Lo, it came to pass that of the 9 Brits Awards I attempted to predict
I got 6 right, 66%, very similar to last
year. It could be stated that the whole thing is a bit predictable. The
performances and the speeches are generally safe, the host is usually rubbish
and the voting is generally skewed towards ‘rock’ music even if the prevailing
trend is overwhelmingly for pop/RnB. Had I thought more about this latter point
I’d have predicted less for Disclosure.
It’s always useful to remind yourself what The Brits is now
about – publicity in all its forms. It is a showcase for the industry, a big TV
production and a chance to be talked about. This year they may have excelled,
becoming the most ‘tweeted’ about show in UK TV history – 4.14 million tweets
which equates to 78,000 per minute. Given our current obsession with social
media this alone would have made the show organisers scream WIN and give James
Corden a new contract, which is great news for everyone of course…..
Of course it’s not just that. The show also puts music in
front of people in a way that no longer happens on this scale or in prime-time.
It makes One Direction fans (those who’ll watch anything that features the
band, however briefly) put up with music they’d never otherwise see as
they’re otherwise One Dimensional. Being a prime-time show it also attracts
people who don’t watch music shows or channels, people whose relationship with
music is passive at best.
The presence of the latter usually results in large sales
spikes for those acts who are invited to appear and particularly those who win
awards. It rarely matters that we might’ve all thought they were crap,
derivative or uninspiring. Last year’s sales spikes
were particularly impressive – 320% for Ben Howard and even 62% for Emeli Sande
and you thought everyone owned that
album already.
In these times of strife for the music industry it’s still
hard to knock The Brit Awards, it may not be your cup of tea – or mine – but it
is very effective.
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