Radio X have released a list of the top 100 British artists.

[Fitzsimmons]

charts.radiox.co.uk/2018/

There's a common theme...

I don't see bands anymore (kids etc) although DH and I are going to see David Byrne next month 🎉

BBC6 Music was in danger of being axed because no one listens to it- yet it would seem to be a much better fit for the posters complaining about this station.

I listen to the radio in my car. I do not have a DAB radio in my car. I am not going to get a DAB radio in my car just to listen to six music because I can not listen to xfm. I will get a new car before I get a DAB radio for the car.

It might well be a good fit, but if I do not have the means to listen to it, strangely, I'm not going to listen to it.

Its back to cds and five live for me.

HTH.

Anyone remember this one?

Consolidated You Suck

All the men would run OFF the dancefloor and all the women ON lol

Good one for FWR

That's funny, I didn't realise rock music was for boys and pop, soul and rnb music was for girls. SILLY ME MUST HAVE MY HEAD CHECKED.
What a dickhead thing to say Bonnie.
XFM used to play music for people who liked that genre. Not for those with XY Chromosomes.

I still go to gigs when something comes up I really like. Dh and I have taken to taking it turns to go. I used to go on my own a lot anyway so im not too bothered about going on my own. I secretly often prefer it to going with someone because I dont have to worry if they are having a good time!

Totally is, IStill

And for any women who don't realise, some radio stations will remind them by telling them to fuck off, in more or less that many words!

I think Bonnie is pretty much repeating what the owners of radio x and heart said. Almost word for word if memory serves me well enough.

RedtoothBrush - I know what you mean as DH always insists on coming and then stands around like a lemon as it's not really his thing while I leap about like a loon

I admire you for going to gigs by yourself, I would've felt too self conscious I think (no phones to hide behind in those days!).

PWEI are playing some gigs this year, I am taking a look

I secretly often prefer it to going with someone because I dont have to worry if they are having a good time!

I much prefer going on my own.

Those are my own words, but they are an accurate summary of commercial radio branding, marketing and audience segmentation.

I started going by myself aged 19 as I had no friends! Was a choice of either not going or going by myself. Over the years it proved to be how I met some of my longest friends and DH through music and meeting with complete strangers at gigs (arranged via internet) long before it was fashionable to do such things.

I never really viewed it as a choice at the time. It was either take the opportunity or regret it.

Everyone thought I was crazy at the time. I have been very lucky. I dont think there's many bands ive not seen that I wish I had.

Wow good for you, nice one. I felt quite self conscious when I was young although was out all the time and did in desperation go to clubs a few times by myself - I knew I'd probably know people in there ! We were in London and out from about 15 there was an indie / alternative type night on every night of the week if you knew where to look!

I went to a ska thing recently that was good - I've always been a bit genre "impure" and liked things that you could dance to, essentially, rather than being "indie" or "metal" or "goth" if you get my drift. I got into dance later but so did a lot of the alternative types there was a lot of overlap. I was in Manchester some of the 90s, herbal tea and stuff like that there were loads of metalers (sp) indie types goth leanings everything it was such a mish mash.

It was great in those days - I had a brilliant time

Thats it though. After a while you started to bump into the same people and faces. People were friendlier if you were by yourself too. Its one of the few things I always felt safe doing on my own. I must admit that was something I didn't feel as much at London gigs though. Can't really explain why. London gigs were good but never special in the same way. The further north you go the crazier the crowds get! I don't think Glasgow crowds can be beaten.

Sad to say I never got up to Glasgow in those days! Bet it was awesome.

I miss it all, there are loads of us about though, I laugh when I see the festivals, they've all aged with us, many of the same bands, fancy tents and £££ and you can access the posh bogs. Loads of stuff for children. And that marketing is bang on, we're all middle aged now, lots with kids, more money than at 16 for sure! Yes very appealing! I want to do a small to mid size one, not so fussed about the big name music, the wandering and discovering stuff was what I liked at festivals :)

DS is still too small to go. He LOVES music though. Like proper 'difficult' indie (and eurovision. Not my guilty secret. Honest). DH is desperate to take him to a festival of some kind this year but im going to try and hold out a year or two even though he is obsessed. Hes only three! I want to take him to see Springsteen before he gets too old to tour, but I fear I might be pushing my luck on that one.

I think you are 100% right, I've been waiting to take them until they are reliable with toilet/ can wait (don't need it Now!), not going to need it in the night and won't be running off, can stay up a bit later etc.
Idea of doing it with little ones, total kudos to those who do, I don't think I'd be able to relax and enjoy it though! Music was always and still is such a huge part of my life though, I do want to keep doing these things.

Springsteen would be great to see I bet he puts on a fab show.

Amazing. A friend took me years and I confess I was like what am I doing here before the show. Loved it. I try and go if he's touring. Same friend took me to iron maiden. Really not my music. Again amazing experience and really good show. Its surprising the difference between a live show and a record.

I'm scared its something only our generation will really get to do as the but stars all die off slowly. The live music scene is still there but im not sure it will continue for much longer in the same way.

I hope im wrong, but it does feel like it's a golden age which is coming to a slow end.

I listen to radio x and I agree it's not got many female artists on the play list but this was a bored list so it's not really the stations fault. And bohemian rhapsody being number 2 is a bit of an in joke with one of the presenters (Good old John Robins)

I saw Springsteen once years ago he was fab but I felt seeing him live once was enough.

I think you are wrong about the live music scene. Sales of physical music have plummeted and even outright sales of virtual music are lower and artists get little return on music sales meaning that many artists rely on touring and merchandise revenue.

I don't think age of audiences matters. The last 2 non classical concerts I was at were Mark Lanegan at Koko, Camden in December and Courtney Marie Andrews at the O2 Glasgow in Glasgow in February and the age range was teens to people even older than me. (And I went on my own to both)

Anyone got any recommendations on who is worth seeing? Always interested.

Manchester people - try XS. Used to be "classic rock" but broadened a little about the time Xfm was nationalised. The only radio station I can think of that plays Hole! A few old Xfm Mcr presenters moved there, including Clint Boon.

Someone asked about the Midlands - is Kerrang! Radio not still going there?

I agree the list is very male dominated. Radio X does play lots of female musicians/bands though! From the 70's/80's they're always playing Fleetwood Mac and half of them are female, Blondie, and Kate Bush for instance. They play lots of 90's stuff such as Hole, Garbage, Texas, Catalonia, The Cardigans, Sleeper, No Doubt, Alanis Morissette, The Cranberries. More recent is Florence and the Machine, Lorde, Chvrches, Wolf Alice, and this week's song of the week is by Alice Merton, 'No Roots' which is amazing!

No Kerrang is now only in London and online

The marketing depts will ruin music. They’re so focused on market segmentation that they will eventually prevent new genres of music from performing.

See American stations in the 50s. They were so racially segregated that many white people never heard rock and roll. It took the British R&B, blues and early rock bands who were importing and who were influenced by the black music i.e The Beatles, Stones etc to essentially sell the black music back to American white audiences resulting in modern rock and roll.

In addition, black and Latino gay music (early dance) rose from the the embers of disco and pioneers like Pete Tong made it popular here. A whole culture in the UK was born from dance/rave music.

If you segment and niche everything for advertising purposes, you don’t get cross pollination and new types of music. Everyone just stays in their box not being exposed to anything new.

One of the reasons I like 6music is that it does try to play a variety of music. Some you’ll love, some you’ll like, some you’ll dislike and some you’ll hate and that’s a good thing as it shows that you’re being exposed to something you wouldn’t necessarily put on your Spotify playlist. I only recently discovered I actually liked modern Jazz (Kamazi Washington) through them and I hadn’t really given it any time before as a genre.

Unfortunately pretty much every other station seems to start off with a marketing dept working out which demographic they want to target re advertising. If you have a station which pretty much only hires white middle aged men, playing songs by middle aged white men and advertises Gillette razors and Stella Artois every ad break, there will be no surprise when the listeners pick Oasis for 20% of their top 100 songs. They’re not being challenged and they’re not the type that want to be adventurous in any way shape or form.