What is Digg?166 Comments
- antipro, on 10/12/2007, -2/+26judging by what music is successful nowadays I would disagree
- spambot, on 10/12/2007, -3/+25I'm with everyone so far, I understand Digg can be about the catchy headlines, but "first," "best" "new" etc, aren't always necessary, and usually are inaccurate.
Not that he's "rock music, but DJ Danger Mouse would laugh at this headline. Going farther back and in reference to rock, The Velvet Underground or Stooges would defecate on this headline.
(soapbox) Actually, and seriously no offense to padewak, it's headlines like this that really capture the music industry today. Though it is for some, the most influential don't set the goal to "make it big". It's usually a byproduct of being able to connect with your listeners. Like them or not, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Elvis, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Nirvana, etc. all stood for something; something that at first a few, and then many, once exposed, listened to and agreed with.
A lot of artists have done this without a major label, and a lot of others have used a label to do the same. Cheers to the Arctic Monkeys for a less traditional venue for promoting themselves. Heed caution, however when making "first ever" and even, oddly enough, anti-major label claims. Much to my chagrin, Myspace.com (owned now by newscorp and developing their own record label) is hardly a minor distribution channel and can be a virus (in a good way) when the thing to spread has something of value. Value in this sense doesn't have to mean good (not a judgment on the Arctic Monkeys). It can represent good music, popular videos, anything really that raises the users social status. (/soapbox) - bowiestyle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+20what about sufjan steven's? He sold out 2 shows in Chicago and 4 in New York. These were decent sized venues as well. He did the whole thing himself with his own label he created.
- horrorpunk, on 10/12/2007, -4/+18very lame...
"First Rock Band to Make It Without Help From Big Record Companies" ??
ever hear of NoFX ??
the misfits ?? - antipro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+13not to mention he is quite critically acclaimed too.
But some of his success can be attributed to being featured on the OC, which like MySpace is a mecca for teenage girls - hobbsy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15"Artic Monkyes"
at least spell the band correctly ffs - lukas88, on 10/12/2007, -10/+22Metallica is a monument to selling out and greed, and thats all they are going to be remembered for
- moshisushi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13They are on Domino Records, yes, which explains some of the hype. That's a nice label though, since they support the legal DRM-free MP3 market. Check: www.bleep.com for example
- Zuggy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13This is awesome. These guys have become a popular (not going to say successful because that can be defined in many ways) doing what the labels under the RIAA say is destroying the music industry, using P2P and myspace and giving their music away. I think the reason the Artic Monkeys have become so popular is that the asumption that all people steal is wrong. They trusted that if they put themselves out there, give away their music, that people in turn would pay for more.
I think this all boils down to dishonesty. The RIAA believes that everyone is dishonest (maybe because they are, maybe) but the Artic Monkeys trusted that people would do the right thing, and obviously people have and it's paying off. - FooledByRamen, on 10/12/2007, -20/+32you guys are all insane... name one indie band that has sold 360,000 copies of their DEBUT record in the FIRST FREAKIN WEEK! Keywords: 360,000, DEBUT (this means first record ever, friends), FIRST WEEK. Statistically the fastest selling UK indie debut record, ever... and due to file-sharing, no less. This band has done something wonderful, and they deserve credit for it. Stop bashing the post on the way it's worded. It's clearly intended as an exaggerative way to describe a point: the point being that record labels as we know them are in trouble, and they know it.
- okcomputer, on 10/12/2007, -4/+14which is what makes arctic monkeys' success so puzzling
- antipro, on 10/12/2007, -6/+15whoa whoa whoa were not bashing it were just helping to rationalize it. we're rational people its what we do.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+13it helps to be a GOOD band
- lukas88, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Good point! And "making it", does that just mean making money or great music? Is that how we define musical success?
The point of the posting is not lost on me but just something to think about - rbvmusic, on 10/12/2007, -11/+18yeah well they do have a big record company, or at least a form of hype, called NME. They're also on the same label as Franz Ferdinand and they made it big a couple years back. Not surprising really...
- Barlo_Mung, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6First? You wish.
Fugazi comes to mind but I don't think they were first either.
But ok, I'll check them out. - searse, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7dont forget about dispatch.
http://www.dispatchmusic.com/
http://www.dispatchmovie.com - thekak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Bowiestyle: Sufjan owns everyone and puts all these guys to shame. Good call.
- CGorman68, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11God, thank lord someone mentioned the "first" thing. I can think of a dozen bands off the top of my head that did the same thing. Hell, not even a label and they could become popular. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah springs to mind instantly but they're not quite "big". But this might be the 3am talking. :)
- Ellsass, on 11/05/2008, -0/+610 years ago was 1996... Their black album (when they really hit it big) came out in 1991 and they'd already had several popular albums from the 80s. Oh, and they were signed to Elektra. I wouldn't make the comparison.
- alspar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5As much as I like NOFX and the Misfits, this band is clearly bigger than either of them, at least in the UK.
Last time I went down there, the Oxford Street HMV (i.e. most prestigious branch of the UK's largest record chain) was emblazened everywhere with giant Arctic Monkeys displays advertising their debut album. This is all the more impressive in the UK, where the radio stations will largely only play top 20 tracks from big record labels.
Personally, I don't think they deserve all the hype they're getting, but you have to give them credit for getting it. And hopefully its done something to convince people that jobs need to go in the music industry, particularly in their marketing departments. - HeyFergy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Yeah, i'm going to go ahead and agree with what has been said a few times already....this headline is junk. I can think of 10 bands (probably more if I tried) that have become "big" without major labels backing them. Hopefully more bands will become successful based off of how hard they work/how talented they are rather than how much they sound like the "in" band of the moment/how hot they are. The 90's/early 00's has been a terrible time for mainstream music (there are exceptions, but most of those exceptions are no longer around or suck now)
- Ryosen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5antipro said: "what the hell is a soapbox anyway?"
It heralds back to the late 18th century when people would proselytize to a group and stand on a soapbox to be heard by the crowd. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soapbox - rbvmusic, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5yeah that's what I was saying nothing is better than the artic monkeys
OF COURSE NOT
but it's not like this band is absolutely horrific
seriously look at the top 20 in the US I'd take arctic monkeys over any of them, I'm glad that the UK has taste - mrhahn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Radio1 is always big on predicting "the next big thing". I don't think it has anything to do with vested interests.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I liked the Arctic Monkeys album for a while. Bored of it now.
Average album, average band.
"Don't Believe The Hype" - mike_p, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4A lot of bands have done this... I can name my friends' (PJ and Nash) band, Armor For Sleep. They made it big over a handful of demo songs and THEN they were signed to Equal Vision (Coheed+Cambria were on 'em). By now they've already toured North America and Europe multiple times.
The web is truly amazing... - revka, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6I am partial to Bach.
- Zero2aHero, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I'm so tired of the Arctic Monkeys hype. They didn't make it big because of file sharing and myspace. They made it big because publications were hyping the hell out of them. Once they got the media hype all they had to do was put out some music and it was inevitable.
Lisa Loeb had a #1 song before she was on a record label. Wouldn't that classify as "making it without help" from a label? Didn't Taking Back Sunday have a similar type of success?
I'm not a big fan of the Arctic Monkeys, but I don't hate them either... I'm just tired of this hype that never ends. First they are on magazine covers that say that the world has been waiting for them, and the band the UK has been waiting for since the Beatles. They are playing on talk shows in the UK before they even have an album out thanks to all of the hype. And now I can't hear enough about how they made it on their own. If I start a band and give those 2 magazine covers and play on a talk show... I'm pretty sure I could make it without a label as well. - Double-Z, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5In the UK, our national station "radio 1" was playing them over and over and over and over long before they were famous. Somebody in the BBC has a vested interest in them.
- TheReport, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5"to Make It Without Help From Big Record Companies" ??
ever hear of NoFX ??
the misfits ??"
Hell if you want to get that technical about it, have you ever heard of Bach, or Chopin, or Mozart? I mean cmon every generation will have the stand out rebels that defied modern day structures and systems. - mrhahn, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3They don't sound emo or punk at all... are you sure you're talking about the same band?
- extant59, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4yeah i have, nofx kicks ass... and they are around cause they are good. well misfits because of hot topic.. but thats a different point. bands have been doing this for a long time.. i mean remember when mp3.com was around? that was rad.. i had many friends.. even my brothers band on there, and thats how many people heard of them and booked em.
- zestor, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4I just listened to their videos. I wish I had that time back in my life. They suck.
- CannibalTom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3too bad this band blows chunks.
- theYevvin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3You beat me to it. Huge word of mouth following, but they were also big on the original napster. First indy band i ever picked up off a P2P. They held one of the largest indy concerts in history, 100k plus concert.
- TestFar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3i am a patient boy...
but, er, yeh, there's been loads before fugazi. the article creator is just short-sighted. - tearor, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5What a boreband
- rbvmusic, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4why is this suddenly on the front page?
- steve693, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3There's been tons of bands who have "made it" before Arctic monkeys.
And the arctic monkeys are incredibly mundane and boring compared to most other indie bands. - Llan, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3""Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not," it hit number one on the UK charts, selling 360,000 copies in the first week. Nobody anticipated those kinds of numbers."
So why were that many copies available in the first week if noone anticipated they would sell nearly that much? - spikes, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4What I hate is how artists like to use this stuff, P2P to become popular, then they get a good offer from the devil, and they take it, then they turn against you.
Yeah, this happened to me.
I knew a guy once who I was friends with, we hung around on napster and later OpenNap servers.
He was a singer in a band that wasn't all that known at the time, called Hoobastank, maybe you heard of it?
Yeah, he disappeared from us right after he made it big....
He liked to use Napster and OpenNap to share his bands music to gain some momentum.
I guess I can say I was one of the first ever to hear Crawling In The Dark... an early recording...
Signing over to the devil makes me sick, but if the RIAA comes up to you, and offers you a ***** of money, who is ever going to refuse. Thats the game they play folks. Initally offer new bands a CRAPLOAD WAD of cash, then suck them dry in the end. - Predicament, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Someone mentioned NME at the top of the comments. MANY of the bands in NME achieve similar success without "big record company help". I'm sure the same can be said for a lot of other magazines that heavily promote music.
- techsupportrich, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Seriously this is lame, this news story happened months ago and was very well reported on at the time.
- Catachresis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2no digg. tidy band, good album, and yes they spread through word of mouth and the internet. but everyone with at least a passing interest in music knows that already, and this article adds nothing.
- HeyFergy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Emo/punk??? Are you kidding me? No offense but there is no possible way that you have listened to any emo OR punk music...ever...if you think that this band sounds like that. It seems to me that you are more than likely repeating something you read in AP or saw on a t-shirt at Hot Topic than anything else.
- LKBM, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Nope, sorry, but I don't buy it. Nothing good has ever come of MySpace and nothing good ever will. Clearly there's been some sort of mistake.
- j0dnet, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2i can believe this, but i dotn know if i should. big deal, people sellout and start sniffing crack cocaine off of urinals of back-alley clubs
- lofidan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4This band is ***** appalling.... all over pub jukeboxes in England..
Stand by World for more hype bands such as Hard-Fi and about a billion other clones all wearing the same old ***** with the same hair cut and the same way of singing and the same guitar FX and the same pathetic lyrics!!! MMMM!! Welcome to the new low. - InternetUser, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Predicting or making?
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