THOUGHTS
I think a lot, I can't help it. You'll find out soon
enough.
(normally when doing something mundane)
Guerrilla Tactic Garage Bands
Every now and then an explosion in music kicks off and unless you've had your head buried in the sand, you'll know that Arctic Monkeys are the most impressionable band of the moment.
In a nutshell the band, penniless and label-less, recorded their set list, burnt the whole thing on to multiple cds and gave them away at their gigs, people loved the music and distributed it themselves on an internet page a fan had setup. The band had no knowledge of this, but realised something fishy was up, when hundreds of people started turning up at their gigs, singing along to all the words.
Teenagers everywhere, will be trying to duplicate the formula which the band fell in to by complete accident. The industry I'm certain are flapping around trying to think of a way that they can suppress file sharing, whilst replicating the apparent and alarming ease of two number 1 singles and a number 1 album with the smallest of marketing budgets (how does £zero sound?)… until then, kids will have already hit up Google for every band forming website and booked out rehearsal rooms and dragged in their mates kicking and screaming to play bass or get themselves setup with a website ASAP. Whilst sites like Pure Volume and MP3.com concentrate on is supplying new artists with space to market themselves, its actually the strong community built sites like MySpace, and the lesser known Tardcore which will always win in the end.
Word of mouth is undoubtedly the winning formula, but controlling it is impossible, and those that normally try, fail. But bands like Arctic Monkeys had the secret in bucket loads; great words and at a time when there is a whole fresh generation of youth that feel left out from society. Sure Oasis claimed their pub-rock mega stardom well before it actually arrived, and The Darkness 'thought' they were the best band in the world, but its been 10 years since Definitely Maybe launched and without as much as a brotherly argument or a leopard skin leotard, the Monkeys have literally tripped up on their timing, talents and complete naivety and landed a number 1 everything on planet 'mid-teen' crisis.
Meanwhile back at Sony-BMG… Wouldn't you just love to be a fly on the wall at one of their monthly meetings? I recall when Reef were launched with a massive promo campaign and a TV appearance alongside Sony's new Minidisk Format… I wonder how much cash the band were in debt to Sony for? Maybe they never made a penny out of it? Maybe we'll be spared that 'dead cert' No1 slot from any bloody band that is lucky enough to get selected for promotion of the Levi's brand. I dunno about you, but I was getting sick of the alarming ease any old one-hit wonder could score the top slot by attaching itself to a big budgeted marketing team. Hip-hip, who's Ray? Indeed… bands are now back in the power position of being able to creep up on and overtake the marketing wheel of schpeel before they've even had time to grab a number 92 mild from the vending machine, and certainly before they've even learnt the bands name let alone asked them to change it for something more 'consumer friendly' (Naked were forced to change their name to Reef btw).
And that's just one side of the wheel of fortune—just imagine how nervous the TV programs could become. Imagine a world where TV appearances and such likes are a thing to be shunned and your 'worth' and 'ability' is decided well in advance of anything TV land could manipulate and control. Fast forward far enough and we could reach a point where TV is the thing you do when you've finished your musical career, not starting it. Once the album sales have been racked up, and golden discs collected, the merchandise sales are in full swing and the tours are all sold out.
Maybe, only then will a calm slot on Richard & Judy's sofa be welcome?
