SXSW07 Wrap Up
Posted March 27, 2007 — in KOAR Rants, Music News
I have a habit of writing down what people say when I overhear something interesting or if something said strikes me as odd. After this year’s SXSW, my hand is cramped from scribbling down stupid quote after stupid quote. Between the two of us at KOAR, our rolodex is expansive, however at one point we looked at each other and said ‘who the hell are all these people?’ This year was overrun with ‘newbies,’ and while a part of me wants to be excited that people are so interested in entering the music industry even with all of the problems, a new industry packed to the rafters with people who don’t know what they’re doing won’t exactly solve the problems. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from SXSW07:
(manager to band) “The A&R heard part of your song and said he liked it. I got his card, so I will call him next week and we can start negotiations.”
(band to A&R) “We’re the only band that can successfully pull off 3-part harmonies.”
(indie label owner to me) “That classic rock sound is cool and everything, but I don’t think it has a place in the mainstream. Right now its all about dance pop and emotional rock. That’s where the smart money is.”
(A&R to artist) “If you don’t move to New York or LA, you’ll never make it.”
(PR to band) “It can be difficult to stand out. You need to get your image together. You need the hair, you need the style. Consider wearing matching suits.”
(band member to band member) “With all this industry here, how could we not land something?”
(douchebag to douchebag) “Brooklyn sets all the trends. If its not hot there, it won’t be hot anywhere.”
The last, and best, comes direct from a major label employee. I’ll let you guess which department…
“The more you know about music, the less objective you can be.”
So, this is where we are. Some of these are adorably naïve and some are simply frightening. Sure, there were good performances…even some great ones. Bratty over-hyped brit rockers tearing apart stages, and some kick ass straight up American Rock n Roll, but they were just leaves in the SXSW pool of shitty fad bands and mediocre singer/songwriters. What happened?
AJ, KOAR
SXSW has become a joke. It’s sad because it used to be something really exciting and unique. Those quotes pretty much sum it up.
Comment by TO — March 27, 2007 @ 1:10 pm
“So, this is where we are. Some of these are adorably naïve and some are simply frightening. Sure, there were good performances…even some great ones. Bratty over-hyped brit rockers tearing apart stages, and some kick ass straight up American Rock n Roll, but they were just leaves in the SXSW pool of shitty fad bands and mediocre singer/songwriters. Remember when SXSW was worth the badge price? What happened?”
nail on the head my friend.
Comment by Sid — March 27, 2007 @ 1:21 pm
You know I have been in the Biz for a long time. And it never seems to suprise me at the amount of stupidity and just over all people in this industry that think they know everything. Record labels will soon be a thing of the past! The industry has tried so hard to force feed people music that they dont want to hear. They have tried to kill bands like nickelback and three doors down and replace them with bands that have the cutest lil haircuts but forgot to learn how to play thier instruments. 10 years ago people couldn’t wait to get thier hands on new music and now I hear the same thing over and over again ” have you heard any new music worth buying?” and the answer always comes back no, at least not signed acts. I have purchased a over 100 cd’s this year and only 6 of them were signed artist. The state music is in makes me sad and angry just because music is SO MUCH a part of my life and to these people it is nothing more than finding a new fashion trend and exploiting it. It is a sad thing because really music died a few years back but no one knew because they were listening to the radio and watching MTV. Please give us more bands that we want to hear. I know its not the trendy thing to say or the cool thing but give us some more Nickelbacks, Hinders and Three doors downs!!! I know I will be bashed for saying that but if you take thier record sales and put them together it would show that about 50 million people feel the same way as I do. It seems so simple…. so how can record label people be so fucking stupid.
Comment by Just a guy — March 27, 2007 @ 1:37 pm
What I got from SXSW this year, like I have gotten the previous couple of years I have been there, are a ton of self-congratulatory douchebags complimenting each other on how great they all were; and how stupid “everyone else” is. I never saw so many bands in my life that I hoped I never had to listen to again. I gave a ton of new music a chance there; but the art of songwriting was replaced with bands in outfits like space suits, sloppy guitarists, and really weird/overly done hair. When I got home, out of all the cd’s that were “promotional”, I think I kept one. Yes, there were a few great performances that I personally witnessed, but how in the world some of those groups got a “serious” recording contract is beyond me. I think I am going to change my hair and accent as a result to be more commercially friendly now, lol.
Comment by brandon — March 27, 2007 @ 1:40 pm
1st I would like to ask/point out to the Atlantic Records dude,
Whoever made that statement regarding nickelback, three doors down, hinder etc .. to check these bands out:
http://www.myspace.com/apathetiq
http://www.myspace.com/oneslessreason
http://www.myspace.com/veermusic (ex- 40 ft echo - Hollywood Records)
http://www.myspace.com/coppermusic
Those are just a few examples of great/straight up rock bands that have potential to go somewhere. I know for fact that they all tour constantly, have airplay, and press. I just heard that ApathetiQ & Veer are going on a 6+ month tour .. thats impressive for unsigned acts.
My reply to the quote:
Great quote:
(A&R to artist) “If you don’t move to New York or LA, you’ll never make it.”
Its funny how 10 Years was discovered out of TN, Copper has labels reps checking them out in their area. Hinder was picked up in OK. If you have the goods .. labels will sniff it anywhere. In order to put your self in front of the countless bands across the world .. hop on sound scan .. do what virgin millionaires did, outsell signed artist in the first or second week of release as an unsigned artist, get massive airplay in markets such as LA, NY, and other areas.
Comment by realmad — March 27, 2007 @ 2:34 pm
The two best shows/bands at SXSW, in my opinion…
http://www.myspace.com/earlgreyhound
http://www.myspace.com/programthedead
Comment by AJ-KOAR — March 27, 2007 @ 2:45 pm
Thank you for that! I was thinking about going to SXSW this year, but thought it would be that way. My band has been looking for a manager and we talked to a few different people who were pretty equal to what you were talking about (and I think they all were at SXSW). We were told “Your music is too smart, you need to dumb it down for the American Audience. Your music might have potential in Europe but is too smart for Americans”, “You need to have a more generic image, you are too different”, and my favorite “I dont hear 3-4 guaranteed hits on this album, let me co-write your songs”. All of these comments were just a few coming from managers who were supposed to come from reputable management companies. From an artists perspective, it was very discouraging at first. Then I realized that about 1/2 of these people had no idea what they are talking about. The lesson we learned is just make the music we like to make and do what we do. We will meet the right industry people to grow as a band if we just keep looking, its just a little harder now because we have to sift through alot of people who have a viewpoint that will not work for us.
Comment by Rebecca — March 27, 2007 @ 3:33 pm
just think …you can come to Chicago in june and see the same show.it’s called Mobfest.Just a guy…you said it all. but nothing is going to change.just can’t see any label signing any bands that don’t fit with whats selling today.and can’t see any young band not doing what labels are signing.there is good bands out there.but no look or image….well you know the rest.
Comment by larry anderson — March 27, 2007 @ 4:15 pm
Larry: I hear your point .. but Just a guy is a label rep .. i’m sure he knows what is talking about.
Comment by realmad — March 27, 2007 @ 6:46 pm
“Just a guy…you said it all. but nothing is going to change.just can’t see any label signing any bands that don’t fit with whats selling today”
But what is selling these days? I mean the biggest act out right now is a late 20’s guy that has to shave his head because he is balding.(Daughtry) But he put out a better than mediocre record and people are salivating for it. You can say its because of american idol blah blah but Taylor Hicks won AI and still isn’t even coming close to the soundscans of Daughtry. People are still buying records, they just arent buying records that labels are putting out because they are mostly crap.
It really is time that image becomes secondary to music again or we will be the first generation to have no classics. I mean name one artist in the last 5 years that will still be remembered and played daily like Phil collins or the eagles. They were and are real musicians that played real music that touched real ordinary people that buy cd’s. 10 years from now no one will remember the white stripes, the strokes, the gossip or any other band that starts with the. I work for a label and i am ashamed of 98% of the product put out under our flag.
And to Real mad, i actually own a cd of every band you named and i think that bands like that can turn it all around but, The heads of the labels are run by people who are so out of touch with the real world and have ego’s so big that they think they know what is best for the whole world and they should dictate what the world should listen to. And let me tell you, with every failure more people get fired and we come closer to bankruptcy. The funny thing is it’s never the big wigs that get fired for having a band flop. It’s usually the people that work under them that had nothing to do with signing the act, that were just doing what thier boss told them to do. Music is at an all time low and until we get new blood in the upper positions it will stay that way.
Comment by Just a guy — March 27, 2007 @ 10:57 pm
Just a Guy…yea i know..i quit sending out bio’s and pictures.if the music don’t do it then all the that crap won’t mean a thing.i was told that record companys are in the buisness of selling.be it shoes or cars, you sell what sells and what people want.hey maybe we will see you at Chicago’s Mobfest we will be playing a club way out of the city with our 20 or so fans.that’s if our parents show up……
Comment by larry anderson — March 28, 2007 @ 5:20 am
Can i just say one thing? Everytime nickelback or hinder gets brought up, someone says…oh but ONE LESS REASON
rock band? more like cock band…these guys arent nearly as good as nickelback or hinder.
ONE LESS REASON IS NOT A GOD DAMN ROCK BAND, they just dress like one
Comment by Rob — March 28, 2007 @ 5:24 am
maybe i just have a different idea of what a rock band is tho
I think this band is a much better rock band http://www.myspace.com/hailthevillain
Comment by Rob — March 28, 2007 @ 6:05 am
Just a Guy:
I totally understand man .. its always a big group decision .. an A&R nearly has enough power to sign a act .. like back then. I also recently read an article on here about “new execs out of touch” or maybe it was the other way around. It basically talked about how either the old or new execs were making bad signing choices .. but the heads of the company were going back to grass root rock bands .. that sold millions of albums. Hopefully it will turn around .. too many bands are working their asses off and there is no recognition .. I know basement bands that sound like crap and get signed cause of politics or connections .. its unfortunate .. because if continues to occur .. more labels will be offering stupid 1-2 single deals where no physical album is involved unless they sell 1,000,000 singles on their first run (lame). I know for a fact .. one of the bands I mentioned on my previous post was played an at indie band’s showcase in NY over the PA .. and one of the label reps from Atlantic Records stood up and said “Who is this great rock band?” .. this was at an indie rock showcase. They had a current sound .. but the A&R only had so much pull to the top .. pushing for a signing .. that is probably still pending because of the crappy state music is in…
Real Mad
Comment by realmad — March 28, 2007 @ 7:54 am
http://www.myspace.com/undertheflood
IT IS WHAT IT IS!
Comment by Mr National — March 28, 2007 @ 8:28 am
I saw ApathetiQ in Jacksonville, Florida .. the venue was filled to the brim. They had the audience going. I also heard their stuff on 107.3 Planet Rock .. i’m suprised they’re not signed!
Comment by Michelle — March 28, 2007 @ 8:52 am
“ONE LESS REASON IS NOT A GOD DAMN ROCK BAND, they just dress like one”
Don’t let One less reason’s songs on myspace fool you. They are a rock band. They are like Nickelback in the sense that thier singles are lighter but the over all record is heavy and very rocking. Heavier than the band you posted. When we compare bands like One less reason, Apathetic, Egypt central, Thriving ivory, Black Lab etc to bands like Nickelback and Hinder we are just saying that they have the potential of being huge rock bands like those acts. Like it or not, they write great songs and sell out venues. The masses of people like thier style of music even if you don’t.
Comment by Just a guy — March 28, 2007 @ 8:55 am
this industry is so retarded. There will never be another Nirvana, Nirvana would never be signed today and even if they were that Smells Like Teen Spirit vocal line would have so much Pro Tools on it it wouldn’t even be the same band.
Bands like that used to get signed when labels saw potential in the artists instead of $$$. There will never again be another G&R, Nirvana, or even Metallica. Is it really any wonder SXSW blows, it’s Safety By South West?! Give it up kids, your competition is Hinder, Daughtry and Nickleback. These are the money makers, this is Rock n Roll for your parents and teachers, and let’s face it it’s terrible music plain and simple, it’s cheese and hollow it’s every summer blockbuster put into music. I have a problem with people calling songs I would hear at a Supercuts Rock songs.
Don’t waste your time, let the industry fall right on it’s face because there will be no saviour of rock n roll or the music industry, go back to your garage and play vicious and play loud and make people afraid of your band and your music. Throw your magazines away, turn off your radio, and above all get content with being a poor band, more people can relate to that than you think, keep Disney World out of your music.
Comment by it's been over — March 28, 2007 @ 8:58 am
The masses rule the world and bands like Nickleback are perfect for them. American Idol is what they(Masses) think actually puts out the best. Silly world but it will change in time. Now lets go and find some Great music and have beer.
Comment by Dave — March 28, 2007 @ 10:20 am
Music’s not at an all time low. The corrupt system you speak of is why most of the best musicians in the world have never been heard. Until the whole thing is opened up so the real cream can rise to the top, record companies will be disappointed that people don’t want to buy the crap they’re peddling.
Comment by Brett — March 28, 2007 @ 10:44 am
I spent a couple of hours at the SBSW website listening to the demos posted by some of the bands. Disappointment reined link-after-link. Can’t imagine what A&R people must feel like after spending a week at SWSW looking for someone with potential.
Comment by DaveT — March 28, 2007 @ 11:18 am
Just because the record companies are too lazy to go find the real talent doesn’t mean it’s not out there. I could rattle off 10 bands right now that are as good as anything out there, but that noone has ever heard of.
Comment by Brett — March 28, 2007 @ 12:48 pm
Hey Just a guy,
i know what your saying about one less reason being in the same genre as nickelback, but lets be honest…they are nowhere near as good as nickleback. im sorry but if they are in the same genre as them, they need to not only be able to compete, they need to be better!
I think the problem with the music biz these days is that everyones willing to accpet less then amazing artisits. Its not just the a&r’s fault, its the fans fault. For years weve been listening to bands that tried to imatate what great bands have done, but failed to do it. To make it worse, new bands are learning from those not so great bands that tried to copy good bands.
When i meet other musicians etc, im always blown away by how little they know, and the attitudes they have. I know FAR too many artists that have done the following:
said “fuck being a sellout” and now they make music that only they can follow because it has awful structure.
said “lets sell out and make it!” and now they make the most boring uninspired music out there
artists need to realize they arent going to re invent the wheel or save the music biz, so why try or claim that you will? STUDY sucessful song structures and STUDY why songs are hit songs and THEN use your creativity to make something that is new, exciting, but wont confuse the average person.
Comment by Rob — March 28, 2007 @ 1:50 pm
I think you are wrong Rob! I think one less reason is the premier rock band of 2008. I am from Memphis and I have seen them sell out venue after venue and I will be there when they play Memphis in May this year which host 280,000 people every year. Might not be your thing but i think they are the next big thing.
Comment by Chris Volcheck — March 28, 2007 @ 4:22 pm
Rob, you right and wrong about things.
I know bands that are amazing and have the ability to write great music like the bands that are selling heavily. They tour, receive airplay, are on sound scan, get press .. etc.. they work their asses off and nothing is recognized. Labels need to stop playing it safe and start spending money. Stop being afraid to risk during a time of digital downloading. There are no “risks” in signing bands that sound great and can proven quantities like Hinder, Nickelback, Daughtry, and Three Days Grace
Comment by realmad — March 28, 2007 @ 6:07 pm
And are* not can
Comment by realmad — March 28, 2007 @ 6:08 pm
Why is it so trendy to bash pop music these days? No, Nickelback is not my favorite band, and the way my money is going, I probably won’t buy an album, but they write solid songs, period.
What exactly are the collective “you” looking for? blazing guitar solos? Sigur Ros beauty? The lyrics of Death Cab? Tell me: how far must your head be up your own ass to not be able to hear, enjoy, and appreciate the work that went into writing and performing a good pop/top 40 song?
Comment by Cheesuscrust — March 28, 2007 @ 9:10 pm
If Nickelback are the saviours of the record industry, then the industry does not deserve to be saved. This is lowest common denominator music that you can feel safe listening to it aroung your parents or your kids. It is wal mart rock. Another Nickelback would mean death for hte record industry not a new life.
The are two reason why bands like Metallica and Gnr were huge: 1) great music 2) mystique. With the internet it is very hard, if not impossible for a band to have the second, so even of they can sell a lot of records, they probably will not become legends. There is nothing record labels can do about this, other than put a band in spacesuits and give each member an alien name.
Comment by Tony — March 28, 2007 @ 9:51 pm
Can someone explain what all the “experts” are looking for? I keep hearing that bands have to be better than NB to be successful, even though the “experts” apparently hate the fact that NB is successful in the first place. Is Daughtry better than NB? No…Is Hinder? Most definitely not…yet both of these bands are doing great. What about The Fray…they’re nothing particularly earth shattering from a creative standpoint, just good sold songs and I challenge anyone to argue with their success. Heck, I’ve seen 3 Doors several times and they’re one of the more boring live shows I’ve seen, but there are still 15,000 people there to see them, and even though they’re not exciting to watch, they still sound great live. So in spite of continued, proven success for the more mainstream rock bands, industry folks continue to downplay them. The garage band sound has been done, the bad haircut, wear your sister’s pants, can’t play my instrument to save my life, but I look cool thing has been done and sold more clothes than CD’s. And honestly, as someone that does buy CD’s, I’m kind of insulted by this constant drumbeat from some of the folks here about how stupid I am for liking certain bands. You may not think you’re saying that, but that’s how it comes across, and that’s a big reason that labels are struggling mightily. And the thing is, numbers are on my side!! This is a business afterall. I’m not saying just go find 100 bands that look and sound like Nickelback and expect them to be as big, but how about getting past the bias and just let numbers talk. It seems like many are trying harder to ignore bands’ independent success than recognizing their potential. Stuff like, “it’s only one market,” or “they’re too old,” or, “kids won’t buy that,” GASP “they’re too much like Nickelback” just get old. You guys know how hard it is for indenpendent bands to get real publicity. So when a band can sustain a national tour and then pop big in the few radio markets they can squeeze into without a label, why not embrace that success rather than try to explain it away??? I’ve seen several bands listed here that have done just that, and yet many here just trash them endlessly. Do you guys just have an aversion to the industry actually making money??? If I’m off here, please inform as to what you would do differently…and it can’t involve making people like stuff that they don’t. That’s been tried more than once and the results have led to this discussion we’re having now. I think many of the industry’s problems could be solved by just promoting good bands with good songs, whether they fit the current trend or not.
Comment by Gary — March 29, 2007 @ 1:16 am
This is off topic (sorry about that). I wanted to know if anyone could suggest a way to seek a songwriting collaborator. I am an unsigned artist and it has been difficult to find someone serious to work with. Thanks.
Comment by Kimberly — March 29, 2007 @ 6:34 am
I guess i missed the day in class where they taught us that selling 5 million units of your new record was a bad thing and not good for the industry! Oh and that having your cd in wal mart, the retail store that is responsible for selling 50% of every physical cd in the United states is a bad thing as well. Come on!! I think everyone on this web site has dropped a point on thier IQ after reading that message. I actually feel a little dumber after reading that message… just because it was so ignorant. WOW I am officially astonished.
Comment by Just a guy — March 29, 2007 @ 8:03 am
Daft Punk. Legends. Mystique. Space suits and helmets.
Comment by A2daC — March 29, 2007 @ 11:17 am
Cheescrust and Tony .. exactly .. those bands had originality to them (GNR, Metallica, Aerosmith) .. and “mystique” .. unfortunately everyone is trying to hard to be different and “original” and it isn’t cutting it. The point is .. if labels keep taking chances on trends and “originality” .. then it will collapse further. Its hard to start an acceptable trend from scratch. Straight up rock has been accepted in our culture for years. “Pop Bands” today do not have “mystique” or “originality” .. they’re bending other styles to hard .. to be something else. Bands like Blink 182, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Atreyu, Coheed and Cambria, are just a select few who received major spotlight in that new “rock sound”. 1,000,000 other bands replicating that sounds will most likely fail in ratings.
Comment by realmad — March 29, 2007 @ 11:34 am
To all of those lamenting the fact that there’s no good music anymore, try listening to a podcast or two that plays indie music. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Comment by Brett — March 29, 2007 @ 12:21 pm
I have .. nothing good in my opin. Thats becoming too trendish too. First we started with Kara’s Flower that merged into Maroon 5 .. now theres Mute Math, Augustana, The Fray, when is going to end?
Comment by realmad — March 29, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
Musical taste is subjective. People are starving to hear new music that they can make up their own mind whether it sucks or not. Just ask internet radio station of the year indie 104.7 iradiola.
Comment by Brett — March 29, 2007 @ 5:20 pm
Brett..tryed to contact 104 all e-mail addresses no good.this still on the air and if so do you know anyone there? thanks larry/ditchwater band
Comment by larry anderson — March 30, 2007 @ 2:42 am
Hey Larry- Just checked their website and it’s fine. Send your music to stationmanager@iradiola.com. His name is Mark Maverick and he’s a really cool guy. Iradiola is great because they have 2 FM signals in the L.A. area and an internet station maxed out with 55,000 listeners at all times. It’s not a bunch of indie musicians sitting around listening to each other. They have an actual fan base. Another site I recommend for your band is numberonemusic.com.
Comment by Brett — March 30, 2007 @ 8:56 am
KOAR..thanks so much for letting Brett post his info..thanks Brett..larry/ditchwater
Comment by larry anderson — March 30, 2007 @ 10:04 am
What are the 2 FM signals for iRADIO LA? What frequencies/call letters? I am looking up all of their statistics and having a hard time matching up real numbers with the numbers Brett posted, as well as the numbers they advertise on their site.
Thanks!
Comment by AJ-KOAR — March 30, 2007 @ 11:10 am
Just a Guy .. if you have aim/e-mail .. contact me on mastamindyo@aim.com .. i’d like to speak with you. Let me know when you send the message!
Thanks,
Real Mad
Comment by realmad — March 30, 2007 @ 12:17 pm
AJ- I think the call letters are KILA. Don’t live in the L.A. area so don’t know how many watts they have. I know 104.7 in the valley is iradiola. They also have 90.3 and 91.7 listed. They claim a 4 million listener reach but I can’t verify that.
Comment by Brett — March 30, 2007 @ 5:55 pm