Why I hate X Factor...So very very much

X Factor? More like Z factor: A plea to the sane television producers out there...

Dear top ITV bosses, please make this year’s X factor as quick and as painless as possible. Unlike last year’s, which was about 2 months of crying, laughing, screaming and homophobic jokes (and that was just Danni). As well as badly mimed performances by Cheryl Cole on the night of the final, and a failed attempt at getting I-can’t-even-remember-who, to number one. This was incidentally won by metal band Rage against the Machine with single ‘Killing in the Name Of’ in a Facebook campaign whose main aim was to try and topple the might that is the X Factor. More like the zzz Factor. They didn’t really put up much of a fight did they? In the end Rage were the clear winners with something like 40,000 more sales.

So what can we expect to find on this year’s X Factor? A heavily pregnant Danni, giving birth during the live final maybe? That would certainly make interesting television, or Simon Cowell admitting live on air that his abnormally square head is due to getting it stuck in a vice during woodwork at school. Either way I certainly do not have high hopes for this year. Producers of the show need to realise that unless they change something (or my favourite idea, cancel the show altogether), viewing figures will start to drop, as we have already seen the record sales do. The idea of the show is to turn ordinary people into pop stars, a feat that has failed many times over the years; Leon Jackson, Steve Brookstein, Michelle McManus? Know who these people are? Didn’t think so, but they are all winners of either the X Factor or its former show Popstars. 41 year old Steve is now back singing in his local pub after being dropped by his record label; you can just imagine him sitting next to the elderly locals telling them, ‘I’m off the telly you know.’ And after appearing in various glossy magazines after her dramatic weight loss, people have forgotten that Michelle McManus is even a singer! A television show that has lost its way? I definitely think so.

It has the same design every year; mix together a bunch of deluded singers whose biggest fan is their mum, and you have the auditions. Then add the absolute no hopers, the weirdoes, the comic relief, the angry loser, the sob story, the person who may actually win and the one Simon Cowell wants to sleep with (tall, tanned, massive breasts, long dark hair). Mix in some cliché abuse from the judges, and some pointless remarks from Danni and you have the live finals. Cue the excited final, the British public go mad, ringing off the hook for their favourite loser. And you end up with a wannabe pop star, which is kind of what they were at the beginning, only now they have a record label that will drop them in 6 months and a guaranteed lifetime spot doing panto every year in Coventry or Plymouth.

Someone once said to me, “You might not like it, but 8.5 million people watched the live final last year.” To which I smiled, and casually pointed out, “Yeah, but there was 50 million who didn’t.”

And...

Just for reading all that heavy journalistic stuff, here is something a little bit more light hearted...

Bauer Declares War on Freelances

Bauer music magazines declare war on freelances

Magazine group Bauer are facing a standoff with their 200 freelance music writers and photographers, over a new contract that sees them sign away all copyright.
The document that can be seen in the Press Gazette applies to Kerrang! Q and Mojo, and outlines how freelances are being made to sign away their copyright but still take full responsibility for any legal action that may be taken against them. The NUJ believes this would leave freelance writers completely on their own to face legal action, and many of the writers and photographers are calling this new contract 'unfair'.
Bauer wants to introduce a new contract that,
"Removes copyright and all financial, legal and moral rights from freelances while simultaneously requiring that they provide Bauer with an unlimited lifetime financial indemnity in the event of legal action arising from their work."
They also encourage freelances to, "acquire licenses from their subjects for the company to use their image for its own profit as and when it wishes."
This means that Bauer would have the right to sell the stories or photographs to whoever they want to, without having to make reference to the writers, photographers or even the subjects of the work. The covering letter, sent with the contract to over 200 journalists issues an ultimatum; after April 16th 2010, if the contributors do not sign, they will no longer be commissioned.
The three music magazines involved rely heavily on contributions from freelances so it comes as no surprise that nearly all of the 200 contributors are refusing to sign the contract, being described as 'foolish', 'malicious', and an 'unprovoked and pointless declaration of war on freelancers.'
The three magazines are the first former Emap titles on which Bauer are imposing their new contract; however Managing Director of Bauer’s music titles, Stuart Williams confirmed the company are looking to extend into the other magazines Bauer bought from Emap. Some of which include, Empire, Heat, Closer, Grazia, Match!, FHM and Zoo.
Since a few contributors sent a letter of objection to Bauer the company have told freelances that there will be no further amendments to the contract and the April 16th deadline is final. As a result Bauer now face losing most of its best known music writers and photographers including Q contributing editors Billy Bragg, Miranda Sawyer and John Harris; as well as former Kerrang! editor Paul Brannigan and former Mojo editors Mat Snow and Paul Trynka. Iggy pop biographer Trynka says, "Their behaviour is bizarre and counter productive." And acclaimed photographer Kevin Westenberg said,
"You’ll either have to sign the contract – signing copyright away; sign and be a slave – or not work for them again. I already decided not to sign a long time ago. Never give your rights away. This is your legacy."
The general mood amongst the music freelances is that what Bauer is trying to do is far more than just attack a specific group of music writers and photographers, what they are doing undermines the value of freelance journalism as a whole. It is no secret that being a freelance journalist is tough, and it comes with a number of risks. As well as having a fluctuating income they have to pay for their own equipment, come up with their own office space and training, without any of the statutory sick pay, maternity leave and holiday pay granted to regular staff. What Bauer seem to be doing is all rather odd; do they think that by forcing out all the best journalists they will sell more magazines? From a business point of view it doesn't make a lot of sense.

The Digital Economy Bill

The Digital Economy Bill

We've all heard about the digital economy bill. Despite its quick and quite frankly 'hush hush' passage into British law, you may have heard of it without really understanding it and what it means for you. If you have never illegally downloaded a song off the internet, or played on a gory video game, then there's nothing for you to worry about, but the chances are you have. So here is our run down of the digital economy bill and what it means for you...

The digital economy bill has been passed into law during what is often called the 'wash-up' period. This is where outstanding legislation is rushed through before a general election. The bill covers various aspects of our lives from local television provision and video games ratings, to the powers Ofcom have and how internet domain names are registered in the UK.

What is it? The digital economy bill is a broad selection of legislation aimed at bringing Britain into the 'digital age’; it follows proposals published in June 2009. The bill will touch on many parts of our digital ways of life, but it's the illegal file sharing that has grabbed the most media attention. Measures are being introduced that have been designed to stop illegal file-sharing. This is basically a long and boring set of instructions on how to deal with net piracy.

Why is this controversial? Persistent file-sharers may be disconnected from their internet and copyright holders will be given the power to block access to websites hosting illegal content. It has also caused quite a stir with the politicians, many say the bill has been rushed through, and there are concerns about how this will affect public Wi-Fi services. Universities and libraries have also become worried.

What does this mean for me? In theory, if you do not upload or download copyrighted content, these plans should not affect you at all. But there are an estimated 6 million people in the UK who do, so you must be out there somewhere. If you do download illegally then the government and creative industries hope these new measures will encourage you to use legal services.

Why and when are these measures being brought in? The government has expressed its wishes to protect the UK’s creative industries, which it says is under a threat from piracy. It is more than likely that these measures will be introduced in 2012 if agreed upon. There will be a trial period of a year, and after the 12 months there will be a review. If illegal downloads fail to fall by at least 70% Ofcom will be asked whether more serious measures, such as temporarily suspending internet service or limiting the speed are needed.

Why do people oppose the bill? MP’s from all parties have expressed concern that the laws have not gotten enough debate and were rushed through parliament. Campaigners against the bill say it will not work and only drive illegal file sharing underground. Also Google is concerned that blocking websites may also cause legitimate sites to be blocked as well and some ISP’s are saying that they do not wish to become the internet police.

How will I be detected? The responsibility will lie with the content holders tracking you down, although ISP’s will bear some of the cost. They plan to monitor certain websites which offer links to copyright content and then grab your IP address.

Will this actually work? The music industry hopes so, but a lot of people are sceptical. More persistent file sharers are already using software that masks your IP address, and the files being sent are encrypted. But it’s not really being aimed at the technically advanced minority, it’s aimed more at the majority, which is the teenagers who do it because they can, and think they’re going to get away with it. The government hope the threat of being watched will make them stop.

Motion City Soundtrack 26/03/10

Review of Motion City Soundtrack plus support @ Camden Electric Ballroom 26/03/10

Motion City Soundtrack first appeared in 2004 supporting Blink 182. Four albums later and a whole hoard of followers, the band are back for a UK wide tour, and we caught up with them in Camden’s famous Electric Ballroom.
With support from Jenny Owen Youngs and Free Energy failing to really engage the crowd from the start, expectation was high as MCS took to the stage.
With a look of excitement and confidence as they walk out onto the stage, you can really see how MCS have grown together over the years. The band really knows their audience, kicking off the set with ‘Worker Bee’, before catapulting into a fantastic performance of ‘The Future Freaks Me Out’ to enthusiastic screams from the crowd below.
Despite its early show time, (we all got chucked out at 9.45pm!) the fans were kicking, jumping and air punching their way through every single song the band played. The set was carefully constructed, and had a perfect mix of old and new material. With songs from debut release 'I Am The Movie’, ‘Commit This To Memory' and new album 'My Dinosaur Life' the show was perfectly balanced, whether you were a new MCS fan or an old one.
Without a doubt the most magical moment of the evening was when Justin Pierre delivered a stunning version of ‘Even If It Kills Me’. The ballroom was silent, except for Pierre’s beautiful vocals, and when the chorus kicked in, the crowd exploded, knowing they’d witnessed something a bit special.
Coming back on for one final encore, the band finished off the set in true form with smash hit ‘Everything is Alright’. The fans were jumping and crowd surfing all over the place, knowing quite well that the band could sell out larger venues if they wanted to. The audience left, tired and sweaty, but knowing that seeing them in such an intimate venue is part of what makes it magical.

Ellie Goulding and Passion Pit 11/03/10

Review of Ellie Goulding and Passion Pit @ HMV forum 11/03/10

It was an exciting night for all who turned up at the HMV forum, with performances from BBC’s ‘Sound of 2010’, Ellie Goulding, and Massachusetts electro band Passion Pit.
After the successful release of the bands first full-length studio album Manners, it came as no surprise to hear that the night was a total sell out.
Ellie was a fine support act; I can’t say I’m a massive fan of hers if I’m being really honest. I find her music way to overproduced, and if she doesn’t want to be categorized as another indie pop princess, then standing on stage banging a drum with one hand while dressed in skinny jeans really isn’t helping her image.
Her set was at best watchable, and I admit I did sing along slightly when she played Starry Eyed, but apart from that I was bored by the songs I didn’t know, which was unfortunately most of them. She’s a good enough artist in her own right, and her fans absolutely adored her, but putting her on before an incredibly powerful band like Passion Pit is never a good idea.
Passion Pit, taking to the stage was like a breath of fresh air. In a world of overproduced electro-pop, they somehow still manage to sound new and fresh. Their set was visually stunning, the light show, combined with Michael Angelakos’ falsetto-shrieking vocals was simply magical. The band are quite simply a party band, they’re hyperactive, full of energy as they dance around the stage, and what is most important, they look like they’re actually having fun. There are far too many indie bands that look miserable as sin all the time these days, they need to cheer up! As for the audience, there was not a single member who was sitting down, nor was there a single person who wasn’t singing when the band burst into their current single Little Secrets. And when the show was finished every last member of the crowd was left literally begging for more...Quite truly a stunning show.

Illegal Downloading

Illegal downloading...let’s face it; we all do it, some just more than others. But while the innocent fifteen year old with not much in the way of pocket money just wants to listen to her favourite band, another suited 30-something is making a fortune out of selling pirated DVD’s. Who would you say is the guiltier of the 2? Well, as figures show 6 million of us are illegally downloading our music every year, and a staggering 95% of all music downloaded in the UK is apparently pirated. In 2008 alone it’s estimated that 40 billion music files were illegally shared, which comes at a loss that runs into billions of dollars for the music business. So it’s no surprise that industry bosses are now literally shaking in their designer suits. With the problem seemingly growing each year industry professionals and artists are desperately scrambling for ways to try and stop people stealing their music.
So far punishments have ranged from the harmless warning letters to astronomically high cost lawsuits, and even the suspension of people’s internet usage. But as of yet nothing really ‘official’ has occurred, and music industry professionals are stuck in limbo, losing more and more money each year.
In September 2009 Lily Allen started her blog, and has been seen as somewhat of an industry spokesperson on the subject of illegal file-sharing. Titled 'It's Not Alright' the blog featured other artists' thoughts on the file-sharing topic and included supportive messages from artists such as Mark Ronson, Gary Barlow of Take That and Bat For Lashes' Natasha Khan. A selection of bands and artists have now joined forces to create the ‘Featured Artists Coalition’ that campaign for fair rights for bands and artists. The FAC condemn illicit file-sharing websites that give away music to make a profit, but understand the need of unpaid ‘peer-to-peer’ promotion for up and coming artists. The FAC website states,
“The focus of our objection is the proposed treatment of ordinary music fans who download a few tracks so as to check out our material before they buy. For those of us who don’t get played on the radio or mentioned in the music media – artists established and emerging – peer-to-peer recommendation is an important form of promotion.
“By demanding blanket suspension powers from the Government, the industry is in danger of cutting-off a promotional tool that is of great use to fledgling artists who seek to create a buzz around themselves yet don’t have the financial support of a major label.”
But what can be done to stop 6 million people around the world. This is not the same as the ‘Home Taping Is Killing Music’ campaign of the 80’s and should not be treated as such. Music industry bosses need to stop resisting and accept that illegal downloading is a fact of 21st-century life. Researchers that analysed the downloading of Radiohead's ‘In Rainbows’ (which was made available for free through the official website) found that the majority of fans still downloaded the music from pirate websites.
The authors of the study argue that the record companies need to find new ways to generate income from their music, rather than chasing the illegal downloader’s. For example licensing agreements with YouTube or legal peer-to-peer websites. In other words, they should do the musical equivalent of giving away free sweets and sell the advertising on the wrappers.