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Apart from the fact that every MAJOR label has his
own charts, but here in Italy there is something called the FESTIVAL DI SANREMO,
that is the festival of Italian music. Since it is not directed from one major
or another, it is more or less a good view on the
Italian COMMERCIAL music panorama. Since we are talking of
INFLUENCES, try to take a listen to the music, instead of just looking as some
charts on the net. There is also a group whose guitarist (and I think he is 16
or 17 years old) uses a Steve Vai Jem Guitar and plays solos in the good old
80's way (the group is Gazosa, shitty music, but they sell a lot here).
OASIS are a major selling group, and they
only play beatles and sixties songs re-arranged. Blur the same. Travis, Train
etc the same.
The last Britney hit was I LOVE ROCK'N'ROLL. It is
an old hard-rock anthem, by Joan Jett.
Incubus try to write seventies music, and so do
many top-chart groups. Where is the influence?
And for really Shitty music, who is Enrique
Iglesias guitar player live? A certain GREG HOWE, an eighties guitar monster,
who still make fusion albums. Who did play guitar in the Mtv music awards with
Nelly Furtado? STEVE VAI.
No Doubt made success with Ska. Ska is a tipical
year two thousand new musical genre, ain't it?
And, since we were talking 'bout influences,
it may seem strange to you, but every musician (and DJ) I know knows who the
f**k frank zappa was, or steve vai is, or santana is and has some music made by
them. Steve Vai recently went gold or platinum here with one of his last
albums.Is he in the charts, NOT.
Santana went Platinum with his last album, in many
nations, and, before this album, who the f**k did know who Nelly the rapper is?
Now he is in the charts. Before the santana's album not.
Listen to mtv's Nu-metal bands, aren't they all
influenced by some eighties and even seventies music?
The last SUM41 hit single (from Spiderman OST) is
only a variation on the theme of Fight for your Rights by Beastie Boys. Did you
recognize the man who do the solo in the middle? a certain KERRY KING, of
Slayer. Pure eighties, and the piece went high in the world charts.
Bon Jovi still charts high, and he is old eighties
hard rock (well, now rock'n'roll), and Sambora's strat still sells well. Fender
has made a new Clapton strat this year, as a new Ritchie Blackmore model. I
think that this means that those models still sell well.
Apart from that... Is metal ever been in the
charts? and in the eighties it was one of the best-selling musical genres. And
everyone seemed to have a bc-rich guitar, or a jackson etc.etc.etc. (and lita
ford and other real farts like that who got on the charts weren't metal and
didn't really sell that much).
Did metal sell instruments? YES. Was it big in the
charts? NO
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, August 26, 2002 6:34
PM
Subject: Re: Nu Metal vs. Steve Vai vs.
Santana
In a
message dated 8/26/2002 1:40:28 AM Pacific Daylight Time, Luigimeloni74@libero.it
writes:
The WORLD is not the US.
Here in Italy, for example, is full
of 70's and 80's influenced bands, even
in the
charts.
Question: Where are these bands you talk about and on what
charts are do they actually appear?
Other than say Aerosmith who are
the perhaps the only other old farts left who score on the top 10 ( actaully,
as I think about it, ya also gotta factor in James Taylor, Celine Dion and
Bruce Springsteen + Phil Collins & maybe sting ). but Aerosmith &
JT/Phil C, etc aint adding anybody new to their sales roster as their
demographic is well over 35 and the purchase of a JT or Areosmith CD is about
all the music their respectvive audiences will buy thruout an entire year.
That old fart demographic pretty much tends to listen to music they
already have purchased years ago and will buy maybe one or 2 new items a
year.
and if the old fart demographic does make more purchases than its
usual one or 2 it is to buy an old album they had on vinyl that is now out on
CD or somethin to that effect and more often its to buy the latest Britanny,
Shakira, Ashanti, Nelly, P-Diddy, O-Town, N-Sync, Jah-Rule, Pink, Avril
Lavigne, etc..thats wwhat is keepin the music industry aflot IMHO - not the
old farts.
But @ least sting is hip enuff to get the ancient police
material as sampled and out there as much possible as he could for hip hop
artists in order to keep his ancient stuff in younger hands.
So really
IMHO the old farts demographics dont count( in a quick and steady cash flow
sense) much at all.
& more significatly the old farts dont have
other merchandise which they are tied into that sells fashions or other
merchadise which is bankable and image expanding with a consumer market that
expanding and voratiously ( spelling?) consuming IMHO.
When you can
sell your own line of Clothing with your autograph on them based upon the name
and brand recognition you have as an "artist" that is really what influential
means today and is really what is your paycheck more than making CD's and
right behind the $$$ u make from touring.
& Sting if i recall, was
recently hawking Jaguars.
& Im suddenly realizin Sting is an old
fart who definietely aint no dummy.
and Sting is clearly a leader in
terms of keepin himself relevant and adapting to marrket conditions
IMHO.
Stig's music today is something I wont comment on but the point
is today, no one has to be good or bad anymore in as much as the way to be
relevant is to have a perception about you or by becoming branded in the very
marketable imagery you need to sell ( anything really ) so it sticks to
u.
& remember that Carlos got an image upgrade from
Wyclef Jean ( whose career now aint seelin that much product these
days ) and The guy who sang that big hit ( as was pointed out earlier by Kim
methinks ).
But do ck these links out re: Europe & The USA and In
particular Italy, please see 1st link mentioned:
http://top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=18
http://top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=31
http://top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=14
&
do take a look at these off the cuff stats from top-40-charts.com's front
page:
- Paid My
Dues (Anastacia): 289 entries in 20 charts
- Hero
(Enrique Iglesias): 450 entries in 26 charts
- Escape
(Enrique Iglesias): 282 entries in 23 charts
- Without
Me (Eminem): 344 entries in 30 charts
- Don't Let Me
Get Me (Pink): 269 entries in 24 charts
- Underneath
Your Clothes (Shakira): 246 entries in 24 charts
- Hey Baby
(No Doubt): 238 entries in 24 charts
- Whenever,
Wherever (Shakira): 527 entries in 25 charts
- Hands
Clean (Alanis Morissette): 250 entries in 25 charts
- Ain't It
Funny (Jennifer Lopez): 366 entries in 27 charts
- In The
End (Linkin Park ): 304 entries in 21 charts
- A New Day
Has Come (Celine Dion): 260 entries in 29 charts
- Wherever You
Will Go (Calling): 358 entries in 24 charts
- Drops Of
Jupiter (tell Me) (Train): 238 entries in 17 charts
Also take a
look @ this next article on a charting UK phenom & what they are all about
- read about it here but pay close attention to the ages and demographics of
the group and its obvious core audience:
http://www.billboard.com/billboard/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1630998
And
also, dont forget the Billboard top 10 singles as they really do set the pace
or tone for the rest of the world
IMHO:
http://www.billboard.com/billboard/charts/hot100.jsp
I just
dont get a hint or whiff or Carlos Santana or Vai here in these charts or find
anything other than what is for the most part comin from The USA and being
exported and consumed in mass quatities worldwide -.with the exception being
some middle eastern, african and asian countries.
but most stuff -
music wise & around the world and especially in Europe, IMHO is directly
fronm the USA & again comin on strong on all nations charts or rather the
music of other countries emulates the stuff from the usa in many
ways.
But Im also sure that all of the peoples in those aformentioned
countries which may not be fully USA saturated in terms of its pop culture, do
know who P-Diddy is more than they will ever know of Carlos Santana or Steve
Vai or Zappa.
But these days IMHO everybody seems to keep
score.
even kids know what the top 10 grossing movies of the week are
at box offices as they keep certainly keep track of who is number one on the
charts more than ever IMHO as the DJ's on air point it out, the artists
themselves point it out and point to who is top dog.
But for an
interesting perspective on all of this new state of the music biz ( actually
old news ) plug steve vai or santana into the aforementioned numbers/ trends
from around the world and based upon what types of genres and styles and
artists you see charting, and its like talking about and also arguing about
apples and cadavers & thinkin theres life in a corpse
Personally I
like and still listen to Vai, Zappa and Carlos and have been influenced by
everything I hear.
But in the business of music, IMHO that dont count
for a can of refried beans unless my music is selling those beans and getting
me a cut of the action regadless as to whether its rock n roll, nu metal or
crap :)
Warmest Regards,
John Price/AKASH
"The World's Most
Erotic
Band"
http://www.akashmusic.com
http://www.mp3.com/akashmusic
"Remember
To Always Kill Your Expectations"
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