6 Reasons Why The Australian Music Industry Is Currently The Worst In The World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJwZhqU0QL4 AC/DC, INXS, Midnight Oil, The Divinyls, Cold Chisel, Skyhooks, Rose Tattoo, The Angels, Dragon, Mondo Rock, Crowded House, Radio Birdman, The Bee Gees, Little River Band, Nick Cave, The Screaming Jets, Hoodoo Gurus, Masters Apprentice. What do all of these bands and musicians have in common? They all hail from a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains, of ragged mountain ranges, of drought and flooding rains. That's right, Australia, or as some of you like to call it, "Down Under". And that's not even all of them, trust me when I say that I have left some out of the list due to spacing issues. They all broke thru the barrier that is our isolation (or was, damn internet) and took their music to the masses, achieving both international success outside of their home country as well as setting a benchmark for the sound that would come to define the term "Aussie Rock". Pundits from all around the world hailed these artists as "uniquely Australian" yet "mainstream accessible" and it create a new awareness of my homeland the likes of which have not really been seen since. And that there my friends is the purpose of this article. You see, the other defining characteristic that all of these bands have is that they all made it big pre 1993, all paid their dues on the live circuit and ALL had actual talent. Now let us fast forward through the last 2 decades and you will see a disturbing trend that seemingly has no plans of letting up anytime soon. There is and has been no iconic Australian band or musician break through to the extent of those previously mentioned in all of that time (I don't count Airbourne, as you will find out later). Which sickens me to the core because I have been around music all my life. You see, I grew up in my parents pub in the outback and although my father was not much of a business man, he knew how to book a show. And he'd get all the big bands out to this wee little town with only 200 people (if that) and it would just rock the place down. Farmers, out of towners, bikie gangs (surprisingly friendly, ha), the local indigenous tribe. You name the group, they came from far and wide just to catch a glimpse of some good ol' fashioned live pub rock. And when this was a regular occurrence for a preteen it does kind of shape the direction your life heads. And since those fateful days of a young 6 year old sitting in front of a PA system in complete awe at the madness around me, I have pretty much tried it all when it comes to the business. I have worked all facets of the stage life, from roadie to frontman, from major distribution to retail... I once worked for Polygram Records. I have tried my hand at being a manager, I tried to start a booking agency for bands. And I have to say, both my experiences as a live performer & my failures at the business side of things have given me a rather unique perspective on the current scene as it stands today. Some of you may think it might be me spouting off sour grapes but I can assure you that is the furthest from the truth. Because when it comes to the business, I will proudly swear with my left hand on my heart & my right held high that the vast majority of those failures only came about from having to deal with the worst music industry in the world today. I hope that with my reasons I present to you today, it will showcase the madness that has control over this once genre defining industry. And how it unfortunately shows no sign of letting up....