a2f2a

Devilish Presley are London based independent artists who say they’ve only ever been, or ever wanted to be, on one label — November Tenth Records.

Their own.

They say they’ve released four albums since 2003 and have racked up more 300 gigs in the UK, including a major support tour with punk legends The Damned.

They’ve also played in Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Holland, Romania, France and Southern Ireland and, “ALL of this has been self-financed”.

In other words, “We’ve been ahead of the DIY curve since 2003.”

With that in mind, “We are therefore more than qualified to give opinions on the a2f2a debate about how artists might survive in a ‘new model’ of the music industry”, says band bass player and singer Jacqui Vixen — “One without the need for labels, the old copyright laws and one that fully embraces file-sharing as a means of promotion.”

In an a2f2a comment post, “To us it seems clear that there is now only one choice: we need to see the end of record labels and that old system asap – we have decided that from 2010 on we will be using theCwF + RtB formula favoured by forward thinkers like Mike Masnick at Techdirt” she said, going on:

“So far our fans have been quite amazing in their support and all of them are sick to death of being branded ‘thieves’ by the powers that be.

“It is quite clear why musicians still cling to the ‘old model’ and that is because every independent act can only ever get so far without falling foul of the illegal control of the “means of promotion” that the Big4 maintained by payola. For years they have stamped out competition which is why they hate theinternet and all that goes with it.

“This is what forces a lot of artists to still sign one-sided deals and to get shafted, the fact that independent growth is forbidden. ‘Not coming through the right channels old boy’.

“We are now living through THE most exciting time for music ever, forget the sixties, forget punk, today and tomorrow are a far better place to be. Well they will be if the ‘Rock Tsars’ aren’t allowed to collude with the major labels and aid them in their efforts to clamp down on theinternet and control it like they do TV, Radio & Press.”

Now, “It is now time for the old guard, the ‘Rock Tsars’ to either get with the programme or get out of the way”, say Jacqui and band mate Johnny Navarro in a follow-up, going on >>>

If a millionaires club like the FAC is given the power to speak for artists, it needs to be made clear that they don’t speak for all of us. It is heart breaking, for example, to see folks reply on a2f2a that they “would support Jon if they hadn’t been out of work for a year”.

That is the real voice of 2010.

What on earth do people like Bono, Lily Allen & the FAC know about today’s struggle for survival? How DARE they suppose to lecture us on the “rights of musicians” with their pompous culture of entitlement?

Billy Bragg wants proof that a band can survive with the help of their fans? Well, here we are mate — 100% Rock ‘n’ Roll from London and now fully engaged in a bid to survive in just that way.

But so hung up on money are the “Rock Tsars” that they don’t even see that support and help for artists can come in many other forms.

Many of our fans have and will support our art financially, others will give their TIME, others will give their SKILLS and they will do this for free.

Obviously doing something for nothing is an alien concept to people who are constantly pampered and spoiled by their owners.

And this brings us to an even more important point.

No one should now use the  term “unsigned band” because it is now meaningless and the very phrase reinforces the notion that record labels are the arbiters of taste and that without them a band is somehow inferior in some way! It is an offensive notion and an offensive phrase.

But it is just these kind of false ideas that the FAC and their ilk have a vested interest in propping up.

Ex Gang Of Four member Dave Allen puts it best.

“Get over sucking on the Music Nanny State teat. Now that the internet has provided disrupting producers with all the tools they need to bypass the existing recorded music system, there should be NO EXCUSE for musicians not to go it alone. Yet, the producers – the musicians themselves, remain the problem. I believe the safety and comfort offered to them in the past – record label deals, publishing deals, old media distribution, plus MTV and commercial radio for the mostsuccessful – created a diabolical Nanny state”.

“There is a worldwide recession and we have met so many people in the last year as we CwF’s at gigs who are in the same boat”, say Jacqui and Johnny, adding:

“How the FAC members can swan about acting like it is still the baby-boom years is beyond us. What they need to realise is that the whole world is struggling for survival.

“So why shouldn’t they?”

Jon Newton

[Devilish Presley interview: http://lipstattoo.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/dp/ ---- Band website (with donate button ) http://www.devilishpresley.com ]