Back to Square One – The Lack of Indicators.
Check out KOAR’s article we posted earlier this year regarding ‘indicators.’
As previously discussed, the 2004 to present music game has been mainly about numbers. Especially when dealing with unsigned artists and A&R, in many cases a band’s worth has been measured by their stats, ranging from MySpace friends to page views to an overhyped show and radio translating to record sales. However, as our society becomes more technologically ‘with it’ we find some of the top rated unsigned bands on MySpace are among the worst out there. Anybody can purchase a spamming program. We raised the question sarcastically before, but feel it is time for a serious answer. Today, the A&R is left with little to no indicators. The internet exploded and forget about radio. Without relying on indicators like statistics how is anyone supposed to know if a band is worthy? good? or great?
Anthony Rollo A&R at Universal tells KOAR:
 “It used to be much easier to correlate airplay and retail reaction. Less and less people are going into record stores, making it much more difficult to guage the marketplace. On the Rock side of things, the Rock radio stations just do not hold the same influence over the consumer that they once did. Getting a read on an Urban or Pop record is easier than trying to guage the impact of a Modern or Active track. With more indie shops closing everyday, the research resources on the retail side are dwindling. It’s tough to get a read on a local artist from a Best Buy or Wal-Mart.”
Relying on a bunch of kids to tell you what the public wants has proven fruitless. Buying into hype and fads has proven to not only be a waste of time, but has given labels a black mark with the record buying public. “Listening to the market and trying to see which ones raise their heads� is, again, burning up the precious little resources labels have anymore. Overall, let’s say that outsourcing your opinions is a bad thing.
Good ear: adjective. The natural ability to predict the potential success of a given song or artist. Ability to identify ‘hits.’
Once upon a time, A&R guys were the ones with the good ears. They could hear a band or a song and could predict the success of that act. Today, they fly out to see bands because they have high MySpace numbers. They weren’t buying into the hype, because they didn’t have to. They didn’t have to go to the streets and ask kids who to sign. They were hired specifically to know who should be signed and who shouldn’t. If that’s who labels are going to for advice, why not just cut out the middle man and hire a staff of teenagers? In reality, teenagers don’t know what’s going on other than their ‘small universe.’ Rememer, Teenagers are in highschool learning about George Washington.
We’re aware that it’s slim pickins when it comes to brilliant unsigned music, but there is no reason why any A&R executive should say, “there are more and more records on our release schedule that don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell.� Some of this failure can be attributed to poor marketing strategies, but most can be attributed to the band not deserving to be signed in the first place. Relying on indicators to tell you what is good will always fail you. You’ve got to have the ears.
Elton John has launched a furious attack on his record label, who he claims have made no attempt to promote his new album. The pop legend used the words “f–k Universal” from the stage at his show in New York on Wednesday evening for their perceived lack of support.
Sir Elton claims the enormous entertainment company has not backed The Captain And The Kid since its release, and wants the label to drop him.
He told the crowd at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum: “Nobody would know the album has been out since September. My record label isn’t doing anything to help. F–k Universal.
Please drop me. I’m 58 and I don’t care anymore.”
Universal has not yet responded to Sir Elton’s comments.
“If I don’t win, the awards show loses credibility,” Kanye said.
Ahh, yes, we forgot. A million dollar production deserves to win. A million dollars can’t buy intelligence and artistry. Fortunately, somethings you can’t buy. Kanye West among many others believe that spending money equates to a better video and artistry. Also, these statements sum up the broken music scene.Â
The Broken Music Scene
Trends come and go. I know that may seem obvious, but it appears not everyone is getting the ‘and go’ part. With most genre originators moving on to greener pastures (or dissolving completely), labels seem to be clutching to the past as they search for their replacements. Pop punk and hardcore ran their course and those artists have moved on. So why does it look like labels are snatching up pop punk bands like its 1999?
Band X sells alot of records. Band Y sounds almost identical to Band X, therefore, Band Y should sell. Interesting logic, and actually that would probably be a decent plan if it weren’t for Bands A through W, who Band X ripped off. How many copies of the same record can people really be expected to own? Unfortunately for the labels, they’re left with little choice. Anyone who takes a gander at the endless supply of mediocre music on MySpace can tell you- that’s all there is. Band after band emulating their heroes rather than just appreciating them. You really can’t blame anyone but the bands. They own the records they’re copying, so of course they know what they are doing isn’t original. What baffles me is that these bands know they aren’t original. They know they are treading well-worn territory. They know that the artists they look up to so much have even changed their sound to try and escape the clone army and the supersaturation of the genre they helped create. These kids must know that they bring practically nothing to the table, and yet they still have the nerve to send out demos.
Of course, I understand wanting to chase the rockstar dream, but since when is it more gratifying to ‘make it’ as a completely unoriginal joke of a band instead of an innovator that carves out their own place in the history books? Perhaps we’ve made it look too easy. Perhaps the music industry being shrouded in secrecy was a good thing. Perhaps people should stop feeling bad for telling someone they suck and should get out of this business. Simon Cowell is onto something. Pull no punches and leave no delusions. Either they have it or they don’t and 99% of them don’t.
AJ, KOAR
New Found Pop Punk 2006 – Outdated.
Believe it or not we still get a handful of records created by 18 year olds who are still listening to New Found Glory and Blink 182. Guess what, New Found Glory went emo and Blink 182 broke up. THEY aren’t even into the music these kids are copying. Green Day is the premier punk band, the songs are far superior to those in that genre. It’s amazing that not one out of thousands of punk bands can pull it off like Green Day; It’s like Abraham going back to GOD claiming he couldn’t find one righteous person, hence destroy the City. Unless you can say with a straight face that you’re better than Green Day, don’t bother sending out kits.
Hardcore 2006 – Rebelling Against Nothing.
Even the scenester kids claim hardcore is dead. Don’t invest into hardcore, a dying genre that never even deserved attention. Have you attended a hardcore show recently? It looks more like ‘fight club’ than an ‘event’. Hardcore has become nothing more than a soundtrack for an ass beating. This is why the Ozzfest has been crumbling with poor ticket sales. These bands are dissolving left and right, or completely abandoning their ‘hardcore’ following, ala Avenged Sevenfold. We don’t need more bands in this genre churning out the same cookie monster vocals and lame guitar riffs. Do yourself a favor and sit on the side of the stage at Ozzfest and watch these ‘calculated cloned’ bands perform. These guys aren’t ‘rock stars’; they are dysfunctional kids getting high on crack. For goodness sakes, rebellion is all about originality. Today’s hardcore bands are sheep, certainly not goats with horns.
Folk, Indie, Starbucks and the Good Ol’ Acoustic Guitar.
You can thank Jewel and Sarah McLaughlin for inspiring every little girl to pick up a guitar and strum a couple of chords that put you to sleep. Don’t get me wrong, Jewel, Sarah, and Tori had their moments but their disciples failed. Myspace and the net are filled with acoustic coffee house females that still think the Lilith days are hip. Guess what, it’s not. People are beyond personal embellished dishonest diary notes accompanied with choruses that would people to sleep after drinking 2 shots of expresso. Again, think of something of original and help the industry. Don’t believe your own hype.
Put Down The Eyeliner.
What kind of a rock star whores himself for gap campaign and sticks up his thumb? This isn’t dangerous, this is Disney Land. Where do we start here? Rock is supposed to be dangerous, dark, and original. Nothing dangerous about today’s rock bands. In fact, the rap artists are bigger rock stars even though their gimmick is drying up. After listening to the unsigned and the more well known rock bands I realized that the inspiration level is dried up as the California desert.
The Suit, The Tie, The Stripes and the Monkey
Remember when America was helplessly attacked by the artificial demand from the Hives, the Vines, the Arctic Monkeys and the White Stripes? It’s over and you knew it was coming. When you hear something great, you know it, and these bands weren’t even ‘good’. The garage rock revival has come to an end.
Got Inspiration? Try
To say music is struggling to reinvent itself is an understatement…
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