Hard News: Out of the Groove
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In an interesting little linker for this thread, the new video for The Sneaks' (who I believe appear on that CD) new single has a bit of fun with the NZOA grant.
From cheeseontoast news:
The Sneaks met up with Down Low Concept - winners of lats yers 48 Hr Film competition and comae up with an excellent way to spend their $5K video grant - bet on a horse - and film it! If they win then they get a way bigger budget, if they loose it makes for a funny clip for their new single I'm Lame.In fact if anyone's interested, just got sent the new YouTube link for it - think you can't post links here? But it's there on YouTube under The Sneaks - I'm Lame...
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Yep 3 The Hard Way....had a friendship with those guys going back to the early 90s....and I always liked first album (which incidentally I'm told sold some 25000 with little airplay). It was Alan Jansson's project basically but it came out on my label and I worked on it and we had some fun. The album was not credible in a time when NZ had this almost cartoonish credibilty thing happening with hip hop. First single...number one..massive airplay, and huge enthusiasm from Sony Australia, but for a variety of reasons, not least of which was the statement from the kiwi programmer of an important OZ station, that "we don't play NZ records", they went very cold very fast...and Australia was our target market.
Second single...we did a mix under instruction from a important radio PD....what a mess...he oversaw the mix and then wouldn't play it. I let radio overrule my instinct to say "fuck off", which I think is the only time. Rule #1...never tailor a single to radio...you lead them.
Album reached 14 but didn't do much more. But it was a lesson repeated over and over again....big hit (s), albums, flop. 3THW was the first really, so we were flying blind, but it happened to all the hip-hoppers (Scribe aside) that came after. We made the decision to make a radio targeted pop record...and in a nation of 4 million its not enough.
I don't think copying is a black / brown thing. Hip hop / r'n'b in NZ is a song thing, it's pop....the compilations sell vast quantities..as Sir Vere knows. There have been hip hop albums that have sold in big numbers in NZ (last Outkast did 45,000..and look at Akon) but it's a song genre, like dance music. When did the last House album sell quantities.
Even in the US the sales tend to be first week sales, then , with the rare exception its gone...
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The problem, again, is that NZ On Air is a broadcast funding agency. Its targets are all about hours on radio, and things get tricky when it goes beyond that.
That reading of NZ on Airs function is where its problem lies, and it's Brendan Smyth's cop out excuse too.
Taken to its extreme if radio insisted on polka music and would play nothing else and NZ on Air funded only bands that played polka and generated many hours of radio from that funding would they be full filling their objectives.
It completely ignores the reason for setting up the scheme in the first place, and it is clearly written in their mission statement, although Smyth likes to ignore it. There is a strong cultural aspect to the scheme, our music, our culture, our voice. its in black and white, but Smyth on more than one occasion has state they make no cultural judgement which is in direct violation of the mission statement.
Funding Polka is not helping New Zealanders have their own voice and be comfortable hearing that voice.
Sure, its a difficult thing to do, as illustrated by many peoples inability to define NZ music, but there are plenty of people who are capable of having some perspective on that - Simon, Russell, Mr Knox, Muray Cammick, Karen Hay, Myself, and a swag of other long stay industry professionals all have a reasonable ability to distinguish the local voice from the imitators, just no one at NZ on Air which seems to be a style and taste free zone these days.This funding is not about any old music, we don't need any old music on our local airwaves, we need our voice, unmodified and that is what NZ on Airs job is, however they want to achieve it.
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I think the difference in the post-2000 period was that you had years in which several acts went multi-platinum. I think Nesian Mystik's debut was about 65,000, Goldenhorse's about 45,000, Che Fu 30,000 and 50,000, Scribe 85,000. I think the Fat Freddy's album is past 100,000 now.
Remembering that an average big seller in nz was 50,000 for something like bruce springsteen at his mid period. anything near or above that is pretty impressive.
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Just to raise a mouldering thread from the cold clay and because this is where some people professed their support for Westham United.
Best. Escape. Since. Houdini.
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Best. Escape. Since. Houdini.
AAAAHHHH!! AAHHHH!!
(chicken, headless)
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The Great Escape indeed.
Hope that the Wigan/Charlton/Sheffield threat to take it the 'highest court in the land' doesn't eventuate.
Fishy transfers aside, the 3 sides with least number of points deserve to go down, end of story.
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Best. Escape. Since. Houdini.
Indeed. We rock!
Of course, we always beat Man U at Old Trafford when we play them on the last day of the season. It's written in the rules or something...
Also, 1st team to do the double over Man U and Arsenal in the same season in 30 f**king years!#$%!!!!!
I almost opened up a beer at 5.30 this morning. Luckily settled for coffee instead!
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Sorry about the headless state Heather Gaye, hope it gets better.
I think that Westham followers should be used to this sort of thing eg. having to beat the league leaders to avoid relegation, and then doing it. But it still has filled me with wonder and reminded me of why it's called the beautiful game.Also, 1st team to do the double over Man U and Arsenal in the same season in 30 f**king years!#$%!!!!!
Unbelieveable ain't it?
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I think that Westham followers should be used to this sort of thing eg. having to beat the league leaders to avoid relegation, and then doing it. But it still has filled me with wonder and reminded me of why it's called the beautiful game.
And if Carlos has played his last game us, cheers mate, you're a stone cold Hammers legend now! Thanks for the memories.
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