Win Butler Takes On The UK Music Industry
Despite how much we talk about Arcade Fire, we never really expected our Canadian heroes to start throwing sharp barbs of scorn around all Brit-style. But leave it to the rabble-rousers at NME to change that in a recent interview with the lead Arcade Fireman. Granted, Butler's talking crap about those who sling shit themselves, but we've never really seen this quotable side of our favorite Win before. He told the mag:
"It's not like we shun success, but at the same time we don't' want to shove it down people's throats. In the UK there's this kind of rock star competition. I don't know if U2 started it, or The Stones or Oasis but a lot of bands think in terms of: 'I'm going to be the biggest band in the world. Fuck all those bands who've got no ambition'. I think that's a total crock of shit.Dude, stop before we ask you to have our babies. Actually don't stop, keep talking. Anything to get the the Noel and Kele quotes off the page."There's nothing less interesting to me than the idea of marketing the fuck out of something so people are forced to like it. Some bands are just manipulating people to buy music. That's how 90 per cent of the record industry works! It's basically the same as selling a fucking toaster or a cruise package."
[Pic from Arcade Fire's show @ Judson Memorial Church, NYC 2/13]
Posted at 12:03 PM in Where's The Beef?
Tags: Arcade Fire
He's right, of course, but what's more amazing is how this incredibly obvious fact goes completely undiscussed 99% of the time. The UK press seems to have a pathological obsession with finding "the next big thing" like, every WEEK. It's weird as hell, and it makes them look silly. I don't get it.
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What's far more interesting than his taking on the music industry is the insult he offers cheerleaders Bono and crew. Doesn't seem like a bridge you want to burn.
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I do read NME to keep up on new artists that have yet to break here in the U.S., but it's almost turned into Teen Beat with its door-sized posters and obvious agenda when it comes to certain bands(Oasis for one). Win is right about "marketing music". The tunes should speak for themselves.
http://mybigmouthstrikesagain.blogspot.com/
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i think that him speaking out ties in pretty well with the arcade fire's ironic "marketing ploys" for neon bible, not the mention its thematic relevance to the album. they're making the right moves.
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since when is having ambition a bad thing?
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"Some bands are just manipulating people to buy music."
Oh the irony.
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I think that Win Butler has failed to take geography and culture into account. The UK is a significantly smaller music market than the United States. It's a lot easier to tour, the music press is still somewhat vibrant and credible. Hell Manchester and Liverpool are only about 40 miles apart, and they're two of the provincial music capitals of that country.
Oh of course...let us not forget that classic Anglo sense of self-importance. Translation: being the biggest band in the UK = being the biggest band in the world.
Win is also comically out of touch with the nature of the business in 2007. Nobody is forcing consumers to buy a damn thing. People download albums, Mr. Butler. Hell, I downloaded "Funeral." Nobody forced me to buy it. And music sales, overall, have been on the decline for the last 6 or 7 years.
Music, believe it or not, is a commodity. And in the majors, it's sold by publicly traded corporations who have responsibility to show profits to their shareholders. Of course they're going to market their products to death. Sorry Win, not everything is gonna gonna sell because of word of mouth, Pitchfork reviews and listings in the back of music trade papers.
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Wait 'gum - so Win Butler's comments are OK but Kele's aren't???
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Win Butler's talking about how ridiculous the music industry is in its sales approach, Kele's talking about how Jack White is somehow not doing his duty by avoiding taking a public stance on controversial political issues. Yeah, I'd say Win's comments are OK and Kele's are bunk.
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No - Win's are "OK" because the Arcade Fire are every hipster's favorite band right now. Which is fine...but if Kele's band happened to be the one that all the blogs raved about every 3 seconds - I'm sure they'd be welcomed with open arms as being SO insightful.
It's all circumstance and context. Win becomes some wise sage because he just so happens to have everyone foaming at the mouth to hear him sprout anything at all - whereas yesteryear's darlings have become petty and boring. "So fucking useless!" indeed, eh?
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What world do you live in Darth? Blogs have been creaming left and right over Bloc Party for quite a while now. The difference here is Kele took a very direct and personal swipe at Jack White for no real reason - other than some perception in his own mind that JW is somehow failing in his 'responsibilities' as a rock star - whereas Win is criticising the music industry in general. Yeah, he names a few artists in his 'tirade' but he's making a broad statement that's honestly true. It doesn't make him a 'wise sage'; just an observer.
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I'd respectfully disagree with Win, I guess. I read british music press (particularly NME, which sets the tone for everything else) because its fun, and it gets me excited about hearing these bands. Do things get overstated? Of course. But... its music. Its supposed to be FUN in many ways.
I don't know. I just think here in the States, most music coverage seems so jaded and hyper-critical, and certainly success is looked down on (see Modest Mouse, The Shins, Bloc Party, etc., etc.). Nobody seems happy with anything. PFork, while great in its own way sometimes, can be downright cruel to artists they don't like. Its no fun for me to read that kind of thing. I much prefer the UK's way, and I think its why they have such an exciting environment for shows and festivals. People aren't terrified to see bands get big over there.
I guess I just still think its charming for a group of 18 year olds kids to believe they can make the whole world love their music, and say so, and try to do all they can to make it happen.
I love The Arcade Fire, though, don't get me wrong.
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I'd respectfully disagree with Win, I guess. I read british music press (particularly NME, which sets the tone for everything else) because its fun, and it gets me excited about hearing these bands. Do things get overstated? Of course. But... its music. Its supposed to be FUN in many ways.
I don't know. I just think here in the States, most music coverage seems so jaded and hyper-critical, and certainly success is looked down on (see Modest Mouse, The Shins, Bloc Party, etc., etc.). Nobody seems happy with anything. PFork, while great in its own way sometimes, can be downright cruel to artists they don't like. Its no fun for me to read that kind of thing. I much prefer the UK's way, and I think its why they have such an exciting environment for shows and festivals. People aren't terrified to see bands get big over there.
I guess I just still think its charming for a group of 18 year olds kids to believe they can make the whole world love their music, and say so, and try to do all they can to make it happen.
I love The Arcade Fire, though, don't get me wrong.
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Nick, I'm not sure what UK mags you're reading because the British music press is a vicious and nasty bunch when they decide to turn on an artist. Hell, NME will spend a year hyping someone then spend the next 6 years inserting snarky comments about them in every article. They make the kiddies at Pitchfork look like amateurs.
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Here in Europe we are soooo tired of NME (British musical press in general...) and its authoritarian way of imposing bands and music fashions. This usually means that we'll have to see those crappy bands in every single festival all over the continent for the next 3 or 4 years at least. And heard them in every club, and in every commercial on TV, and in every radio station. It's marketing violence, I swear...Music press and music industry are together trying to safe their economic profits from the "emule" crisis, so this is their new way of making money...now they don't sell CD's anymore, they sell bands (bad bands, that's a problem...). Sick of it, that's how we are around here...so, I agree with the Arcade man.
From Spain (the country with more summer festivals of the worlds) with love.
Ps. Sorry my English is shit.
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Butler is right, and another thing that this leads to is the backlash phenomenon, which he's been experiencing first-hand for a couple years now.
Think about what these NME morons do to bands like the Libertines: absolutely great, great band, and within an album they crumbled, and now their members have become caricatures of themselves.
And fuck Bono, most of all. What a no-talent douchebag.
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Two words: Arctic Monkeys
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English press can't get over the fact that all the colonies have long dumped the empire, then turned up on its doorstep...it's obsessed with defining Britishness, oblivious to the fact that no-one cares (kinda like Irishness then). This is a point yer man from bloc party has made once or twice before, this nationalist obsession with embodying britishness in a rock star...
with love from ireland, maebh
http://www.myspace.com/youreonlymassive
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