Head of A&M's A&R: "Don't give us any more [rock] bands"

Well, isn't this interesting. I was browsing Wikipedia this evening and came across this interesting quote in Wikipedia's article on electropop (one of the "hot" current musical trends):

I think this is a pretty interesting insight into how the current musical environment is operating. Rock bands are like, so over, man. This mentality is certainly reflected in the charts, too, and the number ones. It's now typical for us to go years without any rock songs hitting number one.

I'm not a particular fan of this trend - I think 90% of the stuff on radio is garbage for, well... not smart people. The thing is, there's nothing really stopping "intelligent", good pop from being put out there either. What happened to the days of Hall & Oates, Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna - and who decided Nickelback, Black-Eyed Peas, and Lady Gaga were adequate replacements? Apparently, the A&R people are a part of this equation (duh).

 

that stuff is easier to sell. Normal people don't care enough about music anymore to allow any kind of intelligent rock to reach a wide audience.

Once the Boy Bands and Limp Bizkit happened in 1997, it was all over for rock, at least in the States.

 

Sad. I can only hope that people will start to crave something different and decent hard working bands will come to the top again. Unfotunately this always ends badly (after a few good years, see "Britpop" and "Grunge") as the A&R morons jump on the bandwagon, signing watered down, trendy posuer rubbish, which kills it all over again!

 

It was certainly a sad time to be alive when Limp Biscuit were the biggest band in the world

 

Guess I need to practice up on my dancing skills and get me some new 'club' gear. Seriously though, as long as I have the access to music I do like (which is unprecedented these days) then I could care less if the modern music industry lives or dies. Now get off my lawn!

 

But we can rejoice in the fact that nobody cares about them anymore.

 

We have our classic musical heritage to preserve and I am doing my part.

 

It most certainly was. I think I lost a couple of friends to them.

 

I never liked Limp Bizkit's stuff anyway.

 

Yawn.

 

I'm reminded of a rejection attributed to Dick Rowe over 40 years ago "guitar groups are on the way out".

You really can't predict trends or changes in the music biz.

Punk also took the music world by surprise as will whatever becomes big within the next year or two.

 

I'm profoundly surprised that A&M even has a head of a&r these days.

Thought it was just a phantom label servicing catalog.

I guess he's not interested in Soundgarden's reformation then...

 

there's no market for rock bands? On what planet? What about Kings Of Leon and Coldplay? How about the fact that AC/DC, Pearl Jam and Metallica are all coming off their biggest albums in at least a decade's time? What about indie darlings like Vampire Weekend who score a #1 album despite the fact that mainstream radio doesn't touch them, same with MGMT whose latest debuted at #2?

 

What I hate most about them is how they altered and destroyed what "modern rock alternative" stations played. Nowadays Nickelback, Kid Rock and 3 Doors Down is what constitutes on "alternative" stations while actual alt bands won't get played because the stations are afraid of what a Nickelback fan would think if they heard.... That would be like an "alternative" station in the 80's being afraid to play R.E.M. or The Cure or Depeche Mode because they'd be afraid of alienating Bon Jovi fans.

 

Bah ... tell it to Arcade Fire, Grizzlybear, The National or even 30 Seconds to Mars ... even Depeche Mode (ALWAYS one of my favorite bands) learned how to actually play traditional "Rock" instruments over just samplers, drum machines and keyboards. Face it "Rock" may change but it will never "Die" or didn't A&M get the memo?

To quote Mr Mathers - "A tisk-it a task-it, I'll go tit for tat with anybody who's talking this sh**t that s**t. Chris Kirkpatrick you can get your **** kicked/ worse than them little Limp Bizkit bast**ds, and Moby/ you can get stomped by Obie, you 36 year old bald headed f** b**w me/You don't know me, you're too old, let go, its over, nobody listens to techno"

 

Now's the time to get that Mitch Miller Greatest Hits album out there!

 

What is A&M's present roster of current recording artists, anyway?

 

Ah, for every teen who loves Lady Gaga there is one that hates her. They just haven't figured out how to package the "alternative".

"Alternative Rock" became something as phony and packaged as any other kind of music as soon as record companies found out how to exploit college radio. Something else will come along.

 

"Tour support" and promo is much cheaper if you just have a singer only or a some DJ and his laptop.

 

Well it looks like Dick Rowe has finally been vindicated.... he's supposedly the guy at Decca who turned down The Beatles because "guitar groups are on the way out".

A visionary, 40 years too early.

 

According to Wikipedia, it includes:

Maroon 5
The Hives
Flyleaf
K'Naan
Hollywood Undead
Paper Tongues
Kevin Hammond
Miss Willie Brown

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A&M/Octone_Records

 

Well, there is probably a hole in the market for it right now...

Frankly, I've never considered "Rock" to be the pinnacle in the evolution of modern music, and frankly, have more of an appreciation of the path electronic artists have taken to the mainstream, over the lack of any real development of the rock idiom.

I think there are enough people out there bringing-up the generational re-discovery of Zep, Doors and Cream every ten years or so, to prove my point for me.

 

That's not really the point. Being the head of A&R for a major label puts him a position to know what the trends are, and that's what he was commenting on. "All A&R departments have been saying... [no more rawk]."

 

All Idol wannabees are far more likely to sign the sucker contract. Rock bands may be more interested in doing the indie thing on their own terms.

 

But it's really a catch 22, isn't it? I mean, if the labels put time in developing bands and not focusing on "flash-in-the-pan" trends, perhaps then rock music would be more popular. They need to stop chasing the quick dollar if they want long term success. IMO of course.