This is a guest post is written Quie Ying, who looks after the digital marketing projects at Tourism WA. “Q” as she is known to colleagues and friends is not a native Western Australian but loves the city for its lack of congestion, the warm Indian ocean and the fact that you need to scratch beneath its surface to uncover the hidden gems in this town.
On The City’s Fringes
This is a follow-up to Tracey Beveridge’s article on what One Movement artists, industry big-wigs and music fans can do in Perth while here for the festival.
Last week, we took a city-centric view of what there is to see and do when in Perth, but what if you want to venture beyond the city? Here are some ideas of places to visit and things to do that are also within easy reach from the nucleus of the festival by cab, bus and train.
Like a cinnamon-raisin pinwheel we’ll unravel what else is out there starting with Northbridge and then moving onto Highgate/ Mt Lawley, Leederville / Mt Hawthorn, Subiaco and of course Fremantle.
Northbridge [pictured right] is north of the city centre (over the railway line) and is known for its entertainment, arts and nightlife. It’s the place to go to if you are in need of some late night food after the One Movement Showcase Music Festival. If you’re looking to pick up an eclectic item visit one of the many shops selling fashion, curios and books. For artistic inspiration, visit the Art Gallery of WA which is exhibiting the photographic works of Richard Woldendorp, Abstract Earth, along with works from 15 Indigenous artists from across Australia.
Get there: From the Esplanade walk up William or Barrack Street and go over the rail tracks or through Perth train station. Alternatively, catch the free Blue CAT bus from stops located around the city.
North of Northbridge are Highgate and Mt Lawley. Connected by Beaufort Street these urban and leafy suburbs have an abundance of trendy cafés, bars and restaurants. The shopping along here varies from high street to emerging designer and tis great for people watching. For some night-time glamour, visit Must Wine Bar’s [pictured left] champagne lounge. Night owls shouldn’t miss the Luxe Bar, famous for its espresso martini cocktail. The Merchant on Beaufort St does a great brekkie, the perfect pick-me-up after a night out.
Get there: Transperth operates regular busses and a taxi is only a short ride from the city.
Veering north west along our pin wheel are Leederville and Mt Hawthorn. Popular with locals for coffees, lunches and some light retail therapy. Western Australia is renowned for our fantastic seafood and a trip to Kailis Bros fish market in Leederville (Oxford St) for fish and chips is not to be missed. For sunset drinks and views of Perth’s skyline pull into The Cabin in Mt Hawthorn (Scarborough Beach Rd).
Looking for a late night hang out? ‘Leedy’ as the locals call it, is home to late night club The Manor (often has live music), Niche Bar and the uber-cool over 25s club Double Lucky.
Get there: Leederville is two train stops from the Esplanade train station. Transperth operate busses to Mt Hawthorn via Leederville and a taxi ride should only take about 10 minutes.
Subiaco in the western suburbs is another entertainment hub worth a visit. During the day it has a village feel to it as locals go about with their daily business along its high street: Rokeby Road. For some high end retail therapy traipse along Hay Street and come to The Colonnade, a boutique mall for those with cash to splash. You can check out what’s on at the art deco Regal Theatre whilst indulging in a gelato. At night, ‘Subi’ becomes more sophisticated as it attracts all sorts to its fine restaurants, funky café’s, pubs, bars and clubs. Young diners are drawn to the tunes and cool surrounds of the upstairs Buddah Bar Indian restaurant, the award-winning wood-fired pizzas at BYO Ecco, and the lively atmosphere of Italian pizzeria and restaurant Funtastico.
Get there: Catch the Fremantle train line to Subiaco or hail a cab.
Just a 20 - 30 minute drive from Perth’s city centre, is Fremantle or Freo, as it’s known by locals. This vibrant port city situated at the mouth of the SwanRiver, has a multi-cultural city charm of its own, setting it apart from the rest of Perth. If you are looking for some fabulous local designer labels (Love in Tokyo, Morrison and more) then Fremantle is for you. Visit the markets which are open on weekends and make your way to Little Creatures [pictured right], a microbrewery and bar that serves delicious wood fired pizzas and offers views over Freo’s FishingBoatHarbour.
For fans of rock band AC/DC, be sure to book a seat on the Highway to Hell tour. This 90-minute guided tram tour takes you around the sights of Fremantle visiting places connected to the band’s legendary lead singer, Bon Scott.
Built in the 1850’s by convicts from limestone quarried on the site, Fremantle prison is the largest convict built structure in WA. Decommissioned only as recently in 1991, it is now a fascinating tourism attraction that some say is haunted by ghosts… Go on one of the many day tours to find out more or if you’re feeling brave try the night time ‘Torchlight Tour’. The adventurous can descend 20m into the depths of the prison and explore the labyrinth of tunnels by foot and by boat on the ‘Tunnels Tour’.
For more about Fremantle, here’s a video:
Get there: Catch the Fremantle train from Perth train station. Free CAT busses also operate in Fremantle.
Tourism Western Australia is the official State tourism body, and Eventscorp, a partner of One Movement For Music, is a division of Tourism WA. To find out more about WA, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: @WestAustralia.
This is a guest post by Matt Hickey [pictured right], co-editor of Australian music blog Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
When editor of the blog for Perth music conference One Movement, Andrew McMillen, approached me to write a guest post, I decided to pick my top five tracks from the many Australian artists playing at the One Movement Showcase Music Festival.
Whothehell.net regulars won’t find too many surprises here since these are acts we’ve given love to in the past; some of them have even gotten quite big since then. But in case you’ve been living under a rock and you’re heading to Perth, these are five acts you should push your way to the front for.
How can you go past Sarah Blasko? She sells out tours in Australia now, hopefully her presence at One Movement gives her some international momentum – she deserves it. Smokey vocals, some tight production and a great song here. This was her debut single; that piano line still gets me every time.
Combining elements of rock, electro and hip-hop can have mixed results, but for every latter-day Dizzee Rascal there’s a Snob Scrilla. This one’s off both his EP and album, and I listened to it a whole lot when I was first introduced to his stuff. Had it been a vinyl I’d have likely worn down the grooves. Also check out album cut ‘King John’ on his MySpace; it’s one of my favourites of 2009.
These guys have been everywhere in 2009. This is a super energetic and catchy song, and it only feels more vibrant live. It’s their first single and still probably the best summation of their strengths. They’ve toured a shitload, and most people have probably already caught them treading the boards, but if not then they’re definitely one to get to the front for.
What these guys do with just two guitars (no pedals) and a drum kit still knocks me over. It’s all about the riffs. And the vocals – Matt Somers sound like he’s having an anxiety attack whenever he sings. A great live show replete with crowd banter to mix with the best.
Canvas Kites are the new project from Thom Moore of Mercy Arms (aka the Britney/K-Fed of Australian bands). I liked that band and I like what I’ve heard from this one too. I’ve not seen them live but it sounds like it would translate well. Let me know what you think if you see them.
Matt Hickey is the co-editor of Australian music blog whothehell.net and a freelance journalist for publications such as The Vine, The Cool Hunter, Rave Magazine and The Music Network. He was on the selection panel for artists showcasing at September 2009 Brisbane music industry showcase Big Sound, and wishes he’d had some of these acts on the bill! This post appears over at whothehell.net, too. Contact Matt Hickey via email.
Perth, the most isolated city in the world, is renowned for its relaxed, outdoors lifestyle. And perhaps it is the isolation that has allowed the State to forge its own unique and interesting style of music, food and culture.
The bustling Perth CBD will play host to the feast of One Movement for Music Festival forums and gigs, hence this blog is all about helping festival goers taste and savour the real treats of Perth. Let’s go!
Bars and Small Eats
Perth’s small bar scene is gleefully gaining momentum. A short walk off St Georges Terrace, Perth’s main city drag, is Andaluz Bar & Tapas. Here you’ll find a discerning selection of bevies and incredibly tasty tapas to fill the fuel tank.
Once you’re fuelled up and ready to kick on, you can hop next door to Helvetica. This is a trendy bar where whiskey is the shelf favourite. You can even stake your claim on a bottle and drink from it each time you drop by.
If you’d rather picture yourself on a tropical island with a cocktail or two, thenHula Bula Bar is your call card. Think palm leaves, bamboo, totems, island music and a dazzling cocktail list to boot. Also lending itself to an exotic theme is a bar by the name of Tiger Lil’s. It’s a striking Asian blend of food and drink, with a dance floor that heats up after sunset.
Conveniently located right in the midst of the Wolf Lane Fringe Festival action is Alda’s, a classy place that invites you to chill out with a quality drop and scrumptious northern Italian food.
Or if you like the sound of soaking up some rays by the beautiful Swan River, then wander over to The Lucky Shag Waterfront Bar[pictured right]. It’s the perfect spot for casual drinks and nibbles and is just across the road from the main event action.
Cafes and Restaurants
If you’re chasing something to sate a generous appetite, you can find a range of casual eateries in Shafto Lane. Choose from delicious Burger Bistro, popular Japanese haunt, Taka or Irish pub Durty Nelly’s, to name just a few.
Located near to Shafto Lane is Tiger Tiger, a coffee bar tucked away in a pretty laneway. Here you can munch on simple, wholesome food from their all-day breakfast menu whilst tuning in to free wireless.
For something a little classier, check out Halo Restaurant, located right on the water at Barrack Square (near the Lucky Shag Waterfront Bar), offering divine river views and cuisine to match.
Vegetarians will love nearby Annalakshmi– a popular Indian restaurant run by volunteers and uniquely, you pay only what you think the meal is worth.
And for fine dining with a fine view, it has to be C Restaurant. You can indulge in premium food and gaze out at a revolving, bird’s eye view of Perth and beyond.
Sights and Shopping
If you fancy taking in some city sights in-between gigs, then consider these easy-to-reach suggestions.
King’s Park[pictured left]is a must-see. Not only is it the biggest inner-city park in the Southern Hemisphere, it has a million dollar outlook over the city and Swan River. You can learn more about the park and its important heritage by taking the amazing Indigenous Heritage Tour.For a sneak peek of the tour, check out this short video:
Getting there: Bus 37 from the bus stop just after William Street on St Georges Terrace will take you there. Otherwise there is an alternate stop not far from the Hilton Hotel. Simply cross the road (on Mill Street) and turn left on to St Georges Terrace. The bus stand is a 50m walk ahead.
Nothing beats a good walking tour to become acquainted with a city and its history. The friendly crew at Two Feet & a Heart Beatknow the city like the back of their hand and offer a range of cool tours to choose from.
Or you can explore the city at your own pace by using the free CAT buses. And here’s a tip, you can jump on any of the green Transperth buses and ride up and down St Georges Terrace for free.
The Swan River is simply gorgeous on a warm, spring day and one of the best ways to enjoy it is by taking a leisurely River Cruise. Or you can get your toes wet with a “Fun Cat” catamaran.
If shopping is more your style, then you’re in luck, as Perth is fast becoming a chic oasis of boutiques and designer labels. Trendy King Street, the corner pocket of William Street and the new Enex100 on St Georges Terrace is where you’ll find international fashion houses and designer jewellery labels.
For something a little more mainstream, you can find department and chain stores in the Hay and Murray Street malls, and for the real bargain, make sure you check out Harbour Town.
Getting to Harbour Town: Catch a Transperth bus or a cab.
And lastly for the treasure hunters – pearls, diamonds, gold, Western Australia has it all! By taking the new Bling Trail, you’ll intimately explore the array of quality jewellery stores in this precious city.
Following the third artist announcement for the One Movement Showcase Music Festival, we felt it appropriate to repost the following advice from David Hooper, who writes for MusicMarketing.com. David’s blog is a wealth of information for musicians looking to make the most of their career, both online and off. Thanks for the permission to repost this valuable article, David!
No man—or band—is an island. The success of any musician is the cumulative effort of many people. As you set out to become a legend, there are ten people you want to surround yourself and your band with. Whether you hire these folks, or simply find them and build a mentoring relationship with them—they have the expertise you need to get where you want to be: on top.
1. Stylist
Stylists aren’t just for corporate bands. Someone who is an expert in style and public opinion can give you an objective view about how other people see you. Talk to a stylist about your overall sound and the vision of your band and get some feedback about ways you can express that with your on-stage appearance.
2. Graphic Designer
A graphic designer is going to be able to help you design your “brand”. That can include everything from your website design, to your t-shirt graphics and your album cover. These are items that make a huge impression on people long before they have a chance to hear your music. Most graphic designers appreciate it when you bring them solid ideas and examples of things that inspire you. The more direction you can give them, the easier it will be for them to provide you with a finished product you’ll love.
3. Recording Techs
Live music and recorded music are two entirely different animals. You may have a great live sound, but if you’re going to make any money off your music, it needs to be recorded—and recorded well. Your MP3s can be placed on your website and circulated around the globe, so you want them to be the best possible representation of your band. Add to that the fact that recording time is so expensive, and mistakes can cost you time and money. It’s easy to see how important it is to find people who know their way around a mixing board.
If you can, ask other bands who they have helping them with the technical aspects of their recording. Or, you may place an ad and interview people who will help you in your session. Even if you use studio staff—don’t go in blindly and expect perfection in only a couple hours. Try to meet with the technical staff before you record and give them some idea what your expectations are. You may also want to hang out on some music industry message boards and get informed on techniques and terminology so that you can communicate what you really want when you get in to the studio.
4. Other Bands
Don’t look at other bands as competition. Each group is unique and has something different to offer. Each band has its own personality. You can co-exist peacefully with bands and find they are your best allies as you try to establish yourself. No one else knows what you are going through like another up-and-coming band. If you can find musicians who have more experience than you or who have already achieved success, try to form a mentoring relationship with them and let them help you through the landmines that take down so many young bands.
5. Groupies
No, I’m not talking about Tawny Kitaen. I’m talking about Classic Groupies—girls (and even guys) who are loyal fans. These are people who will be at every show, wear your t-shirt until it falls apart, and tell everyone they meet how great you are. These people will develop in to an entourage—they create a party wherever they go—even if it is just waiting in line to buy your tickets. They are an asset, and a time-honored tradition on the road to success.
6. Web Guru
The internet is where you’re going to be marketing yourself for the rest of the century, so you might as well get comfy there. No one expects you to be a geek, but you should definitely have an in with a geek to can help you establish yourself online. A web guru is going to be well-versed in web design and implementation, have technical skills for generating web traffic and search-engine optimization, and an eye on anything new that you can latch on to and use. Not only do you want a professional website, but you want to appear web savvy; which means using online tools and giving your fans access to those tools, too.
7. Business Advisor
Most musicians are terrible businesspeople. That makes having a business advisor all the more important. Whether you hire someone, or simply have a trusted friend with a business background give you some pointers, it is absolutely essential to have someone with a business mind help you make the most of your money. That means managing any income you have from gigs, album sales, or merchandise. It means planning a budget for the band, and knowing where and how to invest wisely.
8. Club owners
People that own clubs can give you great opportunities to perform live—but they can also give you added perspective and the experience that comes from seeing musicians perform on a regular basis. A club owner, if they befriend you, can provide you with all kinds of information including warnings of pitfalls they’ve seen bring other bands down. They know their own club or bar better than anyone else and they can tell you how to optimize your performance’s sound and appearance. They can tell you which nights are the best to book, and what kind of crowd to expect. They have their finger on the pulse of the music scene from a business perspective and can give you highly specialized information to make the most of your shows.
9. Friends and Family
Your friends and family are the people who believe in you more than anyone else. They are going to stick by you through ups and downs, successes and discouragements. They are a ready-made army of marketers who will tell the world how great you are with total conviction. Don’t alienate yourself from these folks. Let them put your name out there, and let them share in the victory when you get recognition.
10. Radio DJs and Press People
These guys have the ability to promote you in ways you cannot imagine. Most radio stations have featured staff picks on their shows, and radio DJs and music journalists also keep blogs on their company websites. If they make it to your show and like it, they’re going to tell thousands of people. Take the initiative and seek out DJs on stations that play music similar to yours and press people who cover music in your area. Send them CDs and invite them to your shows. Offer to give them an interview for their blogs and ask them to share their experience with you.
This is a guest post by Kyle Bylin, Associate Editor of the highly influential American music blog Hypebot.
What Will It Take To Unite Artist, Industry and Fan?
Inevitably, I’m afraid there is no right answer to this question, only a multitude of different perspectives on how we got ourselves to this position in the first place. While there are quite a few reoccurring themes and theories alike that keep finding their way into the narrative of this story, perhaps, there is still much to be learned about the reshaping of an artist’s role in the digital age, the evolution of music consumerism, and the shifting economics of the Recording Industry. Nor do I believe that there are a range of solutions that when executed properly will restore order and salvage what remains of our fractured music culture.
Nowadays, Digital Natives discard and consume popular music repetitively through file-sharing not only for reasons of fashion but because as fans they take it for granted that the Major Labels and a growing underbelly of independent musicians together will produce a continuous flow of new music. But, as we learn to appreciate the idea that the values of the world they inhibit and the technologies they surround themselves with have had a profound effect on who they are, we can begin to understand that the social ecology of music culture that took decades or more to develop offline, isn’t just going to reappear online.
“It’s a long shot, sure,” Eric Harvey of Pitchforkwrites, “but at a time when so much of the structure that holds together music culture has disappeared, fans could take the initiative to create a new one.” To be sure, much significance has already been placed on the role that this population of Digital Natives could potentially play in the future of the Recording Industry and on artists establishing a deep relationship with these fans. But the reality of this and other old-fashioned businesses learning to co-exist and co-create with this new audience, I’m afraid, that’s a process that we’ll be observing for many years to come.
Professors John Palfrey and Urs Gasser forewarn in their book release Born Digital, “Make no mistake: We are at a crossroads. There are two possible paths before us—one in which we destroy what is great about the Internet and how young people use it, and one in which we make smart choices and head toward a bright future in the digital age.” Truer words, I’d argue, have never been spoken. Such words, relate so closely to the choices that the Recording Industry has made over the last decade, leaving us to wonder if those choices have already hindered the development of the culture that could, one day, be their savior.
Spillers Records, established in Cardiff in 1894 by Henry Spiller, lays claim to being, “The Oldest Record Shop in The World.” At 115 years old, it could be argued that this represents a fair guess as to how long it took the audience for buying music to develop and the social ecology of record stores to evolve into hyper consumers and the big-box retailers that we see today. On the other hand, iTunes is only 8 years old. Yet, no one doubts that we will live to see the day where paying 99¢ a song becomes an outdated idea and the reality of being able to share the entire history of recorded music over the Internet will change everything.
Salvation for the Recording Industry lies in their ability to offer services that are more in step with the emerging social norms of Digital Natives. For artists, that means aligning themselves to benefit from these norms rather than become victims. As the tagline goes, rampant file-sharing of your music shouldn’t be the biggest concern of artists, because, today, obscurity is their number one enemy. In the end, it’s hard to say what it will take to unite artist, industry and fan, because while human beings are great thinkers and dreamers, predictors of the future we are not.
Kyle Bylin [pictured left] is Associate Editor of the highly influential music industry blog Hypebot, which is read daily by more than 10,000 music industry professionals. He writes primarily about the impact of technology on the Recording Industry and developing trends in music consumerism. To view Bylin’s past work, start here. Contact him via email.
This is a guest post by Australian writer Tim Dunlop, who runs the music blog Johnny’s In The Basement for independent Australian publishers Crikey.
Why listen to a music critic?
I’ve been reading music reviews and related journalism more or less religiously since the 1970s. In cold, music-deprived Canberra back in those days, a good part of my life was spent with friends hanging around the local newsagents checking to see if the latest copies of magazines like New Musical Express or Melody Maker had arrived. We counted ourselves lucky in those pre-internet dark ages if the issues that showed up in the racks were only two months out of date. We would get them home and pore over the pages, mining the dirty ink for information on our favourite artists and for portents of upcoming releases. We scoured the record reviews in the hope of finding new artists, and then would go and bug the local record shops until their stock arrived.
But don’t let the air of desperation in that description of a misspent youth fool you into thinking that we were uncritical readers. Far from it.
We knew our stuff, so if some British hack claimed, for instance, that Band X combined the technical wizardry of Emerson Lake and Palmer with the blues sensibility of Robert Johnson to forge a new sound that was going to change the face of contemporary rock, and then we got a listen to the advertised masterpiece and found out it was actually some bunch of dickheads pounding out a twelve-bar with a bit of one-fingered Moog thrown into the mix, then it was unlikely that we were ever going to take said hack seriously again. If it had been the age of blogs, I dread to think what message of discouragement we might have left in the comments section.
The relationship between a reviewer and his or her audience is sacred and entirely predicated on trust. Is that true?
Such thoughts have been swirling around my head ever since I started writing about music for Crikey earlier in 2009. What I’m about to talk about is probably old news for critics who’ve been at it for longer than me and who have maybe made their peace with the matter. In which case, fine, go read something else. But for a newbie like me, the problem still rankles: how do you give an assessment of an album or a band that balances the various responsibilities you have as a critic?
In fact, your obligation isn’t just to your readers. It mightn’t be popular to say so, but you also have an obligation to the music companies who supply you with the music you review. Sure, they only want you to say good things about their artists, and you have absolutely no obligation to bow to their whims in that regard, but you do have a professional obligation to make some sort of use of the product they give you. Timely and fair use should rule.
You also have an obligation to the artists themselves. For the most part (and that’s an important proviso) they are hard-working, dedicated professionals — or wannabe professionals — who have probably sweated blood to produce the music you are listening to and you owe it to them to acknowledge all that by giving the music a fair listening and not just tipping a bucket on it, especially after only a cursory listen. This is especially true, I reckon, of independent artists, people who have enough barriers between them and success without the added discouragement of some dipstick reviewer not taking the time to pay them the professional courtesy of as objective a listen as possible. I mean, if you hate it you hate it and you have to say so, but that hatred should be your considered opinion, not just something you write for effect.
So you can’t write a favourable review just because you got a freeby from a company who is going to keep supplying you. You also can’t write a favourable review just because an artist is well-meaning and hardworking: no-one is forcing them to be in the business. And the reason for this is because your ultimate responsibility is to your readers and they deserve nothing less than the truth as you see it.
Now, the obvious problem here is that we are basically talking about matters of taste, and deity knows: subjective! The chances that you are going to agree with someone’s taste in all things musical is zero, so as a critic, you have to be aware that your heartfelt recommendation of Band X is not always going to justify for the reader shelling out cash for an album that they turn out to hate. The reader has to bear this in mind too. But as long as you, as reader, are convinced that reviewer recommended Band X in good faith, there is no sense blaming him or her for what you now consider a waste of money. That’s the unwritten contract between reader and critic.
Since I started doing this professionally, I’ve tried various ways of conveying to readers the reason I am saying what I am saying about a given album. People want, I think, honest information and writing that doesn’t presume they know everything about everything — that ways lies fake cool — while at the same time they don’t want to be patronised with clever tidbits that are only designed to make you, the reviewer, look smart. You must also have some understanding of who is reading what you write, and given the Crikey demographic, I always presume our readers not only have a pretty good idea of what they like, but are also knowledgeable about music, probably in some areas more so than me, and that they will therefore appreciate some context to help explain the music I am talking about. In other words, apart from my opinion of the music at hand, I think it useful to provide some information about the artist, to place the music in some sort of broad category (jazz, alt.country, punk, funk, whatever), and to offer examples of other artists they sound something like.
My readers, I’m pretty sure, are not hanging out for the latest sugar hit of the biggest new release: they are much more likely to be in the market for music that they can safely add to their well-rounded and longstanding collections of music that, for them, have stood the test of time. It is that understanding that I try and respect and inform.
Anyway, you can get a handle on the various ways I tackle this problem on the site itself. For instance, in this review, I go to some lengths to explain the sort of music that I love and try and explain the way in which the artist under consideration, Marie Fisker, fulfills my musical desires (god, I love that album!). Or in a review like this, I discuss the problems of recommending a good album that I wouldn’t necessarily want to own myself. It’s all about walking the line between honest assessment and genuine recommendation.
But I think I can simply pin all this down to one basic point and it is kind of obvious, though it didn’t really hit me until the other day when I was driving into town with my wife.
I had a review copy of the new album by an Adelaide band, Special Patrol, in the car CD player and I’d been listening to it for the past few days. My wife asked what it was and what I thought. I told her, and that I thought that it was really good, that it had some great pop tunes on it, and that I was really enjoying it, that it had really grown on me. I was (and am) pretty enthusiastic about it.
‘Still,’ I said. ‘It’s not really the sort of album I would…’
‘Spend money on?’ my wife suggested.
And that was it exactly. I’d been given the album and I really, genuinely liked it, but there was probably no way I would ever go out and buy it for myself. To me, as someone who reviews music, that’s where the rubber hits the road: you always have to remember that you are getting for free what others have to cough up cold, hard cash for. It creates an enormous difference in how you understand what you are listening to.
A couple of final points. Getting paid to write about music is a great gig, but it is hardly the most important thing in the world. While I take it and the responsibility that goes with it seriously, I’m not so much of a wanker as to presume that readers are hanging off every word I write in order to make spending decisions. Obviously, a review of a live band or a CD is nothing more than an opinion, and I’m sure no-one uses such reviews as anything more than a guide or as a source of pertinent information that might help inform their choices. Still, readers should feel that they are getting an honest opinion, not one paid for by those with a vested interest in promoting a given artist.
This is a guest post written by British writer Chris Wheatley, who runs a music blog at Indiescreet.com that focuses on the latest indie music news.
What Will It Take To Unite Artist, Industry and Fan?
Right now there is a divide between the industry, in particular record labels, and fans. Record labels need to understand what fans want. But what exactly is it that fans want?
Fans want to be able to interact with their favourite band or artist, to be able to have some kind of input into their idols somehow. Whether it be polls deciding upon the latest tour venues, a chance to decide the latest album tracklistings, the opportunity to submit album art for the next release or simply just the chance to hear directly from the artist, something which doesn’t mean much to an artist or the industry could mean the world to a fan. It doesn’t have to be anything groundbreaking; just some acknowledgement and recognition is all that can be required.
Artists and bands need to be more accessible to fans. With more and more bands now having their own blogs this has become more of a reality. Artists can give fans exclusive content quickly and easily through blogs, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites.
Generally, most artists and bands are up to date with the quickest and easiest ways to share their music online. Record labels should give their artists more of a free reign when it comes to self-promotion, they should cut out the middle-man between the fans and artists.
Ideas like these do not take up much time but mean a hell of a lot to fans who invest themselves, their free time and their hard-earned money into artists.
The industry has had to adapt to the dramatic changes in music and how it is accessed over the past few years. Granted,while most sectors have coped well and have embraced changes in technology such as streaming music online and downloadable content, there are still some sectors which are yet to evolve and are right now still living in the dark ages.
All in all, the more the lines are blurred between artists, industry and fans the more united these three fronts will become.
What Makes A Great Festival Blog?
A great festival blog requires a number of different components to ensure it complements the actual festival.
First of all, the blog should be kept as up to date as possible with all the news and previews of the festival itself. Blogs are often seen as one of the most up-to-date means of communication, often the latest news is broken on blogs and social media sites before anywhere else. A blog promoting a festival that is out of date with lineups, dates, times or any other important information will be seen as pretty useless by visitors.
Blogs should be able to offer something more than the festival’s website can offer. By having exclusive interviews and previews the blog can offer something unique to visitors which is not available anywhere else.
Running a blog is a great way for a festival to have a voice. By giving opinions, engaging readers in conversation and sharing exclusive media with readers, a blog is generating more in-depth interest in what the festival has to offer.
Once the actual festival is underway a blog can be one of the quickest and easiest ways to report news from the site. With the developments in technology posts can be written and published on-the-fly within minutes. Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook are also a great way to share any pictures, videos or snippets of news quickly and easily, by linking back to posted items on the blog.
Chris Wheatley [pictured above right] runs Indiescreet, and can be contacted via email or Twitter.
This is a guest post written by American artist and writer Refe Tuma, who is the founder of music blog Creative Deconstruction.
What Will It Take To Unite Artist, Industry and Fan?
It’s no secret that the music industry is fractured. The point was driven home once again in July 2009 when the RIAA - the main lobby group for the recording industry in the US - won their second high profile lawsuit against an individual fan accused of sharing music files online. Damages in the two cases [Capitol vs. Thomas and RIAA vs. Tenenbaum] totaled over US$2.5 million [AU$2.96 million].
The recording industry is bankrupting fans in court, technology is reshaping the marketplace faster than anyone can keep up, and fewer people than ever before are buying music. How did we get here? More importantly, how do we respond?
One of the biggest roadblocks in the way of healing is the industry’s unwillingness to let go of the past. So much has happened in the last 10 years: the consolidation of record labels, the digital revolution, the social web. Each new development has brought its share of challenges and opportunities, but the clock can’t be turned back. It’s time for the record industry to stop guarding our castles and throw open the doors to change. In order to make real steps toward a unified industry, progress must be embraced, not feared.
Unfortunately, this industry isn’t such a big fan of change. For decades, the record companies were riding a wave of incredible profits. In the 1990s, the cost of a CD peaked as high as US$19 [approximately AU$35 at the time]. People were willing to part with the cash because there was no alternative. The record labels had fans right where they wanted them, and they appeared to have convinced themselves that things could remain that way forever.
When Napster arrived on the scene in 1999, the limitations of the old system were brought into sharp focus. Music consumers ere tired of being overcharged and under-served. A new precedent for finding and sharing music was established.
Had the industry been willing, they could have recognized the new ways that fans were finding and interacting with music. Instead, they shut it down. But it was too late - the world had tasted the potential of digital distribution. While the major labels were still patting themselves on the back for their victory over Napster, a thousand smaller, more agile networks were already being deployed to take its place.
Years later, many industry leaders have since admitted that they missed a big opportunity in their handling of Napster. Geoff Taylor, head of UK major label trade group BPI penned a now-famous article for the BBC in June 2009, which expressed his regrets. Unfortunately, this concession has done little to affect the way the music business is run. Instead of learning from their mistakes, the major labels retreat further into protectionism. Today, nearly every new technology, service and alternative business model is met with litigation.
It’s time for the music industry to stop trying to protect what has already been lost, and to instead look forward at what the future might hold for the music business. The playing field has been leveled; now, artists have access to the marketing and promotion tools and channels that labels used once controlled . Has technology made record labels obsolete? Some believe so, but I disagree. Artists still have much to benefit from what a label can bring to the table. It simply won’t look like it did ten years ago. Both parties have the potential to go so much further if they come together as true partners, with the goal of creating an environment where quality music can thrive.
And that’s what this should really be about. There’s so much talk of money, business models and economics that it’s easy to forget that music remains at the heart of this industry. Where great music is produced, fans will emerge. They’ll even be willing to open their wallets if they feel that they are supporting the music and the artists they love. More music is being created now than ever before, and never in history has it been so easily accessible. It’s an opportunity that begs to be seized, and if we won’t do it someone else will. Because one thing is certain: the music will go on, with or without any of us.
Creative Deconstruction is the “process of industrial mutation that incessantly revolutionizes the economic structure from within, incessantly destroying the old one, incessantly creating a new one.” It also happens to be a website dedicated to in-depth music industry news and commentary.
Refe Tuma [pictured right] is an American artist and writer, and the founder of Creative Deconstruction. He lives in Chicago with three beautiful women - one is a talented songwriter, and the other two will likely become talented songwriters sometime after they learn to use the ‘big potty.’ Contact him via the website or Twitter.
The shopping along here varies from high street to emerging designer and tis great for people watching. For some night-time glamour, visit Must Wine Bar’s [pictured left] champagne lounge. Night owls shouldn’t miss the Luxe Bar, famous for its espresso martini cocktail. The Merchant on Beaufort St does a great brekkie, the perfect pick-me-up after a night out.
Just a 20 - 30 minute drive from Perth’s city centre, is Fremantle or Freo, as it’s known by locals. This vibrant port city situated at the mouth of the Swan River, has a multi-cultural city charm of its own, setting it apart from the rest of Perth. If you are looking for some fabulous local designer labels (Love in Tokyo, Morrison and more) then Fremantle is for you. Visit the markets which are open on weekends and make your way to Little Creatures [pictured right], a microbrewery and bar that serves delicious wood fired pizzas and offers views over Freo’s Fishing Boat Harbour.
This is a guest post by Matt Hickey [pictured right], co-editor of Australian music blog 
Also lending itself to an exotic theme is a bar by the name of 
Following the 
If you can, ask other bands who they have helping them with the technical aspects of their recording. Or, you may place an ad and interview people who will help you in your session. Even if you use studio staff—don’t go in blindly and expect perfection in only a couple hours. Try to meet with the technical staff before you record and give them some idea what your expectations are. You may also want to hang out on some music industry message boards and get informed on techniques and terminology so that you can communicate what you really want when you get in to the studio.
share the entire history of recorded music over the Internet will change everything.
This is a guest post by Australian writer Tim Dunlop, who runs the music blog 
clever tidbits that are only designed to make you, the reviewer, look smart. You must also have some understanding of who is reading what you write, and given the Crikey demographic, I always presume our readers not only have a pretty good idea of what they like, but are also knowledgeable about music, probably in some areas more so than me, and that they will therefore appreciate some context to help explain the music I am talking about. In other words, apart from my opinion of the music at hand, I think it useful to provide some information about the artist, to place the music in some sort of broad category (jazz, alt.country, punk, funk, whatever), and to offer examples of other artists they sound something like.
A couple of final points. Getting paid to write about music is a great gig, but it is hardly the most important thing in the world. While I take it and the responsibility that goes with it seriously, I’m not so much of a wanker as to presume that readers are hanging off every word I write in order to make spending decisions. Obviously, a review of a live band or a CD is nothing more than an opinion, and I’m sure no-one uses such reviews as anything more than a guide or as a source of pertinent information that might help inform their choices. Still, readers should feel that they are getting an honest opinion, not one paid for by those with a vested interest in promoting a given artist.
This is a guest post written by British writer Chris Wheatley, who runs a music blog at 
Generally, most artists and bands are up to date with the quickest and easiest ways to share their music online. Record labels should give their artists more of a free reign when it comes to self-promotion, they should cut out the middle-man between the fans and artists.
When Napster arrived on the scene in 1999, the limitations of the old system were brought into sharp focus. Music consumers ere tired of being overcharged and under-served. A new precedent for finding and sharing music was established.
And that’s what this should really be about. There’s so much talk of money, business models and economics that it’s easy to forget that music remains at the heart of this industry. Where great music is produced, fans will emerge. They’ll even be willing to open their wallets if they feel that they are supporting the music and the artists they love. More music is being created now than ever before, and never in history has it been so easily accessible. It’s an opportunity that begs to be seized, and if we won’t do it someone else will. Because one thing is certain: the music will go on, with or without any of us.
