Should
British Black Music Shut Up Shop debate press release?
From
Black Music Congress
Editor@britishblackmusic.com
www.bbm-on.net
Feb.
10 2006
*
The British music industry is accused of failing the black
music sector, by not adequately engaging with and developing
home-grown talent
*
Participants urged to do for self, by going the independent
route
*
Positive action is advised – artists and producers need to
produce credible products, radio needs to popularise domestic
product by pro-actively featuring it, and the consumer must
decide to consciously support by buying British black music
“The
UK music industry has failed us. The UK media has failed us.
Industry organisation such as the BPI has failed us. AIM has
failed us. Sony Music has failed us. BMG has failed us.
Universal Music has failed us. Warner Music has failed us. EMI
has failed us. The BBC has failed us. ITV has failed us.
Channel 4 has failed us. Capital FM has failed us. Kiss FM has
failed us. They can’t deny this,” declared Hugh Francis,
keynote speaker at the Black Music Congress (BMC) debate
‘Should British Black Music Shut Up Shop?’, which took
place Saturday Feb. 3 at City University London. Many of the
participants concurred with Francis’ observation.
As
we settle down to watch this year’s record industry
back-patting bash, which is the Brit Awards, it is, to use
that famous Dyke-ism: so “hideously white”. Hannah Pool in
her insightful essay on the state of British black music in
the Guardian (28/01/06) has suggested we don sunglasses. Black
music is under-represented. With the exception of the
“urban” music category, British black music is nowhere to
be found.
The
topic of the BMC debate was not selected merely to be
provocative. There are endemic issues, such as lack of serious
commitment to British black music, and fundamental shifts
within the music industry, which need to be urgently
addressed, or else the question of ‘should British black
music shut up shop?’ will be a re-occurring one.
BMC
founder and music industry lecturer Kwaku reminded
participants that the issues were not just about music. “We
are not going to talk about music or talent – you only have
to attend the various showcases around to see the wealth of
music talent that we have. What we need to understand are the
industry infrastructures and how the industry works. There are
many good courses within and outside this building where you
can learn about it,” said Kwaku.
“Don’t
just take care of the do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do of the music,
you also need to keep your eye on the ball and listen out for
the clanging sound of the money, the business,” added
keynote speaker and Jetstar Records head of business affairs
& intellectual property Hugh Francis.
We
are seeing the dying moments of the single, as evidenced by
the demise of Smash Hits and the ever-decreasing viewership of
Top Of The Pops. The industry has recently made further
concessions towards accommodating digital-only sales within
the official charts. Next month, Channel 4 launches an album
chart-based TV show, which will rely on live performances.
Today’s most important radio station is not 1Xtra, Radio 1
or Capital. It’s Radio 2.
All
this does not bode well for British black music. Few artists
are developed into album-selling acts, hence they
disproportionately rely on singles sales. Worse still, there
are fewer legitimate digital sales of black music content,
partly because most of the indie labels which support the
music have not effectively hooked up to digital portals.
Despite
the almost blanket media coverage of indie music and its
saviours such as the Artic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser
Chief, British black music has managed to make some noise
within the British consciousness, mostly courtesy of
UK garage/grime. However, the genre’s leading
proponents Sway and Roll Deep, only manage to breach the
bottom rungs of the national singles and album charts,
respectively.
The
consensus among the debate participants was to do it for self,
by going the indie route, because the mainstream, major
companies were either not interested in or did not know how to
effectively market British black music talent. The only
glimmer of hope seems to be EMI-signed singer-songwriter
Corinne Bailey Rae, who’s been touted by BBC Online, Music
Week, and Radio 2. But that’s one artist from a huge pool of
talent that is being ignored. Which other new album-selling
artists are being developed?
Questions
regarding why major record companies seldom commit to
developing British artists into album-selling acts, and black
acts often being the first to be dropped at the first sign of
troubled, were discussed. What is the music industry doing to
ensure that the album charts and album-based TV programmes do
not continue to have “hideously white” representation?
That’s was one of the key questions posed by participants.
Developing
British black music artists is not a favour. “What we have
to remember is that a strong black music sector is inevitably
good for Britain. Because it will create jobs, and bring money
into the economy here,” urged Francis.
The
way forward is for artists and producers to create credible
products – “that’s strong song-writing, good production,
and impressive performances,” advised Kwaku. The media,
particularly radio, have to pro-actively play British in order
to popularise it. Although efforts already in place such as
1Xtra’s Homegrown and Choice FM’s UK Cuts were
highlighted, participants felt more needs to be done. Finally,
consumers and fans “actually need to put their hands in
their pockets to support British product, instead of
continually making excuses”.
In
order to build a cohesive sector, the BMC is in the process of
putting together a directory mapping out who does what.
Additionally, the BMC has launched June Is British Black Music
Month, a campaign that hopes to encourage the conscious
promotion of British music through talks and performances
throughout the summer month.
Kwaku
BBM/BMC
founder
020
8450 5987/07956 215729
editor@britishblackmusic.com
www.bbm-on.net
ENDS
EDITOR’S
NOTES
Selection
of photos of participants, Hugh Francis, and Kwaku, attached.
(Photos by Patrick Friday)
The
Black Music Congress is a forum for networking, discussing
issues around black music, and an outlet for music industry
awareness and training.
The
next BMC debate at City University London is in early June
(topic is yet to be confirmed)
The
launch of the BMC/BTWSC co-sponsored Because... youth project
document takes place at City Hall, Tuesday April 11, 3-5.30pm.
ŁFree. info@btwsc.com, www.btwsc.com
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