Some interesting numbers were gathered by Venture Harbour about music related companies on social networks.
Well, these numbers have to be taken with a pinch of salt as we all know by now that robots and fake accounts have taken over the asylum and social networks had to suppress A LOT OF fake likes and followers: Lady Gaga was recently downgraded by 66.000 but hey, she still has a few millions on the counter. So, who are those companies attracting attention and followers?
Years ago, I had the chance to write a song on an album that went platinum. The excellence of the artist, the magnificients songs (the others, mine wasn't. Hum, we composers we're all the same, aren't we ? ;), the marketing campaign of that album, everything made that album a gigantic hit in France and french speaking territories. It gave me the possibility to renegociate my publishing contract and get real money. I used all that money to put together a (rather comfy home) studio in my lovely attic.
Well, we're not going to lash out on Maggie Tatcher and her politics, let's concentrate on her influence on the music scene in the UK and OMG she was very good at that !
Sometimes, you're just a lost sailor on a demented sea and you just don't see the what's and the why's of what's happening to you And sometimes you do. You have a very, very clear view of what you want, you're no longer battling desesperately, you know what you're aiming. Just like when I wanted to play with Frank Tovey, more known as Fad Gadget, cos it felt so damn right.
I was once the proud owner of a black ARP 2600, the one with the alledgely infamous Moog filter, i did broke my piggie to get one and I had to go to the UK to buy it second-hand. It was love at first sight but I wouldn't say it was the amazing synth people think now it is (a great sfx machine tho) and all the producer of the first recording i ever made wanted was "bullets", the not-so-gloryfying syndrum type of sound that was to be found on many disco records of the time ( it was a cover version of Radioactivity with a band called Digital Dance).
Drugs are a bloody waste of times and if one doesn't realize it soon enough, (bad) chances are drugs will win and kill him or, probably worst, leave only an empty shell of a man.
Going to a gig is always a pleasure and one cannot wait to whistle its favorite song when the smooth singer on stage announces it and the band gently sweep softly into play mode. Well, fortunately, not all bands are like that and while we can think of a few dangerous performers (Alan Vega, Fad Gadget, Jim Morrison,...) the top of the bill is without any doubts Iggy Pop.
I guess starting to become aware of the music surrounding you in the early seventies could somehow make of you a lover of guitars or a hater of thy instrument. I did become allergic to it as it seemed most songs on the radio back then were just gearing to THAT moment: the guitar solo. And to me, that hideous whaling sound of tortured strings was met with unhappiness: the spandex brigade hadn't me as a fan, all the contrary.
Yesterday we spoke about Depeche Mode creating awareness thru a charity:water campaign and it's good to see that some bands use their name and influence to try to make things moving the right way in a society very much geared to glitz, make believe and total cecity when it comes to social problems.
Depeche Mode isn't stranger to charity causes as they already teamed up with the very top-of-the-line swiss watches maker Hublot in 2010. At the time, they organized a concert at the London Royal Albert Hall and all monies from that concert and the auction of 12 very prestigious watches went to the Teenage Cancer Trust. The event and watches sales generated more than 600.000 £ !
