I think i've worked out what is wrong with Radio 1. The management recently made quite a noise about various high profile songs which were not playlisted including the media getting hot under the collar about snubbing Robbie Williams' comeback single "Candy".
Now as somebody who regularly works with Radio 1's target audience (11-18 year olds), they're making a mistake. Radio 1 should be playing almost everything which makes the top ten, regardless of how cool they think it is. Just because a group of hipsters from Shoreditch tells them it isn't relevant to them doesn't mean it isn't relevant to the rest of the country.
Radio 1 is ludicrously London-centric. Aside from live events which tour on a rota basis, ticking each box on the list, the station is heavily influenced by the capital. The presenters talk about London and rattle off anecdotes about capital venues and locations as if we all know where they are. This means very little to the average teenager from outside of the South East. I understand the economies of scale and consistency of product which benefits from having the whole station in one building, but it also makes it focused on one group of people and their tastes.
London is currently very much influenced by post Dubstep urban music and commercial teenybop, thus that forms the lion's share of the station's output. The station's obsession with One Direction leads to torrents of abuse each time they are mentioned on the station's Facebook page. On each week's playlist there will be the token rock or indie record and a couple of token dance records which are there to justify the existence of the daytime offerings against the likes of Capital, but there is no risk taking. New records will be branded as part of the "BBC Introducing" scheme.
The heavy playlisting means that presenters on the station are becoming increasingly less relevant. Listeners loved Chris Moyles because he dared to not follow the company line at times and would call something crap if he thought it was. Scott Mills is the only daytime presenter who will dare to criticise the music he plays and it'll be on a much lower key basis. Everybody else just sounds like a weak Media Studies graduate clone.
Thursday 31 October 2013
Sunday 29 September 2013
The Death of Music Radio
Friday 27th September 2013 saw Radio 1 reach the conclusion of "Even More Music Month" which has basically seen a lot of hype and more Live Lounge performances than normal. The final day of this hype saw 12 hours (7am - 7pm) of music without any presentation from DJs, who were relegated to Twitter. During this twelve hours, a countdown of the most popular records (as voted online) from a shortlist of the 100 most played songs in the past five years on Radio 1, which is effectively those songs which have spent the longest on R1's underplaylist.
The twelve hours (aside from news broadcasts) were a succession of idents, branding and hype amongst the music, much like the ILR Jack FM does every day after their breakfast show.
I believe there were two main purposes of this activity. The first was to establish the direction the mainstream music output should be taking on the station, finding out the most popular genres and artists and setting the direction of the station accordingly.
The second is far more ominous. Bear in mind the constant political pressure on the BBC to reduce their costs and adapt their output, particularly on services which can be accused of being adequately catered for by commercial broadcasters. This was a trial to test the water for Radio 1 (or for that matter 1Xtra) being reduced to a jukebox offering, without the expense of having presenting staff to amuse the listeners between the records.
You might think i'm being overdramatic, but this is a logical conclusion to the direction that commercial and public radio has been taking in the UK. All commercial radio groups have been reducing their staff numbers, networking shows and in the case of Jack removing presenters altogether. Removing presenters reduces the level of attention that the listener conciously pays to the station and also reduces the likelihood that the listener will turn off due to being annoyed by the presenter.
If you don't believe that commercial radio is moving towards just being a jukebox with adverts, just listen to Heart off peak. Over the course of an hour of the programme presented by Toby Anstis, he speaks for barely two minutes. Occasionally mentioning that you're listening to Heart, the records coming up and the ones he's just played. They are persistently reducing the level of speech heard and would probably remove presenters altogether immediately if Ofcom would allow it.
As such, the BBC has to follow the lead of the commercial broadcasters and at least trial the format which is likely to become widespread the next time Ofcom gets reorganised and the ILRs can make changes without anyone noticing. Because nobody will notice, least of all the listeners...
The twelve hours (aside from news broadcasts) were a succession of idents, branding and hype amongst the music, much like the ILR Jack FM does every day after their breakfast show.
I believe there were two main purposes of this activity. The first was to establish the direction the mainstream music output should be taking on the station, finding out the most popular genres and artists and setting the direction of the station accordingly.
The second is far more ominous. Bear in mind the constant political pressure on the BBC to reduce their costs and adapt their output, particularly on services which can be accused of being adequately catered for by commercial broadcasters. This was a trial to test the water for Radio 1 (or for that matter 1Xtra) being reduced to a jukebox offering, without the expense of having presenting staff to amuse the listeners between the records.
You might think i'm being overdramatic, but this is a logical conclusion to the direction that commercial and public radio has been taking in the UK. All commercial radio groups have been reducing their staff numbers, networking shows and in the case of Jack removing presenters altogether. Removing presenters reduces the level of attention that the listener conciously pays to the station and also reduces the likelihood that the listener will turn off due to being annoyed by the presenter.
If you don't believe that commercial radio is moving towards just being a jukebox with adverts, just listen to Heart off peak. Over the course of an hour of the programme presented by Toby Anstis, he speaks for barely two minutes. Occasionally mentioning that you're listening to Heart, the records coming up and the ones he's just played. They are persistently reducing the level of speech heard and would probably remove presenters altogether immediately if Ofcom would allow it.
As such, the BBC has to follow the lead of the commercial broadcasters and at least trial the format which is likely to become widespread the next time Ofcom gets reorganised and the ILRs can make changes without anyone noticing. Because nobody will notice, least of all the listeners...
Disappointment doesn't do it justice
Dan le Sac and Scroobius Pip have a new album coming out soon. Their debut (Angles) was brilliant and having had a break since their patchy second (The Logic of Chance), i've got high hopes that the new one (Repent, Replenish, Repeat) will be a cracker. They are keen utilisers of social media to promote their new releases and this is no exception. Their Facebook feed recently mentioned two guest artists who appear on the new album, one known to me, the other not.
The one i'm familiar with is Flux Pavillion, whose well humoured approach to the Dubstep sound makes him one of the most entertaining practictioners of the genre. The second is a rapper called Itch. I'd never heard of him before, so went to his Facebook page and found a link to his latest video. I've followed suggestions by Le Sac vs Pip before and almost always been delighted. This is by far the biggest exception to the rule thus far. A review follows:
Itch featuring Adam Lazzara - Homeless Romantic
It doesn't start well. The video opens with stereotypical views of graffiti, a gang of kids out of focus kicking stuff around and an appallingly poor hook of "This one's for the homeless romantic". Then we switch to Itch, who by the word of his own promotional material is a "feral street kid". He proports to be a baby Pro Green, but without the charisma in a stylised world of rubbish strewn warehouses, whilst crowds of plastic faced promo girls throw things around and smash stuff. Everybody looks like they've been styled by Little Mix. Then Mr Lazzara (of Taking Back Sunday) kicks in and makes the whole thing sound like an angsty college rock track, alternating between banging out part verses and "This one's for the homeless romantic" over and over. It isn't even that good a hook.
Everything about the video and the song feels painfully contrived, manufactured and fake. Itch looks less like a "feral street kid" and more like a spoiled rich kid, going through a dozen different looks in the video, which contribute to the synthetic feel. I put any belief in an artist like this that anything they're rapping about is real because everything is so glossy and cheesy. It is the sort of record i'd expect an X-Factor winner to make.
I really do expect better from the recommendations of people i respect...
The one i'm familiar with is Flux Pavillion, whose well humoured approach to the Dubstep sound makes him one of the most entertaining practictioners of the genre. The second is a rapper called Itch. I'd never heard of him before, so went to his Facebook page and found a link to his latest video. I've followed suggestions by Le Sac vs Pip before and almost always been delighted. This is by far the biggest exception to the rule thus far. A review follows:
Itch featuring Adam Lazzara - Homeless Romantic
It doesn't start well. The video opens with stereotypical views of graffiti, a gang of kids out of focus kicking stuff around and an appallingly poor hook of "This one's for the homeless romantic". Then we switch to Itch, who by the word of his own promotional material is a "feral street kid". He proports to be a baby Pro Green, but without the charisma in a stylised world of rubbish strewn warehouses, whilst crowds of plastic faced promo girls throw things around and smash stuff. Everybody looks like they've been styled by Little Mix. Then Mr Lazzara (of Taking Back Sunday) kicks in and makes the whole thing sound like an angsty college rock track, alternating between banging out part verses and "This one's for the homeless romantic" over and over. It isn't even that good a hook.
Everything about the video and the song feels painfully contrived, manufactured and fake. Itch looks less like a "feral street kid" and more like a spoiled rich kid, going through a dozen different looks in the video, which contribute to the synthetic feel. I put any belief in an artist like this that anything they're rapping about is real because everything is so glossy and cheesy. It is the sort of record i'd expect an X-Factor winner to make.
I really do expect better from the recommendations of people i respect...
Wednesday 18 September 2013
Album tactics
So why would anybody spend money on a consumer product which is going to be superceded by something bigger and better in six months time? The record industry must think we're all mugs and in many cases, they're right.
Ellie Goulding's second album Halcyon has just been re-released as Halcyon Days, which now boasts 21 tracks, rather than 13 on the original release. That was the original standard release, because there was also a Deluxe version which had a different six bonus tracks on it. And a Special edition which had two more different tracks on it. And then there is the Tesco edition, which had a couple of other tracks which didn't appear elsewhere. Halcyon Days has also been issued as a Deluxe edition, with a further two tracks which haven't appeared elsewhere. By my reckoning, there have been a total of 33 tracks released on the various editions of this album. No doubt there will soon be a repackaging as Halcyon Fucking Weeks with all of them on there.
Ellie Goulding's record company (Polydor) have previous. Her first album, Lights was reissued as Bright Lights. Interestingly, this repackaging featured the title tracks from the original issue along with the insipid Elton John cover of Your Song and five other tracks. Whereas this could be put down to the unforeseen success of the cover song, the tactics of releasing several different versions of her second long player are disgraceful and nothing more than milking the loyalty of Goulding's more dedicated fans.
Now while i'm on the subject of crap value for money on albums, Avicii has released his debut artist album True this week. You'd expect all his hits to be on there - Levels? Silhouettes? I Could Be The One? - Well.... errmmm.... No. The only mainstream chart single to have made it on there is recent Aloe Blacc collaboration Wake Me Up. The album runs to a mediocre ten tracks and an equally poor 48 minutes plus change. Even if the album is a whole concept which the earlier tracks don't fit in to, why not put them on as three bonus tracks at the end as a gesture to the people who have made the effort to buy the album? It isn't unreasonable to expect an artist album to feature recent hit singles, particularly when they're as high profile as those of Avicii. Ignoring this expectation demonstrates the contempt that the music industry continues to show to its customers, just like endlessly repackaging the same core 13 tracks on an album with different bonus material...
Ellie Goulding's second album Halcyon has just been re-released as Halcyon Days, which now boasts 21 tracks, rather than 13 on the original release. That was the original standard release, because there was also a Deluxe version which had a different six bonus tracks on it. And a Special edition which had two more different tracks on it. And then there is the Tesco edition, which had a couple of other tracks which didn't appear elsewhere. Halcyon Days has also been issued as a Deluxe edition, with a further two tracks which haven't appeared elsewhere. By my reckoning, there have been a total of 33 tracks released on the various editions of this album. No doubt there will soon be a repackaging as Halcyon Fucking Weeks with all of them on there.
Ellie Goulding's record company (Polydor) have previous. Her first album, Lights was reissued as Bright Lights. Interestingly, this repackaging featured the title tracks from the original issue along with the insipid Elton John cover of Your Song and five other tracks. Whereas this could be put down to the unforeseen success of the cover song, the tactics of releasing several different versions of her second long player are disgraceful and nothing more than milking the loyalty of Goulding's more dedicated fans.
Now while i'm on the subject of crap value for money on albums, Avicii has released his debut artist album True this week. You'd expect all his hits to be on there - Levels? Silhouettes? I Could Be The One? - Well.... errmmm.... No. The only mainstream chart single to have made it on there is recent Aloe Blacc collaboration Wake Me Up. The album runs to a mediocre ten tracks and an equally poor 48 minutes plus change. Even if the album is a whole concept which the earlier tracks don't fit in to, why not put them on as three bonus tracks at the end as a gesture to the people who have made the effort to buy the album? It isn't unreasonable to expect an artist album to feature recent hit singles, particularly when they're as high profile as those of Avicii. Ignoring this expectation demonstrates the contempt that the music industry continues to show to its customers, just like endlessly repackaging the same core 13 tracks on an album with different bonus material...
Sunday 30 June 2013
Marginal Laughs
Comedy on the radio is under threat. If you ignore the output of Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra, the level of output which is distinctly defined as being comedic has slumped in the past few years. I'll take the evidence station by station...
BBC Radio 1.
With the advent of Matt Edmondson's Wednesday night show in April 2011, Radio 1 resurrected a long neglected slot made famous by the likes of The Mary Whitehouse Experience, Chris Morris and Armando Ianucci. Matt Edmondson's show may not have been quite as ground breaking as those of the early 90s, but it was genuinely entertaining and innovative. When Edmondson was scooted off to weekend mornings at the end of 2012, he was briefly replaced by Tom Deacon for the first three months of 2013, but clearly Deacon is out of favour at Radio 1 and he was replaced for the second time by pissweak filler material, this time "My Playlist" where some z-list celebrity or reality show pop puppet play an hour of dull music. This is completely adverse to the evening "In New Music We Trust" ethos and shows that Radio 1 are simply too scared to broadcast comedy material.
BBC Radio 2.
For many years, Saturday lunchtimes were established as the home of a couple of comedy shows over the course of an hour, sometimes seasons of hour long shows would take over. In one of their many reorganisations, comedy was pushed off to late nights on Thursdays before being shunted even further off into the realm of occasional specials and short series. A legacy stretching back for many decades has been lost as Radio 2 now broadcasts only the odd show which is over-hyped by on air promos and therefore ultimately disappointing. No concepts are allowed any space to develop or even breathe.
BBC 6 Music.
Saturdays on BBC 6 Music used to be something of a haven from the air of superiority and smugness that is becoming rather a blight on the station. At several points, there were six hours of comic output on a Saturday with three hours of Adam and Joe in the morning, plus three hours of Jon Holmes in the late afternoon. When it became clear that Adam and Joe were not going to return long term to dedicate their efforts to a show on the station, Holmes was promoted to Saturday mornings and clearly attracted enough attention to be headhunted by XFM to replace the departing Danny Wallace (who had also previously presented on 6 Music Saturday mornings). When Holmes departed, the show was briefly covered by a returning Adam Buxton partnered with Edith Bowman, but after a month of that arrangement Bowman took over the show solo. The show which resulted became Edith Bowman's trademark tedious programme about films and thus all comedy output on 6 Music was binned.
BBC Local Radio.
Whilst Danny Baker's departure from BBC London was well publicised, there is clearly huge pressure on other BBC Locals to make themselves more worthy, constantly talking about "local issues" (something Baker often criticised) and never actually serving to entertain or amuse the public. The net result is that some stations have practically become talk radio style offerings with relentless downbeat chatter, punctuated by occasional easy listening records. Considering how little true entertainment there is from commercial broadcasters and the lack of local content from many networked programmes, surely this is a need the BBC should be addressing. If there are no entertaining, local voices on commercial networks, the BBC should be nurturing them rather than pushing them off air to make way for yet another tedious phone in about immigration, parking, potholes, local politicians or hospitals.
BBC Radio 1.
With the advent of Matt Edmondson's Wednesday night show in April 2011, Radio 1 resurrected a long neglected slot made famous by the likes of The Mary Whitehouse Experience, Chris Morris and Armando Ianucci. Matt Edmondson's show may not have been quite as ground breaking as those of the early 90s, but it was genuinely entertaining and innovative. When Edmondson was scooted off to weekend mornings at the end of 2012, he was briefly replaced by Tom Deacon for the first three months of 2013, but clearly Deacon is out of favour at Radio 1 and he was replaced for the second time by pissweak filler material, this time "My Playlist" where some z-list celebrity or reality show pop puppet play an hour of dull music. This is completely adverse to the evening "In New Music We Trust" ethos and shows that Radio 1 are simply too scared to broadcast comedy material.
BBC Radio 2.
For many years, Saturday lunchtimes were established as the home of a couple of comedy shows over the course of an hour, sometimes seasons of hour long shows would take over. In one of their many reorganisations, comedy was pushed off to late nights on Thursdays before being shunted even further off into the realm of occasional specials and short series. A legacy stretching back for many decades has been lost as Radio 2 now broadcasts only the odd show which is over-hyped by on air promos and therefore ultimately disappointing. No concepts are allowed any space to develop or even breathe.
BBC 6 Music.
Saturdays on BBC 6 Music used to be something of a haven from the air of superiority and smugness that is becoming rather a blight on the station. At several points, there were six hours of comic output on a Saturday with three hours of Adam and Joe in the morning, plus three hours of Jon Holmes in the late afternoon. When it became clear that Adam and Joe were not going to return long term to dedicate their efforts to a show on the station, Holmes was promoted to Saturday mornings and clearly attracted enough attention to be headhunted by XFM to replace the departing Danny Wallace (who had also previously presented on 6 Music Saturday mornings). When Holmes departed, the show was briefly covered by a returning Adam Buxton partnered with Edith Bowman, but after a month of that arrangement Bowman took over the show solo. The show which resulted became Edith Bowman's trademark tedious programme about films and thus all comedy output on 6 Music was binned.
BBC Local Radio.
Whilst Danny Baker's departure from BBC London was well publicised, there is clearly huge pressure on other BBC Locals to make themselves more worthy, constantly talking about "local issues" (something Baker often criticised) and never actually serving to entertain or amuse the public. The net result is that some stations have practically become talk radio style offerings with relentless downbeat chatter, punctuated by occasional easy listening records. Considering how little true entertainment there is from commercial broadcasters and the lack of local content from many networked programmes, surely this is a need the BBC should be addressing. If there are no entertaining, local voices on commercial networks, the BBC should be nurturing them rather than pushing them off air to make way for yet another tedious phone in about immigration, parking, potholes, local politicians or hospitals.
Wednesday 26 June 2013
Classic sequences #829: Anger -> alcohol -> mixtape.
I have quite a swirly head at the moment, which is probably deserved as it has been something of a traumatic day. So having come home and become tidily merry, i'm making a mixtape. It might only stretch to a C60 and it may more often be played from a digital source, but it'll exist.
Details are included where i have them to hand.
01: Turntablerocker - No Melody (Album: Classic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2WIHptQUYs
02: Panic! At The Disco - The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage (A Fever You Can't Sweat Out)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qar679wFPV4
03: Kane - Rain Down On Me [Tiesto Remix Edit] (What If)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xisTPzWd-GM
04: Definition of Sound - Wear Your Love Like Heaven (CD Single)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzKuEefxjaA
05: Rhodos: Push and Pull (Chappell Library CHAP103/4CD)
https://soundcloud.com/jopijedd/rhodos-push-pull
06: The Ataris - Boys of Summer (So Long Astoria)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI93w0OV6D8
07: Bizarre Inc - Playing With Knives (Quadrant Mix Edit) (CD Single)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBFXPRWjlF0
08: Mini Viva - Left My Heart In Tokyo (Download)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvjML3-66SA
09: Ultrasonic - Party Non-Stop (CD EP / Also on album Global Tekno)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHkaTDJBFss
10: Deadmau5 ft Rob Swire - Ghosts n Stuff (Download)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV8eiSA4vqc
11: The Prodigy - Everybody In The Place [Fairground Mix] (The Prodigy Experience Expanded)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY87o9IZXWg
12: Xavier Naidoo & RZA - I've Never Seen / Ich Kenne Nichts (CD Single)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPN88D_HjMU
13: Agnelli & Nelson - Hudson Street [Radio Edit] (CD Single, 12min version on Hudson Street album)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFOPrwKtP1w
14: Underworld - Pearl's Girl (Short) (CD Single, long version on Second Toughest in the Infants)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw_3cBB_-aw
15: Kid Q vs Schaffhaeuser - Save Me (Single sided white label - tragic really, should have been a humungous hit)
https://soundcloud.com/jopijedd/kid-q-vs-schaffhaeuser-save-me
Details are included where i have them to hand.
01: Turntablerocker - No Melody (Album: Classic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2WIHptQUYs
02: Panic! At The Disco - The Only Difference Between Martyrdom And Suicide Is Press Coverage (A Fever You Can't Sweat Out)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qar679wFPV4
03: Kane - Rain Down On Me [Tiesto Remix Edit] (What If)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xisTPzWd-GM
04: Definition of Sound - Wear Your Love Like Heaven (CD Single)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzKuEefxjaA
05: Rhodos: Push and Pull (Chappell Library CHAP103/4CD)
https://soundcloud.com/jopijedd/rhodos-push-pull
06: The Ataris - Boys of Summer (So Long Astoria)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI93w0OV6D8
07: Bizarre Inc - Playing With Knives (Quadrant Mix Edit) (CD Single)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBFXPRWjlF0
08: Mini Viva - Left My Heart In Tokyo (Download)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvjML3-66SA
09: Ultrasonic - Party Non-Stop (CD EP / Also on album Global Tekno)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHkaTDJBFss
10: Deadmau5 ft Rob Swire - Ghosts n Stuff (Download)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV8eiSA4vqc
11: The Prodigy - Everybody In The Place [Fairground Mix] (The Prodigy Experience Expanded)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY87o9IZXWg
12: Xavier Naidoo & RZA - I've Never Seen / Ich Kenne Nichts (CD Single)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPN88D_HjMU
13: Agnelli & Nelson - Hudson Street [Radio Edit] (CD Single, 12min version on Hudson Street album)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFOPrwKtP1w
14: Underworld - Pearl's Girl (Short) (CD Single, long version on Second Toughest in the Infants)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw_3cBB_-aw
15: Kid Q vs Schaffhaeuser - Save Me (Single sided white label - tragic really, should have been a humungous hit)
https://soundcloud.com/jopijedd/kid-q-vs-schaffhaeuser-save-me
Wednesday 3 April 2013
Rebel Against The Playlist
Several friends of mine work on community radio. Some online, some on restricted FM licences. One of the stations seems to think it is a clone of Heart, offering the usual promises about an excess of music. Quite why they bother with this, i don't know as it seems to define them as trying to satiate a market which is already saturated. Perhaps they would be better serving their community by offering a truly local voice, or offering a genuine alternative by broadcasting personality led programming. Or maybe they could let the DJs demonstrate their personality by playlisting their own music rather than relying on gormless focus groups which always results in the most bland, unchallenging and tedious music being chosen by committee.
I've never met anyone who is on a playlist focus group. I don't think they actually exist. If they do, i reckon they're cloned at Porton Down. They're specifically made to like music that has been covered by acts on The X-Factor. And Bruno Mars. And Katy Perry. And Adele. Fucking Adele. Every 17 minutes without fail.
Don't get me wrong, i don't dislike Adele, but the British airwaves have been saturated with the lass and her global appeal. Radio 1 play Adele. So do Radio 2. She's bang on target audience for Heart, Crapital, Real and The Breeze. Kiss play Adele dance remixes. The Heart-cloning community station obviously plays her. If you want to listen to non-classical music radio on FM in the West Country, there is no escape.
If anybody seriously wants to grow interest in British Radio, be it BBC or commercial, then make the presenter the core of your offering. Allow them to have a personality rather than being an interchangeable, personality free media studies graduate who has been trained to be exactly like every other DJ. There cannot solely be a market for the bland, tedious wallpaper that passes for radio these days and sooner or later somebody will have to stick their neck out. Some maverick station manager will employ a presenter who dares to illicit a reaction from people. The people who like the presenter will become religious about them. The people who don't like them will simply switch off. But those who are listening will be paying attention far more than your average wallpaper listener to Heart, which is something commercial radio should be able to sell to their advertisers because it will be visible.
Social media has made the public's reaction to broadcast media measurable. If there is a queue of people sending messages to the presenter or show, and heaps of people tweeting about it, this proves people are interacting more with the medium than those who just have it on as background noise. If your marketing team can't sell that audience dedication, then you're doing something wrong.
I've never met anyone who is on a playlist focus group. I don't think they actually exist. If they do, i reckon they're cloned at Porton Down. They're specifically made to like music that has been covered by acts on The X-Factor. And Bruno Mars. And Katy Perry. And Adele. Fucking Adele. Every 17 minutes without fail.
Don't get me wrong, i don't dislike Adele, but the British airwaves have been saturated with the lass and her global appeal. Radio 1 play Adele. So do Radio 2. She's bang on target audience for Heart, Crapital, Real and The Breeze. Kiss play Adele dance remixes. The Heart-cloning community station obviously plays her. If you want to listen to non-classical music radio on FM in the West Country, there is no escape.
If anybody seriously wants to grow interest in British Radio, be it BBC or commercial, then make the presenter the core of your offering. Allow them to have a personality rather than being an interchangeable, personality free media studies graduate who has been trained to be exactly like every other DJ. There cannot solely be a market for the bland, tedious wallpaper that passes for radio these days and sooner or later somebody will have to stick their neck out. Some maverick station manager will employ a presenter who dares to illicit a reaction from people. The people who like the presenter will become religious about them. The people who don't like them will simply switch off. But those who are listening will be paying attention far more than your average wallpaper listener to Heart, which is something commercial radio should be able to sell to their advertisers because it will be visible.
Social media has made the public's reaction to broadcast media measurable. If there is a queue of people sending messages to the presenter or show, and heaps of people tweeting about it, this proves people are interacting more with the medium than those who just have it on as background noise. If your marketing team can't sell that audience dedication, then you're doing something wrong.
Monday 11 March 2013
Just the right balance of hateful and genius
Isn't there a lot of exciting new music around at the moment? I'm as excited as Nick Grimshaw on a day when there isn't any post.
Icona Pop - I Love It
Rarely does a song irritate me more than this. I find it insanely catchy and i find myself humming it, but not that i want to. The lyrics are truly awful nonsense, plumming the depths of the worst europop powered by online translator services and whatever cool phrases we heard this week on Glee. The repetition ensures that the song sounds like a relentless 2m30s chorus. My introduction to this song was a live performance on Germany's Pro7 during the TV Total Wok-WM. For some reason, the two girls who screech their way through the song start off by trying to make out they were DJs perfecting the sound of their obviously pre-recorded backing track. They then came to the front of the stage to start caterwauling and when one of them missed a vocal cue and started singing during what should have been an instrumental part, the extent of the backing track was revealed. Anyway, i should hate this, but i have to give them credit for making something so mind-numbingly infectious, perhaps we can christen it as the first song of a new genre: Chlamydia Pop.
Macklemore, Ryan Lewis & Wanz - Thrift Shop
On to something from which we can derive more positives. We're all fully aware of how mysogynistic and materialistic the average American rapper is, and for the opening few lines this stereotype is maintained. Then it takes a dramatic turn and the trio rap about being cool on a budget, something i've never heard before. Highly commendable for doing something more positive than rapping about your "other, other Benz" and cleverly executed too.
Bastille - Pompeii
Bright, uplifting British indiepop, which would be fairly unremarkable were it not for the singer's inability to say the word "close" properly. You see, if i couldn't do that, i wouldn't make it a key part of the chorus...
Pink ft Nate Ruess - Just Give Me A Reason
70% of people like Pink for the party records. The other 30% like Pink for the confessional tormented pop ballads. Nobody likes Pink when she makes these tedious, borderline country records. Dire.
Bridgit Mendler - Ready or Not
Meanwhile at the Disney Club, a group of cynical executives are trying to decide how to push their latest potential superstar teen sensation. One of them suggests they should make a record which is a paper thin introduction and statement of impending media saturation, hype and burnout within five years. See your Lohans and Spearses for previous examples. The record actually made is hideous, trotting out every cliche of a girl finding her voice. "Ready or not, here i come!" chants Ms Mendler excitedly and "I'm about to break out!" and "I like your face, do you like my song?!" and "Light my heart up baby like a matchstick!". I scarcely am able to believe that a record could be more plastic, fake or trite.
Droideka - Get Hyper
At the other end of the credibility spectrum is Cambridge based electro whizzkid Droideka. His stark assault on the ears has been a surprise entry to the UK charts, but illustrates that there is a mainstream market for well executed dubstep or drum and bass with a detatchment from reality. Whereas the previous review from Ms Mendler was a collection of trite rubbish that doesn't say anything, the occasional vocal stabs of "GET HYPER!" say more than she'll do in her whole career. There is nothing manufactured about it, no focus groups, no glossy videos of fake parties, just a freewheeling creativity which is to be loudly applauded and encouraged without being dragged into the machinelike music industry system.
Icona Pop - I Love It
Rarely does a song irritate me more than this. I find it insanely catchy and i find myself humming it, but not that i want to. The lyrics are truly awful nonsense, plumming the depths of the worst europop powered by online translator services and whatever cool phrases we heard this week on Glee. The repetition ensures that the song sounds like a relentless 2m30s chorus. My introduction to this song was a live performance on Germany's Pro7 during the TV Total Wok-WM. For some reason, the two girls who screech their way through the song start off by trying to make out they were DJs perfecting the sound of their obviously pre-recorded backing track. They then came to the front of the stage to start caterwauling and when one of them missed a vocal cue and started singing during what should have been an instrumental part, the extent of the backing track was revealed. Anyway, i should hate this, but i have to give them credit for making something so mind-numbingly infectious, perhaps we can christen it as the first song of a new genre: Chlamydia Pop.
Macklemore, Ryan Lewis & Wanz - Thrift Shop
On to something from which we can derive more positives. We're all fully aware of how mysogynistic and materialistic the average American rapper is, and for the opening few lines this stereotype is maintained. Then it takes a dramatic turn and the trio rap about being cool on a budget, something i've never heard before. Highly commendable for doing something more positive than rapping about your "other, other Benz" and cleverly executed too.
Bastille - Pompeii
Bright, uplifting British indiepop, which would be fairly unremarkable were it not for the singer's inability to say the word "close" properly. You see, if i couldn't do that, i wouldn't make it a key part of the chorus...
Pink ft Nate Ruess - Just Give Me A Reason
70% of people like Pink for the party records. The other 30% like Pink for the confessional tormented pop ballads. Nobody likes Pink when she makes these tedious, borderline country records. Dire.
Bridgit Mendler - Ready or Not
Meanwhile at the Disney Club, a group of cynical executives are trying to decide how to push their latest potential superstar teen sensation. One of them suggests they should make a record which is a paper thin introduction and statement of impending media saturation, hype and burnout within five years. See your Lohans and Spearses for previous examples. The record actually made is hideous, trotting out every cliche of a girl finding her voice. "Ready or not, here i come!" chants Ms Mendler excitedly and "I'm about to break out!" and "I like your face, do you like my song?!" and "Light my heart up baby like a matchstick!". I scarcely am able to believe that a record could be more plastic, fake or trite.
Droideka - Get Hyper
At the other end of the credibility spectrum is Cambridge based electro whizzkid Droideka. His stark assault on the ears has been a surprise entry to the UK charts, but illustrates that there is a mainstream market for well executed dubstep or drum and bass with a detatchment from reality. Whereas the previous review from Ms Mendler was a collection of trite rubbish that doesn't say anything, the occasional vocal stabs of "GET HYPER!" say more than she'll do in her whole career. There is nothing manufactured about it, no focus groups, no glossy videos of fake parties, just a freewheeling creativity which is to be loudly applauded and encouraged without being dragged into the machinelike music industry system.
Wednesday 9 January 2013
THE JOPI AWARDS for 2012
And unlike some lesser awards shows, these are given for and therefore named after the year in which the work was done rather than the year we're a few weeks in to....
SONG OF THE YEAR: Merdan Taplak - On The Rocks
Nothing has compared this year to the pure, unbridled joy of On The Rocks. Nobody makes dance music like this any more and actually, i'm not sure anybody ever actually did. Merdan Taplak's quirky electro synths and an unrelenting beat came together to produce the best Summer anthem for years, and barely anybody heard it outside Belgium.
Also of note... In what has been a year of the M artists, Miike Snow's Paddling Out is a similarly joyous experience with luscious deep dish production that feels as warm as a perfect summer sunset and Misha B's Homerun is without doubt the most inventive single ever to be released by an X-Factor contestant. All are compelling listening in what has been a highly erratic year for music.
SINGLE OF THE YEAR: Errr.... Ummm....
Aside from a heavy rummage through some bargain bins in various Belgian branches of Free Record Shop, i've scarcely bought any physical format singles this year. It has now been made pretty much impossible to buy vinyl or CD singles over the counter in the UK and the coverage of HMV's online service is very patchy. I still find it hard to believe that well specified CD singles (particularly for dance and urban artists where remixes are often numerous) would not have a market. I was also quite disappointed by the offerings made available for Record Store Day this year. Just because a single has only been pressed in a tiny quantity doesn't give sufficient reason for it being a tenner. That is nothing but profiteering by record companies.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Das Pop - The Game
I know this category should be renamed "Jopijedd's album of the year, a year late", but what a fucking awesome album. Das Pop have matured from their wonderful eponymous album to produce this broody, multi-layered, synth laden sound which calls on a whole host of influences, from mid 80s library electro to 70s punky pub rock, calling at many stops in between. You'd think the result would be a mess, but the glorious result is so much greater than the sum of its parts. If ever there was an album to completely lose yourself in, this is it.
Also of note... The debut album Entropology from School Is Cool is a marvellous mixture of anthems, apocalypse and real indie rock. When so many British bands seem incapable of writing a chorus or hook to save their lives, the likes of New Kids in Town and The World Is Gonna End Tonight are jaw-droppingly strong and full of drama.
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR: Errr.... Ummm....
It has been a very difficult year for me to quote any particular radio station as my favourite. In truth, i haven't spent enough time listening to Belgium's Studio Brussel to honestly declare it the winner again and for the whole year, i've skipped around the radio dial picking up gems amongst the brightly coloured rubbish. Here follows an overview of my thoughts...
The conclusion of Chris Moyles' stint on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show brought about a raft of changes at the station which have seen 75% of the daytime weekday output become unlistenably awful. Radio 2 sparkles with Ken Bruce and Simon Mayo, but stinks with Chris Evans, Jeremy Vine's Argument Show and Steve Wright. XFM has benefitted from Danny Wallace's refreshing take on breakfast, but suffers from a playlist that doesn't quite know what it wants to be. BBC Radio Bristol is occasionally brilliant (Yabbo, Martin Evans, Elise Rayner), but suffers from far too many cliches of awful local radio worthiness, particularly the shouty moron phone-ins. All our local ILRs are unashamedly terrible - Heart (bland and overcommercialised), Crapital (brainless), Breeze (bland and tedious) and Kiss (chavtastic) all heavily rely on networked programming and demonstrate nothing of any value whatsoever. The only station to demonstrate any innovation on their playlists (Jack) carries no human continuity outside of peak hours and is just an iPod on shuffle, but with adverts.
MUSIC RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: De Afrekening (Studio Brussel)
The spirit of the traditional British Indie chart lives on in Studio Brussel's vote powered chart show De Afrekening. Each Saturday, thirty of the best current alternative records get an airing. Imagine Zane Lowe without all the hype, shouting and a more open mind and you're pretty much bang on for the playlist. It makes a refreshing change for a show about new music to actually let the music take centre stage.
FACTUAL RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Iain Lee (BBC Three Counties Radio)
The recruitment of Iain Lee has been a revelation on the normally sleepy backwater of BBC Local Radio Breakfast. His several years of experience with late night zoo phone in programmes on LBC and Absolute, combined with refreshing honesty and straight talking give the 3CR Breakfast show an entertaining edge which is lacking on many sleepy BBC Local breakfast shows. Lee is a classy broadcaster who has moulded his talents to bring something new to an otherwise tired format. Oh, and he dares to have an opinion on the music he plays too...
COMEDY RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Matt Edmondson (BBC Radio 1)
Matt Edmondson's Wednesday evening show on Radio 1 has now concluded as Edmondson moves to weekend mornings, but for near on two years there has been an hour of scripted studio sketches, daft features and comic interviews which, free from the shackles of daytime content guidelines has been able to sound far edgier and lively than anything else on Radio 1. The show has been far more entertaining than it deserves to have been, given Edmondson's limited experience in radio. Time remains to see how his talents will adapt to weekend daytimes.
BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR: Danny Baker
Just about the only person who has caused a "did you hear that?!?" moment this year was Danny Baker. Having learned of BBC London's intentions to dispose of his services via sources other than from the management, Baker launched a two hour tirade against spineless management, strangely reminiscent of the end of the dinosaur era on Radio 1 in the 1990s. Quite correctly, he criticised the focus on "making people scared" which BBC Local Radio is so often guilty of, albeit under the guise of "telling us your stories", which has notably become the focus of the new nationally networked evening show headed by Mark Forrest. Baker took a stand for two things he believes in, namely radio providing some escapism and joy away from the sometimes harsh and miserable realities of a city like London and management being honest enough to at least admit when they're cancelling your show.
MUSIC RETAILER OF THE YEAR: Tony's Muziekhuis (Pas 36, Geel, Belgium)
This was pretty much a foregone conclusion from February onwards. The last of a generation of large, sprawling independent record shops with stock from floor to ceiling, Tony's Muziekhuis is a wonderful experience to the music loving child of the 80s who still half expects to see Rival Records every time he walks down the Corridor in Bath. Its just a shame that it involves a 1,300km round trip to go there...
HOPE FOR 2013...
Not so much hopes, more an observation of the mainstream scene at the moment.
Pop music is dead. It seems that the only acts capable of getting a substantial pop hit are reality show graduates and this is a sad state of affairs. Urban music is also looking decidedly sickly, with the British movement that had so much momentum behind it five years ago now all but having fizzled out of the mainstream view. So what about Indie? Well that looks screwed as well with the precious few guitar bands who do make daytime radio seemingly incapable of writing a decent song to save their lives. What is left is a bland mix of American Urban acts, plastic reality pop, songs from TV commercials and other dirge championed by Heart. As demonstrated by the most pissweak BBC Sound of... poll ever, 2013 holds little hope for improvement with none of the top five acts having serious mainstream crossover potential.
I'm sorry it hasn't been more upbeat, but i don't believe in praise where it isn't due and this year i've hit something of a crisis with the mainstream chart music scene and the wireless. There are very few distinctive voices on the FM dial in the West Country, even on the supposedly prime time breakfast shows and those who are distinctive are irritating rather than compelling.
SONG OF THE YEAR: Merdan Taplak - On The Rocks
Nothing has compared this year to the pure, unbridled joy of On The Rocks. Nobody makes dance music like this any more and actually, i'm not sure anybody ever actually did. Merdan Taplak's quirky electro synths and an unrelenting beat came together to produce the best Summer anthem for years, and barely anybody heard it outside Belgium.
Also of note... In what has been a year of the M artists, Miike Snow's Paddling Out is a similarly joyous experience with luscious deep dish production that feels as warm as a perfect summer sunset and Misha B's Homerun is without doubt the most inventive single ever to be released by an X-Factor contestant. All are compelling listening in what has been a highly erratic year for music.
SINGLE OF THE YEAR: Errr.... Ummm....
Aside from a heavy rummage through some bargain bins in various Belgian branches of Free Record Shop, i've scarcely bought any physical format singles this year. It has now been made pretty much impossible to buy vinyl or CD singles over the counter in the UK and the coverage of HMV's online service is very patchy. I still find it hard to believe that well specified CD singles (particularly for dance and urban artists where remixes are often numerous) would not have a market. I was also quite disappointed by the offerings made available for Record Store Day this year. Just because a single has only been pressed in a tiny quantity doesn't give sufficient reason for it being a tenner. That is nothing but profiteering by record companies.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Das Pop - The Game
I know this category should be renamed "Jopijedd's album of the year, a year late", but what a fucking awesome album. Das Pop have matured from their wonderful eponymous album to produce this broody, multi-layered, synth laden sound which calls on a whole host of influences, from mid 80s library electro to 70s punky pub rock, calling at many stops in between. You'd think the result would be a mess, but the glorious result is so much greater than the sum of its parts. If ever there was an album to completely lose yourself in, this is it.
Also of note... The debut album Entropology from School Is Cool is a marvellous mixture of anthems, apocalypse and real indie rock. When so many British bands seem incapable of writing a chorus or hook to save their lives, the likes of New Kids in Town and The World Is Gonna End Tonight are jaw-droppingly strong and full of drama.
RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR: Errr.... Ummm....
It has been a very difficult year for me to quote any particular radio station as my favourite. In truth, i haven't spent enough time listening to Belgium's Studio Brussel to honestly declare it the winner again and for the whole year, i've skipped around the radio dial picking up gems amongst the brightly coloured rubbish. Here follows an overview of my thoughts...
The conclusion of Chris Moyles' stint on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show brought about a raft of changes at the station which have seen 75% of the daytime weekday output become unlistenably awful. Radio 2 sparkles with Ken Bruce and Simon Mayo, but stinks with Chris Evans, Jeremy Vine's Argument Show and Steve Wright. XFM has benefitted from Danny Wallace's refreshing take on breakfast, but suffers from a playlist that doesn't quite know what it wants to be. BBC Radio Bristol is occasionally brilliant (Yabbo, Martin Evans, Elise Rayner), but suffers from far too many cliches of awful local radio worthiness, particularly the shouty moron phone-ins. All our local ILRs are unashamedly terrible - Heart (bland and overcommercialised), Crapital (brainless), Breeze (bland and tedious) and Kiss (chavtastic) all heavily rely on networked programming and demonstrate nothing of any value whatsoever. The only station to demonstrate any innovation on their playlists (Jack) carries no human continuity outside of peak hours and is just an iPod on shuffle, but with adverts.
MUSIC RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: De Afrekening (Studio Brussel)
The spirit of the traditional British Indie chart lives on in Studio Brussel's vote powered chart show De Afrekening. Each Saturday, thirty of the best current alternative records get an airing. Imagine Zane Lowe without all the hype, shouting and a more open mind and you're pretty much bang on for the playlist. It makes a refreshing change for a show about new music to actually let the music take centre stage.
FACTUAL RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Iain Lee (BBC Three Counties Radio)
The recruitment of Iain Lee has been a revelation on the normally sleepy backwater of BBC Local Radio Breakfast. His several years of experience with late night zoo phone in programmes on LBC and Absolute, combined with refreshing honesty and straight talking give the 3CR Breakfast show an entertaining edge which is lacking on many sleepy BBC Local breakfast shows. Lee is a classy broadcaster who has moulded his talents to bring something new to an otherwise tired format. Oh, and he dares to have an opinion on the music he plays too...
COMEDY RADIO SHOW OF THE YEAR: Matt Edmondson (BBC Radio 1)
Matt Edmondson's Wednesday evening show on Radio 1 has now concluded as Edmondson moves to weekend mornings, but for near on two years there has been an hour of scripted studio sketches, daft features and comic interviews which, free from the shackles of daytime content guidelines has been able to sound far edgier and lively than anything else on Radio 1. The show has been far more entertaining than it deserves to have been, given Edmondson's limited experience in radio. Time remains to see how his talents will adapt to weekend daytimes.
BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR: Danny Baker
Just about the only person who has caused a "did you hear that?!?" moment this year was Danny Baker. Having learned of BBC London's intentions to dispose of his services via sources other than from the management, Baker launched a two hour tirade against spineless management, strangely reminiscent of the end of the dinosaur era on Radio 1 in the 1990s. Quite correctly, he criticised the focus on "making people scared" which BBC Local Radio is so often guilty of, albeit under the guise of "telling us your stories", which has notably become the focus of the new nationally networked evening show headed by Mark Forrest. Baker took a stand for two things he believes in, namely radio providing some escapism and joy away from the sometimes harsh and miserable realities of a city like London and management being honest enough to at least admit when they're cancelling your show.
MUSIC RETAILER OF THE YEAR: Tony's Muziekhuis (Pas 36, Geel, Belgium)
This was pretty much a foregone conclusion from February onwards. The last of a generation of large, sprawling independent record shops with stock from floor to ceiling, Tony's Muziekhuis is a wonderful experience to the music loving child of the 80s who still half expects to see Rival Records every time he walks down the Corridor in Bath. Its just a shame that it involves a 1,300km round trip to go there...
HOPE FOR 2013...
Not so much hopes, more an observation of the mainstream scene at the moment.
Pop music is dead. It seems that the only acts capable of getting a substantial pop hit are reality show graduates and this is a sad state of affairs. Urban music is also looking decidedly sickly, with the British movement that had so much momentum behind it five years ago now all but having fizzled out of the mainstream view. So what about Indie? Well that looks screwed as well with the precious few guitar bands who do make daytime radio seemingly incapable of writing a decent song to save their lives. What is left is a bland mix of American Urban acts, plastic reality pop, songs from TV commercials and other dirge championed by Heart. As demonstrated by the most pissweak BBC Sound of... poll ever, 2013 holds little hope for improvement with none of the top five acts having serious mainstream crossover potential.
I'm sorry it hasn't been more upbeat, but i don't believe in praise where it isn't due and this year i've hit something of a crisis with the mainstream chart music scene and the wireless. There are very few distinctive voices on the FM dial in the West Country, even on the supposedly prime time breakfast shows and those who are distinctive are irritating rather than compelling.
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