Crossing the Pond

Crossing the Pond

NME, Q, Mojo, Uncut or Dazed & Confused find their cds sell quickly in shops based on the exposure. In the US, print is important, but rarely is it the driver for sales. US media options in contrast are limitless, and because of this, their impact is diluted.

BBC stations. In London, regional radio is more influential for music, with progressive radio stations playing a broad spectrum of styles. If you can-t get your record on one of the national or regional stations, you-ll try and build a following at college radio or at the rapidly re emerging pirate stations. Pirate radio became relevant in the 60-s and 70-s and faded in the 80-s. But it-s a growing business again in the UK. With no risk involved, these stations play whatever they want because they are broadcasting illegally.

Napster and iTunes will be up and running shortly, and it will be very interesting to see how things develop in this market. Traditionally, the UK has embraced new technology quickly so one can only guess that music downloading will become a major component of the UK lifestyle.