Izzo & Ramso bring you another simply thrilling installment of their
wandering rants...
Colin Ramsay: I have lately been downloading squillions of tracks from Kazaa and I feel a little dirty, I must admit - broadband has cheapened me. But then I went to HMV and saw that they wanted to bend me over AND DO ME HARD for a copy of The Delgados' Pelaton.So am I screwing bands by downloading? Or am I paving the way for a bright future with lots of flowers?
Izzy Brooks: Well the thing is....I often will download stuff - see if I like it and if I do will go out buy the cd, cause if it's worth having then you
gotta have it properly yeah? So in a way I think being able to download
mp3's is doing the industry a favour. There are several cd's that I
wouldn't have gone out and got if I hadn't had tasters off the net first.
But beware HMV will do you every time!!! They are profit mongerers.
This is what Amazon and CD Wow are for. Duh.
CR: See you're the flip side to me - you'll buy albums if you've downloaded a sample. I usually won't. I get the music, I can download it at good quality. I'm only usually interested in the music, not the media or the sleeve notes.
IB: Yeah but the quality ain't all that good sometimes. Anyway I'm only
usually interested in the sleeve notes if there is agreeable photos of
hair in them.
CR: I can usually find decent quality versions of what I'm after, I suspect that's cos I'm better looking than you.
IB: True. But you don't have better hair though.
CR: Always with the hair. Damn you. Anyway, I just wanna screw over the record companies, not the bands. If I could find a better way for doing it then I would, but at the moment I like using MP3s as a way of listened to much more music than I used to. Which is the main thang.
IB: Right well recently I got involved in the great music debate that's
lurking somewhere on The BBC website and my question was: "Does anyone in the industry take my point of view that the constant issuing of singles and sometimes albums in two or three different formats in an effort to encourage sales of a product is in fact overkill?" Surely only the most hardcore of fans will snap up the same Cd three times just because each has a different sleeve or B-Sides etc. I don't know about
when that old cliche is rolled out."
CR: This is a great topic. Remember when Embrace started out and we'd get four songs and it'd be a proper EP? Industry pressure sorted that out and now we've got three songs to an EP, it's bollocks. And the separation between the single and album chart is related to this too - kids who follow this week's trend will, as you say, buy each copy of a heavily marketed single. The album chart tends to be more moderate, perhaps the price of albums (another topic in itself) means people who are purchasing albums are making more considered purchases.
But another thing to think about is how the single is going to feature in the future. For kiddie band and one hit wonders they are everything - people tend not to be too arsed about the albums from those artists. But by contrast, those who sell lots of albums will tend to only scrape the top 20 with their singles. It's all very interesting. For me, anyway. But I'm a geek so... y'know.
IB: Yeah those were the days and it made it feel like you know you were spending your £3.99 in a worthwhile manner for a single and 3 top quality "b-sides". Most of the time nowadays you don't even get 3 songs to an EP, I know there are exceptions mainly in then alternative genre releases, but these days you get the single and then 2 shite remixes or one and a video. I have given up buying singles, I haven't really bought singles since the demise of the seven inch single. Then it was great to own
a piece of vinyl, possibly cause the artwork looked better being that it was on a slightly bigger scale than 25 cm x 25cm. Yes I know it's geeky, but I am quietly pleased about the slight resurrection of 7 inch singles lately. I am the proud owner of 3 of the recent Longview releases on vinyl. They just look so much better...so shiny.
CR: Which Longview single was that?
IB: I have Further, Nowhere and Falling For You. Ok so only one b-side as it were but they just feel so much better.
CR: So how many singles have Longview released now? Before their debut album has come out?
IB: Think there have been 5 so far. But 2 were only released in limited amounts through independent record stores never intended for charting. As a thank you to the fans, which is fair enough. But I know the upcoming re-release of Further next month is probably going to be on different formats and there is already a Longview vs Elbow remix of it, which kind
of grates on me as it didn't take long for them to start the great let's flood our fans with choices scenario.
CR: Mmm that sounds fair enough. I thought they'd peaked too soon, it's probably not the best-orchestrated marketing campaign I've ever seen though. The Elbow & Longview thing does smack of cynicism though, but I'm sure it sounds quite good. It sounds a bit too much like one of those remixes to fill out the single that you were on about.
IB: Don't get me wrong I will buy singles - I am not completely cynical about it, one of the last purchases I made aside from the Longview vinyl was Bring it Back - McAlmont and Butler, even though I already had the album and why I hear you ask? Well it contains the video of said song and Sir Bernard of Butlershire flicking his sharp new hair do around in a very sexy manner. Well worth the price and the knowledge that really I am being scammed by the powers that be. Basically when it comes down to it I am as gullible as your average 12 year old Westlife fan (spit).
CR: I can confirm that CD was a good buy for you as I've seen said vid about seven zillion times at yours. Which is fair enough, because it's Bernard Butler, who IS sex.
IB: Er...should I be worried about you. Do you think about Bernie alot, whilst driving in your gay car...to the gay bar! :p
CR: Only when he's playing his guitar. Wait, does that improve things?
IB: No, in fact I think it makes it worse.
CR: There's already a theme developing in these articles and I don't like it one bit. So, that, er... Kylie eh? Phhwwooaarr!! Nice arse or what?
IB: What the pint sized pop pixie with the nasally whine? Stick to Bernard Butler, no matter that it makes you gay it's far more cool and credible.
CR: Kylie is a bit of a sensation though, what's your take on her style of petite-pop? She's had a long and varied career and hey! at least she's better than her sister!
IB: I think she sounds like a cat been strangled. No well....I suppose she is good at what she does...over produced fluffy pop. I can't take her seriously I am afraid especially not after that laughable appearance when she "rapped" with Timberlegs at the Brits. Guffaw.
CR: You've just mentioned Timberlegs to make me come over a little gay, haven't you?
IB: Don't worry I think it's probably quite a common thing to come over a little "gay" at the mention of the rubber legged one. Possibly cause most men want to be him and if they can't well they'll just settle for radically changing their sexuality so they can sleep with him instead.
CR: Timberlake is a sensation. People are starting to talk about his fans as "bandwagon jumpers" and you know that artists are getting important when that old cliche is rolled out. The slogan for this installment: "TIMBERLEGS - BECAUSE WE'RE WORTH IT".
IB: If only Timberlegs were a shampoo, then I'd wash my hair everyday.
Izzy Brooks, Colin Ramsay.
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Or click here to read Izzy and Colin's views on the last 12 months in the music industry.
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