels have woken up and discovered the internet is a great way to get music to people, for very little cost and also achieve some data capture. Others haven’t changed. What is truly needed is for labels to make video’s and single streams available, online, so that potential fans can check a band/record out, in much the same way they do at listening posts in record stores and on mtv. Giving people what they want and creating an arena to sample and buy music should be a much bigger priority than closing down p2p and demonizing music fans – you need only look at the success of the don’t jump the fence campaign for Glastonbury to see how this situation should be treated.
The launch of corporate sites is interesting, but a billion miles from what is needed. The biggest problem there and with p2p as a whole is that there isn't anyone using it properly to guide music fans to new music (or quality older music for that matter!), so all labels are doing is creating demand for music is available for free. It's always all been about owning and controlling the means of production for the big boys and once again they’ve realised this (see iTunes, Mycokemusic, Pepsimusic). And the beast is almost back on top, with no idea what to do at the top of the skyscraper. p2p was fun whilst it lasted.
Playlists: Can’t Get You Outta My World
How many times a day can you hear the same song on various different outlets? Just how many of the same songs are rotating on playlists on MTV through Radio 1? And before a big single hits the shops how do you avoid hearing it so many times you’ve heard it enough not to wanna buy it?
It seems that at any given time there’s no more than 30 artistes given exposure to the public with a sprinkling of the most debased acts from each genre. Yes the mainstream shouldn’t be inspiring or invigorating, but what of the millions of other acts with expensive tv and radio pluggers? How can a band's career and labels' life-spans be sustained with so much being spent just to get very close to being on the nation's menu?
Playlists really need to be more varied in 2003 so that every show or every hour isn’t filled with the same songs, even the songs themselves don’t benefit, as the plummeting-to-the-point-of-death singles sales show. And then, why is it that an act like Ryan Adams can play to so many people (who obviously like his music enough that he sold out the Forum in a day) without really getting any exposure? Then again, do we need any more Americans on British radio? For once I feel close to agreeing with Prince Charlie.
British Terrestrial Tv: Music Vids or Rather the Lack Of…
It costs a bomb to make a music video. So howcome, for all that expense - unless you’re one of those people with Sky or digital tv – you can’t see these videos unless the song is at number 1? CD:UK shows mere seconds, 4:music gives about a verse whenever Channel 4 decide to put their music shows on, TOTP is all about the mimed performance and Jools Holland is only for about 10 episodes a year, which comes at the cost of the licence payer, to help advertise products, you guessed, right back to the licence payer.
What TV needs is something like ITV's Chart Show brought back, with specialist corners for various types of music. Or, at least some late night video show or even a show for labels with great acts that can’t really afford to make videos..
Media: Over-hyping STOP/Don’t Stop!
But really, the whole media-copying-media thing, just stop that! There are more than five bands in the world! We live in an age where one hype saturates every publication. Belief is somewhat dead.
Overhyping does have its pros and cons though. Although it puts genuine music fans off and turns bands into self-parodies, whilst also creating such a narrow doorway for any new music - whereby so few bands and labels are given the opportunities to reach an audience – it does, conversely, bring things to the point where the audience starts up its own media (look around you). The trouble is, 20 million websites (as they're so easy to start), half-written in text talk, that only get updated once a month, really aren't really going to change anything. There needs to be more collectively between the 'alternatives', especially when it comes to offering advertising packages to bands/labels/promoters, otherwise the music industry will continue to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on print media advertising and absolutely nothing on the web.
...then there's the small matter of media ownership, but that's another article altogether.
Over to you for more ideas, solutions and any areas you believe need to change… Comment below.
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Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
Digital TV hasn't had the impact it should have in terms of specialist new music progs really. DiSTV channel anyone? -
Re: Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
I only fear that even DiSTV would be full of Claims Direct / Ocean Finance / www.informED.org adverts. And if it happens, they should show gigs, exclusive performances and stuff, not let members choose videos. -
Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
Everett True is launching Plan b at an undetermined date. I think you will find Loose Lips... is the baby of Steve Gullick and Stevey Chick.
What this site really needs is someone to check facts. -
Re: Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
vice has been going over a year, sean me lad. -
Re: Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
DiSTV (or some equivalent) would have to be a massive co-operation between indie magazines, labels and so forth.
And I think you do need to let viewers choose some videos. But I like the way The Amp (rapidly becoming defunct) does it - intersperses viewers' choices with other snippets. Although these are biogs and interviews, which suck, inserting a few live performances and so forth here and there. That'd be cool, while still giving the audience some kind of incentive to watch - they'll sometimes be getting what they ask for.
Yeah, it's a neat idea. Dunno if it'd work. -
Re: Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
What some readers on this site need to do is stop bitching and actually discuss the article. Not patheticisms. -
Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
*Claps loudly* - just needed someone to put it into words - thanks DIS feel like I have just poured my heart out to someone and they have listened and understood - some of us will carry on regardless - the music "Industry" wont change overnight because like all organisations that get too big, its full of people who are only really interested in saving their job for today and dont give a stuff about the future of music -
Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
I reckon there are a number of positive things starting to happen but they don't gain enough exposure and won't do if people continue to have the same attitude.
Radio 1 has some genuinely exciting shows in the middle of the night with DJs who really know their stuff (Mary Anne Hobbs, Fabio & Grooverider etc). Zane Lowe's show is even pretty good in my opinion, at least he gets excited about stuff.
MTV2 has some good shows but, once again, these are in the middle of the night (120 Minutes for example.)
Careless Talk Costs Lives was brilliant while it lasted and its two offspring magazines should be interesting to watch, especially Stevie Chick's and Steve Gullick's 'Loose Lips...' The trouble is, who is going to read it apart from us die hard music fans who put the effort into finding quality new music anyway?! NME, as now almost everyone agrees, has become a bit of a joke; reading an issue teaches you NOTHING about music that you want to rush out and hear. I can only read an article about how cool Pete Dogherty so many times before I give up hope.
People are starting to take a bit more notice of internet sites like this one but still nowhere near enough to call it a 'movement.' The fundamental problem is that most people are lazy. They like to be told what to listen to, what to buy and who to support. Searching for new music to them is a unwanted chore (hard to believe I know) and going to an unknown band's gig is just a 'waste' of a night out- 'They don't even have their video on Gonzo!! What's the point?!!' and so on....
This has all turned out to be slightly more negative than I intended but my point is that the public will never change as a whole, we just need to keep struggling on together. There IS hope, have faith my friends! We will get there in the end! -
Re: Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
I think you've hit the nail on the head here, and I think bands like the Darkness and Franz, are almost encouraging people to discover music earlier, when it's fresher and more exciting. When you can get right up close and truly experience something. And I think if that mentality of music discovery can be encouraged, we'll leap one hurdle and the cogs will start cranking... -
Re: Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
That's only applicable if they find somewhere other than the NME and Q to read about bands. Otherwise they will stay as blinkered as the aforementioned publications. -
Re: Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
Alternatively those publications could give the heads up to folks like us (like Lamacq often does on Radio1, which is brilliant) and bands can talk about how they've got to where they are and drop in names of clubs and nights which are great, and highlight what's really happening out here. I know a few bands are doing this, as they've got the right mentality, and they name-drop bands they like and everything begins to cross polinate, and that is what has to be encouraged. -
Re: Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
I accept all this - and I don't want to get into an argument here because you're fundamentally 100% right. But if every band starts namedropping...might people start ignoring or, or may some labels force bands to namedrop certain bands - or bands namedrop their mates' bands. 'Tis fraught with difficulties. -
Re: Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
bands can help themselves. as the article says, put your own nights on, find bands that you like (granted, it can be hard) and organise a night together. find out about the bands they know and that you may be interested in or relate to, go and see them, may be play a gig with them...and so it continues.
split singles are good. share the costs.
keep in contact with bands, it's easy not to.
share info on recording and producers. more importantly, inform others of your knowledge in all these areas.
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Re: Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
Just regarding seeing bands early, I went to see The Darkness in November 2002 in Liverpool. Got on the guest list with the girlfriend and when we got there we were the only 2 people there!
No shit!
We were asked to text our mates to see if anyone wanted to come and see the band for free. By the time they came onstage there was a bout 20 people in the room and they came across as a average AC/DC pub rock band with a twat of a singer! I was unimpressed because I have friends in bands FAR better than that. But now look at them! I still don't rate The Darkness, but now they are where they are I say "Good luck" to them.
The point is, I couldn't have got more "up close", they ceratinly weren't "fresh" and it's an "experience" I'd rather not go through again thank you very much!
That said Sean, much of what you wrote in your main aricle I agree with...but not all of it! :o) -
Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
ha, i thought it was quite funny about the whole DiSTV thing, that would rock. \m/
There are a lot, and i mean a lot, of people who read this site, and not trying to be Churchill or something, if every reader pulled to gether and contributed something, then the DiS label could really get off the ground, put videos onto mtv, and produce a magazine that doesn't suddenly fade out after one issue. we talk about 'the industry,' but we fail to recognise that it could be us who make the changes, force new music down kiddies throats, inject neswpaper stands with meaningful mags. just look at label like Truck, granted theyre not exactly top-of-the-pile wen it comes to 'biggest label award,' but it is one of the many lables who we can trace back to its humble beginnings, and follow ourselves. think how many magazines DiS has appeared in. Witness that when DiS gives a link to a site or reviews an album as spectacular, the change in hits on the site, or the amount of albums bought off a website, increases dramatically. We are not a little indie kid in the face of the giants, we, and DiS, are fast becoming a competetor, and we have one of the greatest allies in our struggle - word of mouth. If we use the 'hype machine' to our own uses, then there is surely no telling where we can go, what we can do.
Don't slate me too much if i have said anything stupid or provocative; i am quite drunk.
mike* -
Re: Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
On the money and drunk in the afternoon. We like you mike*.
That is what it will take and then the monoliths will fall or we'll build a bigger, stronger, better one... either way, something's gonna change.
Plus our printed mag is back this summer (tho we really need someone to sell advertising for us!)
This site has at least 10,000 readers now (tho only a small percent of them log-in to their user accounts or join in the discussion) and it's growing fast. -
Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
Totally agree with the whole overhyping bit. I think parts of the music media are too busy trying to look for the next big thing, I still think they're trying to make up for not predicting the whole grunge thing from the late eighties/early nineties.
With that there were little murmurs in the late eighties and nobody took much notice, then suddenly it exploded with a whole host of bands from one city and the mainstream media suddenly started asking the music press, where were you guys? Why didnt you tell us that this thing was about to happen? Then of course they milked the shit out of it.
Another crucial difference was that a bunch of those bands were genuinely good and made memorable rock songs and of course you had the iconic figureheads.
Since then grunge went away and then there were a few years of nothing in particular and then rap-metal came in for a few years then went away. I just think we're in one of those little 3 or 4 year periods where no particular movement dominates. We're waiting for the next big wave to hit.
Also, retro is getting a bit boring. People shouldn't be afraid of wanting to be epic. -
Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
the south london indie label 'angular records' is doing loads of the stuff mentioned above - club nights, cheap releases etc., and even the nme has taken notice of them. they released a great compilation of local music at the end of last year. It's got bloc party, art brut, and the violets on it to name a few. all good punk inspired stuff . see angularrecords.co.uk for more info. -
Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
Look, I'm an Aussie who frequents your site and I agree with mike* - there are a lot of people who come and support DiS. Whilst we might not all agree with what is said here, the point of view put across by DiS is always well-researched and well-written. You've got to respect that.
I'd also like to add that the stuff written in this article does not only apply to the UK. The Australian Music Industry could find use in a lot, if not all, of the things said here. To the rest of the world, I'm sure that Australia is not seen as a place that has a strong music industry, as we often don't export alot of our local talent. I'd like to say, here, that we are country filled with masses of talent, we're still just finding out feet in not just the music world, but all cultural industries (film-making, writing, fashion, acting etc) -
Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
has anybody actually read Bullit yet? Good luck to it and everything, but i suspect DiS users will be proclaiming it "the new Bang" within a few months.
That Sean speaks a lotta sense, though. -
Things Which Need to Happen in The UK if 2004 is Going to be a Great Year for Music
But isn't the whole point of rock and roll that it splutters out of small towns and venues and disrupts and confuses both the national media and the global companies? Crap national broadcasting and incompetent global record companies have always meant that young music-obsessed kids are creative, independent and self-motivated. Long may this dreadful state of affairs continue! Just think how scary life would be if the rich and powerful worked out how to run things properly!!! Let's hope DiS dies before it gets old.
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