Save 6Music!
March 2, 2010 at 9:56 pm | Posted in music | Leave a commentTags: 6music, baying mob, bbc, bbc asian network, bbc magazines, bbc trust, causes, closure, digital radio, facebook, lily allen, outcry, protest, radio, radio 1, radio 2, Twitter
Gosh, has it really been nearly a fortnight since I last updated Keeping on the Beat? I feel somewhat guilty for having neglected my pet project a little of late, but these are busy times in the maglab; I’ve been making lovely magazines, such as this one, and busily scribbling away at other things – like this, this and this. I’ve not been slacking entirely, I promise.
Last Friday, it was suggested that the BBC might axe their 6Music digital radio station. Naturally, alarm bells began to ring. Today, it was announced officially, as part of a review submitted to the BBC Trust. For the love of Richard Tait, I hope they don’t approve it.
The BBC Asian Network is also in line for closure, and the BBC plans to greatly reduce its online output – which makes sense, because, like, I totally heard that the internet’s not where the future lies. BBC Magazines may also be sold off, but – despite being, at heart, a slave to the printed word – I’m less concerned by this: the main BBC magazines are profitable enough brands that they’ll be snapped up by other companies.
Closing 6Music would, essentially, be a disaster. I’m by no means alone in thinking this – broadcasters, journalists and musicians have all spoken out against the proposed closure. Doubtless many have have been able to express themselves on this topic far more elegantly than I (hell, for once I even agree with what Lily Allen’s saying), but I still feel compelled to add my paltry words to the pool.
6Music represents the BBC’s commitment to independent music. It may not generate the astronomic listening figures of Radio 1 or Radio 2, but that’s the point of it: it caters to a niche audience whose interests may not be catered to by other radio stations. The very reason I originally got a digital radio was because I was sick of having to listen to the likes of Radio 1 – to stations which didn’t play music that I wanted to listen to.
One of the things which I’ve always loved about the BBC is the sheer breadth of its output. Vowing to spend 90 pence from every licence fee pound on programming, while disregarding an area of programming which is obviously close to the hearts of many – if the outcry is anything to go by – is not the way to go. If you’re going to do it, at least do it quickly and as painlessly as possible; have the good grace not to rub salt in the wound by trying to justify it with absurd logic.
Even better, don’t do it at all. 6Music costs around £7 million per year to run; given that Jonathan Ross was on £18 million for three years and is gone from the BBC as of July, the books are already almost balanced. See? If they can do leaps of logic, so can I.
The BBC has admitted that a big enough public outcry could make them change their mind. Write/email to the BBC Trust, join the Facebook group or add a Twibbon to your display picture if you’re on Twitter – make some noise; grab a flaming torch and join the baying mob.
It’s all gone a bit High Fidelity…
February 14, 2010 at 11:42 pm | Posted in music | 1 CommentTags: alkaline trio, avenged sevenfold, biffy clyro, big cheese, blackened sky, bon iver, death cab for cutie, high fidelity, i will follow you into the dark, inme, lais mw, love, lust, mgmt, nostalgia, radio, richard tait, romance, the libertines, time to pretend, valentine's day
I don’t place much significance on Valentine’s Day, I must admit. If you’re part of a couple, of course it’s a lovely day, but most days are lovely when you’re in a relationship (that’s half of the point of being in one, isn’t it?); if you’re single, it’s a day of no more import than any other.
Still, I could hardly let February 14 go by without comment – it’s a day traditionally associated with romance, and Lord knows that love, lust and music are eager bedfellows. Just look at High Fidelity. The book, that is – not the film, you philistine.
Music is, I think, the most evocative form of expression; it’s quite astonishing how songs have the capability to bring things to mind before you’ve even got a chance to consciously register them.
InMe, for instance, always bring to mind the first few awkward dates with my first boyfriend (and anything from Biffy Clyro‘s Blackened Sky album provokes a twitch of annoyance that he’s still got my bloody CD). The Libertines remind me of being serenaded with an acoustic guitar – and I can’t listen to Avenged Sevenfold without a wry smile at the memory of being dumped via text message at one of their gigs. ‘Time to Pretend‘ by MGMT takes me back to an exact place and time; Bon Iver signify a particularly interminable February.
It’s incredible how music can chart the highs and lows of your life: it’s a very large part of why I love it so much.
My friend Lais came into the maglab all a-flutter a few weeks ago, having received an email from Big Cheese magazine asking for her top five anti-love songs. My response was immediate – ‘Radio’ by Alkaline Trio:
It’s the ultimate in “seriously, fuck you” songs. “Waking up next to nothing / after dreaming of you and me / I’m waking up all alone / waking up so relieved” – hasn’t everybody felt like that at some point? It’s just a fantastic summing-up of the anger, bitterness and nigh-on hatred which can follow a bad break-up.
However, I’m not enough of a cynic to leave it at that. I’ve learnt too much about journalistic impartiality from Richard Tait to not give the opposition a chance to voice its side. This – ‘I Will Follow You into the Dark’ by Death Cab for Cutie – is quite possibly the sweetest song I know:
Let’s be honest: this is what we’re all really looking for.
If anyone else has any love/anti-love song recommendations, I’d be pretty keen to hear them!
I’m starting to pad this blog out a bit…
November 14, 2009 at 11:20 pm | Posted in music | Leave a commentTags: huw stephens, interview, music, radio, swn
Huw Stephens is a pretty big player on the Cardiff music scene. As well as being one of the leading Welsh DJs on Radio 1 right now, he’s also one of the founders and curators of Swn festival. I caught up with him to talk about the festival, new music and the effect of the Internet upon the industry.
How did you first get into working in radio?
I started doing hospital radio in Cardiff when I was 15. I then started answering the phones at the BBC. I was writing fanzines and stuff like that, and I got to meet Bethan Elfyn, who was doing pilots for Radio 1 then, so I got the job when I was 18.
How did the original idea for Swn come about?
We’d seen it happening in other places and we decided to do it in Cardiff. We just wanted to do it – we’d been to South By Southwest in Texas and we wanted to do something in Cardiff, really.
How do you feel that Swn affects Cardiff’s profile within the UK music scene?
I think it’s good. Anything that happens to boost the city’s music profile is good. It brings a lot of people to Cardiff for the first time. It boosts it within the UK and in Cardiff and Wales, as well.
What’s your favourite aspect of the festival?
Just the amount of bands who play that are all really good. They’re all hand-picked by me or the promoters who curate the nights, so there’s a level of quality there. iI just enjoy seeing people seeing all the bands, experiencing a lot of new music in such a short amount of time. I’m happy with that.
What sort of criteria do you use when you’re booking the line-up?
The only criteria is that they’re good and that they’re exciting; that they bring something interesting to the table. When you’re doing a festival like this you’ve got to go for some familiar-ish kinds of names but the majority of the bands are brand new and haven’t really played festivals like Swn before, so its a mix. The main thing is just that they’re all musically good.
Do you think that the Cardiff music scene is in a good state at the moment?
It seems that way, definitely. There’s a lot of venues, with more opening all the time like the Cardiff Arts Institute. There’s a lot of good promoters putting good nights on all the time. It’s pretty healthy at the moment.
Why do you think new music is so important?
I think there’s a lot of music out there that needs to be discovered. It kind of keeps the world going along, really. Talent needs to be recognised and who make new music need a platform to share that music with the rest of the world.
Who are your current hot tips in terms of new artists?
Ellie Goulding, who was on my show last night. She’s from Hereford and she’s brilliant. Everything Everything are a really good band as well. From Cardiff, Islet are really good, too; they’re a really exciting band.
What do you think about the whole filesharing debate that’s been going on lately? Do you think it’s going to have a negative impact upon new music?
I think it’s going to be harder for bands to make money through the traditional means, but I think it’s going to force bands to think more creatively about how they make money in the future. The positive side of it is that hopefully people will get to hear more music, although not always in the band’s financial interest.
Do you think that the Internet has had a positive effect upon the music industry by opening up new lines for communication?
Definitely. With things like Twitter, people are getting in contact with bands more and the barriers between the bands and the fans are breaking down more and more and that’s invaluable, really. It’s an essential part of the future. It’s an essential tool for bands to continue being bands, I think.
You use Twitter a lot yourself: is it important to you to stay accessible?
I think for a band it is, definitely. It all depends on the artists: some bands like to be mysterious and not be open or to carry on having the kind of veil of mystery around them, and some bands like chatting with fans about anything, so i think it’s upto the band really, but things like Twitter are really interesting.
Are you passionate about keeping the Welsh language alive, given that you tweet a Welsh word and its definition each day?
It’s not upto me to keep the Welsh language alive. It’s alive anyway and it’ll keep on being alive. It’s a very vibrant language. The Welsh word of the day is just a fun thing to do. If I was a Greek speaker, I’d b doing it in Greek like Peter Andre does. It’s just a fun way of wasting five minutes of the day, really.
Blog at WordPress.com. | Theme: Pool by Borja Fernandez.
Entries and comments feeds.
