interesting piece.
one omission made though. they spelt out the full name of MOS wrong. as
far as i know, here in london everyone calls it the Misery of Sound.
on a serious note i disagree about the first impact by the uk on the states
since the 60s. why does everyone over here always say that!? what about
punk, what about 80s electronic bands like depeche mode, new order etc.
they had a far bigger impact in the states than on their own country. it
was these bands that helped dance move along towards house.
just a thought.
the superclubs have been an amazing success story born out of an explosion
in the late 80s. it was a natural progression and the seeds of them were
sawn way before they appeared at clubs like shelleys in stoke, venus in
nottingham or quandrant park in liverpool. the downside has been to see
people lording it up on the cover of muzik, cigars in mouth, like rock
stars, when we and the media put them there in the first place. it seems a
long time ago from driving 4 hours to go to a party, but looking back it was
that effort that kept the scene moving. after all this time it is not
surprising it has stagnated in the larger venues. however people might not
like them and i might not go to them, but i'm glad they are there. they'll
adapt.
>From: Gen Kanai <gkanai@earthlink.net>
>Reply-To: deepness@yahoogroups.com
>To: acid-jazz@ucsd.edu,Deepness <deepness@yahoogroups.com>
>Subject: [deepness] DJs who turned the tables on the super-clubs
>Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 11:58:26 -0500
>
>http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3HG0V2HUC
>DJs who turned the tables on the super-clubs
>Faced with changing tastes and the rising cost of the talent they reared,
>big clubs are going international, says Ed Shelton
>Published: November 25 2001 17:46 | Last Updated: November 25 2001 18:01
>
>The fact that record decks now outsell guitars by a factor of three to one
>among teenagers says it all. Dance music has long ago taken over from
>rock'n'roll as the creative genre of choice for aspiring superstars.
>
>But while the beat is different, the lure is the same. In theory, any
>teenager starting out in his bedroom can wind up on an international
>circuit playing to adoring fans and making lots of money.
>
>Fortunately for those involved, the dance music phenomenon is happening at
>the same time as a broader cultural trend that finds power increasingly
>residing with those creating the product.
>
>In the same way that top footballers can choose from any number of teams
>all offering huge sums, club disc jockeys are in big demand and can fly all
>over the world, playing for thousands of pounds to packed houses.
>
>But whereas footballers are on long-term contracts, and the pop stars that
>former generations idolised were beholden to the record companies that
>built their careers, DJs have pulled off a remarkable coup.
>
>In the most part, DJs have succeeded in avoiding any long-term commitment,
>while the clubs and promoters have pumped large sums into building their
>names.
>
>The result is that the biggest clubs - referred to as super-clubs - now
>have to pay huge sums to the talent whose careers they largely built, if
>they wish to stay in business.
>
>Rachel Birchwood-Gordon, manager of DJ Pete Tong, says: "Ten years ago no
>one knew how powerful DJs would become. Now the top British DJs get stacks
>of offers from places such as South America, Australia, Europe, Asia and
>the US for every Friday and Saturday night. The scary thing is how much the
>DJs want to charge now they have become global."
>
>Clubs now often have to fax in bids if they want a particular DJ on a
>particular night and it has given them a dilemma. They must either pay huge
>sums - £5,000-£10,000 ($7,000-$14,000) a night is typical - to secure a top
>DJ, or find other ways of keeping their clubs buzzing.
>
>Some simply pass the increased fees on to clubbers. But the problem comes
>at a time when attendances have been falling and many clubs do not want to
>risk depressing numbers further with ticket price increases.
>
>Charlie Harris, a director of Serious Artists management and the manager of
>top DJ Judge Jools, says: "In a way, clubs such as the Ministry of Sound
>have been a victim of their own success. It used to be the Hippodrome that
>tourists went to; now there are 30 different nationalities at Ministry.
>This affects the atmosphere: it has lost a lot of passion."
>
>Viv Craske, senior editor of clubbing magazine Mixmag, says the super-clubs
>are losing out as a lot of people now prefer smaller, quirkier clubs with
>strong themes.
>
>Popular clubs today include Schooldisco.com, where clubbers dress in school
>uniform and dance to unfashionable chart hits; and Shag-tag, an event that
>involves clubbers wearing numbered tags and using them to contact people
>they fancy via a message board.
>
>In the face of the twin pressures of ailing coolness and DJ inflation,
>super-clubs have been trying a number of things to safeguard their
>revenues. One strategy has been to try, rather belatedly, to build into big
>stars those in-house DJs who are on long-term contracts.
>
>Damien Mould, managing director of Slice, a youth marketing agency that
>represents talent and super-clubs, says: "The clubs are getting into
>building new talent, putting them on side by side with big names and
>gradually trying to eke away their power base."
>
>Another strategy has been to extend their brands. Clubs have been moving
>into other revenue streams such as compact discs, radio stations,
>publishing and festivals.
>
>But the biggest focus is on international markets that, while the domestic
>market has been on the slide, are still growing. The biggest of these is
>the US.
>
>Although some dance music originally came from there, the US has yet to
>take to it in a big way and it is UK clubs and DJs that are the world's
>biggest. Hence, UK club brands such as Cream and Ministry of Sound are
>aggressively seeking to capitalise on their cache and are building a
>presence in the US market.
>
>"All UK clubs are looking to the US for future income because they are
>thought of being so cool over there. It is all about perceived coolness,"
>says Mr Craske.
>
>Mr Mould says: "For the first time since the 1960s Britain is having a big
>cultural impact on America. The whole dance thing is on the point of taking
>off there - brands such as Ministry of Sound and Cream are investing
>massively."
>
>UK clubs have been taking their brands overseas for a few years now,
>running special nights in places such as the Middle East and Russia, but
>the US is the biggest prize. And ultimately, according to Mr Harris, it is
>the possibility of huge CD sales that is enticing British clubs across the
>Atlantic.
>
>If they can make it there, they can forget about difficulties at home.
>
>
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