'Spin Doctor #5 (P.R. & Party Politics) ' by Stuart Evans
Author: Stuart Evans
Friday, July 7, 2006
It's been a while in coming. February, in fact, was the last time that this particular column was updated. There are no excuses for poor performance as all the goodwill in the world doesn't actually get words on screen, does it- Casting copious amounts of goodwill aside, the words have been updated and next column has already started (stop sniggering, it has - really).
A lot happens in music, in-between the lazy beats and deep bass-lines. People come and go, tunes love and leave us, and djs visit and then depart. It's something of a cycle which we all come to expect. It comes with the industry.
As an industry which is, most of the time anyway, working towards the same vision and goal, why does this little thing called club politics still exist- Is it considered good PR- No. Is it a case of inflated egos ruling the roost- Normally, yes.
The music industry, like any other, attracts its fair share of criticism. The attrition rate of djs who leave clubs will always vary, just like the patrons who frequent the clubs. DJs can rarely feel comfortable as there is always someone else looking over their shoulders.
But as an industry, be it workers, managers or dance music fans, we are all vying for a cause that rings true - to keep the sound of dance alive and well for generations to enjoy. A cliche it is but life without dance music isn't worth thinking about. We'd all be subject to programs which end in Idol for one.
So can't we just get over ourselves and limit the club politics that is so apparent- Sometimes it a game of Chinese whispers, producers and djs talking behind each others back
A recent example was when a DJ lost his long-standing residency, only for the impending dj to publish the fact when the departing jock hadn't even left his still warm turntables.
Is it right or wrong- Is it greed or sour grapes- Perhaps a bit of both, but an inch of common sense wouldn't go a miss now and again. As they say, it just aint good PR, darling.
Working in dance music means that, on occasions, you get treated like a second class citizen when compared to our more highly regarded cousin of rock music. It's a shame that politics exist but surely we can all learn to enjoy our wonderful scene for what it is.
Stuart Evans runs Vibe Communications - a PR and communications agency dedicated to the music and entertainment industry.
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