Prompt's TechBlog
Sheer chart attack
15 January 2007
Posted by Sean McManus
Rock band Koopa this week made history by being the first unsigned act to chart. Their download sales catapulted them into the chart at number 31.
While we've seen the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Nizlopi charting after building up a following online, what's significant about Koopa is that the single was only available as a download. A rule has been abolished that previously meant singles had to have a physical format for the downloads to be counted. That means the barriers to entry have got much lower. While selling downloads is relatively easy (or at least setting up the mechanism to do so is), selling CDs requires access to sleeve designers, pressing plants, a physical distribution chain, salesmen and so on. To sell CDs in a volume that will chart you either need to sign to a record company, or you need to jack in your job and become one.
While Koopa's chart placing will inspire many new bands, it's unlikely to frighten the major labels much yet. They're still sitting on all the money. Many of their acts are like micro-economies, with the livelihoods of hundreds of people dependent on thousands of people wanting to listen to a few songs. The labels won't give in without a fight, and they've always been good at hype.
As long as TV and radio refuse to acknowledge new acts, major labels will have an advantage. While many people discover their music online today, the vast number of podcasts and MP3 blogs splinters the audience and can't match the punch of a TV broadcast on a major channel. It's telling that the top slot in this week's chart was held by someone from X Factor and the highest new entry at number 3 was someone from a BBC talent competition.
Maybe Koopa will fall out of the chart next week, or maybe the attention they're getting will drive them even higher. Whatever happens, a placing at 31 is a great achievement: many of my favourite singles never broke the top 30. If they had the internet as a communications channel and the ability to sell without a label, perhaps they'd still be playing today and they'd still be in control of their back catalogues too.
Whether Koopa will sign to a major now or continue to be independent remains to be seen. Every band wants to reach number one, and that might be out of their reach without serious backing. But wouldn't it be great if they didn't sign and landed the first truly independent number one. That really would transform the music industry.
While we've seen the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Nizlopi charting after building up a following online, what's significant about Koopa is that the single was only available as a download. A rule has been abolished that previously meant singles had to have a physical format for the downloads to be counted. That means the barriers to entry have got much lower. While selling downloads is relatively easy (or at least setting up the mechanism to do so is), selling CDs requires access to sleeve designers, pressing plants, a physical distribution chain, salesmen and so on. To sell CDs in a volume that will chart you either need to sign to a record company, or you need to jack in your job and become one.
While Koopa's chart placing will inspire many new bands, it's unlikely to frighten the major labels much yet. They're still sitting on all the money. Many of their acts are like micro-economies, with the livelihoods of hundreds of people dependent on thousands of people wanting to listen to a few songs. The labels won't give in without a fight, and they've always been good at hype.
As long as TV and radio refuse to acknowledge new acts, major labels will have an advantage. While many people discover their music online today, the vast number of podcasts and MP3 blogs splinters the audience and can't match the punch of a TV broadcast on a major channel. It's telling that the top slot in this week's chart was held by someone from X Factor and the highest new entry at number 3 was someone from a BBC talent competition.
Maybe Koopa will fall out of the chart next week, or maybe the attention they're getting will drive them even higher. Whatever happens, a placing at 31 is a great achievement: many of my favourite singles never broke the top 30. If they had the internet as a communications channel and the ability to sell without a label, perhaps they'd still be playing today and they'd still be in control of their back catalogues too.
Whether Koopa will sign to a major now or continue to be independent remains to be seen. Every band wants to reach number one, and that might be out of their reach without serious backing. But wouldn't it be great if they didn't sign and landed the first truly independent number one. That really would transform the music industry.
# posted by Sean McManus at 3:03 PM 
Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home