Headliners 2023

[Pr0paneNightm4re]

5 minutes ago, Suprefan said:

But of course nobody would say a word about the Taylors, Billies and Lanas of the world with all the help they got.

What? Billie Eilish got an unbelievable amount of flack for being an ‘industry plant’ when she first started being really successful 

Edit - I’d argue the term ‘industry plant’ gets thrown around when women are successful more than men as well. Like Wet Leg, Clairo, etc 

Edited December 20, 2022 by Pr0paneNightm4re

[Florian Saucer Attack]

11 minutes ago, Pr0paneNightm4re said:

What? Billie Eilish got an unbelievable amount of flack for being an ‘industry plant’ when she first started being really successful 

Edit - I’d argue the term ‘industry plant’ gets thrown around when women are successful more than men as well. Like Wet Leg, Clairo, etc 

industry plant is such a bullshit term. Always thrown at women as you say

Lana Del Ray was called a plant because that's not here real name, just like Elton John, Ringo Starr, Madonna and almost every rapper ever

[topmarksbri]

Recognising the leg up that people get by coming from privileged backgrounds isn't about taking away from their talent or how good their music is, it's about understanding that there's fundamental issues in the music (and "media" in general) industry which mean that people from less well off backgrounds don't get the same exposure.

You can think fred, billie et al make great music but also that the systems in place which allowed them to get big are inherently unfair. 

[BambooShanks]

1 hour ago, BenG92 said:

The idea that "anyone" could become a world class DJ just because Brian Eno is their neighbour is definitely... a take. 

I think the education, skills, knowledge, equipment and industry contacts that he gained from that relationship would have made an immeasurable difference to a large number of competent, young musicians and  led to varying degrees of success.

Coming from a wealthy background allows a certain amount of freedom to pursue careers that can take years to start paying off.

While both those things are meaningless without dedication and a lot of hard work, either of those can make a crucial difference and open doors that are closed to the vast majority of musicians.

 

 

[neil93]

On 12/19/2022 at 12:15 AM, Alvoram said:

I'm not sure if I even know a Lewis Capaldi song... And I don't mind pop music, quite like some of it. 

OK, so I obviously googled him after typing that and I do know some songs... One or two I quite like, but they all sound the same, and I find most of them quite boring... Fantastic pipes on the lad though... Not for me however, would be a boring headliner, and I'd be elsewhere. 

I must admit, Musically he wouldn't be my go to, albeit he is excellent, HOWEVER, I seen him  at TRNSMT and he was brilliant, very very funny set (between songs) think his set at glastonbury with the dark fruits and bucket hat was quite good too, albeit i'd be lying if I said i'd seen it all.

[1986]

Nepotism doesn't discount talent, or how hard people work once they get picked up.

But, the hardest part of being successful in the music/film/TV/whatever industry is that foot in the door, and the constant treading water and hard work to actually get yourself noticed. Having connections or being rich, which a lot of the time go hand in hand skips that entire first struggle.

There are also plenty of shit artists who are successful because they are connected, probably more than good ones. 

Does it diminish the depth of art if the artist grew up lucky (not taking into account that more and more, "luck" often comes at the expense of others)? I'd say it does to an extent, most art is about some sort of struggle or feeling, and your message is definitely watered down for me if you're faking anything. That said I'm not looking to catch anyone out or like someone said wiki every person I get into so I'll give the benefit of the doubt until I hear otherwise, and a banger is a banger. 

[Florian Saucer Attack]

17 minutes ago, topmarksbri said:

Recognising the leg up that people get by coming from privileged backgrounds isn't about taking away from their talent or how good their music is, it's about understanding that there's fundamental issues in the music (and "media" in general) industry which mean that people from less well off backgrounds don't get the same exposure.

You can think fred, billie et al make great music but also that the systems in place which allowed them to get big are inherently unfair. 

I don't think it's fair to blame an individual musician who came from privilege but it is important to acknowledge that seems to be increasingly common for musicians to come from privilege and to think of ways to help non privilege musicians at all levels of the industry. The first thing to be done is for England to stop voting for Tories 

[Suprefan]

32 minutes ago, Florian Saucer Attack said:

industry plant is such a bullshit term. Always thrown at women as you say

Lana Del Ray was called a plant because that's not here real name, just like Elton John, Ringo Starr, Madonna and almost every rapper ever

Her dad paid for her career. And she started off with her real name on her first release then changed it. At her early shows as Lana people would yell "Lizzy!" at her.

 

Billies parents work in the industry so thats a bigger leg up than 99% of everyone else. 

[Supernova.]

43 minutes ago, Florian Saucer Attack said:

industry plant is such a bullshit term. Always thrown at women as you say

Lana Del Ray was called a plant because that's not here real name, just like Elton John, Ringo Starr, Madonna and almost every rapper ever

Not taking away from your point, but Madonna’s real name is actually Madonna. 

[Florian Saucer Attack]

4 minutes ago, Suprefan said:

Her dad paid for her career. And she started off with her real name on her first release then changed it. At her early shows as Lana people would yell "Lizzy!" at her.

 

Billies parents work in the industry so thats a bigger leg up than 99% of everyone else. 

Assuming all those things are true, this is no argument against the term 'industry plant' being bullshit and used to vilify female musicians 

[Florian Saucer Attack]

7 minutes ago, Supernova. said:

Not taking away from your point, but Madonna’s real name is actually Madonna. 

Shut the front door! I always thought it was Mary Ciccone 

Next you are going to tell me Beyonce's real name is Beyonce! 

Edited December 20, 2022 by Florian Saucer Attack

[VCK]

People on the EFestivals Glasto board defending nepotism in the music industry and major labels. Colour me shocked.

[topmarksbri]

45 minutes ago, Florian Saucer Attack said:

blame an individual musician

Yeah that's kind of exact point of what I was saying, it's not about blaming musician it's about recognising the structures and systems that have allowed them to get leg up over anyone else. 

[VCK]

25 minutes ago, Florian Saucer Attack said:

Assuming all those things are true, this is no argument against the term 'industry plant' being bullshit and used to vilify female musicians 

Plenty of male musicians get hit with the label. Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, One Direction, Lewis Capaldi, Sam Fender, and plenty of rappers too. Any artist that makes it big rather quickly.

However, female pop singers do tend to find huge success quicker than most other kinds of artists tend to do. regardless of gender and/or genre. It'd be wilfully naive to claim that the likes of Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, et al have had to work as hard as other artists to hit the big time.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Indeed. They've had to work harder to get over the bullshit directed their way by twats.

[Florian Saucer Attack]

11 minutes ago, VCK said:

Plenty of male musicians get hit with the label. Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, One Direction, Lewis Capaldi, Sam Fender, and plenty of rappers too. Any artist that makes it big rather quickly.

I've never heard a male musician get hit with the label, although admittedly I'm rarely in any circles that use such an annoying term

 

12 minutes ago, VCK said:

However, female pop singers do tend to find huge success quicker than most other kinds of artists tend to do. regardless of gender and/or genre. It'd be wilfully naïve to claim that the likes of Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, et al have had to work as hard as other artists to hit the big time.

Pop stars in general are more likely to find huge success from a young age, that's the nature of pop music. I don't agree with gender assessment though, Bieber was a star at a younger age than any female popstar I can think of the top of my head

[Justcalledtosay]

25 minutes ago, VCK said:

Plenty of male musicians get hit with the label. Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, One Direction, Lewis Capaldi, Sam Fender, and plenty of rappers too. Any artist that makes it big rather quickly.

However, female pop singers do tend to find huge success quicker than most other kinds of artists tend to do. regardless of gender and/or genre. It'd be wilfully naive to claim that the likes of Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, et al have had to work as hard as other artists to hit the big time.

To be fair to Ed Sheeran he put in a shift before he took off.

[CaledonianGonzo]

eFests atypically right on trend with the Nepo Baby discourse.

[VCK]

37 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Indeed. They've had to work harder to get over the bullshit directed their way by twats.

For every sole twat that calls them an industry plant there's tonnes of music journos praising their music to the high heavens.

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

5 hours ago, Suprefan said:

But of course nobody would say a word about the Taylors, Billies and Lanas of the world with all the help they got.

Quite frankly, I couldn't care less. Fair play to anyone that makes something of themselves 

[Matt42]

3 hours ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

eFests atypically right on trend with the Nepo Baby discourse.

I’ve found this nepo dialogue on Twitter very interesting. Lots of different opinions, ideas and perspectives.

My view is that the music industry is the most nepo centric industry going. You simply don’t make it big unless you know someone or you have parents already in it.

The number of acts who have genuinely made it on their own is incredibly slim. Even the indie rock purists would clutch their pearls at how “industry” even their heroes are.

Edited December 20, 2022 by Matt42

[irnkrtn]

5 hours ago, VCK said:

Plenty of male musicians get hit with the label. Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, One Direction, Lewis Capaldi, Sam Fender, and plenty of rappers too. Any artist that makes it big rather quickly.

However, female pop singers do tend to find huge success quicker than most other kinds of artists tend to do. regardless of gender and/or genre. It'd be wilfully naive to claim that the likes of Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, et al have had to work as hard as other artists to hit the big time.

I don't think that's quite true, certainly not about it being due to being women pop stars. Dua Lipa's trajectory isn't vastly different from successful bands - agent, demos, label then 3 years til the album. The other two had industry parents/a TV career respectively so different routes again. 

Not many alternative routes to the DL one available to mainstream musicians nowadays

[Hugh Jass II]

1 hour ago, Matt42 said:

My view is that the music industry is the most nepo centric industry going. You simply don’t make it big unless you know someone or you have parents already in it.

I’d say the film/acting industry is worse. Having connections in the music industry will get your foot in the door without question, but from there it’s very much a meritocracy. If you haven’t got the talent, the work rate and the tunes you won’t get much further as the general public simply won’t listen to your stuff or see you live.

Actors with connections can just get job after job after job without any real effort.

[DeanoL]

It's not a meritocracy. Your face just has to fit. Sheeran didn't have a leg up in terms of connections as far as I know, but there's 100 acoustic singer songwriter types as good as or better than him, working as hard as him.

But he was a fit for the label, they push him, megastardom happens. 

[Hugh Jass II]

1 minute ago, DeanoL said:

It's not a meritocracy. Your face just has to fit. Sheeran didn't have a leg up in terms of connections as far as I know, but there's 100 acoustic singer songwriter types as good as or better than him, working as hard as him.

But he was a fit for the label, they push him, megastardom happens. 

Paris Hilton is one of the most well connected women on the planet. She had the money and connections to launch a pop career, she got massive label backing and released an album…

It fell flat on her face because the music was terrible and nobody bought it. That’s the meritocracy in action.