|
|
|
You are here: Home > Current Topics > Research Projects > The Business of Making Music > The Bay City Rollers |
|
|
|
Research ProjectThe Business of Making Music - The Bay City RollersFor some, the difficulties of working in the music industry have had a major impact on their lives. Some famous bands from the past are still in difficulty despite the public image that they 'must be millionaires'. We will now look at some examples of how a lack of understanding of the music industry can lead to difficulties for artists and how the legal 'scrap' endured by artists like Robert Fripp is having some impact on the way in which the music industry might operate in the future. The Bay City Rollers were a massive success story in the 1970s. Not only did the band build up a huge following but also spawned a whole new fashion trend. The band consisted of four young lads from Scotland and their music captured the imagination and hearts of millions of teenagers - they were one of the originators of the so-called 'teenybopper' movement. 
Image: The Bay City Rollers at the peak of their success meeting Princess Anne at an awards ceremony in 1975. Title: Bay City Rollers. Copyright: Getty Images, available from Education Image Gallery As with many teen bands, their popularity eventually waned but the story of the band from that point on is full of incident, ill-feeling and problems, not least over how much the band received from their incredible success. The three links below will give you a picture of some of the issues that the band has faced since the late 1970s:
Image: Les McKeown, lead singer of the Bay City Rollers - a troubled figure now faces additional problems after being charged with supplying cocaine. Title: Bay City Roller Accused Of Supplying Cocaine. Copyright: Getty Images, available from Education Image Gallery The problem with music(http://www.negativland.com/albini.html) is an article written by Steve Albini who was a member of a rock band in the 1980s and is now a producer. Albini pulls no punches in his view of the music industry - be warned this article contains some choice language. DGM's founding aims and mission statement(http://www.disciplineglobalmobile.com/foundingaims.shtml) contain a series of question and answers to important questions about the shape of the music industry. These are by Robert Fripp who set up Discipline Global Mobile (DGM) as an independent record label in the 1990s. It contains his views about many of the issues relevant to the Bay City Rollers case although not directly referring to that case. Task 6Use the three articles referred to above to assess the extent to which a band such as the Bay City Rollers would have faced the problems they have if they had been operating in the 21st century rather than the 1970s. |
