Music Hype

A lot of people forget that the record companies are purely a marketing machine. They have nothing to do with music. They just prefer to stick to one profession and get good at it, rather than branch too thinly.
The record companies invest a lot in order to make an artist shine. Due to that way of doing business – taking a big risk with profit coming only at the end of the process, the record companies have gained the negative characteristics that a lot of people attribute them.

When trying to make an artist turn big the record companies spend a lot of money in advertising, in PR and in selling the artist – because, as much as people would like to forget, the visual part comes before the music.
A lot of heavy metal bands dress in a certain style, so that they will be easily recognizable. The same goes for many other genres. There are exceptions, but there are also a lot of people adhering to that unwritten rule.

Bands and artists want to break big, and to do so – whether consciously or subconsciously they make themselves instantly recognizable, so whenever you see a poster of them or their album cover, you’ll know what type of music they play. You’ll know what crowd they cater to. Only after that process will you know if they’re any good.
It is a step that a lot of people don’t like, but with such a saturated market, it is essential – otherwise searching for music will be a lot harder, and the connection between an artist and his fans will be much harder to create.

So as part of that doctrine, the record companies need to shape and train the artist, because they know what sells. They take a big risk, and they want to at least see part of their costs recuperated.

Do music companies need to sue people for so much money? After all, they get millions as it is, and piracy makes people buy more songs – according to some sources. A lot of people have called for the abolishment of the outdated and “overweight” RIAA and record companies, which is understandable, but is it justifiable?

By justifying piracy, people forget the artist. Piracy is partly the result of the RIAA’s and the record companies’ tactics, and partly due to a loose justification of the theft – that because of it “people buy more music, and artists get more money”.
But just like people can’t separate the record companies’ actions from the artists themselves, they can’t separate one artist from another.

By saying to an artist that trained for several years and learned to use a musical instrument or to sing, and is still learning how to use it and is still perfecting his skills, that you are stealing his material because the money you will save will go to many other artists – that doesn’t benefit him in the least. Why should he care?
You are stealing something which took him years to perfect, so you will be able to reward someone else.

With this day and age you have to wonder why. There still is radio play, so you can test artists there, and there are radio shows that cater to a specific genre or taste – from the religious songs to the heavy metal ones. From the oldest of the oldies to the newest from the underground. Besides, a lot of fledgling artists give their songs away – some for download and some via streaming.
Many others strike deals with digital music distribution websites to share profits, and sell their music for dirt cheap.
Many more artists in the mainstream now offer entire albums for a very reasonable price.

So is the taste test really an explanation, or an excuse?

U2 is set to release a new album that is already being touted as the next big thing the band has done. The album, some say, will be released before the band will start touring again – which means it will be released this year.
U2 – an Irish group, was recently nominated for Best Soundtrack – a band that has been playing and touring for over 30 years.
The direction of the album is still unclear, but the band’s guitarist said it might be released sooner than people are expecting.

Another artist is set to release a new album – Peter Andre, who will release a follow-up album that will feature covers of his favourite songs. The album will include works by the late Michael Jackson, and many more.
On the heavy metal front Slayer has resumed touring but will have to change the tour dates, due to unexpected events.

Also in a surprising move Kings of Leon left their label and will now pay for half the costs of producing their new record, under Warner Brothers’ record label. The move will give them more control of their creations and of their artistic direction. These types of deals with major record labels are rare and unexpected, which might indicate that the label has something big on their hands that they’re waiting to release. Although just a hunch, you have to wonder.

Joining the barrage of album releases is Paul Weller who will release a new album during the month of April, with 16 new tracks. Weller is expected to tour soon – as soon as the album is released.
Another artist starting to tour is the performer Duke Special who will opt for smaller and intimate shows, which will take place during February, and will feature songs from three albums with a visual addition to the music in the background.

With digital sales – of both albums and singles – ever climbing, and catching up to CD sales, it seems like the digital world is becoming much more prominent in people’s lives. The fact that you can buy a song, get it instantly and listen to it – cutting the middle man or men, is making songs much more appealing. Plus it seems like 2009 has seen much more legal album and single downloads than 2008. I guess it just goes to show you that the important thing is the music itself – not the CD casing, and not the CD.
People don’t care about the extra stuff they get – lyrics can be found on the internet, and even though they are sometimes incorrect, the same thing happens with CDs -making it seem as if the production team is out of touch with the band, which sometimes (sadly) seems very true.

Plus the extras in CDs have been replaced by the things people want even more – the music itself. When buying a band’s album you aren’t interested in a photo shoot they did for the leaflet shoved in the CD casing. You really don’t care. But acoustic versions or demos – those things inspire you and give you more insight into your favourite band.
Once the avenue of the die-hard music listener, now – partly due to the instant access to fans and to the band, and the ability to easily post and download music – more and more demos and acoustic versions have been placed on-line for purchase.

Their unfinished nature – raw, crude, sometimes lacking, is not a detriment, since they are usually priced accordingly. Plus a lot of musicians practically give that type of music away, and give the proceeds to worthy causes. Such is the case with Linkin Park, Alanis Morrisette, Enrique Iglesias and many more, who hope to raise donations to aid Haiti using music.

That just shows you what record labels don’t understand – the future is here.

Chess Records was a big part of the emergence of Blues in the United States, and has been the subject of a recent documentary featuring people from both the past and the present. The documentary called Godfathers and Sons, done by the PBS network, has shown the then and now of both Chess records and the blues genre in general:

We were familiarized with the past via a recounting of it by Marshall Chess – the son of Chess Records’ founder, who met and was around a lot of the great breakout stars in blues – people such as Muddy Waters and many more.

We learn of his speedy entrance into his dad’s company, and we learn about the daily routines of Chess Records and the blues artists themselves – like when Muddy Waters went to a hair stylist, or the closest thing to it back then.

We later on move outside of Chess Records’ headquarters and into the present as Marshall Chess is accompanied by Chuck D of Public Enemy – a famous rap group that sings about politics and current problems in the US. We then stroll down what was once a busy street filled with big blues performers – a place that was once a blues haven and is now an empty lot, with barely a tumble-weed going through it.

But at the end of the documentary hope is somewhat rekindled – as they arrive to a very small but still alive blues front, where artists – old and new, perform in front of a live audience in the street, in various festivals. The documentary leaves you feeling inspired by the stories Marshall weaved, and you feel the urge to find those old recordings, when – according to some – the soul was recorded as well as the music (unlike nowadays’ clean & soulless recordings), but at the same time you’re looking at the future – you’re left urging to go to one of those festivals and watch the still-living legends perform live.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre – named after Brian Jones and after the famous Jonestown massacre, is a band who is set out to revive and continue the 60s movement. Their leader is Anton Newcombe who is known for his drug use and shenanigans, which were captured on film by Ondi Timoner in the film “Dig!”.
The band uses and have used a wide variety of instruments – from the mundane guitar and drums, to ones from far away in India.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre has been named a neo-psychedelic rock band, which is not a good description, due to the many influences and types of tracks they have.
Those influences come from the ever rotating band members who bring their own instrumentation and influential artists to the mix. Everything has to be siphoned via Anton, but every band member brings his or her own flavour to the mix.

The band also moved from record company to record company due to bad commercial success, and has spawned many new acts featuring its founding members or other band members, who sometimes return to the band – either for a stretch of time, or for just one live show.

The band is known for touring the pub scene and playing in various weird locations, including the headquarters of the Communist movement in Cleveland, where they played for several hours non-stop.
The band offers tracks that range from the hard rocking “Servo” & “Vacuum Boots”, to the mellow and eerie “You Look Great When I’m High” & “A New Low in Getting High”, to the in-between – like the amazing “When Jokers Attack”.

The band is also known for its moving and heartfelt songs – which include “The Devil May Care (‘Cause Mom and Dad Don’t)”, which speaks about feeling alienated from your parents, to the very moving “Stars”, which speaks about love lost.