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

Exactly. Trends = what they can get away with cramming down our throats this week.

 

I dunno.

I just didn't pay any attention.

 

I happen to love 3 Doors Down and think they're way more talented than the other two you mentioned.

Boy, was I in high school at the right time...

 

And people wonder why I listen to 30 and 40 year-old music...

 

Add to that list the "awful" new Black Keys album that I can't stop playing.

 

Oh, the A&R doofus quoted on Wikipedia is named James Oldham.
He's in London, and has been in this position for four years.

Here's his face for anyone who cares to print it out for their dartboard.

 

Development costs. Units shifted. Profit margin. Record label. If I were a young person starting a new 'rock band', these concepts wouldn't even be on my radar, let alone involved for my plans of having a band succeed. I'd be thinking along these lines: Youtube. Website. Download. Tour. Underground. The alternative 'do-it-yourself ethic' worked once before, I see no reason why it shouldn't succeed again. The major labels are in trouble, everyone can see that they're just grasping at straws...

 

Kinda looks like a Nickelback fan.

 

But here's the thing: 80% of new bands coming out are, like, two guys with synths. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- that was true in 1983 also -- it just means the equipment is shifting, but that doesn't mean good music won't be made by 'em. It's just a trend. It'll be here for a while, then morph into something else.

 

^ like Chromeo?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5JoePzqwg4

 

Or two sisters with an attic full of junk instruments and computers?

By far the most interesting rock for me lately hasn't been rock.. it's been that neo-folk-rock-roots stuff like Blitzentrapper and Admiral Radley. And St.Vincent.

 

Fine rock music will always find their ways to indie labels

The existing dinosaur labels will extinct soon, so don't be afraid for the future of new rock bands.

 

I agree. Taste's will change. At some point there will be some rock bands that hit at the right time.

Also Rock music continues to be a very big live draw. Rock bands tend to illicit loyalty amongst their fans (in general).

Eddie

 

I absolutely love the 70's soft-rock/pop glory days of A&M, the ultimate home for some of my favourite smooth and mellow music of all time (and weirdly some great Nazareth records as well!). This is how I want to remember my A&M!

 

There's more to the picture than meets the eye...

 

Matbe this will signal a "Weather Girls" revival!

 

After "real" rock music (Les Pauls, Marshall stacks, real drums) has been away for enough people to forget (how good it really is), it will show up again like it is something new. This happens every 20 years or so with music (and fashion). The band(s) that bring it back will (of course,) act like they invented it. And many will believe that, too.

 

The quote just means that the Next Beatles are just around the corner. They'll start out touring clubs in Rotterdam, playing covers of Gnarls Barkley, Sugababes and Black-Eyed Peas. But they'll also write their own material. ;-)

 

And I love the late 70s A&M which was on the cutting edge of new wave/punk pop (Police/Squeeze/Joe Jackson/Stranglers)-it'd be nice to have that label back too!

 

The dinosaurs are going nowhere anytime soon. Models are changing but they will still be around.

Even indie labels are finding it hard. All labels are as is anyone in the music business.

Eddie

 

Trends= what they have been cramming down our throats for 40+ years!

You and I aren't in their target demo anymore. Get used to it.

The real music is happening outside of the majors anyway. If you're a music fan you gotta look for it, the good stuff doesn't fall on our laps anymore.

If you just want to bitch and moan about 'kids these days' then, well, join the SH Forums I guess.

dan c

 

An American company focus on long-term? Yeah, right.

 

I disagree here. Most of those acts tend to have dancers and large extravagant stage shows to distract from how little musically is actually going on.

To be fair, many rock acts are the same, especially if their running an arena or stadium show that makes them look like ants (though that type tour is usually reserved for bands so established that they're not relying on label help for tour support).

 

Actually, Kid Rock is pretty talented himself, and dares to do things that many others wouldn't touch. How many other performers try to mix hip-hop and Southern rock?

 

Actually, A&M is owned by Universal who themselves are owned by French media conglomerate Vivendi.