Keep music industrial

It would be fair to say that in this century, the future of music is in dispute. In the era of illegal downloading and falling sales, it was refreshing as well as surprising to hear a positive message from the CEO of UK Music, Feargal Sharkey, who described 2011 as “an extraordinary time to be a music fan.”

For the industry to survive it is evident that it has to embrace the Internet. The Internet’s democratisation of creativity with no industry involvement has created an incomprehensible catalogue of musicians. Websites such as MySpace have failed to create major waves for the music industry because they are stiflingly bloated.

We live in a time where people do not expect to pay for music. File-sharing services such as Napster have created new expectations and people want free music, fast. Instead of fighting this, the industry needs to learn how to capitalize on it.

Slowly, change is beginning. Record labels (mostly independent labels) are experimenting with success, streaming albums for free online with appropriate advertising that leads to record and merchandise sales.

Just as the phonograph didn’t kill the sheet music industry in the 19^th century, the Internet will not kill the music industry in the 21^st.

Illustration of event by Red Imlah

Avoid copyright infringement though art!

Elliot Speight

Of music and morality

Feargal Sharkey is still punk.

Okay, he was wearing a suit. That brings his punk credibility down slightly. But still.

This was one of the most thought-provoking events I have attended. It only lasted an hour, but I could have listened to Feargal for a lot longer. His views on the state of the music industry and twenty-first century music in general are, to say the least, strong – but certainly, they are moral.

He covered the issues with the UK’s artists surrounding the internet, particularly illegal downloading, royalties and how he believes the lack of a figure such as John Peel has changed the way the public learns about and discovers music. And now he is the C.E.O of UK Music, the nerve centre of the country's music industry, let’s hope he can have some influence with his fierce ideals.

So, why is he still punk? Because he is not happy with something and he firmly believes he will change it. He does not want innocent people to get sued for mistakes regarding music licensing laws. He wants artists to be in control of everything they create, from touring down to royalties.

And I love music. So I hope he gets his way.

Stephanie-Louise Farrell

"2011 is an extraordinary time to be a music fan"

"Who?"

That was the response whenever I mentioned Feargal Sharkey's upcoming talk at De Montfort Universities' Cultural eXchanges Week.

"He was the front man of The Undertones."

I sit opposite blank faces.

"Teenage Kicks?"

The song had been my anthem around the age of twelve, and has been an anthem for many since its release in 1978. Arguably, it's what Sharkey is best known for. Dig deeper however, and you're presented with a man who has won an abundance of awards for his service to the music industry, which goes beyond his recording career.

From the early 1990's Sharkey has been involved with the business side of music. First he became an A&R for Polydor Records, then a member of the Radio Authority, and more recently the head of UK Music, an organisation which focusses on the production side of the UK's commercial music industry.

Tonight, in a half-full room containing various generations of music fans, Sharkey discussed his humble, though frustrating, beginnings in Derry, Northern Ireland, his career both on and off stage, and his opinions on the modern state of the music industry.

He spoke with passion and affection when explaining the need to champion new artists, and how the internet has shaped music. The anecdotes of his experiences always engaged me as a listener. I thoroughly appreciated his talk. Can this event be topped?

Sarah Beckley