Callum Muir’s article on downloading music in the last PRIMEZINE raised a lot of really interesting issues, and accurately summed up how the majority of people from our generation view the quote-unquote music industry, (whatever that is). The labels believe that we, as fans, owe them a living because they paid for a band to record an album. As Callum pointed out so eloquently, we do not.

For years the major record labels have been the only game in town, hiring and firing bands to make room for the latest Pop Idol contestants. Now that the boot’s almost on the other foot, with technology allowing us to get a hold of that new Green Day album for free, decide that it’s garbage and spread the word, they’re not happy about it.

Whether the ‘entertainment industry’ likes it or not, the world has changed, and no matter how hard they try, we’re not going to be going back to the good old days of corporations uber alles anytime soon.

In this piece, I’d like to consider how we got to this point, looking in particular at how technology has affected the production, distribution and consumption of music.

Over the last thirty or so years, it is fair to say that we have seen seismic shifts in the structure of the artist-fan relationship, kick started in my view by punk rock. Punk, for all its inherent flaws, ushered in a new era where music could be recorded, produced, released and distributed by individuals and groups of like-minded friends rather than major corporations.

Bands like the Buzzcocks (with their iconoclastically titled “Spiral Scratch EP”) and Desperate Bicycles (proclaiming at the end of “Handlebars”; “it was easy, it was cheap, go and do it”), aided by punk’s acceptance of less-than-perfect production, showed that DIY music was not only possible, but preferable to the mainstream, which by this time had become staid and tedious. The ever-reducing costs of recording equipment, coupled with the vast technological advancements witnessed since the late ‘70s has allowed increasing numbers of individuals and groups to purchase home recording equipment and “do it themselves”, without needing to secure funds from a record label and/or wealthy relative to enter a studio.

In addition, the cost of physically producing records has also fallen greatly over the years. Indeed, the Desperate Bicycles single “Smokescreen” (which features the aforementioned “Handlebars”) was initially printed on a short-run basis, and lists all of the costs incurred in the production of the single on the sleeve, further demystifying the process.

Ayrshire bands like legendary agit-folk punk band Nyah Fearties and the C86-inspired group the Salt Cellar also contributed to this tradition of DIY production and distribution throughout the eighties and nineties, while more recently Ayrshire-based record label Topplers has been successful in putting out an impressive catalogue of off-kilter DIY releases by artists like Phones Sportsman, the Knockouts and (ex-Feartie) Mr Luggs. It is hoped that our own community record label Wrecked Chord Records can follow in this tradition in the years to come.

With the introduction of social networking sites focussing on the free, artist-led distribution of music and video, it can be seen that this process of music distribution has taken another leap forwards, as anyone can now post their music online and receive immediate feedback. That’s not to say that the media giants don’t still have the upper hand when it comes to which music gets promoted, which artists come up most often in search engines and so on. It’s also not to say that these sites are in any way commendable, generating millions in profit for corporations like News International and Google Inc. But let’s just steps forward have been taken.

The consumption of music also changed dramatically throughout the late 70s and early 80s, as cassette tapes became increasingly popular. Records could now be copied to tape and shared with friends, allowing a greater amount of access to a wider variety of music. This was particularly important in areas like Ayrshire where poverty and income inequality was (and is) significant, and where access to music away from the mainstream proved incredibly difficult. The move towards file-sharing in the late-nineties has taken this even further, infinitely improving access to music, as almost every album ever recorded is available online for free if you care to look. This increased access has also had the side-effect of creating artists that are more and more eclectic in their influences, throwing up an increasing number of interesting genre-crossing bands that don’t sound like the musical equivalent of a cut and shut car.

With this democratisation of the production and consumption of music came similar strides forward in short-run publication. The birth of the fanzine made further dents in the cult of personality in alternative music, as fans could now share their views, review albums without record company attack-dogs telling them what to say, and create a community of like-minded individuals across wider geographical areas than ever before. Ayrshire fanzines such as “Slag! Slag! Slag!” in the early-nineties and the excellent “Runnin’ Feart” (which continues to describe and define the landscape of punk rock in Scotland to this day) have continued this fiercely independent tradition, with the latter having released a number of DIY records itself over the last fifteen years. PRIMEZINE itself is proving to be a radical voice for Ayrshire artists and I am personally very hopeful that it continues on this path.

The widespread take-up of internet access since the late nineties has taken the idea of the fan-community almost unimaginably forward, with the introduction of discussion groups and podcasts being of particular significance. World-wide debate and discussion has become the norm, and from this interaction has come forth a greater equality between independent artists and those working for major labels.

It can be seen then that technology has had a major role to play in improving access to art as well as to the means of its production and distribution. There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that all movements towards equality of access in art for all are to be welcomed, and that the industry’s attempts to control this are comparable to closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Support independent art.

Roscoe Vacant