Hard News: Bean-Counting the Beat
444 Responses
First ←Older Page 1 … 4 5 6 7 8 … 18 Newer→ Last
-
I'm quite interested in what you think the 'legitimate' path to authoritativeness about New Zealand media is.
Russell's path is as legitimate as anyone's my point is you can't get there and exclude yourself from difficult questions.
The whole Public Address thing is a media experiment and more so for Russell cos he's put his face out there more than anyone.PA gives the public a platform to discuss directly with the media issues connected with it. That's a pretty bold and interesting thing to set up.
The downside of that is it gives the public a platform to discuss directly with the media issues connected with it. They might make points you don't like, highlight mistakes or holes in what you've said or ask questions you don't want to answer.
you can avoid the questions and hope they go away, but you risk the possibility that some lippy bugger makes life difficult for you by repeatedly pushing a question you've avoided.Respect to Russell for sticking with the open speech part of the experiment though, he could easily disabled accounts etc, although I guess that wouldn't be in the openly embracing new technologies spirit.
-
part of my day job is giving support to local artists, working with them in many facets of of music creation across multiple genres, a lot of it is pro bono, like Russell with his internet advice,
My critisms of NZ on air come from my experience in the music industry and open discussion with many of the key figures in it, who don't speak openly about it because it can and does sully their chances, as dubmugga also pointed out but I've seen and heard that effect for multiple people. Music people are on the whole quite humble people who do turn the other cheek. Which is why there is no real music quota, just a voluntary one, why no ones held any funding body accountable to their mission statement, why we don't have a performance based independent review (top idea) etc.
The label is a hobby project run by a music enthusiast nothing more.
The comments are from an informed and annoyed music historian, who does appreciate a good joke at his own expense every now an again. -
And if you are concerned and are questioning policy ,as I suggested earlier,you could write to the Minister of Broadcasting.Although Dubmugga suggests the day could be saved by John Key ,Heh...Probably Country and Western. (now,now) ;-)
drawing public attention to issues is also a good way of pushing for change. Asking for bureaucrats to be answerable is valid for their ability to answer the questions but more often than not these days avoiding discussion in the knowledge that people will just give up is the most efficient course of action. We're seeing that more and more these days, anyone noticed that?
as for john keys wouldn't his music taste be whatever his panel of advisers deem to be the most hip sounds around, or more likely the sounds that the biggest selection of dissatisfied voters might align themselves with? you might be right, country and western it is.
-
Key looks more like the steely dan, eagles, fleetwood mac type with a bit of garth brooks and keith urban thrown in.
-
Key looks more like
its not what he looks like, its what his advisers will say will get him the most votes.
I'm hoping they go for some hip street sound that requires him to shoe horn himself into some ridiculous clothing, that would be rewarding. -
How about a hoodie and have him pictured tagging Clarks office. ;-)
-
How about a hoodie and have him pictured tagging Clarks office. ;-)
you jest but someone on the team's probably weighing up the pro's and cons of that :)
taggers don't vote though. -
role, Rob, role (not 'roll')
-
thanks geoff, there's plenty more where that came from unfortunately,
I'd correct it but there's no edit function -
Theres a reason why american presidents can only serve 2 terms and entrenched bureaucrats are where the power is really at.
In the States,the President may only serve 2 terms but the entire administration may continue for as long as wanted.e.g. The Republican nomination could win and install the current one, thus, more of the same.Bit of a sham really.
However I think a continuous barrage about a person (who may now have been frightened off here) doesn't achieve anything constructive.Go through the right channels and you may be surprised who does listen to what you have to say.And again Good Luck! ;-) -
thanks sofie
I take your point re barrage but initially discussion wasn't aimed with brendan's input or participation in mind, I didn't actually think it was an option and as yet haven't been proved wrong on that opinion, and noting the irony after his media 7 comment that he was always up for debate.other than that mostly just theorising and venting though,
I don't have much faith in the systems ability to change, it hasn't done very well with polite and positive input in the past, why should now be any different?
-
why should now be any different?
Patience is a virtue. Now go to bed. Good nite.
-
However I think a continuous barrage about a person (who may now have been frightened off here) doesn't achieve anything constructive.
frightened ???....PFFFFFT !!! that is some weak sauce .For my mind there is a whole lot of constructive opinions in here.
Welcome to 21st century new media. If he cant handle this he hasnt a shit show of reforming NZoA to include this. Shucking and jiving, paying lip service smiley face for the camera and delivering meaningless soundbites just doesnt cut it anymore.
I don't have much faith in the systems ability to change, it hasn't done very well with polite and positive input in the past, why should now be any different?
when change happens there will be tears oh yes there will be tears... of sadness and joy
-
frightened ???....PFFFFFT !!! that is some weak sauce .For my mind there is a whole lot of constructive opinions in here.
my thoughts exactly. If he's going to be the spokes person for nz on air he better
a) know his history and policy inside out.
b) be good at conveying said policy in a matter befitting a public servant.
c) be open to input from the knowledgeable community that nz on air services (ie listen, be seen to be listening)
d) be thick skinned enough to take on criticism and deal with it accordingly.if you can not handle these factors then you really shouldn't be a spokes person for any govt department.
As a manager of a government department you'll need most of the same skills plus a few extra.
I missed it initially in Russell's excellent title for this thread, "bean-counting the beat" (a title worthy of a british tabloid and I mean that as a compliment).
Brendan has said in interviews he's essentially an accountant, administering funds, balancing books etc.
He's been round a long time, I think way back to 1980 was it when he joined the arts council funding program, QEII arts council I think it was initially, and it was always a bean counting role. But now he's policy, and spokesperson. One has to ask why?
Why are we not putting in experts on our culture, our history and specifically music to guide this scheme. Is it that we've got no one versed enough in that field? I find that hard to believe. Mike Chunn and Chris Knox easily spring to mind. Both intelligent people with a huge background in the art of musically expressing yourself in this country (cultural identity - line one of the mission statement of NZ on Air).
So maybe I've been too rough on MR Smyth, its not his fault someone gave him the job and salary, but really, should he be doing?
-
Patience is a virtue.
is gullibility a virtue?
-
Cheer up Russell :)
I'd be keen to hear your reasons for thinknig BS is the man for these changing times ? I do hope it's not a case of the devil you know. Personally I just dont think he's got an exit strategy or a turnaround one but if so I'd love to hear it.
how you going on your polite request for clarification there dubmugga?
notice how I'm staying out of this one, as a media experiment, I want to see if politeness works.ok, back to practicing my patience-ness for sofie,
its a lot more difficult than it seems, -
heh...i figure i'll give it another day to se if BS turns up or Russell expounds on his initial answer, then i might harangue, cajole, spam and troll him across all threads til he answers :)
-
harangue, cajole, spam and troll him across all threads til he answers :)
all in the best possible taste of course.
I'm still chuckling over the its my fault the internet is broken thing. that was so "the dog ate my homework". It so deserved some teasing but it seems no one else here has had an older brother or sister give em shit before.
It should be mandatory for kids to have a crap name or parents that dress them funny so they can get a bit of skin thickening going on. sure it hurts while its happening but in the long run you can use that learned skill to handle things like the internets. ( I kid, I kid because I care, no really,...) -
The absolute bestest of all possible tastes, just like NZoA's funding selections should be...
...and yeah scary place this interweb...NOT
Once you figure out it cant kill you, it makes you stronger, you're sweet.
-
what did you think of my idea of scrapping video and music funding and putting the money directly into changing radio, lobbying for a quota, setting up a a free youth radio network or something? got to be money better spent if one's objectives really were the enhancement of public identity and support of culture.
-
what did you think of my idea of scrapping video and music funding and putting the money directly into changing radio, lobbying for a quota, setting up a a free youth radio network or something?
Honestly not much. Sorry bro, no offense but FUCK RADIO !!!
I'd rather see NZoA buy Amplifier and run it as a net radio/record label streaming kiwi stuff with some sort of feedback on plays to trad radio who would then program their stations from what the public is actually listening to and scrap the radio focus completely.
Then lower the new recording scheme grant to a grand to increase the number of grants but keep putting money into video. Put it on the act/manager to pimp their shit to radio if they still want to as opposed to deferring responsibility to NZoA.
Do away with funding kiwi hit discs, CD albums and junket trips to midem sxsw etc. Develop web based labels/promotions and fund acts regionally on a face to face basis.
Teach acts/managers how to sell their tunes to gaming developers, movies and advertisers as opposed to constantly running workshops about archaic broadcast copyright laws and lo budget tours.
Its not about NZ on Air anymore it's about NZiC...NZ in cyberspace cos thats the global market we live in and have to compete against.
Its time to stand up and be counted. We're well beyond the cultural cringe. Now its a case of playing to our strengths and taking the world on from a playing field that isnt sloped downwards but upwards form having total gov't and community support.
Naturally those ideas need fleshing out and i got a few more but another time another space maybe...
...and oh yeah I'd give me BS's freaking job to boot. So whos with me ?
heh:)
-
I think you over rate the state of play for the internet right now.
Radio exists in cars and factories, when people aren't paying attention to the job or driving. that won't change and its a big market of exposure.
one of NZ on air's jobs was to target that specifically, so its a different thing to suggest targeting the internet. that should be another project with another budget.
Radio still needs to be tamed.and if simon is to be believed cds are still 80 percent of the market (I think that's what he said and he's pretty into the facts and figures of the music sales industry)
forget bands and managers approaching radio for play (what managers, who'd manage a band in nz? thankless task that takes all your time and gives you nothing). never going to happen. radio doesn't meet with individual artists. there arseholes enough as it is, you're not going to get em to meet and greet each artist that has a lame story of world domination.
I personally think the original intention of NZ on Air was a good one. Their mission statement reads well, it just bears no resemblance to what they're actually doing under smyth's management.
And it doesn't look like we're going to get an answer from the man on where he gets his direction from. Not from any document I've managed to track down and read that's for sure.wonder if I could use their catch phrase since they're not really using it.
-
I agree with you in principle dubmugga, if not on all the details. I don't think radio's actually over, just less important for music discovery.
And I talked to a major-label boss last year, about an album he was distributing. His view was that he'd love to be able to take $5000 towards five low-budget videos that he could get on every kid's MySpace than $5000 towards one video for TV.
That's the game.
Oh, and I'm not sure where Brendan is at. Last I heard from him, he was writing two different posts, addressing issues raised in this thread. But he actually does have papers to prepare for his board this week ...
-
I licensed a tune to a well known international label for a fairly significant sum just by entering an online voting competition for inclusion on its anniversary compilation. It was selected from about 80 tunes which made the labels cut to 10 and generated 80 000 votes. So in effect the public programmed the tracklist. There's no reason why we cant do that with demos currently submitted to NZoA for funding and applied to radio. NzoA can still fund retroactively as they do with the 5k for radio hits of the month...
...so yeah I didn't say radio was over just fuckit. I'm not interested in it and neither should NZoA to the extent it is. By all means keep pandering to it but scale it back and focus on the net as a means of getting NZ not just on our air, but everyone's. Radio can feed/program itself of a gov't sponsored database of kiwi music accessible to any artist and audience by buying Amplifier and teching it right out.
I was talking to an industry fellow as well about leaking/distributing on line 3 or 4 digital bundles over a year or so of about 3 trax each. And after a period of building an interest/fanbase putting out the interactive dvd. NZoA can fund that as well. Maybe make the bundles perfomance based and tied to a regional liaison person. Fuck cd albums cos no one wants to hear 11 trax by the same artist all at the same time anymore cos there pretty much is no such thing as all thriller no filler and there will probably never be another michael jackson.
oh yeah, and that tune i licensed couldn't get a video grant here. So Russell, can i quote you as saying in principle, you agree i should be given BS job...hahaha
-
I don't think radio's actually over, just less important for music discovery.
from the mission statement nz on air is there to "reflect and foster the development of New Zealand culture and identity through broadcasting"
I guess it depends on the definition of broadcasting. is the internet more like a newspaper or a tv, or a bit of both.The amount of funding per grant would depend on whether it was considered a priority to up the production standard of content.
The initial $5000 was based on what someone though it would reasonably cost to make a video in 1993 and later on to record a song to radio quality specifications.
Have those costs realistically changed.
to make a home video and edit it on i movie, $1000 is arguably too much. to make a competitive broadcast-able vid, well there's not much difference in the cost of shooting it on digital video and hi def vid. film obviously more expensive.
but is the cost of a higher end vid in the media its shot on or in the staging and talent. If you budget on $1000 then you're saying talent can and should be for free essentially, cos $1000 won't get you much proefssional level involvement.
It also fosters the mates rates thing, which is great if you've got mates in the vid business. Do you make it part of the application that you must declare you friends in the vid biz and if you don't have any you're less likely to get funding? not realy a very professional scheme.the bigger issue and one which you raised Russell is its not a lot of money, especially compared to say the 20 mill the govt saw fit to give the americias cup thing cos they lost.
does nz take its music culture seriously?
Post your response…
This topic is closed.