Alan McGee laughs as the world burns

Long-term friend of this blog Alan McGee has been sharing the benefit of his insight into the modern world of music with The Australian.

Shall we listen in?

“I don’t really like music,” he said, adding that considering that people in the industry were “drug-addled” and he’d grown tired of them. “With music it’s never enough for anybody… everyone wants to be Jagger or McCartney. As you grow older, it’s bullshit, you’re not that.”

Alan McGee was thirty six when he helped bring Be Here Now into the world. So clearly he must mean you have to quite a bit older before you realise that shouting drug-doused donkeys isn't that interesting. Thank god he's reached 50 and finally worked that one out.

He explained that in his time away from the industry not much has caught his attention. In fact, outside Glasvegas and The Libertines he wasn’t fussed on much these days.

Yeah, if you want an example of band that doesn't have any sense of a singer with a drug-addled Jagger complex, The Libertines would be exactly the sort of thing you should go for.

Still, McGee knows the struggles of being a small label owner, so perhaps he'll drop his grumpy old sod persona when asked about the PIAS fire?

“I read that the Sony PIAS Building burnt down. I’m probably the only person who thought that was funny. I call that a result. Got rid of all the shit music. And you get paid for it, the stuff you couldn’t sell.”

Oh.

What a contrarian, right?

Indeed, when asked about the comments later, McGee even trotted out a defence which even included that last refuge of the boring old fart, the "I'm not afraid of being politically correct" line:

I hate Sony, if the Sony building burnt to the ground again as it did, I’d say that was a result, I think it's funny. Loads of shit music getting burned, I think it's great, and I'm sorry if that’s not popular and if that's not PC, but fuck PC, that’s what’s ruined England, not being able to say what you think; sorry, but I do, and if you don’t like it go fuck yourself.

Let's just try and stop our eyes rolling for a couple of minutes to squeeze in one last quote - because as well as standing by his oh-so-brave assault on PC, he also claims all the other things he said were just ignored:

The British media have tried to ignore what I think. They took the statement, they weren't even there; come down here and basically take what I said out of context, which was basically taken from 5 or 10 seconds from a 30-minute chat, but I don't back off it, there’s loads of shit music and if it gets burned so what?

Perhaps they only took those few seconds because everything else was boring, confused garbage like how all music is rubbish apart from The Libertines?

[Thanks to Michael M]

Don't worry about the warehouse, apparently

There's a long and interesting post from Alexei out of Johnny Foreigner on the PIAS fire and, to a greater extent, why they don't need your help:

this is the same industry that brought you "return to live aid". nothing drives sales better than a palatable tragedy, the only exception here is this tragedy is somewhat exaggerated for dramatic purpose. You know the warehouse was insured right? I didn't, i had to use the google, and 5 pages later i found someone who wasn't alec empire referring to it.

so eventually, all them records will be paid for. losses compensated. I'm not saying that there won't be huge logistical problems and dashed dreams occurring as a result of product loss and the time insurance companies will take to settle, but all the claims of "disaster! label x looses £x000 of stock" are pretty disingenuous. The industry has a chance here to convert thousands of unsold cds into digital sales, and they're gunning for it, they're just leaving the "insured against fire" part out.

This is right, of course, there is insurance. But is there anything more soulless than someone who surveys the loss of a massive part of someone's business, shrugs and says "well, at least you've got insurance."

Yeah, possibly everything was insured. Although who knows what the exclusions, and the excesses, and how long its going to take for money to come through? Larger labels might be able to cope, but if you're a smaller label which runs on fumes for the back end of the month, losing so much of your stock in one go could push you out of business long before Axa get round to sending you a heavily-adjusted-down payment.

Alexei says that there are warehouse screw-ups all the time, but generally we're talking about a box or two going missing, not - as has happened in a few cases - an entire label's stock going entirely.

The whole thing is made murky by the wide variation in size of labels that have been affected. And Alexei is right in pointing to the sense of an original impulse to help rapidly being shaped into a marketing campaign, and how what at the start of the week was a bunch of people buying records is now turning into some dubious sounding charities, and slick PR campaigns, and trying to get people to support Bjork rather than some of the smaller bands involved.

But what's ignored is that starting bit. It was people who love music, hearing that the people who bring them the music they love were struggling, trying to do what they could to help. The rushing to buy music from the affected labels and acts might have a financial aspect to it, and it might be that you're finding money that will, eventually, be coughed up by an insurance company anyway. The main motivation, though, was to show a bit of love to people who had had their work destroyed by idiots with burning wheeliebins.

That's something that insurance cheques can't do; to go up to someone when they've been kicked in the face and try to tell them that, despite what's happened, they're appreciated, and people care, and everything's going to be alright.

That original effort has been wrapped in the usual PR glitz and scent for a sale of the higher branches of the music industry - because that's what the music industry is, that's what it does - but in the rush to be cynical, you risk pissing on the well-meaning instincts of loads of people to just show that they valued something which had been destroyed by others.

[Thanks to @jamesthegill]

More on the PIAS fire

Distribution is a funny thing, isn't it? Most of the time, it's just there, in the background. People are aware of it, not least as it being some sort of factor in deciding what records are indie and which aren't.

But take it out - as the fire has done to PIAS - and it suddenly becomes very obvious indeed.

Chemikal Underground have sent a mailing on the loss of all that stock:

While we’ve lost a considerable chunk of our own back catalogue in addition to stock of our more recent titles, the repercussions of last night’s events will be felt by all labels and retailers up and down the country for months to come. We also have enormous sympathy for PIAS itself: a wonderful independent distributor and an unfailingly supportive partner for Chemikal Underground over the last twelve years.

Quantifying the financial impact this will have on labels will take time but one thing is becoming abundantly clear: the suggestion that people no longer value music or those who endeavour to make it is myth; the collective support and sympathy being offered online for artists and labels demonstrates that we have a uniquely passionate and proactive community of music fans throughout the UK and it’s this passion and support that can, and will, ultimately, sustain the labels currently under threat.

They suggest buying something from one of the labels who rely on PIAS. I think everyone hearily endorses that idea and - although you've seen this list elsewhere, time to pick your favourites and give them a shout:

1234
2020 Vision
Accidental
Ad Altiora
Adventures Close to home
Alberts
All City
Alt Delete
Ambush Reality
Angular
Ark
ATC
Atic
Atlantic Jaxx
Azuli
B Unique
Backyard
Bad Sneakers
Bandstock
Banquet
Basick
Beggars
Big Chill
Big Dada
Big Life / Nul / Sindy Stroker
Boombox
Border Community
Boysnoize
Brille
Bronzerat
Brownswood
Buzzin Fly
Can You Feel It
Catskills
ChannelFly
Chemikal Underground
City Rockers
Counter
D Cypher
Dance To The Radio
Deceptive
Def Jux
Dirtee Stank
Divine Comedy
Domino
Drag City
Drive Thru
Drowned in Sound
Dummy
Duophonic
Eat Sleep / Sorepoint
Electric Toaster
Emfire
F. Comm
Fabric
Faith And Hope
Fantastic Plastic
Fargo
FatCat
Feraltone
Finders Keepers / Twisted Nerve
Fingerlickin'
Flock
Free Range
From The Basement
Full Time Hobby
Goldsoul
Gronland
Groove Attack
Halftime
Hassle
Heron
Hum&Haw
Independiente
Info UK
Join Us
Kartel
Kensaltown
Kitsune
Kompakt
Laughing Stock
Leftroom
Lex
Lo Max
Loose
Love Box
Lowlife
Lucky Number
Marquis Cha Cha
Memphis Industry
Merok
Metroline
Mute
Naïve
Nation
Navigator
New World
Ninja Tune
Nuclear Blast
One Little Indian
Output / People in the Sky / Process
Pale Blue
Palm
Peacefrog
PIAS Recordings
PIP 555 Productions
Play To Work
Powerhouse (T2)
Propaganda / Ho Hum
Raw Canvas
Red Grape
Red Telephone Box
Rekids
Renaissance
Respect Productions (PES digital)
Reveal Records
RMG
Rock Action
Roots
Rough Trade
Rough Trade Comps
Rubyworks
Ruffa Lane
Search And Destroy
Secret Sundaze
Secretly Canadian / Jagjaguwar / Dead Oceans
Sell Yourself
Setanta
Shatterproof
Sideone Dummy
Slam Dunk
Smalltown
Soma
Something In Construction
Sonic Cathedral
Sonar Kollectiv
Soul Jazz
Southern Fried
Stranded Soldier
Subliminal
Sunday Best
TARGO
Taste
Ten Worlds
Thrill Jockey
Total Fitness
Touch And Go
Track And Field
TriTone
Trouble
Try Harder
Turk
Turnstile
Twenty 20
Underworld
Union Square
Urban Torque
Vagrant
Vice
Victory
Wagram
Wall Of Sound
Warp
Wi45
Wonky Atlas
Word And Sound
Xtra Mile
You Are Here

PIAS benefit comes together

A fundraiser is being pulled together for the labels hit by the loss of the Sony/PIAS warehouse in last night's fire. For full details, or to get involved, follow the #piasfundraiser hashtag on Twitter.

The Guardian reports that every single copy of Charlie Simpson's debut album was destroyed last night, so there won't be a release for that this Monday.

PIAS official statement

As news of the loss of the PIAS/Sony warehouse has been spreading, the PIAS website has been suffering too (well-wishers rather than arsonists this time).

Their statement:

"There was a fire last night at the SonyDADC warehouse which services the physical distribution for PIAS in the UK and Ireland. PIAS is working closely with SonyDADC who are implementing their emergency plans. PIAS's UK offices in London and all other areas of our business are unaffected. More information will be communicated shortly to all our labels and partners"

MIDEM 2009: Placebo taken by Sam

After the digital stuff, MIDEM turns to the music, and amongst the early announcements is that Placebo are signing to PIAS for the next album. They could have had their pick of the majors - they say - but instead fell for PIAS small-scale, big-idea charms:

Placebo frontman Brian Molko said “We are delighted to be signing with [PIAS], one of the world’s most respected and successful independent music companies. We were very lucky to have so many great labels interested in signing us, it means a lot, especially after 12 years of releasing records!! But we now feel we have the right partner for Europe in these ever-changing times to continue this crazy adventure and to scale even dizzier heights with our new record".

Two exclamation marks and "scaling dizzy heights" in "ever-changing times" - let's hope that he's putting a bit more effort into the lyrics than he has into the press release.

Still, Meds was a splendid album, so let's hope a smaller, more loving environment might bring about something even better, so people stop going "what, really?" when you tell them you like Placebo.