Creation Records founder Alan McGee is winding down his Poptones imprint to concentrate on a new role as adviser to bands.
McGee, who famously discovered Oasis and The Jesus & Mary Chain, set up the label in 1999 after the demise of Creation. The imprint launched the career of Swedish garage rockers The Hives, as well as providing a home for acts such as The Icarus Line's sister project Souls She Said, King Biscuit Time and The Paddingtons.
According to the impresario, it’s no longer feasible for record labels to make money from new acts.
He said: "The accountants will make them (the record companies) see sense. They'll probably stop signing new groups - new groups will have to develop themselves.
Calling for upcoming acts to cut out the middle-man and release their own music, he said: "The best advice I could give to any young band is to do it yourself. Of course the major record companies will come in and sign two or three new bands a year and probably always will, but who'll own the major record companies? Probably a hedge fund."
interesting
pretty
pretty
pretty
pretty
interesting
nice one
L.D
Alan McGee Has Opinion On Something
wow.
and i'm sure this has nothing to do with the label having had fuck all 'hits' since.. er.. The Hives. Of course.
MCGEE!
his blog is hilarious.
Now THIS
is proper DiS-relevant news. McGees decisions have far more relevance to music than alll the germaine greer/nme tripe in the world.
I think he has a point and also quite forward thinking
the advice he gave me was 'just enjoy yourself' - I think once you stop doing that in music then youre doing something wrong. He did sign some shockers on Poptones when he went to bed with Mercury - its probably for the best that he bins it.
AND YES HIS BLOGS MAKE A GOOD READ DONT THEY SO LONG AS HE KEEPS UP WRITING LIKE THIS
He told the Independent this three weeks ago
http://arts.independent.co.uk/music/features/article2528574.ece
I can't remember anything released through Poptones in about the last three years. It started off as a very interesting label, then got sidetracked by the post-Libertines 'thing' and never recovered.
Well he's been on about going direct for ages
He said in an interview that as soon as a big act like Radiohead or Oasis decided to sell direct to the audience then the major label was over. He's right, fuckwits like marillion have been doing it for a while, so surely a bigger band.....they'd be on footballers wages.
I think majors would have faired better if they weren't so conservative in what they signed and maybe signed lots of bands cheaply & actually did some legwork. Also I blame a lot of the " haircut bands" who change there styles to match the NME on an almost bi monthly basis.
"Fuckwits" like Marillion aye?
I'm not a fan like, but could you even qualify "fuckwit?"
Just a bunch of geezers recording tunes without ramming 'em down anybody's throats, no?
Doherty, there's a fuckwit.
That's actually a really great article
from AM there. Good to see him talking some sense occasionally
....
Wasn't that really cool soul/garage rock band on poptones? Their singer was a diva with big hair and they seemed to be flavour of the month for a bit but I cannot for the life of me remember their name. Any Help?
found it
The Bellrays, their myspace sports some nice tunes.
Congratulations on a job...done.
Alan McGee having trouble making money? You don't say! Nice to see him blaming someone else other than Kevin Shields for a change. I wonder if the culprit is actually a nasty coke habit and irresponsible accounting as it was back in the early '90's.
singleman affair
mcgee has been hit and miss throughout his career, misses: 3 colours red, Mishka, paaddingtons. but when he hit its massive often commercially and criticall... hits: marychain, MBV, ride, oasis, house of love, oasis, boo radleys, teenage fanclub, primal scream. he spouts a lot of shit, always has done, but at least he spouts it with passion and conviction. oh yeah and he's been off of coke for over ten years.
i have a problem with him saying sell it yourself etc... easy for big bands with fanbases helped established by big labels. but oasis for example would never of happened without label backing. some bands need pushing.
i recommend THE CREATION RECORDS STORY: my magpie eyes are hungry for the prize.
p.s what the fuck are the sessions all about though...utter shit.
oh yeah
what i meant to say was the singleman affair on poptones are absolute magic. kind of sixties folk come shoegaze with beautiful songs.
No longer relevant...
I think there'll always be a place for labels with their finger on the button. Poptones failed because they no longer sell music that is relevant.
My only two purchases from Poptones were the Cosmic Rough Riders and The Hives. Truth is Alan McGee was living off past glories. All due respect to him for what he achieved but he didn't choose the bands for Poptones anyway. I remember them advertising for a female fronted punk band under 25. Surely you start a label because you already have music you feel inspired to put out?
Not sure if bands releasing their own music is the answer either. This could only work for the big bands. There needs to be a place which acts like a filter or a bullshit detector where you can find all good bands and I think I've already found that place www.northernstarrecords.co.uk
nortern star/coloursonic
yeah that a great site, the compilations are top notch with loads of hidden little gems.
Fomer glories
I'm with the man_with... on this one. Surely it would have helped if he found some good bands this time round? I mean, did anyone hear the boxer rebellion? Sheesh.
Former.
Damn my spelling...
Good riddance
Boxer Rebellion are/were awesome. He failed to promote them at all, and I'm glad his crappy label went under.
MCGEE'S LEGACY
Creation:
Oasis
Primal Scream
House Of Love
Jesus & Mary Chain
Ride
My Bloody Valentine
etc.
Excellent. (Forgetting 3 Colours Red, 18 Wheeler, etc. Obviously.)
Poptones/bands in the 00s
The Others
Actually, I was going to finish the list but the point was kind of already made.
creation was truly great
apart from the popular ones, they released some amazing albums:
saint etienne - good humor
kevin rowland - my beauty (yes, it is great)
boo radleys - giant steps
first ivor cutler
etc.
shutting down a label is a good way to get rid of taxes though. :-)
Exactly Kowalski,
So how did he go from signing such excellent bands in the 80s and 90s to putting out such an unforgivable drivel as The Paddingtons in the 00s?
Dick Green...
... had a major hand in signing the bands on Creation. I may be wrong here, but I don't believe he was involved with Poptones.
No...
Dick Green runs Witchita.
Er
that *an* didn't need to be there. Whoops.
Future Music
I kind of agree with AM in the sense that the only real function that record labels appear to serve is lending money to bands (at a very loan-shark style rate of return). Perhaps the majors should get out of making records altogether and focus on publishing, which is a rather more sure fire way of making money. In a way, since a publisher deals with the content, rather than the physical product, maybe it's a rather better way to approach a market where the format could be downloads/cd's music for games, music for film.... rather than treat people as consumers or products, treat us as users of 'software' and get mechanical royalties from records and downloads and performance/licensing royalties from games manufacturers/radio/tv/film etc.
Publishers have always been rather more long term in their view of artists, and perhaps that's exactly what's needed.
How much do pluggers charge these days? and what's your chances of getting on the radio without one?
'nuff said
the singleman affair and cherrystones .... 'nuff said.
singleman affair are really brilliant.
Marillion are fuckwits
They pissed their career away. It was a clever idea getting your audience to finance your albums but really if they hadn't been writing such unimaginative shit in the first place they'd still be signed and playing bigger venues.
Absolute bollocks.
Marillion's record sales had already started declining even as far back as when they released Brave. If anything should have saved their career then that album should have done.
Brave certainly was not 'unimaginative shit'. It's only problem was it wasn't commercial at the time - people were more interested in These Fucking Animal Men in '94.
It were in my top 10 albums of '94, anyway (he says, like an oldie).
one great poptones band
Beachbuggy!!!!
Fantastic & totally ignored due to lack of promotion by the label. Ah well eh?
why?
why are you even discussing marillion, they're a joke.as for these for these animal men ive got a soft spot for welcome to the high society...
These Animal Men
You're wrong.
End of discussion.
Marillion - need a McGee
Actually Marillion got a new singer in many years ago and moved away from the Gabrielesque pomp of olde and embraced new technology.
Perhaps McGee could have set himself a challenge to rehabilitate them in the public eye.
These Animal Men and all the other bands from their scene were utterly awful and possibly worse than The Paddingtons and Dogs.