Post by stuhuggett on Jun 24, 2009 16:12:08 GMT 1
From issue #4 of Overhead Wires 'zine Pantograph (April '09), conducted by Richard Ward.
This month we have been speaking to Stuart Huggett, music editor of East Sussex's entertainment magazine East and owner of like-minded independent label Dizzy Tiger Records. We find out about what experiences these jobs bring and his opinion on the digital future of music.
- Hello there Stu, how are you doing today?
- I'm good, thanks, it's very warm in Brighton today!
- Could you tell us a bit about what you do for East magazine and how you got into it?
- I write the local MySpace reviews (4 acts per issue), and a quarterly opinion column on the Rother music scene, along with a few other odds & ends (music listings, website news etc). I'd been running tiny DIY cassette & CD-R labels back in Hastings since the early 90s, had published a few fanzines, and was writing a regular Blog, so when East was looking for a regional music writer for the area they asked if I wanted to apply. Also, Adam the editor was a couple of years below me at Bexhill College when I was in a band called Duplo back in '92, so we knew each other from there, even though we'd lost contact for over a decade.
- Who's the most unusual band you've seen or interviewed for East? Anecdotes?
- I was sitting in on an interview with Toploader yesterday: they were never an unusual band, but I would never have supected they'd stage a comeback, or that I'd be agreeable to helping out with it! 10 years ago, they were the first local band to have been signed for ages, so I was quite resentful of them back in the day for jumping the gun ahead of my friends bands, but that's all water under the bridge now - they're a great bunch in person. Some of the best bands I've met through East have been from the hitherto obscure Eastbourne noise scene: people like Jason Williams from Deepkiss720, or the band P For Persia - really abstract and comitted musicians.
- OK, I'd like to talk to you now about the new digital age. With the advent of digital downloads and distribution, how relevant do you think the physical format of CDs and Vinyl are and becoming? Do you think they will become obsolete?
- I much prefer having music on a physical format than merely shared or downloaded: I always try to burn CD-Rs of downloads off, 'cos my computers are always dying. I don't think physical formats will ever be completely obsolete, but they're already a niche-market item. Vinyl prices have risen to ridiculous levels as a result, especially compared to CDs now. It seems awful that the vinyl editions of Oasis or Primal Scream albums are boutique £80 items these days - it misses the whole point of pop music's accessibilty. If I was a teenager currently, I'd certainly be downloading them instead!
- With the development of the internet, it has obviously become easier for a band to market and distribute themselves. However, do you personally think sites such as MySpace are helpful/useful or do you think that it is impossible for anyone to stand out?
- The only real problem with MySpace is with musicians who over-egg their pages - if I'm waiting for the music to start, and the page is taking too long filling up with additional players and video clips, I lose patience. Friend Requests from bands outside my area with over 1,000 fans always get rejected by me too, I'm not interested in just adding another digit to their fanbase. If a band is great, then their music will stand out regardless: my favourite regional band of recent years (Charlie Uniform November Tango - who've recently split) were introduced to me via MySpace - 5 and 10 second screamo songs, brilliant stuff!
- Do you think artists should give up their copyright so that their music can be distributed legally for free?
- Giving up copyright isn't quite the right phrase: a band can legally distribute their music for free, but that doesn't mean any advertising company is free to back their latest campaign with it for nothing. There's no reason why a band shouldn't wish to earn a living from their music, especially if they're struggling to record and play gigs, but that's also different to a band expecting they have a right to be paid for their music, just from the sheer act of creating it. The Performing Rights Society still has a valuable role in ensuring musicians get paid for their music, even when the consumer is hearing it for free, eg via YouTube. This is one thing that really needs defending from corporations like Google who wish to receive all the benefits of hosting music without paying a fair wage to musicians for doing so.
- What advice would you give to any new artist to get their word heard?
- MySpace has become essential, there's no way to avoid that fact, even if you're uncomfortable with the site or it's placement within the Murdoch empire. If your music is playable live, then contact local pubs and venues and get a gig: it'll probably be unpaid, but it's the best way to meet people - a MySpace is gonna help you get slots in all sorts of places. Befriend like-minded musicians, and gig together. Build a genuine fanbase this way. Email regional magazines for reviews - use their responses to build up your profile when approaching larger venues, magazines or radio stations for coverage. Mind you, neither me nor my friends are successful, so what do I know?
- Cheers Stuart. Finally, let's speculate - how do you think the music industry model will work in around 10 years from now?
- Only musicians willing to perform nude are getting signed. They will only be performing in Disney TV movies, the soundtrack of which will be automatically downloaded to your implanted mobile headset, whether you like it or not. The only other choice for consumers is bloody Brighton beach bongo players and terrorist explosions.
This month we have been speaking to Stuart Huggett, music editor of East Sussex's entertainment magazine East and owner of like-minded independent label Dizzy Tiger Records. We find out about what experiences these jobs bring and his opinion on the digital future of music.
- Hello there Stu, how are you doing today?
- I'm good, thanks, it's very warm in Brighton today!
- Could you tell us a bit about what you do for East magazine and how you got into it?
- I write the local MySpace reviews (4 acts per issue), and a quarterly opinion column on the Rother music scene, along with a few other odds & ends (music listings, website news etc). I'd been running tiny DIY cassette & CD-R labels back in Hastings since the early 90s, had published a few fanzines, and was writing a regular Blog, so when East was looking for a regional music writer for the area they asked if I wanted to apply. Also, Adam the editor was a couple of years below me at Bexhill College when I was in a band called Duplo back in '92, so we knew each other from there, even though we'd lost contact for over a decade.
- Who's the most unusual band you've seen or interviewed for East? Anecdotes?
- I was sitting in on an interview with Toploader yesterday: they were never an unusual band, but I would never have supected they'd stage a comeback, or that I'd be agreeable to helping out with it! 10 years ago, they were the first local band to have been signed for ages, so I was quite resentful of them back in the day for jumping the gun ahead of my friends bands, but that's all water under the bridge now - they're a great bunch in person. Some of the best bands I've met through East have been from the hitherto obscure Eastbourne noise scene: people like Jason Williams from Deepkiss720, or the band P For Persia - really abstract and comitted musicians.
- OK, I'd like to talk to you now about the new digital age. With the advent of digital downloads and distribution, how relevant do you think the physical format of CDs and Vinyl are and becoming? Do you think they will become obsolete?
- I much prefer having music on a physical format than merely shared or downloaded: I always try to burn CD-Rs of downloads off, 'cos my computers are always dying. I don't think physical formats will ever be completely obsolete, but they're already a niche-market item. Vinyl prices have risen to ridiculous levels as a result, especially compared to CDs now. It seems awful that the vinyl editions of Oasis or Primal Scream albums are boutique £80 items these days - it misses the whole point of pop music's accessibilty. If I was a teenager currently, I'd certainly be downloading them instead!
- With the development of the internet, it has obviously become easier for a band to market and distribute themselves. However, do you personally think sites such as MySpace are helpful/useful or do you think that it is impossible for anyone to stand out?
- The only real problem with MySpace is with musicians who over-egg their pages - if I'm waiting for the music to start, and the page is taking too long filling up with additional players and video clips, I lose patience. Friend Requests from bands outside my area with over 1,000 fans always get rejected by me too, I'm not interested in just adding another digit to their fanbase. If a band is great, then their music will stand out regardless: my favourite regional band of recent years (Charlie Uniform November Tango - who've recently split) were introduced to me via MySpace - 5 and 10 second screamo songs, brilliant stuff!
- Do you think artists should give up their copyright so that their music can be distributed legally for free?
- Giving up copyright isn't quite the right phrase: a band can legally distribute their music for free, but that doesn't mean any advertising company is free to back their latest campaign with it for nothing. There's no reason why a band shouldn't wish to earn a living from their music, especially if they're struggling to record and play gigs, but that's also different to a band expecting they have a right to be paid for their music, just from the sheer act of creating it. The Performing Rights Society still has a valuable role in ensuring musicians get paid for their music, even when the consumer is hearing it for free, eg via YouTube. This is one thing that really needs defending from corporations like Google who wish to receive all the benefits of hosting music without paying a fair wage to musicians for doing so.
- What advice would you give to any new artist to get their word heard?
- MySpace has become essential, there's no way to avoid that fact, even if you're uncomfortable with the site or it's placement within the Murdoch empire. If your music is playable live, then contact local pubs and venues and get a gig: it'll probably be unpaid, but it's the best way to meet people - a MySpace is gonna help you get slots in all sorts of places. Befriend like-minded musicians, and gig together. Build a genuine fanbase this way. Email regional magazines for reviews - use their responses to build up your profile when approaching larger venues, magazines or radio stations for coverage. Mind you, neither me nor my friends are successful, so what do I know?
- Cheers Stuart. Finally, let's speculate - how do you think the music industry model will work in around 10 years from now?
- Only musicians willing to perform nude are getting signed. They will only be performing in Disney TV movies, the soundtrack of which will be automatically downloaded to your implanted mobile headset, whether you like it or not. The only other choice for consumers is bloody Brighton beach bongo players and terrorist explosions.