Archive for the ‘criticism’ Category
Me -v- the Critics (A Mission Statement)
In response to some recent criticism, I have decided to finally prepare a mission statement (of sorts). I was asked if I am an expert and the answer to that is yes, to an extent. I may have a good number of qualifications referring to music and the music industry and yes, I have a (limited) experience with regards to releasing material and organising club nights and tours, etc… but none of those things make me an expert.
I am an expert because I am a CONSUMER and I am a mass-consumer at that. I do pick up as much music as I can, as well as going to numerous live shows to see not just bands that I’m interested in, but also to see emerging artists. I also spend an insane amount of time listening to the radio and not just from Ireland and the UK either – it’s so easy now to pick up stations from around the world. You can also spent much of your time trawling around MySpace looking for new and interesting acts too if that floats your boat.
As consumers, we are more clued in now than ever before.
Normally when a person says that they are an expert, they list an amount of qualifications and achievements (etc…) and while that’s all well and good, it ignores the basic principal that consumers themselves know best and whether we like it or not consumers are often the people with the last word. A product or band (or anything really) can have the best producers, the best marketing team and the best image stylists (I could go on forever), but if it doesn’t float the consumer’s boat, it will fail. How long did Six or Hearsay last once they left the comfort of the television studio?
We often roll out the phrase “the Customer is Always Right” and I often find that people are content to view the statement in a 2-Dimensional fashion. Down to its core, it’s reference that the customer will judge whether a product makes it or not and that goes not just for music, but for beans, tea, sugar and everything else.
I may not be a hit-maker in any way shape or form and at no stage have I ever pretended to be, but I hold onto my right to criticise something that I both like and dislike. Criticism does not necessarily mean saying “this is shit” or “this is amazing”, but rather it means going into some depth about the subject and discussing its flaws and its merits. While I may not have any journalistic qualifications or true writing abilities, but I hold on to my right as a consumer to comment on the quality of a product and that includes artists, live gigs, radio shows, etc…
As for “knowing who I am…” or “being a somebody…”, that means nothing, because that fact that I (like others around the world) vote with my money and my feet is what really matters in this industry. I am a consumer and that should be the only thing that matters…
Current listening:
The Velvet Underground “The Velvet Underground and Nico”
Rant over,
Leigh
