Born Lippy

Sometimes, I really wonder about some of the people who work in the music industry. In fact, some of the people that I encounter, either in real life or virtually, make me question why I have anything to do with 'the industry'. I suppose the reason I am involved is because I love music - it'll never make me a millionaire - and I want to champion the artists that I believe in. One of the downsides of being involved is that people who run labels or who work for labels try to get you to review releases that you're not into. After all, if a record is really good, who needs a gormless PR type to try to big it up or to persuade a journalist to write some glowing words about it? Surely it should stand on its own merits as a piece of compelling art (I'm not trying to talk myself out of a job either!) Right? Wrong. I, like most other journalists working in this sphere, get inundated with countless crap electro house or third-rate minimal. I listen to everything I get sent and decide whether I want to review it or not. 90% of it ends up in the bin (virtual or otherwise). However, when I reply to whoever sent me a release, I am always polite, especially if I'm telling them that I don't like the music they've sent me because I am aware that it's a sensitive issue. I usually couch it in terms like 'sorry, it's not my thing'. Anyway, about a year ago, a person called Shield - to this day, I'm not sure if Shield is a man or a woman, but it's really irrelevant - contacted me by email to ask me if he/she could send me releases on a label called Rebirth. I replied with my postal address and he/she sent me a few Cds. None of them appealed to me, and I emailed Shield to tell him/her this. Then, about a month ago, I got a new CD from the label, by Robytek, featuring, among the remixes, one from the currently very popular Simon Baker. I listened to the CD, but it just sounded like another workmanlike electro house record, so I politely informed Shield with a 'sorry, it's not my thing' type email that I wouldn't be reviewing it. About a week passed, and then I got this reply (verbatim):

"Oh really??Sorry but you are very rude with me

It looks like you are not into none of the Rebirth releases

Sasha (who is not a stupid i suppose) played it from Amnesia for the Essential Mix
Pete Tong is playing it

Thanks for your honest feedback, fortunately we have our fans

Shield".

I'm just wondering what's going through this person's head: of course I wasn't rude to her/him; the fact that Sasha or Pete Tong is playing it is hardly going to persuade me to review it - especially the insinuation that liking the release somehow equates with intelligence - and the fact that he/she says the label has its fans renders her/his whole response irrelevant. I know it's really difficult to run a small label these days, but rule number one is don't piss off journalists: we have very long memories and there's no point in name calling just because someone doesn't like one of your records. It's hardly the best way of making friends or developing relationships with people who could help you. Shield's behaviour is very childish and hyper-sensitive, and if you're reading this blog, please consider the damage you've done to your label and to your own reputation.

Comments

[Sotek]

LOL

[tom/pipecock]

it really sucks when people have to be like that even when you go out of your way to be nice about it. you could just write scathing reviews of it, would they prefer that? too many people are too used to the good old boy network. personally, i like your attitude: before you give something thats just not your thing a bad review, just don't say anything about it!

[mikebee]

While it's true, there are plenty of pushy publicists out there who Just Don't Get It (especially if they're pushing crap and semi-popular crap at that), and your feelings are spot on, you have, unfortunately, given said publicist exactly what they want: you wrote about the record. Never mind that you didn't like it - you still devoted a column to it and as we all know there's really no such thing as bad publicity - people are going to decide for themselves one way or another. Who knows, maybe that indignant email was manufactured specifically to get you to rail against it.
I'm not convinced that's true - i don't think Shield is quite that smart. I mean, Pete Tong? Did they ever read the blog? Probably not. Bad, bad publicist! Best to just ignore them.

[SoulFunkLifestyles]

Well written.

[Beat]

I think you need to get off your high horse.

Obviously his response was unwarranted, but conversely, your attitude seems a bit off too.

You seem to think that being a journalist gives you license to be arrogant and a bully through your press.

I haven't been reading this blog for long, but this is about the third time you've made a post whinging about something or other and using the blog to belittle someone who probably doesn't deserve it.

It's funny, you call Shield's behaviour childish and hyper-sensitive, yet by posting his "rude" email verbatim, no, at all, you're doing the exact same thing.

[Brophy]

@ Tom/PIpecock - thanks for the kind words.Yes there is a huge old boy network element at play in the UK music media and there seems to be an unspoken assumption that once Pete Tong, Sasha etc play something, it will get a glowing review. I don't subscribe to this mentality.

@ MikeBee - Good point, but I doubt the email Shield sent me was done to get (bad) publicity. I doubt he/she knows I even have a blog - but maybe that'll change now!

@ Beat: When I started this blog, one of my goals was to give an insight about my experiences working as a journalist in the music sphere because I felt that it would interest some people. What I am doing with this post is reporting factually on a sequence of events that happened to me. I don't think I'm being arrogant- anyone who knows me personally will tell you that I'm not like that at all - and I'm certainly not whinging. If I felt that way about the work I do, I wouldn't do it. You're right though; this is about the third time I've posted about some of the less pleasant people I deal with, but there are approximately 200 other posts on the blog which don't address this theme. Maybe in the future you should just read them and ignore me when I get on 'my high horse' as you put it.