Music Week
12th July
[...] It’s not so often we get to print a picture of a true music industry legend, let along one in such incredible clothes. So we were pleased to be able to run this snapshot of Aim chairman Alison Wenham with the one and only Chris Blackwell. The shot was taken when Andy Wood of Tough Cookie interviewed Blackwell for the Independents Day TV programme at Wenham’s house… [...]
Record of the Day
7th July 2008
Friday marked the culmination of a series of fundraising events by independent music companies around the world “to remind us there’s a lot of life outside the Big Four.” [link to The Register, below.]
The Independent
Alison Wenham
4th July 2008
How the will of the people is creating a new democracy in music
Today is 4 July, and there is no more fitting a date to hijack for the purpose of celebrating our independent musical history than the American Declaration of Independence. After breaking from the British, the Americans enshrined a constitution so all-encompassing in its vision of law, governance and society, that it has provided stability to a diverse and massive geography and population for more than 200 years.
The 1776 Declaration of Independence remains one of the best-written documents on the characteristics and behaviour of tyranny - in the Americans’ case, of course, of the British King and the British Government.
It states: “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive? it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organising its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
This is a wonderful, simple and eloquent statement which refers to the notion of happiness as a goal, as a right, and as a responsibility of State. Balancing power between the will of law and the individual rights of the people has since produced a society in which popular music, art, film and literary expression have flourished.
And so it is in the music industry today. After many years of the seemingly unstoppable growth of the multinationals, the will of the People is creating a new democracy in which popular music, art and film are being produced in an explosion of creativity. Freedom of musical expression is with us again, and it is making people extremely happy.
Happiness is a seemingly odd goal in today’s uncompromising world, but music does make people happy, and that’s why thousands will congregate in the fields and streets of Britain over the summer to listen to music.
Linking the American Declaration of Independence and the Independents Day, our own musical celebration, is a bit of a stretch, except that both share the same principles - to be free from a controlling, overbearing, Old World system of control whosetime has past, and which can no longer seek to dominate and repress freedom of artistic expression and the right to be happy.
So, to all Americans, a very Happy Independence Day, and to all music lovers, Happy Independents Day.
Alison Wenham is chairman and chief executive of AIM (The Association of Independent Music) www.musicindie.com
David Taylor
4th July 2008
David Steele, managing director of Embryonic Music
We aim to nurture and develop new talent
[...]Then it’s back to the office to check e-mails. I get an update on the artwork and production of the Independents Day album. We have spent the last three months putting it together and are now at the manufacturing stage. We have been sourcing tracks, commissioning recordings, briefing artwork, coordinating mastering and liaising with all the parties involved. I update Alison Wenham from AIM and Marie Henley of Get It Organised, who have also worked tirelessly on this project. We are extremely proud to have put together an album which celebrates the vibrant independent music sector. [...]
indieLONDON
http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Music-Review/independents-day-id08
Jack Foley
RELEASED on July 4 to mark the first annual Independents Day celebration, Independents Day - ID08 is a unique compilation featuring some of the finest international artists recording for British independent labels today, covering the independently released tracks that influenced their careers.
A double CD for the price of a single, CD1 sees the likes of Tom Smith from Editors, Jack Peñate, The Prodigy and José González covering artists as varied as Joy Division, Oasis and Metallica, offering unique takes on some much loved classics. It includes several previously unreleased exclusive tracks.
CD2, meanwhile, gives us a glimpse of tomorrow’s stars as the first disc’s acts take the A&R reins and select some of their favourite bands.
Only available in shops for three days (and online for a month), Independents Day - ID08 is guaranteed to be a collectors item for years to come, and with the proceeds from the album benefitting C.A.L.M., the Musician’s Benevolent Fund and supporting independent music initiatives, it’s good for both your ears and the independent music community at large.
Highlights are plentiful… it’s good to say. And there are some really interesting cover versions. The Prodigy’s take on The Specials’ Ghost Town gets things off to a flyer and is surprisingly reverential to the original (only drawing on Prodigy trademarks late on), while Infadels cover The Raconteurs’ Steady As She Goes brilliantly.
Robyn’s pop classic With Every Heartbeat gets an interesting indie makeover from The Futureheads that, vocally at least, sounds like The Cure’s Robert Smith has suddenly assumed frontman responsibilities, while Jack Penate delivers the goods on Beats International’s classuc Dub Be Good To Me.
Not everything works as well as it might. Feeder’s take on PIL’s Public Image is one of several tracks that failed to convince, as did The Charlatans’ instrumenta take on New Order’s Murder. It felt a bit pointless not to have Tim Burgess contributing vocally.
And Devendra Banhart’s spaced out, kooky take on Oasis’ Don’t Look Back In Anger is just plain weird and doesn’t really work.
But worth adding to any collection are Jose Gonzalez’s cover of Joy Division’s seminal Love Will Tear Us Apart (surely confirming him as one of the cover artist kings of the moment), while Rodrigo Y Gabriela bring their mercurial guitar wizardry to a thrilling instrumental rendition of Metallica’s Orion.
Of the new artists who make an instant impression on CD2, Oceansize combine dream-like, ethereal beauty with thought-provoking lyricism on Savant, Cougar demonstrate some beguiling acoustic brilliance on the uplifting, tender Merit, and Little Dragon some kooky, leftfield warmth to Twice.
Keep an ear out, too, for Basia Bulat’s lively In The Night, Jose James & Flying Lotus’ supremely soulful Visions of Violet and Laura Groves heart-warming acoustic folk track I Am Leaving, which draws things to a supremely satsifying, summery close.
All in all, then, a cracking listen that capably celebrates all things established and emerging independent.
Download selections: Ghost Town, Steady As She Goes, Dub Be Good To Me, With Every Heartbeat, Orion, Love Will Tear Us Apart, Visions of Violet, I Am Leaving, Savant
The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/04/indies_day_interview/
Andrew Orlowski
4th July 2008
Interview Did anyone, I wonder, ever buy just one Motown single? Or just one 2-Tone single? And while you’re pondering… can you even remember what major label your favourite artist is on? Unigram, perhaps. Or Polycorpse.
The received wisdom today is that the record label is doomed. Not surprisingly, since the Big Five (now Four) labels have done everything they can to persuade us that the label is doomed, too, over the past ten years.
But the indies would like to disagree. Today marks the culmination of a series of fundraising events by the independent music companies around the world to remind us there’s a lot of life outside the Big Four. Independence Day 08 today is organized by WIN, the World Independent Network, to promote the indie cause and, er… network together.
Certainly they’ve contributed most of the positive thinking in the music business in recent years - the indies licensed Napster, preferring to do business with it rather than close it down. They’ve created Merlin, a one stop licensing outfit, which majors should have done but didn’t. So they deserve to give themselves a pat on the back.
Sharp-eyed readers will note that 2-Tone, after the first few minutes of its life, was a major label operation. But these days, Sir Macca and Radiohead have deals with indie labels.
There’s no doubting the contribution, financially and artistically. Indies make up 27.5 per cent of recorded music sales and over 80 per cent of the new music that’s released. (They don’t have huge vaults of back catalog to release and re-release. Not even the many indies dedicated to reissuing old music have this luxury.)
Independents are defined by a very different business model to the majors. Instead of splashing large cash advances at a number of acts, hoping one will generate enough income to pay it back in royalties, indies will offer a 50:50 deal, although there are as many variations as there are indies.
So to mark indies day, we dived into our archives and pulled out an interview with WIN president Alison Wenham, from a few months ago.
On file sharing:
“We need to find the ’sharing button’ to our mutual benefit. Consumers can get on and enjoy copying and sharing at their own will. When you take that away people feel strange - they’re not being ‘bad’ anymore.
“The behaviour of people is defined by the denial of access. It’s going to be a soft outcome - we remove the motivation to do it.
“It’s interesting that despite being an industry that’s had its obituary written countless times by people who have achieved celebrity status themselves by becoming the witty antichrists of the record industry, we’re still putting out great music. This rather ‘pointless’ industry of ours has acquitted itself rather well in another year where there’s enormous pressure on revenues. It’s turning the Titanic around.”
On marketing:
“Fragmentation in the media is a mesmerizing prospect. With push-marketing you control the time and place and position. With the exception of the X-Factor, the ability to push market is disappearing. You’ll see an explosion of little things becoming large.”
On licensing music:
“I don’t agree with Pete Jenner’s view for a blanket license. It has to be voluntary and that’s where the alignment of interests is so interesting. I don’t agree the bundle approach - you can’t tax people for something they don’t use, when it’s a leisure activity. You can’t tax it.
“You should want to pay for it; there’s much more good to be had from a voluntary approach. And where will it stop - TV, film? Everybody would want some. So either that two Euros becomes horribly diluted, or it becomes 10 Euros and you’ve taxed everybody for stuff they don’t use, and you’ve negated the purpose of the exercise. It has to be a consensual opt-in.
“There will be ISPs who want to have the conversation, and ISPs who don’t, and it will help to isolate the unwilling.”
And what will the new world look like?
“I don’t think anything is designed to be the answer. It’s a way to liberate the consumer from certain restrictions - because our copyright today only allows us to certain things. A simple example is having the CD of the gig five minutes after leaving. All the secondary revenue opportunities have yet to be explored.”
On the majors:
“I have full sympathy for the majors. I don’t get off being indy schmindy. I want this industry to survive and there’s room for everybody. But my constituents are much better placed, and that’s why they’re doing well.”
Blogs
Spinning Indie http://spinningindie.blogspot.com/2008/07/independents-day-08.html
Snob’s Music http://snobsmusic.blogspot.com/2008/07/various-artists-independents-day-08.html
Nickjamvendetta http://nickjam.blogspot.com/2008/07/yet-another-list.html
Pampelmoose http://www.pampelmoose.com/mspeaks/2008/07/independents-day-today
This is Just a Modern… http://radiondn.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/independents-day-id08/
Paul Capewell http://www.paulcapewell.com/2008/07/independents-day.html
Audioporn Central http://www.audioporncentral.com/2008/07/independents-da.html
Electrogarden http://www.electrogarden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2146
Andy on the Road http://andyontheroad.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/independents-day-2008/
Radio:
- 6music - all indie all day, 4th July
- Zane Lowe, Radio 1, 3rd July
- Loz Guest, Kerrang!, 30th June
- XFM (see online below)
Print and online:
- Drowned in Sound, 4th July 2008
- CMU Daily
- Independent Music Magazine (special edition with cover story), 4th July
- Times Online, 4th July
- Teletext Planet Sound
- Record of the Day, 4th July
- Record of the Day weekly magazine, 3rd July
- Telegraph, 3rd July
- Record of the Day, 3rd July
- XFM, 2nd & 3rd July
- Rawrip, 2nd July
- Indie Heaven
- What Gives?
- Song By Toad
- Loudersoft
- Breck Road Lovers
- Livejournal
+ coverage of Independents Day around the world
Radio coverage
- BBC 6Music, 4th July 2008
http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/events/indie/
All Indie All Day - playing only indie recordings all day from 7am-9pm
Don Letts talks Independents Watch a video of Don talking about what Indie labels mean to him & you can join the debate too…
Start Your Own Label! If all this talk of independent record labels has got you fired up we’ll take you through what you need to start your own.
Indie Crib Sheets Know nowt about Independent labels? Try our handy Indie crib-sheets and impress people with your new found knowledge.
ID08 is album of the day
[...and plenty more]
- Zane Lowe played The Prodigy on his show, 2nd June.
- Loz Guest played The Prodigy on his show on Kerrang! Radio, 30th June.
Drowned in sound
http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/3590082
Mike Diver
4th July 2008
Independents Day 2008: three labels on what it means to be indie
Ladies, gentlemen: today (July 4) is the first-ever Independents Day, where one and all can celebrate all that independent record labels have done to enrich the lives of all who consider music as vital to their ongoing existence as the heartbeat that drives the blood about their bodies.
Released to mark the occasion is a double-disc album, featuring a wealth of popular groups covering songs by artists that have inspired them - British Sea Power doing Galaxie 500, The Cribs doing The Replacements, Maximo Park doing The Go-Betweens - and a selection of new artists, with new voices, as picked by disc one’s movers and shakers. Among the crop: Oceansize as picked by Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Thomas Tantrum as picked by The Futureheads, and Electricity In Our Homes as picked by The Charlatans.
Find out more about the album here, at the event’s official website.
DiS has always supported independent labels and musicians - every month we host special free-entry DiScover shows in Londonand Sheffield, and cover the very best emerging acts around, from home and abroad. With this in mind, we invited three of our favourite indies to comment on the notion of Independents Day, and on how they have continued to succeed in a marketplace dominated by The Big Four that make up the world’s major labels.
—
From Southern Records (website)
Having successfully operated on an independent level for 30 years (our first release, by CRASS, was in 1978!), Independents Day has a particular resonance for Southern.
I often joke with friends that I ‘fought the Punk Wars’ for all the kids who, in 2008, are able to record and release records from their bedroom. (Though I wasn’t around when CRASS released their first records, personally I was really active in the early 1980s in America - when labels like Dischord, Alternative Tentacles, and Touch and Go were putting out their first releases.) It wasn’t easy - getting the money together to go into a recording studio (no home computers back then!), finding a pressing plant that would work with you, and then finding a distributor who would sell your records and pay you. When stores started only accepting records with bar codes, that was a HUGE issue for a lot of small labels, getting registered and having access to bar code numbers when you’re just running a label spare-time from your garage. All the little, everyday battles that had to be won to keep releasing records. This was only 25 years ago. I think people forget what the world was like before the internet and digital recording.
So, on Independents Day, I’d like it if people could spend some time considering what battles were fought and won in order to get us to 2008, where it’s possible for pretty much any individual to record, release, distribute, and promote a record. The process has been democratised through technology, but also because there were labels that fought for the right to compete in the marketplace as an independent. In the UK it was labels like 4AD, Mute, Beggars Banquet, Rough Trade, Cooking Vinyl, and Southern who fought for independent charts and who financed independent distributors, because it was important to have the ability to trade without the interference or the patronage of major labels. I think the lines have become blurred between majors and indies, which on one hand is a good thing because it should be invisible - if bands on majors and indies have an equal chance of success, that is definitely a triumph. However I am concerned when I talk to bands and they don’t seem to care if they are signed to a major or an indie - they don’t necessarily appreciate the difference between being signed to EMI, which answers to its public shareholders, or Domino, which answers only to Lawrence Bell. I think it’s a critical difference and one that a band would be foolish to underestimate. Everyone needs to understand what a huge difference, and a privilege, it is to be truly independent.
For Southern, I hope that we are as fiercely independent today as we were 30 years ago. New labels that we work with, like Upset The Rhythm, really give us a great hope for a bright independent future. It may be easier to run a label than it was in 1978, but for us it’s still a struggle to maintain independent integrity in the global market. We’re not giving up yet!
Words: Allison Schnackenberg
—
From FatCat (website)
We feel incredibly blessed to still be running FatCat records after 18 years in the business. Running the label is a real challenge, not only financially but also creatively. Particularly with results of technological changes and the state of the industry in the past couple of years, it’s been a constant struggle to stay afloat and on top of things. We are on a constant learning curve - hopefully each year we work out ways to do things a little bit better and to stay ahead with changes.
Whilst we’ve grown considerably from where we started out with just two or three people doing everything ourselves from an office the size of a cupboard, and come to a point where we have to cover sizeable overheads, our focus remains on trying to keep that sense of excitement we first had and putting out music that we love and believe in, not in following some lame scene dreamt up by a music paper or in trying to only release things that we know will sell in large numbers. It’s a balancing act between covering your bases financially and trying to push through new music that you believe should be heard; between working with artists who you feel are able to sell a decent amount of records and others that you know will not, but whom you love no less.
For us, being an independent also means standing up for yourself and staying true to your core beliefs and having some frame of ethics in the way you behave as a business, deal with people and represent your artists. It is a labour of love beyond any kind of financial reward. We’re not in a position to get involved in bidding wars over signing an artist, and that’s something we’ve never wanted to be involved with. We still listen and respond to every demo we get sent, and that’s been where majority of our artists have been discovered. We are proud of our back catalogue and the nurturing, close bonds we’ve developed with most of our artists. We try and work with artists with a great sense of integrity and creativity and attempt to develop our label in the same way - running an independent label is a creative act of guardianship that you want to stand up in retrospect as a really strong body of work.
—
From Wichita (website)
Independence for me equates with passion, innovation and belligerence. The joys of not having a boss are often offset by the stress of having to pay the bills and knowing that your whole business stands or falls on your own personal taste in music…
For me though, ultimately I think the fact that 99.9 per cent of the universally acknowledged greatest artists of the last 30 years began life on independent labels provides the best proof that they are the lifeblood of the music business.
Words: Mark Bowen
—
Discuss: What indie labels out there are genuinely taking the fight to the majors, and releasing records that light up your days like massive-sellers like Coldplay and their ilk can’t, quite? Is there that much of a difference in the way you personally perceive an indie label to operate compared to a major? Are you more a fan of an individual putting his or her reputation on the line to present an artist to the masses, or would you prefer to hide behind a marketing team? Beans, spill yours as Independents Day ticks by…
CMU Daily
4th July 2008
ALBUM REVIEW: Various Artists - Independents Day 08 (Independents Day Recordings)
Released to mark this here Independents Day ‘all indie labels are groovy’ project, this compilation features two discs of music from a variety of UK independent labels. All groovy labels, obviously. Disc one features established artists, including The Prodigy, Infadels, Jarvis Cocker, Beth Ditto, and British Sea Power, covering some classic songs by artists who influenced them. Then, on disc two, those artists on the first CD and a few independent label bosses tip a song by one of their favourite new artists. Available for a limited time only, all proceeds go to charity. This is all good, particularly because we at CMU love cover versions. Especially good cover versions, of which there are many here. Particular highlights come from The Prodigy, with their cover of The Specials’ ‘Ghost Town’, which could have been disastrous but is far from it (probably because it’s an instrumental), Jack Penate’s version of Beats International’s ‘Dub Be Good To Me’, and Feeder’s reworking of PiL’s ‘Public Image’. The only real downside is Jose Gonzalez’s take on ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, which has been floating around for a good couple of years and is still bloody awful. On disc two, we get a good variety of new music (even if some of it is actually quite old). Particular bands of note here are A.Human (recommended by Infadels), Bang Bangs (recommended by Feeder), Cougar (recommended by MaximoPark), The Tenderfoot (recommended by British Sea Power), and Goose (recommended by Skint). So, all in all, well worth checking out. And ‘Independents Day 08′, remember, isn’t just a compilation, it’s a celebration of the very healthy nature of UKindependent labels, despite all the doom and gloom that usually looms large over the music industry. So go on, celebrate. AHM
Independent Music Magazine
Marcus O’Dair
4th July 2008
Songs of freedom
A double CD celebrating independent music in the UK is released today, on which established names promote up-and-coming bands.
The Fourth of July is, of course, Independence Day, when America celebrates the occasion, back in 1776, when it declared its independence from Britain. As of this year, however, it is also Independents Day, a worldwide celebration of a different kind of liberty: that from Sony BMG, Warner, EMI and the Universal Music Group, who together constitute the major record labels. It didn’t even take a revolutionary war.
CLICK HERE to listen online.
Thanks to falling sales and illegal downloads, current tales regarding the music industry are usually those of doom and gloom. Yet while it faces these same problems, the independent sector - a concept now entirely separate to that of indie music, many of whose leading purveyors are signed to one of “the big four” - appears to be in an increasingly rude state of health.
Independents have always done well in terms of critical acclaim and this shows no sign of changing, independent- signed acts having won the UK’s prestigious Mercury Music Prize four out of the last five years. Yet Domino, Rough Trade, Warp, XL and the numerous others who together now constitute over a quarter of the global music market, are now competing with considerable success on a commercial basis too. Whereas artists traditionally began on an independent before moving to a bigger label, they are now often staying put - or even, as with Radiohead, moving in the opposite direction.
Alongside Thom Yorke and cohorts, the independent sector now boasts such similarly big hitters as Paul McCartney, Arctic Monkeys, Björk, The White Stripes, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and The Strokes, as well as high-profile new arrivals such as Adele and Vampire Weekend. So whether independent labels to you epitomise the romantic spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, or you’re simply a fan of decent tunes, this is a phenomenon worth celebrating. Independents Day offers various ways to do just that, from Channel 4, MTV2 and Xfm programmes to an auction of music memorabilia that is apparently the largest ever held on eBay. Most tangible, however, are the compilation albums being released across the world on 4 July, the fact that they are available in the shops for just three days intended to bestow upon them collectors item status. Not only do the proceeds go to music-related causes, but the CDs themselves offer a snapshot of the state of contemporary independent music.
The UK Independents Day release is a double album, with the first CD featuring cover versions of independently released songs from a stellar line-up that includes The Futureheads, Maximo Park, Jack Peñate and The Charlatans. The Prodigy take on “Ghost Town” by The Specials, and Jarvis Cocker teams up with The Gossip’s Beth Ditto for an assault on Heaven 17’s “Temptation”.
The second disc, meanwhile, comprises up-and-coming bands, largely chosen by the artists on CD1. These songs, in a sense, serve as an even stronger indicator of the strength of the independent sector, featuring the post punk of Shrag to the dark electro of A.Human. And with Independents Day now to be an annual event, these, of course, are the potential CD1 artists of the future.
FREE Compilation CD with One Little Indian Records
To celebrate our love of music, the ethos of being independent and Independents Day 08, One Little Indian - the home of Björk,Alabama 3 and countless other independent artists - want to share with you the reasons why we value our independence and our artists so much.
We have a specially assembled, free 10-track collection of theirr new singles, some of which have yet to be released.
On the compilation we have Canadian noiseniks Land of Talk, New York troubadour Jesse Malin, hotly tipped Northampton indie band The All New Adventures of Us and one of our favourite singer-songwriters, Michigan’s Chris Bathgate, as well as tracks from HK119, Matthew Ryan, Stalkers, Shelleyan Orphan, Rose Kemp and Underground Railroad.
From today for seven days, listen live to the exclusive FREE Independents Day tracks courtesy of One Little Indian by clicking on the links below!
Land of Talk, Summer Special
Chris Bathgate, Restless
HK119, Mind
The All New Adventures Of Us (Tanaou), 45 Forever
Stalkers, In Your Street Today
Underground Railroad, Sticks And Stones
Rose Kemp, Nannys World
Matthew Ryan, It Could Have Been Worse
Jesse Malin, Russian Roulette
Shelleyan Orphan, Something Pulled Me
Times Online
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article4264622.ece
4th July 2008
Track of the Day: Temptation by Jarvis Cocker and Beth Ditto
TRACK: Temptation
WHO: Jarvis and Beth, who may be familiar to a handful of you followers of obscure, arcane indie.
WHAT: Indie icons uniting in honour of indie heads everywhere.
WE SAY: There are some instances when your brain decides it likes a track, even without actually hearing it. In fact, sometimes you then don’t want to hear it, for fear that it isn’t actually as good as what’s in your head. And it’s incredibly difficult to not be charmed by anything the Cocker and Ditto do, they both have that audio MSG-quality. So the thought of two indie icons ganging up to take on Heaven 17’s spangly Eighties classic should be temptation enough.
This is hitting the light of day now thanks to mp3 download site Emusic’s part of the Independent’s Day celebrations, which means that while the Americans can spend 4th of July firing off guns and having large portions of everything, the rest of us can give thanks for the existence of indie artists working outside of the major label constraints. This may include Chumbawamba though. You also get the chance to savour Tom Smith from The Editors’ take on Prefab Sprout’s Bonny and Jose Gonzales gamely taking on Love Will Tear Us Apart, as well as contributions from the likes of The Futureheads, The Cribs, Maximo Parkand The Prodigy.
But Temptation alone is worth sniffing out on its own. Taking what’s already a fairly arched-eyebrow piece of suited pop, our flamboyant friends increase the camp, turning it into a stomping glamrock joyfest, with Cocker’s sculpted geekishness rampaged all over by Ditto’s mighty lungs. It’s pure pantomime, but there’s no harm in that.
IF YOU ONLY NEED TO KNOW ONE THING: Temptation was originally performed live by the pair at the 2007 NME awards.
WHERE CAN I GET MY HANDS ON IT: Independents Day is available exlusively via emusic between the July 4 and 6.
FIND MORE: www.emusic.com
Teletext Planet Sound
Independents Day: ID08/Various
A compilation to promote independent music, it thus seems odd to only have it available in shops from July 4-7.
Eccentricities aside, the first CD of big name covers is the usual mixed bag.
The Prodigy kill Ghost Town. Rodrigo Y Gabriela send Metallica into tapas bar hell. The Futureheads are unusually ham-fisted for Every Heartbeat. Jose Gonzalez and Devendra Banhart serve no purpose covering Joy Division or Oasis.
Inevitably, it’s the acts tackling more obscure songs who fare best.
British Sea Power majestically glide through Galaxie 500’s Tug Boat. Tom Smith is heartbreaking on Prefab’s Bonny. MaximoPark are both respectful and gleeful for Go-Betweens’ I Can Do.
Superior B-sides fare, then, with added interest in the second CD of new acts like A Human and Cougar recommend by their famous peers on CD1. 6/10
Record of the Day
4th July 2008
Today is the inaugural Independents Day, celebrating independent music.
Record of the Day weekly magazine
3rd July 2008
Music Week roundup: P1 Independents Day picture; P5 Independents Day organisers plan documentary.
TV roundup: Saturday 5th July, C4, Independents Day
The Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/07/03/bmindependent103.xml
Jon Swaine
3rd July 2008
Independent record labels: little guys who became a big deal
Jon Swaine reports on the irresistible rise of independent record labels
Tomorrow, as Americans mark the independence their predecessors fought so hard to win, thousands of musicians on both sides of the Atlantic will, on a smaller scale, be doing the same.
Independents Day, the biggest ever celebration of independent music, will burst into life with a double album, television series and auction together attempting to sum up the contribution made to music by the little guys - the indies.
It comes almost 50 years after the first independent, Island Records, was born in Jamaica. Geoff Travis, founder of Rough Trade, thinks it’s about time: “It’s embarrassing to celebrate yourself, so it’s nice to have someone finally say, ‘Well done.”
Travis, who since 1978 has released albums by the Smiths, Scritti Politti and the Strokes, says the secret of indies’ success has never really been very secret. “The common thread to everything we’ve released is simply that it’s been interesting, and not just a copy of something else.
“It’s very hard to do something new in art and music, but I think it’s one of the things the British Isles has always been able to do well, and that we’re proud to celebrate.”
Marc Jones, who in 1993 founded Wall of Sound, which discovered the Propellerheads, Blak Twang and Les Rhythmes Digitales and now releases acts as diverse as Grace Jones, Mogwai and Soulwax, agrees: “There’s something all our artists have in common - none of them came in on the slipstream of another. I don’t want to sign the second of anything. There’s no point in that for me.”
However, says Jones, the best indie labels have always managed to combine this love of eclecticism with a strong, coherent identity that made their followers feel part of something bigger. “When I was getting into music in the Eighties, there was a real ‘label culture’: I was really into Mute and was obsessed with Depeche Mode. When I came to start my own label, the name Wall of Sound seemed to encompass all I believed in.”
Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess says this idea of buying into the culture of a label had him hooked on Manchester’s Factory Records at about the same time. “New Order drew me in,” he says. “But then I was taken by all the artwork, the packaging, the music - the whole concept.
You could buy a record on Factory without having heard it, and it was a guarantee that the music inside would be, if not brilliant, at least interesting. I followed Factory for a long time and got some great records from them.”
Matt Gooderson, guitarist of the Infadels, had a similar experience about a decade later. He says: “I was completely into Sub Pop, Nirvana and the whole grunge scene. I loved having the fantasy that there was this little hut somewhere in Seattle, with all these musicians bumming around making records, with none of them really caring whether they were going to dominate the world or not, and all of them influencing each other.”
Burgess and Gooderson pay tribute to their first loves on the Independents Day album. The Charlatans cover New Order’s Murder and the Infadels take on Steady, As She Goes by the Raconteurs.
Other highlights on the double disc, which is released tomorrow, include the Prodigy’s interpretation of Ghost Town by the Specials and the Futureheads’ version of Robyn’s Euro mega-hit With Every Heartbeat. The album’s second disc contains songs by rising stars of today’s independent scene.
Channel 4 has this week been screening a five-part series, with live performances from Roots Manuva, Katie Melua and Feeder; it concludes tonight. An eBay auction in aid of independent labels, which ends on Sunday, has already shifted a soundcheck with the Cult (£1,241) and a test pressing of Arctic Monkeys’ debut album (£225).
Travis says he hopes Independents Day will go some way to getting a fair deal for independent labels (in settlements over filesharing and TV rights, for example) and for the artists, whose music he believes should be given greater airing.
He says: “I think Sufjan Stevens is the great songwriter of this generation, but he is still denied any kind of mainstream media. I was told by the head of Radio 1 that Stevens was one of his favourite artists, but that he’d never ever play him on Radio 1, which seems to me the great paradox of our time.”
‘Independents Day - ID08′ is released tomorrow on Independents Day Recordings. The final episode of the ‘Independents Day’ series is on Channel 4 tonight at 1.30am.
Record of the Day
3rd July 2008
[Link to Telegraph article, ibid.]
Xfm
http://www.xfm.co.uk/news/2008/exclusive-primal-scream-recall-their-early-days-
3rd July 2008
Exclusive: Primal Scream Recall Their Early Days
Tonight’s Independents Day documentary on Xfm is all about Creation Records and Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie tells us how tough it was back in the early days.
As part of our July 4 Independents Day celebrations Xfm have been focussing on a different indie label every night this week.
Its the final installment tonight with a closer look at Creation Records, home to Oasis and Primal Scream amongst others.
Speaking exclusively to Xfm, Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie revealed how tough things were when they first started out:
“I went to the same school as [label founder] Alan McGee and he was in the year above me. When Creation started it was such a tini tini label, before Jesus and Mary Chain. It was in his spare room, winter, basically slave labour.”
Meanwhile McGee himself told us he had little time for labels these days:
“I’d recommend a band not to go to any record label, I think they’re all f**king rubbish, you’re better off doing it yourself. They’re living in the past, it’s like owning a tram company of something.”
You can hear more from that interview with Primal Scream, Tim Burgess, Alan McGee and more on tonight’s Xfm’s Rough Trade documentary which will be played out during the first hour of X-posure (10-11pm).
Click here now to listen again to this week’s Mute, Domino, and Rough Trade mini-docs which include never heard before interviews with Arctic Monkeys, Primal Scream, The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand and more.
http://www.xfm.co.uk/news/2008/exclusive-carl-barat-on-independents-day-
2nd July 2008
Exclusive: Carl Barat Recalls Libertines Signing
Speaking to Xfm to ahead of tonight’s documentary on Rough Trade, home to The Fall, The Smiths and The Libertines, CarlBarat exclusively revealed that he and his bandmate Pete Doherty almost ruined their chances on the day they went to sign:
“Pete [Doherty] and me missed the train and we were late, we thought they were gonna take the offer away. We were in such a hurry to get signed because we thought they were going to pull the deal off the table so we had to run from Laytmer Road and we turned up a right mess.
“In the end we went out with Geoff Travis for the night and went to see British Sea Power play and it was all good.”
Carl also explained why it was so important for The Libertines to sign to an indie:
“Just the fact that in this sea of corporates they seemed to be a little island of independence and have a bit of a beating heart which is something that’s often lacking.”
You can hear more from that interview with Carl Barat as well as never before heard interviews with The Strokes, The SuperFurry Animals on tonight’s Xfm’s Rough Trade documentary which will be played out during the first hour of X-posure (10-11pm).
The mini-documentary forms part of a series running all this week looking at some of the most important indies of our time. Tune in on Thursday (or listen online) for the story of Creation or click here now to listen again to this week’s Mute and DominoRecords mini-docs which include never heard before interviews with Arctic Monkeys, Primal Scream, Franz Ferdinand and more.
Rawrip
http://www.rawrip.com/features080630_indieday
Tom Hannan
2nd July 2008
What in flurping shnit is Independents Day, I hear you cry? Well, first things first, stop crying. It’s a joyous thing that does not warrant tears. And secondly, no, it’s neither the annual celebration of a country’s assumption of independent statehood, nor a film about aliens starring Will Smith, nor track five on Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The River’ album. Note the spelling. It’s slightly different.
Independents Day might happen on the same day as Independence Day in America (July 4th), but for the non-jingoistic yanks among us, it’s arguably more of a cause for joy - a new initiative to raise awareness and celebrate the importance of independently released music from around the globe, loosely tied to the fiftieth anniversary of the activity of independent record labels. A good cause, we’re sure you’ll agree. And like the best of good causes, it’s also doing it’s bit for charity with an auction on eBay ending on July 6th. More on that in a sec.
Central to the idea of Independents day is the release of a double compact disc of some fascinating bands covering their favourite independently released music of all time (featured on CD1), whilst CD2 of the same set will see some new up and comers tackling the work of the bands featured on CD1, to give the whole thing a nice, warm, round and friendly feel, a little like a hug from a beloved but obese grandparent.
Expect the Futureheads, Editors, Maximo Park, The Charlatans, Feeder and The Cribs to feature on it, alongside, undoubtedly, at least a couple others too. And that’s just for the UK - Independents Day is a worldwide concern, with similarly themed records also coming out everywhere from New Zealand to South Africa, Japan to Italy and Austria to the USA. Good thing too - it’s a round world last time I checked, and if anything can bring people together, it’s rock and roll (a motto Bob Geldof relentlessly lives his life by). They’re limited edition things, only on sale for three days from their July 4th release date, and A&R’d on a territory by territory basis. It’s the indie Pokemon - see how many you can collect. Want one? Exclusive tracks n’all? Get pre-ordering HERE.
Did I say something about an auction too? I did, well remembered. It takes place on eBay from June 9th to July 6th , in aid of C.A.L.M (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) and features items such as VIP festival tickets, ‘rock star experiences’ (we reckon more along the lines of meet n’ greets than a terrifying night in the Neverland ranch) and rare merch provided by the good and the great of the music world like Arctic Monkeys, Gary Numan (the original master tape of ‘Tubeway Army’! Cool!) and Radiohead all up for grabs. They can specifically be yours to grab, if you’re all kinds of super rich, by joining in HERE - though the page is also good for just nosing about.
One thing this suggests is that far from the myth of independent artists living a life of constant hard slog, one can actually be an artist on an independent label and achieve a level of success that really does scream ‘look mum, I made it, this was a proper job after all!’ - that being the accolade of being asked to give away some clobber in a charity auction. Not all doom and gloom then? Nope, far from it - in fact, some of the most successful artists of all time started out on independent labels, from Elvis Presleyto Aretha Franklin, and as the likes of Arctic Monkeys and The Strokescontinue to prove to this very day, there are ways of being massively successful without succumbing to the evil dollar or selling ones soul to a faceless corporation. It’s this that Independents Day, more than anything, strives to celebrate at the top of its lungs.
Though the scaremongers might have you believing otherwise, independent labels are in fine form at the moment, accounting for more than 80% of the annual music releases worldwide and more than a quarter’s share of the global music market, regularly winning the likes of the Mercury Music Prize and, in fact, 30% of all UK artist album awards for going gold, silver or platinum. The figures back up the general feeling of doing something good for the world artistically that many independent labels and the artists they deal with cling to so vehemently.
Of course, everything was independent once…
But now there are the four majors, and it does make a difference - majors are owned by their shareholders and are there to make money, not art. When they do their best, they make both (Prince, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen). Sometimes, it’s got to be one or the other. And you know which one they’ll go for.
Independent labels put less pressure on the artist, allow them time to grow, to find their feet, to experiment. But also to realise their dreams.
It’s up to us to celebrate difference, independence and independents - the three often go hand in hand.
Blogs
My Chemical Toilet - Happy Independents Day!
http://www.mychemicaltoilet.com/2008/07/happy_independents_day.html
4th July 2008
Indie Heaven - It’s Independents Day
http://www.indieheaven.com/blog/?p=18
4th July 2008
What Gives?
http://whatgives.com/post/2008/7/independents-day-08
3rd July 2008
Song By Toad - Fancy Supporting Independent Music?
http://songbytoad.com/2008/07/03/fancy-supporting-independent-music/
Loudersoft - 72 HOURS ONLY For Charity: Celebrate Independents Day 08 | Support MusiCares | Win One-of-a-kind Prizes In eBay Auction
http://www.loudersoft.com/2008/07/03/independents-day-08/
3rd July 2008
Breck Road Lovers - Rough Trade documentary tonight on XFM
http://breckroadlovers.blogspot.com/2008/07/rough-trade-documentarry-tonight-on-xfm.html
Livejournal - Exclusive: Arctic Monkeys Team Up With The Kills (from XFM)
http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/25203514.html
IDNZ / IDUSA / IDAus
Harbor Star Reflections
http://harborstarreflections.blogspot.com/2008/07/independents-day-2008.html
4th July 2008
Domino Records
http://www.dominorecordco.us/uk/news/04-07-08/celebrate-independents-day-and-get-a-free-domino-cd/
4th July 2008
Courier Mail (Australia)
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23968271-5003421,00.html
4th July 2008
Beggars Group USA
http://www.beggarsgroupusa.com/blog/?p=443
3rd July 2008
Wired blog
http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/07/indie-labels-de.html
3rd July 2008
Minnesota Public Radio
3rd July 2008
Scoop Independent News
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0807/S00021.htm
3rd July 2008
Music News Net
http://gatheringhome.typepad.com/music_news_net/2008/07/independance-da.html
2nd July 2008
Sunrise music review: Independents Day 2008
(includes video)
Elbows Music Blogger Community - Celebrate Independent Music this July 4
http://elbo.ws/vanilla/comments.php?DiscussionID=2521
New Zealand Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1501119/story.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10519589
3rd July 2008
JULY PRESS
- The Observer
- The Jakarta Post
- Stuff.tv
- Russell’s Reviews (first review of CD)
- XFM.co.uk
- Real Vibez
- Kerascene Music Services (Myspace Blog)
The Observer
http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2288016,00.html
James Fulker
29th June 2008
While the US celebrates 4 July this Friday, record labels will toast a different independence with the inaugural ‘Independents Day’, celebrating the role of indie labels in pop over the past 50 years. With special releases out this week and four documentaries on C4, here’s a bluffer’s guide to indie tribes.
ITV indie
Expect to hear Pre-packaged, bland guitar music for the masses, characterised by singalong choruses and the eerie sense that you’ve heard it all before. Critics hate them; record labels and radio playlist selectors adore them.
Key bands Kaiser Chiefs and the Fratellis.
Hipster indie
Expect to hear The lead singer’s passion for hip hop/jazz/world music, despite the fact that the band sound like they just listened to one too many David Bowie albums.
Key bands Fiery Furnaces and Vampire Weekend.
Bedwetter indie
Expect to hear Sweeping, melodramatic choruses fronted by middle-class miserablists who seem intent on telling us about their lady troubles in a voice as high-pitched as a man’s larynx can safely go.
Key bands Coldplay and Snow Patrol.
Skins indie
Expect to hear Angular guitars and atonal shouty bits - essentially Eighties post-punk with a drum machine slapped on top - like the soundtrack in nearly every drug-fuelled minute of the eponymous TV show.
Key bands The Klaxons and Metronomy.
The Jakarta Post
Paul F. Agusta
1st July 2008
Underground-Hum: Eleven years after.. Verve back with ‘Forth’
Hello, my dumplings, welcome back to the buffet of music tidbits that is Underground Hum. As always, thanks for the lovely emails. And now, on to this week’s Reverb.
Reverb
International
UK shoegaze/dream rock behemoths Jesus and Mary Chain have followed up their reunion with the release of a long-awaited four-CD, 81-track box set for a Sept. 30 release. And apparently both Reid siblings, Jim and William, were involved in its creation.
It’s called The Power of Negative Thinking: B-Sides & Rarities, and it’ll be packaged in a fancy 6-by-10-inch gatefold shell packed with plenty of extra goodies, including interviews with both Jim and William Reid.
There are rare photos of the band throughout their storied history. And there’s a double-sided poster sporting artwork from the band’s singles on one side, and on the other, a hand-drawn family tree charting the band’s ever-changing lineup. If you don’t mind forgoing the dry goods, the set will also be available digitally.
Note to Jesus and Mary Chain obsessives: Yes, everything that was on the 1988 rarities compilationBarbed Wire Kisses is in this box set, except for the live cover of Can’s “Mushroom”.
The multiple-charity-benefiting Independents Day is fast approaching, and now, the U.S. and UKcompilations associated with the international event have finalized track lists.
As previously reported, between the two compilations are tracks from Frank Black, Devendra Banhart, Jarvis Cocker with the Gossip’s Beth Ditto, the Futureheads, Park, Jos*Prodigy, Editors, British Sea Power, Living Legends and Slipknot.
The single-disc U.S. compilation has a little bit of everything, while the two-disc UK offering devotes one half to covers, and the other to up-and-coming artists selected mostly by UK acts and labels.
Those acts include Jos* Gonz*lez, the Futureheads, Park, British Sea Power, the Cribs, the Charlatans and Editors’ Tom Smith. Both compilations hit the web on U.S. Independence Day, July 4. They will be available for a limited time.
In other Independents Day news, a couple of items have been added to the U.S. charity eBay auction. Now folks can bid on both a Guitar Hero-playing session with Dragonforce and a day in Portlandhanging out with Gang of Four former bassist Dave Allen. The U.S. auction opens July 4, while theUK auction is on now and concludes July 6. Go to www.independentsday08.com for info on the charities.
Eleven years after their last album, the mind-bendingly brilliant Urban Hymns, and a few moths after the announcement of their reunion, British rock masters The Verve will release their fourth album, titled Forth, and according to a Billboard.com report, it comes out internationally Aug. 18 via EMI and Aug. 19 in North America via the band’s On Our Own imprint with distribution from MRI/Megaforce/RED.
As if an 11-year wait for the follow-up to Urban Hymns wasn’t enough, the Verve will build more anticipation for Forth with a world tour of summer festivals.
After … And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead acrimoniously parted ways with Interscope Records last year, Billboard.com reports that the band is launching its own imprint, Richter Scale Records, in conjunction with Justice Records.
Richter Scale will handle the release of the band’s follow-up to 2006’s So Divided, which they’re working up now with producers Mike McCarthy and Chris “Frenchie” Smith for a plotted January 2009 release.
A representative for the band is quoted in the Billboard report (and a press release) as saying the band aims to create “a more anthemic record” this time out, which can only be an improvement.
And since we couldn’t let a whole TOD news story go by without a little well-worded vitriol from Trail of Dead frontman Conrad Keely, there’s this: When asked about Richter Scale, Keely told Billboard that the move would let TOD “seek the creative freedom envisioned by the founding fathers of our great nation, immune from the tyranny of the corporate ogre”.
And on that happy note, it’s time to end this week’s Reverb.
See y’all next Sunday!
Stuff.tv
http://stuff.tv/blogs/music/archive/2008/07/01/emusic-celebrates-independents-day.aspx
Ruth Owen
1st July 2008
eMusic celebrates Independents day
People may sneer at their skinny jeans, record bags and obscure vinyl collection, but indie kids are consumers of a market that represents a 27.5% of the music market, according to eMusic.
To celebrate independent labels that through the years have brought us awesome acts like Bloc Party, PiL, Arcade Fire, Paul Weller and Vampire Weekend, eMusic are promoting a double CD of independent songs recommended and covered by some of our favourite bands.
Download the album from eMusic between the 4-7th of July and enjoy The Futureheads covering Swedish pop princess Robyn’s With Every Heartbeat; The Prodigy interpreting The Specials’ Ghost Town and Devendra Banhart lending his gentle side to Don’t Look Back In Anger by Oasis.
CD2 offers a jewellery box of obscure indie gems as recommended by Maximo Park, The Charlatans and Editors.
So don your favourite converse and oversized shades and get on over to eMusic.
Russell’s Reviews
http://www.russellsreviews.co.uk/cdreviews/independentsday08.htm
Russell Barker
There would appear to be three types of covers. Carbon copies (dull), ones adapted to the artist’s style (often good) and complete reworkings and reimaginings (usually the most interesting and best). ‘Independents Day 08′ brings together a CD of covers and a CD of new artists recommended by established ones.
First off see The Prodigy take on The Specials’ ‘Ghost Town’. It’s an interesting slow dub groove working, and a decent effort but it suffers from having been such an amazing tune to begin with.Infadels make ‘Steady As She Goes’ (The Raconteurs) into a squelching electro rock thing and in doing so manage to sap all life out of the song. Kings of the cover, The Futureheads, have a go at Robyn’s ‘With Every Heartbeat’. It’s a bit messy to be honest; the sass of the original could never be matched by the Mackem quartet. Jack Penate doesn’t particularly mess with Beats International’s ‘Dub Be Good To Me’ but his gender bending vocals, shouted backing vocals and hectic ending mark it out as a cut above. Tom Smith of Editors pulls off a neat trick of giving Prefab Sprout’s ‘Bonny’ the grandiose style of his own band while retaining the gravitas of the original.
British Sea Power’s version of Galaxie 500’s ‘Tugboat’ has been dug out of the archives again. It mainly serves to remind what might have been with BSP, being elegant and haunting. Feeder doing ‘Public Image’ is as laughable and pathetic as you’d imagine. The Cribs version of The Replacements ‘Bastards Of Young’ is a rollicking riot you’d expect from something that’s a hybrid of those two bands. Hey here’s an idea. Let’s have Jarvis Cocker and Beth Ditto cover Heaven 17’s ‘Temptation’. Great! But let’s have them do it live in a toilet venue abetted by a pub rock band (this is probably the rest of the Gossip, but the description stands). What a waste.
The Go-Betweens ‘Was There Anything I Could Do’ suits Maximo Park, especially vocal wise. The cover is rendered fairly straight forwardly and comes out ok as it’s such a great song to start with. Jose Gonzalez renders ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ in his usual fashion while Devendra Banhart give ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ a Tyrannosaurus Rex hippy work over.
All this fun and games serves well as an attention grabber for the artists on the recommendations CD. The pick of these are A Human’s gothic showmanship, Thomas Tantrum’s girly pop and Shrag’s tantruming riot grrl song. It comes as no surprise to see The Cribs recommended the latter.
The rest of the album after these first three tracks is pretty dull, with Electricity In Our Homes being especially awful, replete with a singer who can’t hold a tune.
The Tenderfoot provide some respite with a lovely bucolic Super Furries style tune as does Basia Bulat with her airy, hyperactive folk tune. Laura Groves and her girly, innocent indie pop wraps things up nicely.
XFM.co.uk
http://www.xfm.co.uk/news/2008/exclusive-arctic-moneys-team-up-with-the-kills-
1st July 2008
Speaking to Xfm for our Independents Day documentary tonight, Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner reveals he’s joined forces with his Domino label mate Alison Mosshart which The Kill’s singer has laid the vocals down for.
Xfm caught up with both respected artists to talk about their experiences and memories of Domino Records ahead of tonight’s documentary which tells story of the iconic independent record label.
In a joint interview Alex Turner and Alison Mosshart both recalled initial meetings with label founderLaurence Bell (Arctic Monkey’s signing nearly didn’t happen and both were impressed by Bell’s passion for their music) and reflect back on their decision (Turner explains that any other label would have been a wrong move).
The two Domino musicians also reveal that they’ve been working on a new track entitled ‘The Fire And The Thud’ together.
Turner wrote the song and sent it to Mosshart who in turn laid down the vocals but as to when we’ll get to sample the goods is anyone’s guess as even Mosshart hasn’t heard it yet.
“We recorded something but Laurence [Bell] still hasn’t given me a copy”, Mosshart explained, “and that was about five months ago!”
“I’ve got it on my ipod though”, Turner added, “and its good, it’s really good I’m telling you.”
They also added that they may do some more tracks together before this one is released.
Tune into Xfm’s Independents Day mini-documentaries every night this week on X-posure between 10-11pm or listen online at xfm.co.uk
Monday: The story of Mute Records with brand new interviews with Nick Cave, Erasure and Daniel Miller
Tuesday: The story of Domino with new interviews with Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, The Kills & Laurence Bell.
Wednesday: The story of Rough Trade with brand new interviews with The Strokes, Carl Barat andGeoff Travis
Thursday: The story of Creation with brand new interviews with Primal Scream, The Charlatansand Alan McGee
Real Vibez
http://www.realvibez.tv/blogs/pullup/2008/06/morgan-heritage-video-on-mtv2-july-2.html
30th June 2008
Morgan Heritage Video on MTV2 July 2
VP Records has told us that Morgan Heritage’s new video for Raid Rootz Dance will be aired on MTV2 during Sucker Free on Wednesday, July 2. The show starts at 10 pm.
The video is part of MTV2′a Independents Day programming block.
Kerascene Music Services (Myspace Blog)
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=307402405&blogID=410238265
[copy of Digital Music News, 25th June]
IDUSA
http://www.beggarsgroupusa.com/blog/
http://hansoncorner.wordpress.com/2008/06/28/independents-day-08-us-explicit/
IDNZ
http://undertheradar.co.nz/utr/more/NID/926/Independents_Day_2008_%E2%80%93_Voting_open!.utr
http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/newsitem/pi_newsitemid/2870
JUNE PRESS
The Guardian - front page Wednesday, 4th June
id08-guardian-ac28aicle-hires1independents
Record of the Day
27th June 2008
There’s plenty of great items, some going for bargain prices, available from Aim’s Independents Day auction. [Link to eBay store.]
XMedia Online
http://xmedia.ex.ac.uk/features/2008/06/27/the-futureheads
Julia Leonard
27th June 2008
Interview with The Futureheads
[...] Barry says: “We’ve got plans to do David Bowie’s Let’s Dance but we’ve recently covered Robyn’s Every Heartbeat which I think is an amazing tune. That’ll be coming out on a record called Independents Day 08 on 4th July.” [...]
Feeder tour launch press (mentioning IDUK album)
Noize Makes Enemies
http://www.noizemakesenemies.co.uk/2008/06/feeder-announce-massive-uk-tour-news.html
Indie London
http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Music-Review/feeder-announce-new-single-and-massive-uk-tour-2008
24th June 2008
(Both carrying the same press release text.)
[...] Feeder also appear alongside The Cribs, Tom Smith from Editors, Jack Penate and The Futureheads amongst others on the Independents Day album released 4th July. This is a compilation album featuring independent artist covering other independent releases - Feeder tackle ‘Public Image’ by PIL whilst others attempt Oasis, The Raconteurs and Prefab Sprouts songs. http://www.independentsday08.com/ [...]
Blogs
Variety Pack http://shortsight.tv/varietypack/2008/06/24/flower-drum-song/
Female of Storm http://chattercube.com/femaleofstorm/2008/06/25/stephen-colbert-face/
Indie Snob http://snobsmusic.blogspot.com/2008/06/independents-day-compilations-tracks.html
System of a Down http://hypnosisvlogs.com/sbcoutpost/2008/06/25/system-of-a-down/
IDUSA
Marketwire http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=872839
Digital Music News http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/062508indie
IDNZ
95bFM http://www.95bfm.com/default,187940.sm
This Is London (plus Evening Standard - see attachment)
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/article-23494577-details/Off+the+record/article.do
David Smyth
13th June 2008
Happy Independents Day
As you’re hanging out the Stars-and-Stripes bunting for American Independence Day, spare a thought for the UK’s independent record labels. This 4 July is also the first Independents Day, organised by the Association of Independent Music to celebrate those bands who didn’t take the mainstream route to getting their songs heard.
A number of festivities are planned. Channel 4 will air a four-part documentary about the indie scene’s history. An album is to be released, featuring current independent acts covering the songs of their forebears (The Raconteurs doing Teenage Kicks, Prodigy doing Ghost Town and so on) and on a second disc, the same bands picking tracks by the indie stars of tomorrow.
Running already until 19 June is an eBay auction of indie memorabilia, some of which is more desirable than the rest (what am I to bid for a signed Lisa Scott-Lee album?) but with all proceeds going to the Musicians Benevolent Fund and male suicide charity the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), it’s for a good cause.
The mention of such adored British independent labels as Stiff, Rough Trade and Factory will always spark some enthusiasm with the public. However, the organisers of this awareness campaign face an uphill struggle - as in recent years the definition of what is “indie” and what is not has become vague.
Once-independent labels such as Mute and Deltasonic are now subsidiaries of major labels EMI and Sony BMG respectively. Meanwhile, as a musical term, “indie” has come to mean generic guitar pop that can be as soulless as the most manufactured boy band. Groups such as Kaiser Chiefs and The Fratellis have been derided as “ITV indie” and the DIY ethos of past heroes such as Sonic Youth and The Smiths can be hard to spot today.
“We don’t expect the public to have a clear idea of the meaning of corporate versus independent music. When somebody buys an album they buy it because they like the songs,” admits Alison Wenham, the head of AIM, the organisation that unites those small-to-medium companies operating under the shadow of the big four major labels - Universal, Sony BMG, Warner and EMI.
“But in these days of very dour headlines for the music industry, we wanted to make a statement that there are still hundreds of companies who do their jobs for the joy of the creative process. Being independent means a belief in fair trade, where artists work closely in partnership with their labels rather than working to the demands of shareholders.”
While the major labels have been slow to react to new technology, their smaller rivals are in a better position to adapt faster. And the success of Adele and The White Stripes on XL, and Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand on Domino, proves that a smaller operation is no barrier to major success. Radiohead jumped from EMI to XL for their daring pay-what-you-like album, In Rainbows. “When you’re light on your feet, with low overheads, you’re free to experiment and take risks,” says Wenham.
These risk-takers are of real value, as they are the ones who will eventually find the way forward for a business that is currently unsure of the right direction. Long may they keep the real spirit of independence alive.
[PIAS] UK SYNC
http://piasuksync.blogspot.com/
13th June 2008
Independents Day 2008
INDEPENDENT MUSIC FOR INDEPENDENT MINDS
Over the weekend of 4th July we will be dancing to the tune of the world’s independent music scene as it unites for Independents Day 08.
This is the first ever global celebration of independent music, a sector first home to artists including The Beatles, Elvis and Coldplay and still home to the likes of Radiohead, Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys and Bjork.
The Albums
Along with a special double album and a series of specially commissioned TV programmes we are delighted to present this music auction, giving collectors and fans of some of the world’s most interesting artists a once-in-a-lifetime chance to grab a piece of musical history.
The Auctions
Going under the hammer are musical rarities, money-can’t-buy experiences and personal artist collectibles. The auction presents an opportunity for the industry to raise money for charity as well as putting a unique spotlight on the companies, special qualities and talents which exist in the indie sector.
Thatsjustmusic
http://thatsjustmusic.livejournal.com/26793.html
11th June 2008
American and British associations of independent music had announced their wish to make a holiday dedicated to independent musicians. They’ve decided to carry out this event on fourth of July - during the American independence day.
As Pitchfork says, associations are planning to release two compilations where popular musicians will make covers of the famous hits made by indie-bands of the past. Following artists will take part in recording of an American compilation - Prodigy, Editors, Maximo Park, British Sea Power, Feeder, Futureheads, Slipknot, Jarvis Cocker, Devendra Banhart etc. British compilation may include independent young artists that will be recommended by musicians who participate in the first compilation.
Besides that, the day of an independent musician is going to be marked by a massive sale on eBay represented byRadiohead, Interpol, New Pornographers, Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend, Cat Power and others. Sale’s profit will go to the associations mentioned above.
MP3 Downloads
http://mp3-downloads-blog.blogspot.com/2008/06/independents-day-rise-and-rise-of.html
Independents Day: The Rise And Rise Of Independent Music
The Association of Independent Music (AIM) is holding a special event to celebrate 50 years of successful independent music which will include a gig, a five part television series, a one off auction on ebay and the release of a double CD full of “independent” covers. Artists including The Prodigy, The Charlatans and Maximo Park have all given their backing to the cause and plan to donate songs for the album.
Songs to be covered include Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart, PIL’s Public Image and Ghost Town by The Specials. Independents Day marks the anniversary of Chris Blackwell and Graeme Goodall’s indie label, Island Records. The Jamaican-born label signed giants U2 before selling to Polygram in 1989, a trend which many independent labels followed. Creation and Factory records disappeared in the 1990’s whilst others folded through a calamity of errors from over expansion to cashflow problems. Independent music is responsible for more than 25% of the UK’s music scene and is claimed to have pioneered the music industry for many years.
Alison Wenham, Chairman for AIM stated that had been “at the forefront of every single new musical movement over the years.” For proof of this, just take a look at every popular music scene over the last 50 years: There was the DIY punk scene in the seventies, the indie guitar sounds from New Order in the eighties and the massive dance music boom in the nineties.
Today, we are seeing the independent label make a comeback. Domino Records have given us two recent chart toppers; Scottish band, Franz Ferdinand and northerners, Arctic Monkeys. The internet has provided a new platform with which to promote this music. Sites such as Myspace, Youtube and Facebook all promote bands young and old, signed and unsigned for general consumption.
These social networking sites have allowed users to access new music much easier than ever before with some 40% of users embedding music within their pages. Russell Hart, chief executive of Entertainment Media Research added “Social networks are fundamentally changing the way we discover music… the dynamics of democratisation, word of mouth recommendation and instant purchase challenge the established order and offer huge opportunities to forward thinking business.” Local label, Signature Tune is making the most of these sites and one of their bands, Lakes is reaping the benefits of using an independent label. Scott Byatt, the band’s drummer said “As a band on an independent label, advances in communication and technology mean we can communicate with bands and promoters the world over helping us network and get shows with ease… Our CDs can be bought in many high street stores and our tracks can be downloaded from iTunes, once again without the help of a major.”
Radiohead were perhaps the first big band to see the change in direction and act upon it. After the end of their contract with music giants EMI, the band went solo with the release of their latest album, In Rainbows. The album was released as a digital download in October 2007, allowing customers to pay as much, or as little as they liked for it.
The group took ownership of their own songs and released ten tracks online more than one month before the tangible album was released in the shops. Front man for the band, Thom Yorke noted the growing number of pirate copies of their music being appearing online and in an interview with Wired he said, “every record for the last four - including my solo record - has been leaked. So the idea was like, we’ll leak it then.”
Yorke’s attempt to beat the pirates seem to have worked. On average, the electronic download sold for 4 GBP. Not bad considering you could download it for free if you were feeling too tight to pay. The return to indie worked wonders for Radiohead. Although the downloads from the website, inrabows were not counted in the album charts, the band did manage to create enough hype and speculation around the release of their album that when the CD actually hit the shops, it reached number one in the UK album chart, the United World Chart and the US Billboard 200.
Other groups may do well to take note of this action when considering future releases. Of the music industry, and in particular their ex record label, Yorke added “What we would like is the old EMI back again, the nice genteel arms manufacturers who treated music a nice side project who weren’t too bothered about the shareholders. Ah well, not much chance of that.”Au contraire, EMI boss,
Guy Hands is keen to seize upon the opportunities presented by smaller, independent labels. These labels have always maintained a stronger working relationship with their artists and are much more keen to try their hands at new promotional techniques. With the renaissance of DIY music and bands creating music for music’s sake, independent labels cannot be ignored. EMI declared that they are planning on working like a larger version of the indie label, with many smaller labels working under their umbrella.
So they may be more willing to try new techniques, but the problem of shareholders still remains. Wenham continues, “If you have shareholders to please, inevitably it becomes about making music from the music.” Indie music is very much about the music and as long as the shareholders give the smaller labels a wide berth, we should continue to see more impressive acts pushing the scene forward.
Melodika.net (a Bulgarian blog)
http://www.melodika.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3696&Itemid=50
Music Week website
http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1034500&c=1
Robert Ashton
9th June
Indie memorabilia going for a song
An Arctic Monkeys test pressing and Slade scarf are among the first items that will go under the hammer today (Monday) in the UK’s biggest auction sale of rock and pop memorabilia, which kicks off Independents Day 08.
The massive auction, which involves hundreds of very rare and invaluable lots, is the first part of a whole range of activities to celebrate the indie sector on and around July 4 and which already involves thousands of labels in 10 countries, including the US and Australia.
Many artist managers and indie labels, including Beggars Group, XL and Domino, have scoured their attics and dusty basements for items that they have donated for the auction, which will be run by eBay.
The online auction site is emailing 20m of its customers to alert them to the auction, which is in aid of the two charities - the Musicians Benevolent fund and Campaign Against Living Miserably.
Similar auctions will also be run by eBay in the other countries - the US, New Zealand, Spain, Australia, South Africa,France, Austria, Japan and Italy - participating in this year’s Independents Day.
The first phase of the UK’s Independents Day Auction runs from today to June 18 with two further phases running from June 19-29 and June 27 to July 6. Many of the items that auction-site customers can bid on involve one-off experiences, including playing guitar with The Cult, working as an advertising music supervisor for a day, a drumming lesson with Nathan Curran from Basement Jaxx and two days in a top recording studio.
For more, see this week’s issue of Music Week, out today.
Billboard website
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i26acd61f6a775f8593e77f5dc30d5144
Lars Brandle
9th June
The Independents Day auction, mooted as the largest-ever sale of music memorabilia and experiences, has gone live on eBay.
Items up for sale include a test pressing of the Arctic Monkeys sophomore album “Favourite Worst Nightmare,” signed merchandise from Radiohead and Franz Ferdinand, tickets to the South by Southwest and Midem industry conferences, and the chance to play guitar on stage with the Cult. New items will be every 10 days until July 6.
The auction is one of the central cogs to the inaugural weekend-long Independents Day 08 campaign, unveiled at Midem in January. Other key components of the project include TV projects and a one-off compilation album featuring independent-label signed artists.
Money raised from the project will be trickled-down into the independent community, explains WIN president and AIM chair Alison Wenham, one of the driving forces behind the project.
Guardian
http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2283535,00.html
Owen Gibson
4th June 2008
On the record: big names of pop help mark 50 years of indie labels
July 4 global celebration as recording industry pioneers face up to digital challenge
From Warp to Postcard and Factory to Rough Trade, the names of independent record labels echo down 50 years of popular music, responsible for some its most influential names from U2 to the Smiths. Now, some of the big-name artists who made their names through the independent scene have contributed exclusive tracks to a combined global effort designed to celebrate its role in the face of the new challenges of the digital age.
The Prodigy, the Charlatans and Maximo Park are among artists who have given their backing to the first Independents Day, scheduled for July 4 and organised by UK trade body AIM. More big names are expected to be unveiled today as the lineup is finalised.
Each will contribute covers of tracks originally released on independent labels to a new double album released on July 4 to tie in with a number of other profile-raising events, including a five-part series on Channel 4, an eBay auction of memorabilia and a specially organised gig. On the first CD, big-name artists will cover well-known independent releases such as PIL’s Public Image, Ghost Town by the Specials and Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division. The second disc will contain music by a number of new, up and coming acts chosen by the same artists.
Around the world, versions of the album will be released in the US, New Zealand, Spain, Australia, South Africa,France, Austria, Japan and Italy, with local artists represented on each.
Alison Wenham, chair of AIM, said the day, which will also raise money for charity, did not have an overarching theme but was designed to raise the profile of independent labels and the job they do in uncovering new talent and nurturing creativity.
“We’re doing it for the love of it, for the joy of it, for the hell of it,” she said, suggesting that independents had been “at the forefront of every single new musical movement over the years”.
For evidence, she could point to everything from the DIY punk aesthetic of the 1970s to the indie guitar sound of New Order, the Jesus and Mary Chain and the Smiths in the 1980s, and the dance music boom of the 1990s.
Independents Day, which will become an annual event, also ties in with the 50th anniversary of the sector. Island Records was conceived in Jamaica in 1958 by Chris Blackwell and Graeme Goodall and later went on to sign U2 before selling to Polygram in 1989.
Many of the best known independent labels, including Alan McGee’s Creation and the late Tony Wilson’s Factory, are no more or were bought up during the 1990s by major labels. Others folded either through over-expansion or cashflow problems. But many of those that survived are undergoing something of a renaissance, with Domino leading the revival of British guitar music in the past five years with Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys, and the biggest British indie, Beggars Group, housing 4AD, Rough Trade and XL, the label that brought the White Stripes and Dizzee Rascal to mass attention.
While independent labels face the same challenges as the rest of the industry in boosting download sales to make up for flagging CD revenues and persuading a generation used to free music of its monetary value, Wenham argued they were better placed than their major label rivals. Because they already have strong, trusting relationships with their artists and are more open to trying pioneering new distribution and revenue models, they are less vulnerable to their biggest names trying to go it alone. Radiohead are just one act who recently swapped a major label for an independent one. Digital distribution and new revenue streams also help level the playing field, which since the 1970s has been tilted in the direction of the major labels with their big marketing budgets.
“If you look at artists like Madonna, more of them are going it alone. But we have artists that have been part of independent labels for decades,” said Wenham.
Quarterly results and the need to please the City were not conducive to making good music, she said. To be members of AIM, labels need to be at least 50% independently owned. Wenham said it had 850 members in the UKalone, contributing around £25m to the economy. Most of the majors, including EMI under new owner Guy Hands, have recently declared their intention to work like larger versions of independent labels, with networks of smaller labels that have stronger “partnerships” with a smaller number of artists. But Wenham said they would never be able to replicate the enthusiasm of the sector and denied the word independent had lost its allure since being appropriated to mean a certain style of prepackaged guitar music.
“Indie is a very cool badge. But you can’t replicate it. It’s really not about the money, it’s about the music. If you have shareholders to please, inevitably it becomes about making money from the music.”
Retailers also welcomed the initiative, saying it would help to focus attention on some of the smaller acts that tended to get ignored during other industry-wide sales drives or seasonal promotions.
Entertainment Retailers Association chairman Paul Quirk said: “Independents Day is a great way to focus attention on the innovative indie labels who do so much to drive British music forward. Inevitably the main music industry promotions tend to focus on big-money acts. This is a way of supporting the grassroots.”
On the album
A disc by up and coming acts such as Mobius Band, Little Dragon, Cougar, Shrag, Oceansize and Electricity in Our Homes will accompany the cover version disc featuring established artists.
The tracks announced so far include:
Tom Smith (from Editors) Bonny (originally by Prefab Sprout); Feeder Public Image (PiL); Maximo Park Was There Anything I Can Do? (The Go-Betweens); Prodigy Ghost Town (The Specials); Cribs Bastards of Young (The Replacements); Jose Gonzales Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division); Futureheads With Every Heartbeat (Robyn);Jack Peñate Dub Be Good to Me (Beats International); Rodrigo y Gabriela Orion (Metallica); British Sea PowerTug Boat (Galaxie 500); The Charlatans Murder (New Order); Infadels Steady As She Goes (The Raconteurs)
NME.com
5th June 2008
http://www.nme.com/news/the-editors/37127
Editors, Cribs and Prodigy on new covers compilation
Plus memorabilia from Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead up for grabs
A unique compilation celebrating independently released music is coming out next month.
The double CD, only be available from July 4 until 7, will feature covers of independently released tracks by artists such as the The Cribs, Feeder, Editors and The Prodigy.
The limited edition one-off collection has been created to celebrate the launch of Independents Day.
A new yearly initiative from AIM in the UK, Independents Day hopes to raise awareness and celebrate the importance and success of independently released music globally.
Simultaneous releases of similarly themed albums will come out around the world in countries including US, New Zealand, Spain and Australia.
The tracklisting for the album is as follows:
CD1
Tom Smith from Editors - ‘Bonny’ (originally by Prefab Sprout)
Feeder - ‘Public Image’ (originally by PIL)
Maximo Park - ‘Was There Anything I Could Do?’ (originally by Go Betweens)
Prodigy - ‘Ghost Town’ (originally by The Specials)
Cribs - ‘Bastards Of Young’ (originally by The Replacements)
Jose Gonzales - ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ (originally by Joy Division)
Futureheads - ‘With Every Heartbeat’ (originally by Robyn)
Jack Penate - ‘Dub Be Good To Me’ (originally by Beats International)
Rodrigo y Gabriela - ‘Orion’ (originally by Metallica)
British Sea Power - ‘Tug Boat’ (originally by Galaxie 500)
The Charlatans - ‘Murder’ (originally by New Order)
Infadels - ‘Steady As She Goes’ (originally by The Raconteurs)
CD2 will include tracks from the likes of Mobius Band, Little Dragon, Cougar, Shrag, Oceansize and Electricity In Our Homes.
Money raised from this, and an eBay auction featuring prizes including VIP festival tickets, rock star music lessons and rare memorabilia from Arctic Monkeys, Gary Numan and Radiohead, will go towards the independent music community and their chosen charities.
For more information go to Independentsday.com
Telegraph.co.uk
Nicole Martin
4th June 2008
The 50th anniversary of the first independent record label is to be celebrated this summer with a new album and a string of events.
The Prodigy, the Charlatans and Maximo Park are among artists who have given their support to the first Independents Day in the UK on July 4.
Each will contribute covers of tracks originally released on independent labels to a new album such as Ghost Town by the Specials and Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division.
The album will tie in with a number of other profile-raising events, including a five-part series on Channel 4 and an eBay auction of memorabilia.
Island Records, the first independent label, was founded by British record producers in Jamaica 50 years ago, and went on to sign the Irish group U2 before being sold to Polygram in 1989.
A host of other labels followed but were bought up by major labels, including Alan McGee’s
Creation Records, which signed some of the biggest names in the alternative rock scene such as Oasis, Primal Scream and The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Alison Wenham, the chairman of the trade body Aim, which is organising the event, said the day was designed to raise the profile of independent labels.
“We’re doing it for the love of it, for the joy of it, for the hell of it,” she said. “If you look at artists like Madonna, more of them are going it alone. But we have artists that have been part of independent labels for years.”
While independent labels face the same challenges as the rest of the industry in the digital world, she said that they were better placed than major record labels to survive the threat from illegal downloads.
This was because artists signed up to independents were more inclined to experiment with new ways of reaching audiences.
Radiohead, for example, recently allowed fans to pay as much or as little as they wanted for their album In Rainbows.
Guardian Unlimited
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/06/independence_day_for_pop_music.html
Rosie Swash
4th June 2008
In a world where the term “indie” can mean “having a haircut like him from the Kooks”, you can sometimes forget the importance of truly independent music. That’s why the Association of Independent Music (AIM) is planning a series of “independence day” events on July 4, celebrating 50 years of musicians doing it for themselves.
The purpose is to remind people how influential indie labels have been in the realm of pop music, hence a CD of cover songs featuring bands such as the Specials, New Order and Public Image Ltd. The compilation will be available for one weekend only, but it will be on offer all over the world so punters everywhere can enjoy “a once-in-a-lifetime chance to grab a piece of musical history”.
Also up for discussion are the names of the world’s all-time favourite independent albums and, even though it’s just a bit of fun, the nominations will no doubt be eagerly thrashed out in a chain of events across the USA, Japan, Mexicoand beyond.
Recent goodies such as the Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (Domino) and the White Stripes’ Elephant (XL) will be competing against seminal classics such as the Talking Heads’ Fear of Music (Sire) and Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On (Tamla/Motown).
Which all-time indie greats would make it onto your best of list?
Paste Magazine
Julia Askenase
3rd June 2008
While some argue that major labels are digging their graves, independent labels the world over feel they’ve got something to celebrate: none other than their very independence. On July 4, members of the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) will hold the first-ever ‘Independents Day,’ a multi-layered event that aims to garner recognition and funds for the international independent music industry and related charities.
Trade organizations from the territories involved in the event will hold individual celebrations as part of the larger event headed by WIN. The festivities will kick off in New Zealand and close in the U.S., hitting up the U.K., Japan,Italy, Australia, South Africa, France, Austria and Spain along the way. Although celebrations will vary from country to country, the entire event will culminate in the largest-ever independent music and music collectibles auction. The auction, to be held on eBay, will feature rare, autographed or otherwise appealing recordings and artist paraphernalia. Some confirmed items include an ultra-rare Interpol 7″ box set and a Thom Yorke signed CD.
The event is also slated to feature limited-edition independent music compilations and polls of the best in independent music. Independents Day USA, for instance, hosted by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), will release a digital-only album composed of rarities and live recordings to be sold exclusively on July 4th weekend. The Australian celebration, organized by the Australian Independent Records Association (AIR), will hold an auction, sell an album, and also let the public cast votes to rank the top 10 best independent albums from a list of 50 nominees.
The proceeds of the event will head toward independent music-related causes. A portion will benefit charities such asMusiCares and the Musicians Benevolent Fund. Other money from the event will go toward independent music initiatives in certain developing nations, bursaries to international trade fairs, and efforts to work with schools and colleges.
“Independents Day 08 is the first event of its kind, bringing together the best in music making and a global auction,” said WIN president, Alison Wenham, in a statement. “We hope it raises lots of money and awareness for the charities, and for the sector to continue to push at the margins of creativity.”
Record of the Day
5th June 2008
UK indie community will be celebrated with a Channel 4 documentary during the AIM backed Independents Day 08. (p3)
Big names of pop help mark 50 years of indie labels (Guardian p9 [ibid]) July 4 global celebration Independents Dayas recording industry pioneers face up to digital challenge.
Digital Spy
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a97648/editors-prodigy-appear-on-covers-album.html
Simon Reynolds
6th June 2008
Editors, The Prodigy and Feeder are among several acts on a new covers album celebrating independent music,NME reports.
The two-disc set, which will only be available from July 4 to July 7, also contains tracks from The Cribs (performing ‘Bastards Of Young’ by The Replacements), Maximo Park (Go Betweens’ ‘Was There Anything I Could Do?’) and The Futureheads (Robyn’s ‘With Every Heartbeat’).
Tom Smith from Editors will contribute his take on Prefab Sprout’s ‘Bonny’, Feeder’s track is PIL’s ‘Public Image’ and The Prodigy will perform ‘Ghost Town’, originally by The Specials.
The new yearly Independents Day initiative was devised by UK organisation AIM (Association of Independent Music) to highlight the contributions of indie acts to the music industry’s success.
Money raised from the album sales will go towards the independent music community and charities of their choice.
The Tripwire
http://www.thetripwire.com/news/2008/6/5/editors-jarvis-futureheads-on-indie-comp
Chris Adams
5th June 2008
We love seeing people celebrating independent music. Following on the heels of Record Store Day here in the US, a worldwide campaign called Independents Day will be taking place on the 4th of July weekend. This event will be to help raise money for the independent music community as well as their selected charities.
It will be centered around the release of a compilation titled Independents Day ID08, featuring covers of independently released songs recorded by Editors, Jose Gonzalez, Futureheads and Jarvis Cocker. The album, which will be available online as a paid download and as a double disc CD, goes on sale from July 4 to 7. After the 7th, you’ll be out of luck.
We’re still waiting on the confirmed tracklisting for the second disc, but we do have CD number one ready to show you. This will definitely be worth the price!
[Includes track listing.]
CMU
6th June
STARS LINE UP FOR COVERS ALBUM
To celebrate this Independents Day thing on 4 Jul (a celebration of independent music), its organisers will release a two disc compilation of covers by big names and tracks from new artists in the UK, along with similarly-themed albums in various other territories around the world.
The Day is being organised by the Worldwide Independent Network and overseen by Association Of Independent Music here in the UK. A limited number of physical versions of the compo will be on sale, but only from 4 Jul to 7 Jul, with preorders being taken now via www.independentsday08.com and high street retailers. The UK version will also be available to download for a month.
Other ID related things include a Channel 4 TV show covering the recording of the aforementioned album, a gig at Cargo, some documentaries on indie labels on Xfm plus a some charity auctions of rare music memorabilia on eBay.
The initiative will raise money for a number of beneficiaries. In the UK, Independents Day 08 is raising money for charities CALM, The Campaign Against Living Miserably, a charity helping with the issue of suicide amongst young men, and The Musicians Benevolent Fund which provides help and support to musicians and their dependants and those in related occupations when illness, accident or old age brings stress or financial burdens.
Tracks so far confirmed for the sixteen track UK album are:
CD1
Tom Smith from Editors - Bonny (originally by Prefab Sprout)
Feeder - Public Image (originally by PIL)
Maximo Park - Was There Anything I Can Do? (originally by Go Betweens)
Prodigy - Ghost Town (originally by The Specials)
Cribs - Bastards Of Young (originally by The Replacements)
Jose Gonzales - Love Will Tear Us Apart (originally by Joy Division)
Futureheads - With Every Heartbeat (originally by Robyn)
Jack Penate - Dub Be Good To Me (originally by Beats International)
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Orion (originally by Metallica)
British Sea Power - Tug Boat (originally by Galaxie 500)
The Charlatans - Murder (originally by New Order)
Infadels - Steady As She Goes (originally by The Raconteurs)
CD2 will also be a sixteen track album and will include new bands Mobius Band, Little Dragon, Cougar, Shrag, Oceansize and Electricity In Our Homes.
Music Week
http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1034413&c=1
2nd June 08
Robert Ashton
The unique strength, creativity and influence of the UK indie community will be celebrated with the first significant profile of the sector in a TV documentary to coincide with the global Independents Day 08 initiative.
The move to screen a documentary, which will be aired by Channel 4 in the week following the July 4 kickoff for Independents Day, comes as more details emerge about the massive event, which will feature the largest auction to date of indie memorabilia and a double album showcasing the cream of indie talent.
A number of major bands and artists, including Prodigy, Tom Smith from Editors, The Futureheads and British Sea Power, have also signed up to the special, limited-edition double album, ID 08, that forms part of the July activities.
David Steele, head of Embryonic Music and executive producer of the TV show and album, says that the TV programme will focus on the sector, interviewing key label owners, bands and Aim chairman and CEO Alison Wenham, who has played an instrument