I tend to have my head in other places other than the music industry goss and I couldn't tell you who's hot and who's not. But even I haven't escaped this great bit music industry controversy.
So the first time I heard of Lana Del Ray, I think it was through a friend on Facebook posting something. I checked out the video for “Video Games” and really enjoyed it. Nice video clip, interesting vocal quality and arrangement. Something about sort of 70's American nostalgia ascetic appealed to me. Then I hear Triple J have her as the artist of the week. Then again I hear she's bombed on live performance on Saturday Night Live. So of course I check out her performance on that. People are up in arms saying how rubbish she was etc and I was expecting the worst. To be honest, not that bad. Ok so she lacks some stage presence, and at times she's a little pitchy. Other than that, it's not as bad as people are making out. So it got me to thinking why are people so upset?
One of the claims seem to be that it's all daddy's money and influence etc. that's got her this far. Don't people realise how much things costs? If you want to be on Saturday Night Live, have an album, have an international profile, have a beautifully produced video, we're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars. Does it matter where it comes from? Does it matter if it's a record label or daddy? The interest was originally created because she has an interesting sound and definite appeal. So some people got suckered in and now we find out someone bankrolled it. Big deal. Of course they did.
The bigger shock I believe comes from a different phenomena. People want to believe this mystique about artists and musicians. That it all comes from an impoverished artist slaving away by candlelight suffering for their art, smoking French cigarettes. There is an angle for every artist, most support the impoverished artist image because it works really well and people buy into it. But it takes money (for the most part) to get to an international stage, have an album, have a video, even play gigs. - Rare case of Bon Iver who produced an amazing feat of just that artist slaving away thing I was talking about. But even then, they made sure they mentioned that was in some wood shed in the mountains writing/recording in every press release. - So then, we're considered consumers and we're marketed to. Big deal. Is art supposed to be above all that? Why should we be so upset about it? Is is because it ruins our image of the artist/musician...
Eddie Izzard did a spot on the Project and was asked why he thought comedians had become like superstars. He said that you can't fake comedy. People have become disenfranchised with these pop artist who are manufactured and presented, that don't have heart and soul. Then bomb when it comes to live performance. But with comedy, you either make people laugh or you don't. There's no way of fudging it. Comedians have heart and soul but a lot of the modern performers don't. I get that, I agree with what he's on about whole heartily. There are performers out there who do that though, Del Ray perhaps isn't one of them. Doesn't mean people have to freak out and act all shocked. Yes it's disappointing, but she'll still sell a bizillion albums...
A lot festivals at the moment, ask you to pay to be part of the line up. So you can actually just buy your way in. You have to pay money to be even considered sometimes. Most live music venues want to know if you have a profile big enough to provide punters. What is that essentially about? Money. They can't afford to not have the place full or at least with a few people. Fair enough
So. Back to poor Del Ray. I do feel bad for her. I think what people are most upset with the fact that they are being reminded that this sort of marketing and packaging goes on all the time and that we by it. That we are involved in an industry. A music business. If we are so easily influenced by these things, by these romantic ideas about art and music, then we deserve to have them manipulated . We're naive to think otherwise. Does a song have less merit because you now know where it came from? Art should be able to stand on its own. If you like the song, who gives a toss where it came from or who bankrolled it. Bach got commisions. What't the big deal. If you like the song, it shouldn't matter whether a song was written by an impoverished artist or a trust fund baby.
