Industry Schmindustry

In July 2007 on his radio show David Byrne had this to say about the ailing music industry:

"...The writing's on the wall...The big 4 or 5 (Record Labels), should give the catalogues back to the artists or their heirs as a gesture before they close the office doors, as they sure don't know how to sell music anymore... The "industry" had a nice 50-year ride, but it's time to move on... A new model will emerge that includes rather than sues its own customers, that realizes that music is not a product in the sense of being a thing — it's closer to fashion, in that for music fans it tells them and their friends who they are, what they feel passionately about and to some extent what makes life fun and interesting. It's about a sense of community — a song ties a whole invisible disparate community together..."

I think that hits the nail SQUARELY on the head. There are some terrified execs barricading themselves into their boardrooms with their fingers in their ears trying to hold off the inevitable.

The music industry and all who hang from its crumbling façade have begun trying a new tack in recent years. They have begun releasing and attaching themselves firmly to their annual Ones-To-Watch lists like flies to sticky paper they use for catching flies. It almost always ends up making them look even more demented and clueless.

A few years back Florence Welch had a Brit award made up for her. It was something along the lines of Best British Act That A Committee of Clueless Suits Has Decided To MAKE You Like This Year. She had a good year. You couldn't avoid the two good songs off her album (Rabbit Heart or Dog Days Are Over) because they were on every channel's ident, flagship tv show, advert & blaring out of every shop.

The following year twee little doe-eyed moppet Ellie Goulding got a similar prize and was then given a similar year of ubiquity with her ONE song and a breathy and dreadful cover of a song off of Moulin Rouge (this is how hip and modern the industry are) that was used on a John Lewis advert (achingly cool!).

This year Jessie J has had this dubious honour thrust upon her & has since been outed as a lez and it's been revealed that she too only has two songs (the rest being sappy shit).

The interesting thing about the way the industry launches these acts is the way that they start off boldly and then run straight back to the tired & testes ways of old. I'm not saying that making up an award especially to be given to someone at a party thrown for a Croydon stage school is PARTICULARLY bold or edgy but it does take a certain amount of roguish dash. It's the closest the industry have come to revealing in the harsh light of day what goes on behind their greasily sealed doors. After receiving this award a strong single will be released and people will go "oh ok, yeah I can see what they mean." After that they rush the release of an album that is a dog turd.

In space noone can hear you shrug.

It's so predictable and it's so boring and it just goes to show that they don't have a fucking clue what they're doing. Albums aren't selling. The only rationale behind releasing an album for these acts is so it can garner critical acclaim and thus prove that the industry can still pick 'em. What these albums prove is that they don't know how to do anything other than release a big single followed by a second single and album followed by the rest of the barely palatable filler from the album.

I can't say to you that I've heard a large cry from the masses DESPERATE to hear a Jessie J album track. I can't say that. Cos it's not true. The two songs she released were alright. Dead catchy. Good for a car advert or something. She's not reinventing anything she's singing over a jingle. If you like that kind of thing that's fine. If you don't have any other expectations from music that's fine. It's not art. It's artlessly done. It's basically pointless but it's fine. What I object to is how it exposes the short sightedness of the industry and yet they'll just do it again next year and that act will then run the exact same mediocre gauntlet.

I saw Jessie J (charisma vacuum) interviewed and she boasted that she was the first ever act to play the American used-to-be-really-funny-now-it's-just-ok comedy show Saturday Night Live without having recorded a debut album. That is a coup-and-a-half for her PR people. Seriously well done! She has got some clout behind her for sure. It just begs the question, why did you then feel the need to release an album? If you can do those things, get those things done, without an album, with only two half decent pop tunes, why then go on to release a testament to edge-less filler? It baffles the mind.

What really funny is that this is supposed to be Jessie J's year. 2011 is supposed to have had a cast iron fringe placed upon its head. But almost every pop fan is buying Adele's album instead. Obviously Adele's a product of the Brit school & was the recipient of the original 'made-up' Brit award (Critic's Choice 2008) but she seems to have taken everyone by surprise. The industry is scrabbling around trying to pretend they saw it coming but they just look like a bunch of twats.

Oh well. Fuck 'em.

There are now more ways and means available to people to express themselves then ever before. Artists no longer need a major industry to promote or package or distribute or produce their work. Which is a good thing really seeing as the industry could find its arse in the dark with two hands.