Party Vibe

The UK was once a world leader in the fields of the reative industries (music, TV, radio, journalism) and the manufacture of professional multimedia production equipment…. despite the decline in manufacturing over the years, this was still a healthy market but recently its taken a heavy blow.

in the mainstream – large media corporations and record companies have increasingly swallowed each other up and “removed slack/found synergies within combined operations” – weasel words for a ruthless downsizing and cost-cutting which has effectively removed the career path for many new entrants into the creative industries – unless they can support themselves during what may be several years of unpaid work experience for long hours, a horrendous practice the like of which is not seen in any other industry.

The corporate takovers have created a domination of media and music companies by mostly middle aged, white business managers who could just as well be selling soap powder or underpants – a situation which creates a vicious circle of increasingly bland and “non-risky” content.

This increasingly drives viewers and listeners to abandon channels and record labels who make this bland content in search of more interesting material. At the same time the bosses bleat and whinge, reducing their investment in their companies new talent and tech further due to “adverse market conditions” and “declining ad revenue” (but not of course their own executive salaries….)

As an example, every other month ITV moans about losing the “younger viewers” from age 18-35 – yet having downsized much of the regional production resources (where most of their youth-orientated content came from) it is stuck with using “star names” and making programmes for oldsters in care homes… or riding on the back catalogue of repeats (I once noted on one night on ITV, that 80% of the onscreen talent was actually dead – perhaps it costs less in repeat fees for shows where the actors have passed on?)

The only attempt to “reach the youth” from much mainstream media appears to be a peculiar obsession with dysfunctional behaviour – crime, deviancy, “reality TV” crammed with staged and needless conflict..

The only light at the end of the tunnel is the alternative media and music scene, that started up in the 1980s as production and distribution technology became more accessible and affordable.

The bedroom studio, the pirate radio station, the unlicensed rave – all of these are the new springboards for creative talent in Britain, every sector of the arts is featured here.

But although a few acts may get crumbs from the mainstream media’s boardroom table (curiously often the more dysfunctional ones!), by and large this great wealth of talent is not only ignored but often despised!

Unlicensed entertainment can cause minor nuisances, but in many cases these problems arise because the “proper channels” have simply been “priced out of the market” for the informal organisations set up by young people with limited resources.

it is a misconception that all organisers of such events enjoy the illegality.

It may initially add a slight tinge of excitement; but many do not relish the constant risk of a run-in with the criminal justice system, nor the confiscation of expensive equipment which often occurs (a penalty which far from stopping these events may well even drive some to committing further and more serious criminality to obtain funds to replace equipment!)

Many of these events are run on a shoestring budget and those holding them could not even afford the non refundable license application fees charged by local authorities and Ofcom (for community radio licensing) – and cannot (due to work or education commitments) spare the time to deal with the complicated paperwork and meetings required to obtain licenses; nor dealing with often well-organised lobbying campaigns against their events coming from mostly retired local residents with time on their hands and malice in their hearts.

Yet this scene represents a tremendous reservoir of untapped creative talent – one which is harnessed could be good for Britain as a whole.

New musicians buy instruments and equipment; multimedia editors and producers constantly want new cameras, sound equipment and computer edit suites, the digital revolution creates many opportunities for the IT industry.

Rave organisers who can work without the threat of confiscations and arrests, and whose resources are not swallowed up in licensing fees and paperwork can put on bigger and better events which attract more talent – there is a knock on positive effect to musicans, recording studios, VJ’s and video producers, stage designers…

At the moment quite the opposite is happening.

The present Government – a Labour Government which gained its power in 1997 on the youth vote and made good use of pop music to put across its message – appears to be making it as difficult as possible to organise musical and creative events with convoluted and expensive licensing systems, and this is having an adverse effect on the creative industries as a whole.

A recent check of a trade magazine for professional sound engineers showed a large drop in the amount of sound production work (from live events to studio projects) being carried out in the UK – compared to many other EU nations.

This is obviously a trend which must be reversed.

It needs compromise on many parts – those who produce more “underground” projects would perhaps have to engage with public and private sector bodies more openly to obtain funding and/or advice (at least for “legal” projects such as records and videos!) – but those who provide the funding and advice will have to resist the British tendency to constantly “nanny”, “micromanage” and intefere in the creative aspects of a project instead of providing supportive management structures..

but its something that needs to be done to regain Britain’s lead in the creative industries..