Posts by Tomorrowpeople
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Hard News: Friday Music: The Next Kids, in reply to Alan Perrott,
The Hummingbirds suffered a little on record in that kind of thin weedy production sound. I have a live cassette recording of them playing the Hillcrest in Hamilton around 1991.
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Not to worry Russell - I think all our memories are like that these days, especially if it had anything to do with Squid bar...
I had to comment here on Ed Kuepper - those two Auckland shows in the early/mid 90s were very good indeed.
The one McKessar talks about was a Flying In presents show at the Gluepot. I did the poster for it which was only allowed to be one colour and A2 size. It ended up being printed in a magenta with a nice pic of Ed with white reversed-out type. I still have a few of these somewhere. Back in the day I would collect all my poster samples until space and the matter of overwhelming screen printing ink odour became an issue. Anyway, that was one poster I would always put up on the wall at a new flat or something.Back to the Gluepot show - that was a standout. My first experience of Ed was actually the "Serene Machine" album. I got a lot of promo CDs back then and once in a while, amongst the fodder, one unexpected album would blow your head off. "Serene Machine" was one of these. I'd missed the Saints and Laughing Clowns first time around, even missed Ed's "Black Letter Day" album the year or two before. To me Ed was a brand new artist. Seeing him live just made listening to the albums better too - "A King In The Kindness Room" and "Death To The Howdy Doody Brigade" were further consecutive staples after that.
When Ed came back for his second Auckland show (for the "…Howdy Doody…" album I think) I heard he was bringing a bass player in addition to the violinist but for some reason the bass player wasn't able to make it. I had some kind of far-fetched idea I could fill on bass. I mean, I _knew_ all the songs and had played along to them at home - surely Ed would be agreeable! I think even put the idea to Lesley (Paris) who politely humoured me while discarding the notion right there lol.
Let's just say these days those notions aren't so impossible to pull together, but back then...That aside, I think the likes of Ed Kuepper dispel the myth that all Australian music is or was "pub rock" and there is no alternative. By 'alternative' I don't mean indie college radio outfits, I just mean alternative to. There are plenty of fantastic Australian artists who have produced a wealth of great music and who continue to do so. Maybe not so well known to New Zealanders but very much appreciated in Australia.
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Did you know that writers get a tiny, little bit of performance rights money every time you listen to an iTunes preview?
No I didn't - wow that's actually kinda cool.
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Same - so I'll take Simon Grigg's stats over your opinions about album sales trends, if that's all the same.
I wouldn't trust anything that guy says.
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Tom - I'm not seeing red in any regard.
Just so you know... lolRe iTunes - I use it as a first call 'pre-listen' source for new (and old) albums etc.
Great for getting an idea about something before hand. -
You do know what market segment buys almost all the music, right? Here is a clue: A lot of them have a crush on Justin Beiber.
Actually, we are told those young kids get it for free - what gives?
I 'spose their mums buy it for them.
Hence that 'market segment' is probably anywhere upward of 35 years old.'Popular' has always sold the most.
The Partridge Family would have sold more albums than Gram Parsons at the time etc.Nothing much has changed there.
Thanks Tom but I'll stick to the more informed pundits on here.
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Flash should die - agreed.
It's buggy, greedy, can be used very effectively for viruses and is used far too much for a bunch of websites that tend to be style over functionality.'Flash' is actually quite an apt word to describe it.
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No one buys albums anymore.
This has to be the lamest line trotted-out regarding the music business in recent times.
Sorry but people do still "buy albums".
Possibly 18-21 year olds prefer singles ie. they can't afford a whole album or do not have the attention span to listen to a full 11 tracks.Sure, there's the newer model of an artist releasing several EPs over a shorter period instead of a full length album, but an album – and we are talking about a collection of consistently good songs which run together as a whole – is an album!
Tom - you obviously have lost your passion for the tactile nature of the physical side of music - fair enough. Luckily that is not the case for many people who love reading the liner notes (iPads excluded lol) and flicking through LPs or even god-forbid CDs.
Hell I hell there is even a cassette revival going on!All of us will be buying some music on-line these days - that's a given - but many of us will continue to go into a good shop and buy it too.
And those kids now, who only download "free stuff" and don't go to record stores? Remember one day they will be adults with more income who may want to discover what all the fuss was about and get into record collecting.
It's far too early to write off the physical product right now.
Even if physical exists only as niche in the future, some niches can be pretty huge.On the subject of record stores - The Warehouse NEVER had a decent selection of music to start with.
Sure it was the biggest retailer of music but of what kind - mass market fluff essentially.
At one point the Warehouse even dictated parts of my job.
I had record company people saying "Oh you can't do this (title) as a digipak/put the title there - the Warehouse don't like that sort of thing."
Well f@#k that!
I'm glad those days are gone (and you don't need to leave space on a cover for a digital store!).Funnily enough JB Hi-Fi tends to have employees who are ex-workers from indie record stores that have since closed....
In Auckland at least, Marbecks and Real Groovy still have a loyalty card scheme offering discounts/bonus points/freebies which is great. I'll shop there please.
JB has a good selection at cheap prices (great for back catalogue stuff) and reminds me of Tower Record stores in the US in the 90s.I think the Warehouse should stick to selling other things - I'll buy my music from a record store thanks.
PS: I'm about to release a 32 track double CD with a 24 page booklet for an artist on my own label - physical and digital.
All the above points make good reading and give me some faith in the record buyers out there despite the cries "music biz is dead" camp.Only opportunities present themselves AFAI can see.
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Duncan - yeah no probs man.
I figured that is what has happened.
Second album is still in production - goes to show it's not all about flicking someone some dough and album album popping out of the conveyor belt. Can take a while.Really like the new issue of Real Groove and the direction - nice to see some 'writing' - more emphasis back on music instead of video games et al
PS: Please don't blacklist me - I need some stuff reviewed in the future - lol -
No apology needed.
Russell and Duncan - you guys both do stellar jobs - love your work.
The problem with 'leaked' 'facts' is that the leaker stuffed up.I was wrong though - the Real Groove graph actually puts the CD value at $70 per unit (based on 1,000 units) not $60 - lol
I just noticed I said stellar - maybe it should be stellar* to keep in with the theme.