too much dance music?

The market is actually tightening up in a serious way. Distributors will not pick up records nearly as easily as they once did. A lot of them are also forcing certain labels to do consignment, rather than outright purchasing. After 911, the labels that they do carry have all seen a serious decrease in their sales. It is nothing major, but when you are used to selling 1,400 12"s and all of a sudden you are selling 900, that is a problem.

I think it is good for the market overall, anything that makes it harder for bad records to get into the stores is a good thing. I do not really follow the straight-up floor material anymore, but I know enough people in the business to know how things are going in that scene.

The focus of dance music has changed over the last few years from record sales to performance. It used to be that you would make some money from your records, and then you would make more from the bookings that they would generate. That was 5 year ago though, back when you could expect a hot record to sell 5,000 records without a problem. Now, the 12" is actually considered a business card that you use to garner more bookings. You break even on your records, and you bank on your bookings.

Anyway you slice it, it is a seriously saturated market. It is what it is, you cannot change it. I wish every other record in the store was hot, but that is not the way it is. I think there is too much bad dance music, and not nearly enough good dance music out there.

revive plz. did mt leave anything out?

the amount of records coming out in 2002 seems quaint compared to right now whatwith the netlabel+ableton+loop cd trifecta

The odd thing is that I think that music in general has gotten a lot better in the last few years. Looking back, 2002 as a whole seemed pretty dire for dance record(although I am sure there are 1,000 records from then that would demonstrate that it was actually the best year ever...)

As I was driving into work this morning I was listening to a local college station and I was thinking about what an achievement I used to think a good record was. Now, everybody and their brother is making at least passable music and a huge amount of people are making really good stuff. The worst part about myspace isn't that it is filled with shit, it is that it is stuffed with more good music than you could ever digest or hope to keep up with.

What I am not sure about it if we are in the middle of a renaissance of brilliant dance music or if this is just how it is going to be in the future.

There is a ton of music out there that I don't like, but there is a flood of great music that I am interested in. That flood is just new stuff, that doesn't include wonderful music that I am discovering for the first time due to reissues or crate digging.

The other issue facing the America's at the moment is that dance music in Europe has gone supernova in the last 5 years whereas our dance business infrastructure has gone to complete shit.

We don't press as well, it isn't really commercially possible to do multi-region tours, we don't have a strong domestic market for product, and we are actually losing our legacy vinyl and music making hardware to Europe and Japan due to the complete irresponsibility of the Bush Administration's financial policies and the decline of real income for America's working and middle classes.

I am not saying vinyl is dead, but it ain't doing to well in the States. It is really hard for us to get the good underground records from Europe because there isn't a huge market and the dollar is so weak. A record has to be REALLY good if I am going to pay 12 bucks for a new record.

Music is great tho, America always makes great shit in bad times and the software that everybody is too poor to actually buy is starting to get really good. I think the next 5 years are going to be way better than the last 5.

I think the party will happening again on January 20th, 2009. This decade has been a non-stop bummer.

Display Name=mt

The other issue facing the America's at the moment is that dance music in Europe has gone supernova in the last 5 years whereas our dance business infrastructure has gone to complete shit.

Dancing isn't of much interest to me, but it's kind of interesting how tomorrow's DJ will look. Will it be some guy who sits behind a HD, mixing mp3's into each other like crazy?

CRAZY!

When you say tomorrow you mean, literally, tomorrow don't you?

http://a672.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/00623/17/62/623462671_l.jpg

http://badicalbeats.com/cutenews/data/upimages/toyDJ.jpg

Guy on the left is cute, but his super fringe is like woah.

interesting insightful posts from Display Name as always. i think you can be more confident about rise of new American producers making both the kind of thing DN is alluding to (Techno/Electro?) plus more acts taking their cue from Daft Punk and thus their influences - not necessarily making real commercial impact but just an increase in quantity and from that some good stuff, new ideas (ala north east america art-rock direction maybe). i feel like this has disappeared completely in the UK (as opposed to Europe) and the industry feels tighter and more controlled (for damage limitation) than ever despite the improved tools and opportunities.

How do things work in Australia, Tim F?

... due to the complete irresponsibility of the Bush Administration's financial policies and the decline of real income for America's working and middle classes.

Curse George W. Bush and his shifty neocon cabal for ruining dance music! What WON'T they poison with their greed?!

The dollars is in the toilet at the moment. This happened because Federal Reserve sold a lot of debt to other countries in order to finance wars that we cannot actually afford. This creates inflation at home, which means that our wages do not have the same buying power as Europeans bidding for the same goods in Euros.

I don't think dubya sat around Lex Luthor style and plotted to fuck up techno, but his policies have made it a little more difficult for people who get paid in dollars to compete for goods in international markets.

My apologies if you were not being sarcastic.

"How do things work in Australia, Tim F?"

dance music production or fringes?

The local dance scene is pretty healthy at the moment, Australian producers really jumped on haircut electro-house and there have been a lot of success stories (Rogue Traders, TV Rock, Vandalism, Dirty South, Bang Gang, Craig Obey etc., the various acts clustered around Modular). This is probably the house that sells the most here right now. But aesthetically it's pretty moribund - there are some good tracks but it's almost by accident. OTOH what Australia has really pioneered is the convergence of the "rock" end of electro-house (Justice etc.) and the "pop" end (stuff that does well in the singles charts. If Calvin Harris didn't already exist Australia would have had to invent him.

Is there a large market for home grown music is Australia? Is it a closed scene, or are the guys that you mentioned touring the rest of the world?

There's no necessary large market w/r/t dance music: there is at the moment because Australian producers spotted a partial gap - stuff that blurs the line between chart-dance and Digitalism - and have rushed to fill it. Certainly Australian stuff always has the potential to do well though: back around 2001 there was a lot of soulful/funky house surfing the post-filter-disco wave that did really well. A lot of the same producers who were making that stuff then have jumped onto the post-electro-house bandwagon now.

Basically the scene is very self-supportive though: there's a collection of clubs, radio shows and compilations all effectively handled by the same producer-DJs all playing eachother's work (recognising that it's better to help eachother than to compete). It's a pretty admirable achievement, and would be more so if I really liked the music. Invariably though it's the non-Australian stuff they play - Axwell's "I Found U", Fedde De Grand's "Let Me Think About It" - which i really like. Last year the scene produced one genuinely great anthem in the Potbelleez's "Don't Hold Back", which sounds like Coloma backed by the Ewan Pearson remix of Freeform Five's "Perspex Sex" (which basically informs the sound of this whole scene). I don't think you'd like it at all though mt.

I think most of this stuff is pretty local - donut is the only non-Australian who seems to know TV Rock's "Flaunt It", proabbly the scene's biggest hit.

At the same time there's a lot of acts who are more connected with the indie end of things (The Presets, Bang Gang, Cut Copy obviously) who are more likely to get international attention, tour etc.

ever noticed that not enough people look good dancing these days ???

...plodding or hyperactive with a dreary sense of purpose locked into a repetitive zombie like stagger while facing the high priest DJ rather than each other

good for a laugh though...

I tend to do that all the time!
Reminds me of when I saw Daft Punk and the DJ's on before were inside this secured off island in the middle of the warehouse-esque venue, and so like, I guess over 2000 people were avidly facing the front, looking at an empty stage, not realizing the DJ's were behind them. But then again I surely don't go to events to dance with other people, or even go with people, keeping your eyes closed is the best bet.

I don't know, dancing, in theory, doesn't make much sense at all really.

Good import 12"s are about to become ever harder to obtain here in the US now that Syntax Distribution is closing.

So ... too much dance music? yeah, probably. But not enough really great quality 12"s to be had for under $12 (although now the new import 12" standard price seems to be more like $13-15).

I cry.

(Great thread, btw.)

the industry is just leveling off - there isn't the business to spread around to everyone that's in the market, and so it's survival of the fittest out there. i think it'll ultimately be a good thing, and we won't necessarily be deprived of anything in the long run.

There are some labels outside the US still willing to put out music produced here (which I'm happy about). BUT... I think the DIY route - i.e. make your music/promote thru Myspace/gigs/etc./make your own limited pressings and sell/ship yourself - is going to be the way to do it from now on. I've done it to an extent and it's satisfying - though a shitload of work. Good thing: no middleman and a closer relationship with folks digging your stuff. And digital is still a grey area financially unless you're a Justice or something.

LOL HAI WERE ON ILM WE LOVE TO DANCE

DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT

http://www.sportaphile.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/camron-u-mad.gif

DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNKDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTPUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTPUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTPUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTPUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTPUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNKDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT
DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTPUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTPUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTPUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFTDAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK
PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT PUNK DAFT

http://www.ilxor.com/sandbox/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?action=showall&boardid=147&threadid=11

:D

Daft Punk are totally prog Louis, and also maybe the most certifiably classic band of the last 20 years or so.

lol j/k daft punk are good really

― so you want Mark Ronson to cry into your ass (acoleuthic), Thursday, 8 July 2010 17:51 (8 minutes ago)

please forgive me, I am in a silly mood today

there's too much daft punk in the world for one.