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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | "David Bash" <bashpop@earthlink.net> |
| Subject | A Case For IPO (Long) |
| Date | Mon, 16 May 2005 08:53:13 -0700 |
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Hi Everyone,
Only a little more than a week until the beginning of IPO Liverpool, and I
can't wait! IPO Liverpool features 120 bands from several countries,
including Sweden, Norway, Finland, Italy, Germany, France, Austria, non-UK
Ireland, Canada, The U.S., and of course, The U.K. Each band will play
twice, and all the shows are FREE. This is the first year that IPO
Liverpool will be part of the prestigious Mathew Street Festival, and we're
absolutely honored! Please go to www.internationalpopoverthrow.com for
complete schedule and links to the artist websites.
After Liverpool will be IPO Los Angeles, from July 22-August 7. IPO LA will
feature 170+ bands from various regions, including The UK, Brazil, Canada,
and of course several cities in the U.S. The complete schedule should be
posted in early June.
I want to address a couple of issues about IPO which have been recently
raised on Audities. It's been the contention of some that:
1. The overall quality level of the bands at IPO has diminished over the
years.
2. The communal feel of IPO, particularly in LA, where people and bands used
to hang out at The Orchid Suites, is gone.
Obviously I'm biased, but I don't feel that the quality level has diminished
at all. I think the perception of diminished quality may exist because:
a. The parameters of pop which are incorporated under the IPO umbrella have
greatly expanded. When IPO first started, the focus was primarily on power
pop and Beatle-oriented pop, and because of this, there was lots of
criticism levied at IPO, particularly from the hip press, who felt our focus
was "too narrow" and "too retro". While there's still quite a bit of this
kind of pop showcased at IPO, we've done our best to answer that criticism
by featuring much more modern rock, punk-pop, indie-rock, folk-pop,
female-oriented bands, and other styles. This has widened our audience
base, but also has disappointed some power pop oriented folks who don't
really favor those other styles.
b. As IPO has expanded to other cities, each city's roster has become much
more regional than IPO Los Angeles was when it was the only one taking
place. This makes sense, as many bands who had to travel to LA in order to
play IPO now have more convenient, and more economical options. A
by-product of this phenonmenon is that each IPO roster has fewer
recognizable names than IPO LA used to have.
c. Due to the fact that there are only so many "name bands" I can get, and
that now they have to be distributed over more IPOs, there are fewer of
these bands at each one, adding to the perception of poorer quality. The
credo of IPO is, and always has been, giving unsigned bands the opportunity
to showcase their talents in front of crowds who will like what they do.
Featuring name bands was always an added bonus, but was never the focal
point, and never will be.
I feel absolutely confident that the quality level at each IPO is the same,
or even higher than it once was, simply because there is a lot more
pop-oriented talent out there than there was in 1998-99, when IPO first
started. I think if more Auditeers come to IPO LA, you will see this for
yourself.
Yes, the communal feel of IPO LA may be gone, but that doesn't mean it can't
return! The Orchid Suites still exists, and for those of you who don't
know, it's a very inexpensive but nice hotel located in one of the hot spots
of Hollywood, and conveniently located to the venues we use for IPO. LA in
July and August is an absolutely great place to be! The weather is
excellent, and there are so many places to see and things to do during the
day. Plus, of course, at night, you'll have a lot of great bands to check
out at IPO!
What I would like to ask is that more Auditeers join the IPO Yahoo Group,
where these issues can be freely discussed without ruffling the feathers of
those of you who couldn't care less. Go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ipo/ , scroll down to the bottom of the page,
and it will tell you how to join. Perhaps people can discuss the
possibility of meeting up at The Orchid Suites during some point of IPO LA.
As I said, it's a great place to hang out, and it would give those Auditeers
who haven't met each other a chance to do so, as well as give old friends a
chance to hang out. Plus, we've got several bands coming to IPO LA from
outside of California, and I will do my best to direct them to The Orchid as
well.
I would like to make the following offer to any Auditeer who comes to IPO LA
from outside of Southern California. Go to as many IPO shows as possible,
and if you tell me you don't like a particular show (or shows), I will
gladly refund your full ticket price for those shows.
Your worst case scenario is that you come to LA and hang out in a great city
with other pop fans, and tons of fun stuff to do. Your best case scenario,
and one I believe you'll experience, is that you'll also see some great
music, make lots of new friends at IPO, and buy many CDs. Not too shabby,
eh?
Thanks!
David
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