2 MusicWeek 17.08.12 NEWS EDITORIAL


The risk of the disc


YOU CAN UNDERSTAND Rough Trade co-owner Stephen Godfroy’s frustration over all this defeatism. I’ve spoken to a fair few industry types this week on the


subject of CD’s decline being rushed by the industry; by the lure of a sexy digital-only marketplace switching focus away from a format that still has a lot to give. All of them have acknowledged that physical media is in freefall and that music retail has it tougher than ever. The fact that Sunday’s No.1 artist album was a year old and shifted less than 10k in the week tells its own story. Except, that’s not Rough Trade’s story. The lauded retailer’s


‘99% experience’ strategy is paying dividends. By expanding its approach across the UK, it won’t only put commercial pressure on HMV – it could stand to embarrass the chain retailer’s offering into improvement.


“The digital camera market looked fatally wounded by the ascendance of the smartphone –but bounced back on a USP of quality and reliability. Could music CDs do the same?”


Elsewhere, a culture of unchallenging CD’s degeneration is


very apparent – and worrying those still close to the physical format. Iain McNay, founder of Cherry Red – which releases 40+ albums a month – told me he that, if nationwide music retail was to work, it had to “reinvent itself to be more like Rough Trade”. Paul Quirk, chairman of ERA, drew parallels with Woolworths’


move out of vinyl and CD singles and HMV’s statement over the forecast 20% decline in High Street CD revenues. He said he was concerned that HMV’s public predictions could become a “self-fulfilling prophecy for CD”. Interesting to note that HMV’s new CEO, Trevor Moore,


arrives from Jessops. The digital camera market looked fatally wounded a few years ago by the ascendance of the smartphone – but bounced back on a USP of quality and reliability. Could music CDs do the same? An HMV spokesperson, not a boutique indie music retailer,


answered that question this week by telling me: “Perhaps as people realise there’s nothing more to digital other than its utility, they might want to revisit formats that deliver better quality and remain collectible. “Perhaps that is being optimistic if not a touch romantic, but,


then, has our industry really made any kind of an effort in recent years to extol the virtues of physical as part of a range of services available to the public? “I think everyone has been so keen to be seen to be


embracing digital, and show that they’re now being progressive – having been slow to take to digital in the first place – they’ve perhaps not fully appreciated the opportunity with physical that still lies in front of them.” Propelled by Rough Trade’s vision, it seems now is a good


time to start.


Tim Ingham, Editor


Do you have views on this column? Feel free to comment by emailing tim.ingham@intentmedia.co.uk


RADIO  BY TINA HART


B


10th birthday this week. The digital station broke the


BC Radio 1Xtra has further growth in its sights as it celebrates its


million listener mark for only the second time in its history in Q2 2012, with a reach of 1.14m – 14.6% up year-on-year and 24.1% up quarter-on-quarter. Radio 1 and 1Xtra controller


Ben Cooper told Music Week that 1Xtra’s Rajar figures were “a very important and significant moment in the station’s history.” “We go into our birthday


celebrations with confidence, but I want the station to have even more listeners.” “August 16 is 1Xtra’s actual


birthday. There will be more live performances and guests for that,” Cooper revealed. “The unique thing about 1Xtra is that it almost feels like it’s partly owned by the artists that have played on the station and that’s a fantastic feeling. It’s a family.” Executive producer Rebecca


Frank added: “We’ve found our voice, our balance between new music and entertainment. That’s only going to get stronger when our new schedule launches in September with new stars Charlie Sloth and Yasmin Evans, and new specialist shows


BEN COOPER: STATION CAN WIN OVER NEW AUDIENCES


1Xtra ready to grow as it hits 10th year


Left: New 1Xtra ‘star’ presenter Charlie Sloth Right: Station controller Ben Cooper and


executive producer Rebecca Frank


www.musicweek.com


launching across the week too.” Cooper also acknowledged


potential for further growth through technology: “The increase of [internet connected TV] is a great thing for 1Xtra,” he said. “Now you can listen to radio through your TV screen. “Add to that an increase in


mobile devices and people will be able to listen through their TVs at home and via their mobiles when they’re on the move. I think those two areas are ones of huge growth for 1Xtra audiences.” Tapping into the technology


consumption of 1Xtra’s youthful listeners is the key for Cooper when it comes to emerging platforms: “Young audiences always have a screen in their hand, or in their bedrooms, whether that be a mobile, laptop or TV,” he suggested. “1Xtra can really benefit by


trying to work out how it looks on a screen - but visualised radio is not television, it’s something different. I’m hoping that we can invent that and invent the future with both Radio 1 and 1Xtra.” Apart from ‘traditional’ radio


programming, the station plans to continue building its reach with brand extensions and further social media activity, which has already played a significant part in bolstering its current listener base. “A whopping third of the


1Xtra listenership interacts with us on Facebook,” Rebecca Frank revealed. “Relatively speaking, we’re the biggest radio station on social media in the UK. “Our listeners come to us for


the music, and stay because of the atmosphere.” Cooper added: “One of the


great things is the amount of moments that 1Xtra is going to have. It’s been a stellar year for the station in terms of its creativity and content.” So far, that content has


included the Hackney Academy and its related weekend festival, complete with a 1Xtra tent, and there’s more on the horizon. A 1Xtra presence at both the Notting Hill Carnival and Creamfields is in the calendar on top of the station’s own 1Xtra Live event, which will see performances across four cities over four nights. “When you look at that year, it feels like 1Xtra has come of age,” said Cooper. “It’s got a confidence and a


swagger about it. We’ve got the right DJs and we’ve got the right content spread throughout the year. With the right technology, we’ll build audiences whilst keeping that family feel and specialism at the heart. “My ambition for the next


five years is to win over new audiences not only for 1Xtra but for radio listening generally.”


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40