It's obvious the the scene is over saturated with bands as a result of
the internet and technology making it easier to make music and then get
it out there, a lot of bands are giving it up because as the market is
re-correcting itself, sadly that means bands are splitting up because
they can't afford to keep going. Unfortunately though the correction it
takes isn't one where the better product survives but rather whichever
product has the funding to carry on.
For example we could have band A and band B. Band A are more talented and make superior music to band B, but band B might well outlast A because B signed a commercial sponsorship deal with a certain German drinks company. Personally the amount of corporate sponsorship creeping into the actual music side of things is the most worrying thing for me. I'm not talking about a couple of Jager stickers on a flight case here, I mean the logos being incorporated into the videos and lyrics.
Lets take Panic Cell for example, a band from Kent. They've split up now but around their second album they totally 'sold out' to Jagermeister and started fronting for the company. It began with logos on the equipment cases, then progressed to Jager drumskins and logos on the guitars, handing out Jagermeister shots during gigs, (in front of a Jager backdrop) and references to the product. It then got worse, eventually they even made a track called "Black Juice" - subtle eh?! with an accompanying video. This was too much for me. I called the band out on their facebook and they gave me some BS about how "Well we really like Jager and it just felt right to do the track!" - I didn't drop out of the last shower lads... I stopped listening to the band and watching them live because they totally became a front for a product.
Sadly this is becoming more and more the norm today. Jager really did a (from their perspective) great job of positioning themselves as the "metal head" drink and pushing their shitty product on the unsuspecting youth. I have researched into this and Jager do offer a sponsorship package to "help new and upcoming talent." They claim they don't ask for references to be placed in the music or give up any creative control to them but they expect the band to promote the drink on their equipment and on their sites etc.
Panic Cell - Black Juice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPlM1yvyKcM
Se7en Deadly - From This Darkness: (Pretty much Panic Cell with a new singer under a new name, loads of Jager references in the video, including flashing the logo up on screen for no reason in the breakdown) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbJ5IGQ20sE
For example we could have band A and band B. Band A are more talented and make superior music to band B, but band B might well outlast A because B signed a commercial sponsorship deal with a certain German drinks company. Personally the amount of corporate sponsorship creeping into the actual music side of things is the most worrying thing for me. I'm not talking about a couple of Jager stickers on a flight case here, I mean the logos being incorporated into the videos and lyrics.
Lets take Panic Cell for example, a band from Kent. They've split up now but around their second album they totally 'sold out' to Jagermeister and started fronting for the company. It began with logos on the equipment cases, then progressed to Jager drumskins and logos on the guitars, handing out Jagermeister shots during gigs, (in front of a Jager backdrop) and references to the product. It then got worse, eventually they even made a track called "Black Juice" - subtle eh?! with an accompanying video. This was too much for me. I called the band out on their facebook and they gave me some BS about how "Well we really like Jager and it just felt right to do the track!" - I didn't drop out of the last shower lads... I stopped listening to the band and watching them live because they totally became a front for a product.
Sadly this is becoming more and more the norm today. Jager really did a (from their perspective) great job of positioning themselves as the "metal head" drink and pushing their shitty product on the unsuspecting youth. I have researched into this and Jager do offer a sponsorship package to "help new and upcoming talent." They claim they don't ask for references to be placed in the music or give up any creative control to them but they expect the band to promote the drink on their equipment and on their sites etc.
Panic Cell - Black Juice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPlM1yvyKcM
Se7en Deadly - From This Darkness: (Pretty much Panic Cell with a new singer under a new name, loads of Jager references in the video, including flashing the logo up on screen for no reason in the breakdown) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbJ5IGQ20sE
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