The Age has reported that, in scenes straight from
The Office, a video has been released by a coalition of Australian Record Industry figures in which some of countries richest
musicians people, bemoan the rise of illegal downloading and the effect it's having on their industry and income.
The video features members of two of the biggest bands of the last 10 years in Powderfinger and Silverchair. It also includes Human Nature and The Veronicas (pictured), both of whom were included on last year's BRW's Top 50 Entertainers list. In 2007 they earned $1.9 million and $1.7 million respectively.
While illegal downloading is certainly a topic worthy of debate, perhaps using some of the richest people in the country as mouthpieces was a poorly thought move by the labels. Framing some of their most iconic and richest acts as struggling
artists, to fans who long ago embraced the kind of technology that the
industry has been trying to control and/or veto for years. Not to mention using iconic musicians regularly marketed to the nth degree, above the tagline "Australian songwriters and musicians speak out on the realities of life as an artist". Artists who have in turn embraced the
slight returns and high overheads traditionally expected of them from
major labels. A Centrelink logo underneath might've had a more cutting effect.
Some excellent moments in the video:
"It's ruining our industry because artists aren't making money from it,
record companies aren't making money from it" say The Veronicas, who
earned 1.7 million dollars last year.
"Even when you do get some money, it's not a lot. Out of those sales
you have to recoup all those album costs" says Anthony Caella, who
holds the record for the highest selling Australian single of all time. His last two albums have sold 2xplatinum and gold respectively.
"We sort of got out there because we put our music on MySpace and FasterLouder and all these different music websites. You know
technology is amazing how it can spread the word" says the drummer from
Operator Please, contradicting the thrust of the entire video.
"There becomes a point where you've gotta make X amount to be able to continue, you know, unless you want to be an old mate that lives in Byron Bay and sits in his hinterland shack and just plays an acoustic guitar" says Ben Gillies from Silverchair. Conjuring a scenario a multi-million strong workforce would no doubt find fairly attractive.
"It is a lengthy process." says a member of the band Gyroscope, whose latest record debuted at number one recently. "It's probably like a year, to actually get the record together" his bandmate adds. See above.
"You can't keep making records if you're not making money. You're trying to feed yourself at the end of the day and it's a job and you've gotta live off it. At the end of the day you get older and you've gotta make ends meet" says rapper Phrase. Sitting in front of ten pairs of box-fresh new sneakers.
Amazing.
Watch the video at
www.in-tune.com.au.(Pic: The Age)