minimal markets
Derek Walmsley
Can't remember which album it was of the many
that cross my desk, but it was weird to see a shout-out on a fairly
mainstream dance release recently expressing solidarity with those
who have been sticking with it through "tough times in the last
year" – presumably a reference to the economic climate. It's a
strange idea to me that the perceived success or otherwise of a
music venture should be predicated on such a fickle factor as
economic confidence. This may have been just an aside on an inside
sleeve of an album, but it seems to acknowledge that this is first
or foremost a business venture, that they are speculating to
accumulate.
When I first used to glance at the credits, acknowledgments and
copyright info on CD sleeves, I imagined more of a cottage industry
model, where the names that were namechecked were simply those
responsible for getting those notes in the air and sticking them on
a 5" silvery plastic disc. There was no reference to the prevailing
economic conditions, any more than a football team would talk about
the international markets when buying a star striker. Obviously the
economic outlook for a lot of labels is poor at the moment – and
it's obviously the small labels we should worry about – but
referencing the international electronica market in your album
sleeve seems a bit like a great painter blaming poor weather for a
rather dour set of canvases.
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