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across eleven UK venues such as Bristol’s Col- ston Hall, the Sage Gateshead and the Junc- tion in Cambridge – a model used by Anne Hunt’s pioneering Arts Worldwide (from which grew World Circuit) in the 1980s.
Pavlakis’s personal taste in world music is proving successful. For her it has to be hand-made and preferably acoustic, although this doesn’t rule out use of electronics or experimental artists. Unusually she gives a platform to musicians from Europe like Ukranian experimental folk artist Mariana Sadovska, and UK-residents like Turkey’s Cig- dem Aslan. Making Tracks provides a rare opportunity for ‘world’ artists unknown in the UK to reach a wider audience.
Cigdem Aslan
They won’t experiment with money. And in London it’s particularly hard as there’s so much to compete with.”
It’s not a taste issue she says. She runs free concerts at SOAS which are always full and attract a regular and loyal audience whoever the artist, whereas “It’s hard to get a hundred people to pay ten quid at the Rich Mix.” Recognising that trust in the organisa- tion putting out the music (whether her as a promoter, or the record company, shop, venue or festival), is key to attracting a core audience which will then be open to any new music that it introduces, she set up Making Tracks. It’s an annual season of four tours
ask ‘How do you fancy an eleven-date tour of the UK? All you have to do is turn up, all the venues are confirmed.’ It’s a lovely thing to say to an artist.” They can begin to build a following here as audi- ences turn up trusting her taste, knowing their money’s safe.
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The tours can also impact on the artist’s relationship with a record company. Once a tour is confirmed, the artist is much more likely to secure an album release to coincide with it. The tour might benefit from record company marketing; it’s good for the artist to have a CD to sell and obviously good for the record company too.
The independent labels, small and with finances perched on a knife-edge, found that the failure of distribution companies
ith funding from Arts Council England, without which none of it would be possible, Pavlakis says: “I can call an artist and
like Pinnacle and major record shop chains like Virgin hit them hard, not just because of loss of money owing to them but because of the way people find and buy world music. It had its own bin in the record shop. No national record shop chain, less opportu- nity for people to go in browse, discover something they weren’t necessarily looking for, listen to it, ask about it and buy it.
Rough Trade proves that this model still works. Elevating the experience into an art- form they provide a tailor-made personal service that Nigel House, co-owner of Rough Trade Records, says is key to their success. “It’s bespoke music shopping”, says House, “like a cheese-monger or an organic butcher. The shop floor is a thriving place.” Following the opening of Rough Trade East in London, a new branch recently opened in New York. It shifts a lot of vinyl.
House points to a renaissance of interest generally in vinyl and CDs, with a new young crowd that is “not the woolly jumper brigade but very cool, who want premium products, whether the music is modern or classic re - issues. They are the new cogno scenti. It’s the antithesis of the download, it’s no longer cool to buy from Amazon.” And reading about the music is key. House points out that a lot of people come to the shop because of a review they’ve seen in the press. Specialist music magazines like fRoots, which has built up a trust relation- ship with its readers, play a crucial role in getting the music heard. As our editor says: “So many people say they count on fRoots as being their filter through endless too- much-information on the web.”
Photo: © Judith Burrows
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