blueprintstudios
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the last local cd i bought was B Quartet's smitten bard.. but to be honest I was more showing support for my friend's mix (local recording scene) than local bands.. =P
the scene- good or bad?
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THOA
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Since this is a thread that is meant for a general discussion (which is a bad idea, cos such an open ended topic will see no end to it), I would like to put some thoughts across.
This ongoing campaign we have been having for YEARS; this "Support local music" stand, and it gets really dog-gone tiring. I am pretty much assured that there are plenty of talent pool in Singapore. Those who disagree are either blind, deaf, or just have bad taste in music.
We keep pushing and pushing and pushing ourselves to an audience. We want them to listen to our music and art. We keep telling them, "Hey, we are just as good as our foreign counterparts".
But would I buy an album from a local band or artists, no matter how popular or good they are, simply because I wanna support local music? Quite honestly, no. I don't see the point of buying and having it collect dust in the corner of my room, when I personally don't think the songs in there suits my taste.
In fact, IMO, buying an album for the sake of supporting local music is counter productive. You are giving the band false illusion and hope that one cd sold means one person likes your song, when that person's intention is just to support you cos you're "local".
Let's put it this way: Between CDs from Greenday, My Chemical Romance, Tori Amos, Dixie Chicks and Metallica, I would get Tori Amos and Metallica cos I like the songs. Does that means the rest of em are no good and I do not acknowledge their talents? No, it's a matter of preference.
Now let's put it into local context: Between Ronin, Electrico, Saw Loser, Dick Lee, Taufik Batista, Stompin Ground, and XS One (a local hiphop collective for the uninitiated); I may be wrong, but there are very few of us who would have gotten hold of ALL of those CDs (if any at all). From the list, I have acquired only Stompin Ground's and XS One's (no, really, I have them).
Does that make me less supportive of the local scene? No. Just that I prefer those bands and acts more. I would buy the album and listen to their songs if I LIKE them, not because they are my friends and much less if they are local. I feel that I am being more true to myself, my friends and to the scene that way.
Seriously, you can push the scene as much as you want, jam and gig as much as your body allows you to, be it through schools, community centres, gigs, clubs etc etc. Along the way, you get to gather as many friends as you can, who in turn will support your music by buying your CD cos you're a friend of theirs. But how many of those are buying your art for the sake of your art, and not for the sake of friendship?
When Singapore Idol came about, we have tonnes of critics. When Live the Dream came about, we have tonnes of critics. Yes, the performances of the contestants are bland to say the least. Yes, it's Mediacorp. But it's local, so where's the support that we have been campaigning so long for?
Now, instead of bemoaning about the "lack of respect" or how little sales a band is generating because of the so-called "lack of support" for local music, has anyone actually looked carefully at the bigger context? When you say local, do you not mean the Chinese music market, English speaking market, Malay speaking, Indian speaking market PLUS the many different genres abound in music ie rock, hiphop, electronica etc etc?
Considering the fact that we are a small country, and each of us from different age group and each of us having different musical taste, local music, as a whole, is doing a pretty good job with getting the sales, I would think. If that is the measure of success, we should congratulate each other.
So how DO we make the scene work? The challenge right now is NOT about pushing yourself to an audience. That is easy. There are enough platforms for that.
The real challenge is to get your AUDIENCE pushing YOU to others. If you manage to do that, then THAT's a step forward for the scene.
A million notes worth of cents..
This ongoing campaign we have been having for YEARS; this "Support local music" stand, and it gets really dog-gone tiring. I am pretty much assured that there are plenty of talent pool in Singapore. Those who disagree are either blind, deaf, or just have bad taste in music.
We keep pushing and pushing and pushing ourselves to an audience. We want them to listen to our music and art. We keep telling them, "Hey, we are just as good as our foreign counterparts".
But would I buy an album from a local band or artists, no matter how popular or good they are, simply because I wanna support local music? Quite honestly, no. I don't see the point of buying and having it collect dust in the corner of my room, when I personally don't think the songs in there suits my taste.
In fact, IMO, buying an album for the sake of supporting local music is counter productive. You are giving the band false illusion and hope that one cd sold means one person likes your song, when that person's intention is just to support you cos you're "local".
Let's put it this way: Between CDs from Greenday, My Chemical Romance, Tori Amos, Dixie Chicks and Metallica, I would get Tori Amos and Metallica cos I like the songs. Does that means the rest of em are no good and I do not acknowledge their talents? No, it's a matter of preference.
Now let's put it into local context: Between Ronin, Electrico, Saw Loser, Dick Lee, Taufik Batista, Stompin Ground, and XS One (a local hiphop collective for the uninitiated); I may be wrong, but there are very few of us who would have gotten hold of ALL of those CDs (if any at all). From the list, I have acquired only Stompin Ground's and XS One's (no, really, I have them).
Does that make me less supportive of the local scene? No. Just that I prefer those bands and acts more. I would buy the album and listen to their songs if I LIKE them, not because they are my friends and much less if they are local. I feel that I am being more true to myself, my friends and to the scene that way.
Seriously, you can push the scene as much as you want, jam and gig as much as your body allows you to, be it through schools, community centres, gigs, clubs etc etc. Along the way, you get to gather as many friends as you can, who in turn will support your music by buying your CD cos you're a friend of theirs. But how many of those are buying your art for the sake of your art, and not for the sake of friendship?
When Singapore Idol came about, we have tonnes of critics. When Live the Dream came about, we have tonnes of critics. Yes, the performances of the contestants are bland to say the least. Yes, it's Mediacorp. But it's local, so where's the support that we have been campaigning so long for?
Now, instead of bemoaning about the "lack of respect" or how little sales a band is generating because of the so-called "lack of support" for local music, has anyone actually looked carefully at the bigger context? When you say local, do you not mean the Chinese music market, English speaking market, Malay speaking, Indian speaking market PLUS the many different genres abound in music ie rock, hiphop, electronica etc etc?
Considering the fact that we are a small country, and each of us from different age group and each of us having different musical taste, local music, as a whole, is doing a pretty good job with getting the sales, I would think. If that is the measure of success, we should congratulate each other.
So how DO we make the scene work? The challenge right now is NOT about pushing yourself to an audience. That is easy. There are enough platforms for that.
The real challenge is to get your AUDIENCE pushing YOU to others. If you manage to do that, then THAT's a step forward for the scene.
A million notes worth of cents..
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My friend does not support anything local besides food, as she said.
BUT.
She bought herself The Great Spy Experiment's because she really really liked them.
I quite agree what THOA said about "The real challenge is to get your AUDIENCE pushing YOU to others. If you manage to do that, then THAT's a step forward for the scene."
BUT.
She bought herself The Great Spy Experiment's because she really really liked them.
I quite agree what THOA said about "The real challenge is to get your AUDIENCE pushing YOU to others. If you manage to do that, then THAT's a step forward for the scene."
dearxarson
New member
i agree with mike mann...
SLAYER RULES!!
SLAYER RULES!!
SherT
New member
That be dee powederfool soft feeleters goose.
im-jk
New member
huh?! slayer?
anyway
"
In fact, IMO, buying an album for the sake of supporting local music is counter productive. You are giving the band false illusion and hope that one cd sold means one person likes your song, when that person's intention is just to support you cos you're "local". "
+1
anyway
"
In fact, IMO, buying an album for the sake of supporting local music is counter productive. You are giving the band false illusion and hope that one cd sold means one person likes your song, when that person's intention is just to support you cos you're "local". "
+1
Hi guys, this post is pretty intresting. im sorry to bring this thread back to the whole tour thing but id like to say some stuff about it as well. Firstly id like to introduce myself. Im syed i run invasion productions which in turn runs the school tour series. its planned out for not just the next year but for the next couple of years to come.
So heres the deal, yes visa did mentioned a very valid point. negotiating for the school tour to happen again and this time around for the next couple of years was trying simply because the way the first one was done wasnt "condusive" Yes it did make things tricky.
It was tough to change the overall perspective on the tour and turn it into something that goverment bodies and corporations want to be a part of. However, no matter how difficult it was to change things, it sure as hell is even more difficult to start something.
It is alot of hard work and effort. i know now first hand that it is not easy. and i applaued levan/ronin for doing what they did the first year around. For sure it wasnt it easy, the countless days and nights of planning negotiating and all that stuff. I have the upmost respect for ronin for doing what they did for rockda school.
But now its time for change, and i hope that people here welcome the change coz 2008's tour and all the subsequant years after that are going to be very very very different from the first one.
PS. yes it was supposed to start in 2007, but i needed more time to finalise everything so now it starts feb - march 2008.
So heres the support for school invasion tour 2008.
Who are our media partners?
Radio: 98.7FM
Web: Ripplevox
TV: Channel V
Print: Lime Magazine
Music Institution: FM music
We are endorsed by?
National library board’s speak good English movement
Independent organizations that are involved
Double yellow line,
Aging Youth Online E zine
Rampage on the airwaves
Gilarock.com
So heres the deal, yes visa did mentioned a very valid point. negotiating for the school tour to happen again and this time around for the next couple of years was trying simply because the way the first one was done wasnt "condusive" Yes it did make things tricky.
It was tough to change the overall perspective on the tour and turn it into something that goverment bodies and corporations want to be a part of. However, no matter how difficult it was to change things, it sure as hell is even more difficult to start something.
It is alot of hard work and effort. i know now first hand that it is not easy. and i applaued levan/ronin for doing what they did the first year around. For sure it wasnt it easy, the countless days and nights of planning negotiating and all that stuff. I have the upmost respect for ronin for doing what they did for rockda school.
But now its time for change, and i hope that people here welcome the change coz 2008's tour and all the subsequant years after that are going to be very very very different from the first one.
PS. yes it was supposed to start in 2007, but i needed more time to finalise everything so now it starts feb - march 2008.
So heres the support for school invasion tour 2008.
Who are our media partners?
Radio: 98.7FM
Web: Ripplevox
TV: Channel V
Print: Lime Magazine
Music Institution: FM music
We are endorsed by?
National library board’s speak good English movement
Independent organizations that are involved
Double yellow line,
Aging Youth Online E zine
Rampage on the airwaves
Gilarock.com
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