The Second Annual AIR Awards - Walking on AIR
After years of domination by the major labels, the independent music scene is finding its voice… and its presence has never been so important.
The ARIA awards are often viewed with that uniquely Australian derision that only a nation that has endured 40 years of Logie awards can produce. When you turn it on, you automatically sneer, and prepare to declare, “[insert band name] are the Lisa McCune of the Australian music industry.” However, unlike the Logie awards all but two ARIA awards are essentially peer-awarded. So each year, behind the judge’s doors, the likes of the Veronica’s do battle with the likes of Gotye. And who wins this annual battle of dollars versus sense? Well, this year 80% of the gongs went to independent artists, and Stuart Watters, CEO of the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) could not be happier, explaining with a wry chuckle “ Well, 80% of me loved the ARIAs, the other 20% was ambivalent".
AIR, a non profit, non-government association was formed in the late 1990’s and is dedicated to representing, promoting, and advising, Australian owned record labels and independent musicians; as Watters explains "AIR works to demystify the music industry". And it’s work that AIR has cut out for them as the independent industry continues to grow "[There are] more people making, creating and releasing music than ever before due to accessibility of markets, technology and more there are more ways of hearing and accessing it and less barriers and filters in the way of music getting out there".
Watters believes, whilst independent music has always performed strongly in forums such as the ARIAs, it is only more recently that it is finding its way onto more stereos and further into the mainstream consciousness, as Watters expounds "There is an alternative but the alternative is almost the mainstream now".
Traditionally, success in the music industry has been synonymous with the major label record deal. To a certain degree this is true. Major label dollars get you stellar studios and producers, and the type of spin John Howard would be proud of. All the ingredients required for commercial success - but at what price? By signing onto a major label record deal, the artist essentially becomes an employee of that company. Like all employees, the artist has to pay their way. Lose your mass market and you book a one-way ticket to one-hit-wonder compilations. Just ask A Flock of Seagulls (for the record ‘I Ran’ is absolute eighties genius).
Unlike the fat (a.k.a. phat) wallets of major labels, independent artists have always had to do with much less. This has either meant less time in a professional studio or plenty of time on the home cassette recorder. However, given improvements in home recording technology and its affordability the days when musicians recorded their demos on answering machines are over— unless of course you want to go for that shabby chic, lo-fi, two track hiss Pop sound. Now, anybody with access to a computer can produce music of a stunning quality. One listen to Gotye’s AIR award winning release from 2006, Like Drawing Blood, all recorded in his bedroom, proves this point. Compare that to Iron and Wine’s rickety (but brilliant) 2002 debut, The Creek Drank the Cradle, also recorded in a bedroom. The albums were recorded just four years apart, but the difference in sound quality is stark - as was their commercial appeal.
The second advantage to that major label contract was distribution and marketing power, however, the Internet, to a certain extent, has caused a shift in the balance of power. Now, all artists can distribute instantaneously to the globe, removing the problem of distance that has always faced artists in Australia because we are simply so far from everywhere. No longer need they dream of making it onto the shelves of HMV, sandwiched between Supertramp and Talking Heads, just to sell a unit. This has allowed a huge increase in access, but it leaves the punter with an overwhelming choice. A quick scan of the massive archive on the Triple J unearthed website is testament to this. Therefore, artists still need to push themselves to the media and gig themselves stupid, but at least punters can easily find and buy their music if they want to.
So, independent artists have never had it so good- instant distribution and excellent, cheap recording facilities, without the need of those major label homogenisers. All roses? Not necessarily. Stuart Watters warns that the increase in artists’ power has also meant that a new level of professionalism is required from the artist. Where as artists signed to major labels can be considered employees, independent artists should consider themselves small businesses, with everything that entails; i.e. by all means hire dwarves to distribute cocaine at your album launch, Queen style… but just make sure they are tax deductible.
While access to the marketplace is easier, a better quality of product is needed to stand out. Especially, with the ease of Internet based distribution, the temptation to release a less-than-perfect product is large. Fortunately, organizations like AIR are helping independent artists navigate this new world order by forging local and international links with media and government to loosen the grip of major labels and break down the stigma and myths attached to the industry. One of their most exciting initiatives has been the AIR Music Awards; an annual showcase of the best the industry has to offer. In their second year, the awards have already attracted a major sponsor in Jagermeister, and are proof of the increased strength of the independent scene. And a healthy independent music scene is vital. From even before Michael Gudinski signed the Skyhooks to Mushroom Records, and kicked off one of Australia’s first independent music labels (although it was eventually sold to Warner), independent music has been an important part of our culture. It provides an alternative voice, a lighthouse of novelty and freshness in the face of the Australian Idol-ised morass of R. Kelly type dross smearing its way out of commercial radio stations, supermarket aisles, and stadium speakers. As Watters expounds "The independent music sector creates the diversity that defines us as a nation".
No matter which albums win the AIR awards on December 10th this year, they are guaranteed to be original, fresh, and uncompromised. What’s more, they are sure to be proof that for punter and artist alike, the independent music scene has never been stronger or more exciting.
