A campaign to try to persuade broadcasters to make clear whether a band is miming or playing live is to be launched by the Musicians' Union.It is campaigning for a logo to be flashed up on screen to tell viewers whether a performance is live or has recorded or mimed elements.
The move, officially launched in March, features on BBC2's Culture Show.
The campaign is supported by a range of artists and the union hopes it will encourage more bands to play live.
Horace Trubridge is an assistant general secretary for the Musicians' Union.
On label
He told the programme: "Just as when you buy a can of beans and it tells you what's in the beans, we think if you are going to buy a ticket for a show or watch a band on the TV, you should know exactly what it is you are buying and what you are watching."
An ICM poll of 1,000 people for the programme found that 71% thought it should be made clear whether an act was totally live or to some extent mimed.
Malcolm McLaren, former manager of the Sex Pistols, said he supported the spirit of the campaign.
And singer Beverley Knight told the programme: "What I can't bear more than anything are those who are more than capable of delivering a show live with musicians and the whole thing and who don't.
"Why? Because they want to save their voices. It is easy to do, they get their cheque at the end of the day."
However, former Steps singer Faye Tozer defended miming.
"Our main reason was because you would be up at five o'clock doing kids' TV, straight away into the studio.
"There's not time for rehearsal, no time for engineers or getting your crew in, and then you would be on to your next children's TV at seven o clock.
"For a band like ours that were very much a TV-selling band, it was great for us and we could get our product out there."
The Culture Show is broadcast on BBC2 at 1900GMT (2000 in Scotland) on Thursday 2 February.
― Last Of The Famous International Pfunkboys (Kerr), Thursday, 2 February 2006 00:46 (nineteen years ago)
"Malcolm McLaren, former manager of the Sex Pistols, said he supported the spirit of the campaign."
'Also, it should be noted whether the bassist in the show is the same as on the album, or if you rather just found a no-talent junkie and tossed him up for PR purposes."
― js (honestengine), Thursday, 2 February 2006 06:43 (nineteen years ago)
"There's not time for rehearsal, no time for engineers or getting your crew in, and then you would be on to your next children's TV at seven o clock."Wait up, they rehearse enough to have a complicated dance routine, right? Surely they could take 5 mins out to learn the damn songwords!
Heck, now Smash hits' gone, no-one will be checking anyway!
― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 2 February 2006 14:05 (nineteen years ago)