What's In A Label?

London Fields # 62
First published Inpress, Melbourne on 4 March 2009
NB: Each column has a name, but these do not appear in print; printed versions may differ slightly to those displayed here

Last week marked the 15^th anniversary of the death of Bill Hicks, and while watching a headline band recently I ruefully recalled his ‘Play from your heart’ routine. While not every live show will have his bubble of blood on the nostril, I hate watching someone onstage looking as if it’s a boring day job. One band that always meant it was Seafood, so I was excited to learn of a performance and screening in a small South London pub. Because while a band going quiet doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve just gone, it can do. But when the introductions start that night, I realise I’ve come unknowingly to a wake; this great act have sadly called it a day, without so much as a farewell tour or performance. Before the film, they screen some old videos and I’m struck by just how much better these songs and this band are than most of the current British indie fodder that receives recognition and airplay. The film, Where Have You Been, follows the band around Europe on what was to be their last ever tour. For director Ben Hall it was a labour of love, and while overlong, it is a wonderful insight into the joys, japes, and sheer tedium that is the life of a touring band; punctuated by the thrill of getting those vital minutes on stage, despite all that is against you. It also made you aware of how much of an uphill battle even established bands face; and how not giving up must be the toughest part of it all.

Yet even the ‘biggest band in the world’ can appear to struggle. U2 have been unavoidable this week, with blanket coverage across the nearly all stations of the BBC’s radio and television network; even BBC News 24 who showed their performance from the rooftop of Broadcasting House live. Yet even all this wasn’t enough to place comeback single Get On Your Boots in the Top Ten. The Boxer Rebellion used to share a label with U2, but they were dumped a fortnight after the release of their debut album Exits in 2005. Over the next three years, the unsigned band called in favours, and played shows between day jobs, determined to carry on and record a follow-up. This “was funded partially by the guys and partially by a Japanese promoter who fell in love with the band after seeing them perform live in Tokyo,” their manager Sumit Bothra tells me. Money that may have gone towards a physical release was spent on getting the final mix and mastering just right. The resultant album, Union, was released as a download only in January. Sadly, despite outselling Coldplay and Kings Of Leon, they were ineligible for the album charts, as The Official Charts Company only include download sales if there is an accompanying sanctioned physical release. While an official chart-eligible CD release may yet follow, for the time being there will be a limited edition run of 1000 copies for fans to be sold only at shows.

The full repercussions from the release strategy of Radiohead’s In Rainbows are yet to be felt. Geoff from Portishead, writing on the band’s MySpace described themselves as ”free of a deal and free of commitment” and asked “if you lot have any bright ideas of how we should sell our music in the future let us know”. Perhaps it’s no wonder that many bands, especially those who have been through the corporate mill before, are now taking matters into their own hands, for being Idlewild is selling their next album via their website before the recordings are even finished. But fans who pre-order it will receive a limited edition of it months before the official chart-eligible release. This allows them to part-fund the project, and makes fans feel part of the whole process, as their names will appear in the accompanying CD booklet, and allows the band to remain in control of their music. without a label can give them freedom to change the rules.

Spc Eco has also released their new album 3-D themselves, but at this point it’s only available as a high-quality download from their website. Dean Garcia has been through the business once before, with his previous act Curve. He explained it to me thus: “The upside is you can do exactly as you wish and retain full control and rights of the work. You can if you wish also license to individual territories (where you get the best of both worlds) like we have just done with Quince Records in Japan.” He notes that the downside is lack of funding for a market blitz, so the important “thing is to be able to somehow stick out from the crowd.”

An artist self-releasing music is independent in the truest sense of the word. But then there’s another band I know who are effectively in limbo. Their label has their finished album, but has decided not to release it at this point. So while labels can support an artist, and put them on a guaranteed wage, they can also slowly suffocate their charges. In many articles it’s been claimed that record sales were only a small part of band revenues now, and that the real money was in ticket sales and merchandising. But sometimes you have to wonder, is illegal downloading killing music, or is the industry killing itself?

© James McGalliard 2009

Touting For Trade

London Fields # 39
First published Inpress, Melbourne on 16 May 2007
NB: Each column has a name, but these do not appear in print; printed versions may differ slightly to those displayed here

It seems to me that there are four big issues facing the live scene in the UK: its popularity, the threat of closure to some mainstays of the scene, ticket touting (scalping) and the imminent introduction of the smoking ban.

It remains to be seen how the complete smoking ban, which is being introduced in England on 1 July 2007, will impact on the live music scene. Virtually all larger venues have a ‘No Passouts’ policy, which means that smokers are likely to leave it until the last minute before entering the venue. This is bad news for support acts, and will also hit the takings of the venue's bars. While gigging will be more healthy and pleasant for most of us, further repercussions may remain unknown for some time yet.

While you’d think the current resurgence of the live scene would ensure the future of music venues, last month the Hammersmith Palais closed to live music, and it will shortly be demolished. The Spitz is in peril, and a proposed redevelopment of the Tottenham Court Road area threatens the Astoria/Mean Fiddler complex.

For years, the image of the ticket tout has been the same. A parka-wearing pack animal that hangs around in all weather outside tube stations or the venue itself, reciting the age-old mantra "Got any spares? I’ll buy or sell. You need a ticket? You got one to sell?" A mate likes to toy with them, but they’re hard nuts, and more than once I’ve been threatened when selling a spare ticket at cost to another punter, as it’s affecting ‘business’.

But eBay has made it easy for anyone to tout, and is attracting people with little or no love of music, with the lure of money for nothing. So while more folks are going to gigs than at any time I can recall, part of the reason it’s become harder than ever before to get tickets through normal outlets is that up to a third of gig tickets are resold. So concerts will sell out in minutes instead of hours, but almost instantaneously dozens of pairs of tickets will appear on eBay.

Now some measures have been taken, such as the pre-registration required for Glastonbury or the recent Arctic Monkeys tour, and Arcade Fire kept some tickets for door sales only on each night of their last tour. Up until now, the government has only taken action when internet auction sites allow reselling of free tickets, such as Live 8, or the upcoming BBC’s Radio One’s Big Weekend.

It’s the disparity between the rock industry and the rest of the entertainment world that causes the real problems. Scalping is banned at football matches, and touts face fines up to £5000 if caught selling outside a football stadium. Theatres make provision for ticket resale, by offering a returns service [and make additional money for themselves in the process]. Some theatres check eBay on a daily basis and try to locate and cancel tickets if they’re being sold on to third parties.

But when it comes to the gig punter, all such considerations vanish. Recently I bought tickets for a sold out event in Birmingham, and when it became apparent that I’d be unable to go, there were four options of getting rid of them. Two of these I could rule out immediately - I didn’t know anyone who wanted to go, and I wasn’t willing to scalp the tickets on eBay. So, I posted on the band’s forum, and also on Scarlet Mist, a website set up to allow fans to sell tickets on for face value, without incurring any fees. While I disposed of one of the pair via Scarlet Mist, I ended up nearly £40 out of pocket by doing things the ‘right’ way.

Earlier this month, the government convened The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, whose eleven-members will look into the whole issue of event ticketing. It’ll be interesting to see if this makes any recommendations that may change the current situation. I have a sneaky suspicion it will. After all, someone’s bound to realise that these rip-off merchants aren’t paying tax on their earnings.

© James McGalliard 2007