In the nineties
a young band could dream of being rich and famous in the world of music. They
could be the next Nirvana or Oasis. If they were good enough the next Rolling
Stones or U2. Record companies craved these bands, chased them down to grotty
little clubs and pubs begging them to be on their label. But at the end of the
nineties a new phenomena hit the country sparking the beginning of the end for
the industry. Music downloads.



Its estimated
that over 95% of the world’s downloads are illegal. Meaning only 5% of the billions
of music downloads every year bring any money to the industry players. So what
does this mean for bands? As Steven McConnell of Benbecula Records says: “Music
has been devalued by digital distribution and downloads. It is worthless, so
people aren’t buying it.” If nobody buys CDs or legally purchases music – which
is sadly the case – then record labels won’t sign new acts.



Over the last
few years the music industry has hit an all time low. Due to the lack of music
sales, record companies have radically cut the number of bands they sign each
year. A decade ago you could expect big labels to sign bands well into their
double figures without batting an eyelid. Now they sign as little as one or two
bands a year.



As McConnell went on to say: “The majors are only focusing on
get-rich-quick one-album-wonder bands who attract little outlay.  How many
times do you hear the words on the TV adverts “THIS!  Is the debut album
from ….”.  As if somehow you are going to be amazed. The quality of
music being released by the majors is probably the blandest and uninventive it
has been since the 70s – simply because they can’t take any risks.  The
kids are being short changed but they don’t know any better – that is the
travesty.”



This is the sad fact that local bands have to face. Record companies
are no longer looking for talent in their signings; they are looking for money
makers. To get this they use tried and tested bands that they know will make
them money. Even if it is just for one album – perhaps two at the most.
Ultimately, though, these bands will disappear as soon as they appeared without
anyone ever really remembering who they were. Lets face it nobody will remember
Scouting for Girls this time next year and remember that band The Dead 60’s
that everyone loved a couple of years ago? No didn’t think so.



The talent,
however, is out there if the record labels took the time to look. In Scotland alone
the talent in local bands is without a doubt immense. But what hope do these
bands have of making it into the charts if the record companies refuse to sign
them in the first place? The answer may be to act as your own record label – a
type of band DIY.



The Void, an Edinburgh based band,
know what this is like. After getting together in high-school the band have
worked hard over the years to create a buzz about their music. Which they have
been ultimately successful in doing with a successful record release and a
single with rocked the XFM charts frequently but the band are getting to a
point where they could really use a label to give them a helping hand.



“If bands can,
they should try and do as much of everything as they can and only when it
becomes too much they should seek help with labels. At the moment we’re having
great fun doing it ourselves but it would be nice for someone to take the
weight off our shoulders!”

 


The problem is
there is only so much work a band can do by themselves as The Void admit:
“Nothing compares to the promotion you can get from a big PR company or record
label.” Which is a valid point. No matter how much a band promotes themselves
on places like Myspace or Bebo they will never be able to match the press power
or contacts that a record label holds. This is a major problem if local bands
want to get themselves heard not just locally but nationally as well.



Money is not
something local bands have in abundance as The Void find: “We spend a lot of
money and time on the band. The money we get from playing shows, selling
merchandise etc goes straight back into the band and we don’t make much of a
profit – if we make any at all”



So without extra
money a band cannot afford to pay PR companies to promote their music to the
rest of the UK
leaving bands stuck in a sort of local rut where only the people in their area
get to hear their music.This shouldn’t
put bands off from promoting themselves as Douglas MacIntyre of Creeping Bent
and Electric Honey Records says: “Majors are certainly signing less which is
probably a good thing. I think artists should try and do everything themselves
if possible.”



If bands have
the patience they can successfully promote themselves to the big time. Look at
Scotland’s very own Glasvegas who managed a sell-out UK tour before they had
even released their first record all through their own promotion.



Record labels
may not be looking for talent but bands can rely on music fans to whittle out
talent that they want to hear. In this day and age when record labels are
signing their ‘tried and tested’ pop-rock groups who they market at children
only because they are the only people naïve enough not to release they are
being fed junk-music. It is the music fans who trawl the internet every day looking
for the next big thing and by doing so hold the power to control which bands
will or won’t make it. The music industry may be folding in on itself in the
credit crunch but that is just the companies. Talented music cannot be ruined
by banker’s mistakes. It will prevail even if the industry does not.

Are you in a new band that's feeling the effects of the recession??  Are you battling against the Talent Crunch? Upload a ink to your Myspace and a bit about you for our Myspace Watch section and we'll put you on the homepage! 

Posted In Features, Apr 12 2009. Words - Steph