Tuesday, March 22, 2005

SXSW snippets
"At a panel discussion by A&R (artists and repertory) executives, speakers described a business that wagers huge amounts on promoting blockbuster hits, with little interest in slower-building, long-term careers. Asked about the advantages of signing with a major label, Tony Wilson, the founder of the influential Factory Records who is now the director of F4 Records, said, "If you think you are an interesting band, don't." from NYT.

More on that panel at Billboard- "The New York Times' Jon Pareles asked the one question on my mind: Why, then, would a successful artist need a major label? The panelists all sprouted the company lines about international distribution and easier access to radio -- both of which do indeed carry some weight. Yet even that answer illustrated the growing strength of the independent sector. Whereas a major label contract may have once been the destination of choice for most artists, today more and more acts are regularly becoming successful without the help of a major label machine. The access to radio a major can provide is a large factor, but it's essentially the only one, and it's a gap that's being narrowed each passing year by the strength of the Internet."

The Village Voice blogged SXSW here, thanks to Amy from More in the Monitor. Excerpt... "After Kaiser Chiefs, I booked it across town to Elysium to see M.I.A. I was greeted by a gigantic line outside the club. So I waited. And waited. I waited so long, I managed to make two new friends, read the entire SXSW issue of Vice, make up my schedule for today and get a new freelance gig at a New York paper. Pretty productive, huh? When I finally made it inside Elysium, I was shocked to find that the place was only about 3/4 full. It better have been some sort of fire code thing, or else me and all the other people who waited in line for an hour and a half are gonna riot."

Didn't see any sign of NZ bands getting mainstream press coverage. If you spy anything, let me know.

And Bizgirl didn't win a Bloggie, but she did have breakfast with Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips. Apparently.

I was watching Rove on Friday night, he was getting all excited about a Maori phrase book, with the word 'whaka'. The pronounciation had him in fits - he said something about wanting to hear TV3's John Campbell, say whaka (sounds like focker or... you get it, right?) on the air, so there's John Campbell on the debut of Campbell Live saying whaka repeatedly (and enjoying saying it immensely), then mentioning he'd be talking with Rove later in the week. Can't wait. Holmes managed to harangue an Egg spokesman about egg cartons, and Susan Wood followed some NZ woman for a dodgy operation in China - what devastating competition. least Campbell didn't run off tree planting. Still gutted that TV3 moved the Simpsons to 5pm, tho.

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