AT Date: Fri, 26 Jan 2007 10:07:30 Sam Smith wrote:

>I think this list ought to scare the pants off the industry. You have The
>Stones - who are the legends that they are - three country acts,
>Madonna/Celine/Streisand, Bon Jovi, Nickelback and Matthews.
>
>Where is the viable, relevant contemporary rock here? The Stones are
>making it with a dinosaur tour (and I say that with all respect to them -
>they're gods, but they haven't been relevant for centuries). Dave
>Matthews is an established jam act. Nickelback?!
>
>Where are the bands who are moving rock FORWARD. Where the innovation?
>Well, obviously there are plenty of creative young acts out there, but
>they have been entirely unhitched from the revenue machine.
>
>If I were an exec at a label, this would keep me up at night. Oh, no it
>wouldn't - if I were a label exec I'd be brain dead. I'd see this list
>and blame Napster.

Sorry...I blame the audiences. I don't see the Foo Fighters or Green Day or 
My Chemical Romance making the top dollars. Why? Because audiences haven't 
turned them into icons with their purchasing dollars. They're either going 
to safe standbys like The Stones & Madonna or flocking to safe newbies like 
Nickelback and Dave Matthews. The labels aren't the ones putting the acts on 
tour. The labels aren't the ones making people go (or not) to rock shows. 
Who determines what acts draw the biggest at concerts? The promoters who 
gauge audience supply and demand and therefore audiences themselves for 
attending. It isn't about the music...or who's getting the push from their 
label...it's about audience (lack of) taste.

If 45,000 people showed up outside the Whiskey A-Go-Go one night to see a 
sneak preview show by, say, Fountains of Wayne or Sugar Ray or Weird Al you 
can bet there'd be a promoter making these acts into stadium fodder the very 
next day...at $150 a seat.



Jaimie Vernon,
President, Bullseye Records
http://www.bullseyecanada.com

SWAG:
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Author, Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia
http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/

http://www.myspace.com/jaimievernonsmovingtargetz

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