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13.07.12MusicWeek 23


agrees that the biggest challenge facing rock music today is exposure. “TV and radio does shy away from the more extreme ends of the genre,” she argues - but points out that this is an issue that’s not unique to rock: “There is little music output on terrestrialTV in general with the exception of chat shows and E4. “Ironically, even though there are many more


channels to get the material out there, they are available to everyone so things do get diluted.Plus there are a lot more bands vying for attention so there is a constant fight for coverage.” Owner and managing director of Best Before


Records,Anthony Shaw, adds, “Radio,what’s that? We have some amazing DJs out there supporting our cause, but they have so few spots available for rock music. “For me, radio has really taken a back seat in my


promo plans,”he explains. “Not because I wouldn’t like radio play or my artists’music doesn’t deserve it, just because it’s incredibly difficult to get any real support for UK rock. “I applaud the guys out there fighting the good


fight to get rock heard on stations who may be less than interested in rock music.” While our panel of experts all agree that rock is


left gasping when it comes to the oxygen of publicity, they also seem to share the view that the genre is actually on sturdy ground. “The rock genre is in great health,”proclaims


Craig Jennings,CEOof management group Raw Power - which recently announced rock-centric joint venture label Search And Destroy with Sony. “Our UK roster is doing better than ever and


selling out shows across the globe.We have YouMe At Six and Bullet forMy Valentine moving into arenas and bands like Young Guns selling out two thousand capacity rooms across the country. “We just expanded to open Raw Power offices in


LA andTokyo as well and have signed our first US and Japanese acts.” It’s a similar view from the artist’s perspective.


“The rock genre is pretty healthy right now, all things considered,” says Darren South, vocalist for SacredMotherTongue, signed toTranscendMusic and released via EMI Label Services. “The UK is really throwing out some great acts at


the moment, as is Europe andThe States. It’s just that, sadly, in the current climate, the ladders that rock musicians are steadily climbing are far taller than many other genres these days. “This wasn’t always the case. So called rock stars


have had it pretty sweet throughout certain eras when the ladders were far shorter and therefore easier to climb.” ForTranscendMusic owner Rob Ferguson, a


reliance on heritage acts on the festival scene isn’t a concern and, in fact, the health of rock music can be seen in the amount of young bands pushing their way forward across its various sub-genres. “The rock genre is a bit like aTARDIS,”he


explains. “To those on the outside, it can appear to be a fairly small and even insignificant speck on what is perceived by the masses as the music industry. But step inside and there is a myriad of topline genres such as punk and metal leading to sub-genres such as thrash, death, goth and the like. “So in terms of health, I think you could safely


say that our world is very much alive and kicking. There are tons of amazing young bands vying for attention and they are a great barometer for how


“Fans love their bands, and bands love their fans.


It’s a symbiotic relationship that’s really respected and cherished by both,”he explains. “It’s also one that I feel is never quite shared in other genres. “They want the CDs, they want the posters, they


want the back catalogue and theT-shirts too. They want to go to the shows and sing along to every word.” PIAS’PeterThompson agrees, drawing the exact


same reasoning when asked why rock acts manage to consistently fill stadiums while ‘trendy’ indie bands seem to struggle - and why Kerrang! magazine is outselling NME almost 2:1. “Rock has a very loyal audience,”he says. “It’s


young, it’s active and it supports the bands. “The independent scene is a lot more fickle,”he


“The kids that are buying some of our artists like The Viewor The Enemy or things like Deaf Havana [above] and YouMe At Six are as net savvy as kidswho buy Tinie Tempah or Beyoncé records. In fact, inmany cases I’d say they’remore so” PHIL HOPWOOD, COOKING VINYL / ESSENTIAL


well our part of the industry is fairing.” For Universal’s Andrew Daw, the continued


strength of rock music can be seen in the popularity of its dedicated festivals and its ability to cross international borders. “You just need to go to a festival like Download and see 100,000 people in the mud,”he suggests. “I also think it’s very interesting that, generally,


there is a much more diverse range of styles and more of a global presence in rock in terms of where bands can come from and break worldwide.Acts like Ghost in Scandinavia will be a huge success and that might not always have been the case. It used to be very tough to break the US unless you were American, now you can come from anywhere in the world.”


“Rock is poorly represented on UK radio and that’s because it’s not cool, but then it never has been. It’s always been poorly represented and alwayswill be” MALCOLM BLUEMEL, PLANET ROCK


Spinefarm Record’s Dante Bonutto – while


arguing that the rock genre is in reasonable health and staunchly standing against even the notion of an ailing at form – admits a certain level of stagnation but ultimately believes we are simply sitting at a point in a cycle. “Having been a fully-fledged supporter of the


rock cause since the mid-Seventies, I’ve been around long enough to see the music rise and fall on a number of occasions,”he says. “At the moment, it feels like we’re in a ‘holding pattern’waiting for the genre to reinvent and regroup for the next discernible movement to come to the fore.” But if rock is considered an unfashionable genre


that looks to its relics - while young potential fails to get the airwaves it needs to make an impact - where do those working in the genre get such confidence in its strength? Simply put, it’s the fans. “Even though downloading and bootlegging


continue to damage this entire industry, one of the few genres I truly feel is triumphing is rock,” says Austin Dickinson, lead vocalist for London metalcore outfit RiseTo Remain.


suggests. “Things can come and go far quicker. Indie bands can become huge obviously, but with rock, the audience stays loyal.” If you ask Cooking Vinyl/EssentialMusic’s


repertoire and product manager PhilHopwood, the rock audience is as bolshie when it comes to marrying music with modern day technology as it is loyal to its idols. While the classic rocker might be portrayed as


rootsy and traditional,Hopwood says the genre is transitioning well when it comes to digital. “I think to pigeonhole rock fans as luddites is a bit of a cliché,”he says. “The kids that are buying some of our artists like


The View orThe Enemy, and kids that are buying rock music like DeafHavana or YouMe At Six, are as net savvy as kids who buyTinieTempah or Beyoncé records. In fact, in many cases I’d say they’re more so.” UK label manager of CenturyMedia Records


David Gulvin agrees: “Rock music has transitioned to digital pretty well, particularly with young bands such as Architects. “We’ve seen some acts’digital sales jump from


around 10% to 35-40% in the last couple of years. Sometimes it’s now even has high as 50%. “That’s not to say there isn’t still a free


downloading problem, but it’s largely gone away as ‘news’.Arguably, Spotify has had the greater impact recently on CD and digital sales.” Hopwood adds: “It’s not just rock, it’s a whole


industry challenge:working out how artists are developed through these channels,how wemonetise that and how we translate it into demand for bands so they can top a festival bill.” And, of course, there’s a reason those old axe-


wielders still dominate the stage after so many years. “They appeal across generations and pull stronger


crowds,” says Universal’s Andrew Daw. Century’s Gulvin suggests the genre needs new


names to cause a spark. “The general rock and metal scene could use a bit


more innovation or a Sex Pistols style shake-up,”he says. “It could use a movement or ‘stake in the ground band’ like Nirvana to come along.Heritage bands such as IronMaiden,Black Sabbath and Metallica were unifying forces.” But Daw says a continued reliance on those


legendary figures “is only a bad thing if it’s not attracting a younger audience. “You only need to go and see acts like Iron


Maiden,Kiss,Alice Cooper,Rob Zombie and Rush to see that isn’t true,”he adds. “In turn, they will inspire today’s kids to create great music tomorrow.”


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