MAY | WELCOME
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Tom Hall
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“I
wish it was the 60s,” Radiohead’s Thom Yorke opined ironically
on 1995’s The Bends, later regretting that the lyric was taken
literally: “Levis may wish it was, but I certainly fucking don’t.”
The cultural climate that bought us race riots and the Vietnam War
stimulated some vintage tunes (not to mention denim sales), even if
looking back lovingly requires barely translucent rose-tinted glasses.
Regardless, the live longevity of the Stones, Dylan, Young et al is
undeniable, and in 2019, according to Audiencenet research, Classic
Rock is streamed more frequently than modern rock or pop.
We still enjoy the musical fruits of an earlier generation’s rebellion,
but also the rewards of a music industry that nurtured creative
freedom – birthing the records that still fill the Main Stage today.
Our privileging of 1960/70s sounds, much like mid-1700s Baroque,
is understandable, but leaves festivals in a quandary, personified
when an organiser whips out a calculator to see if Fleetwood Mac will
come in on budget. Hint: they probably won’t.
While pirating tanked music revenue from $20bn to $7bn between
1999 and 2015, live music is generating more wonga than ever. Yet, far
fewer headliners are emerging to replace Fleetwood and co.
Could arduous touring schedules, uncertain business models and a
lack of investment in emerging artists be leading today’s mainstream
music to a creative full stop? And will this eventually hit the events
industry in the wallet?
We have acts that will fill today’s arenas for a week, but will they fill
our hearts, minds and Main Stages for a generation? (p28).
Tom Hall, Editor
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