My name is Scotland and I'm an alcoholic.
If you care about the biggest social problem that blights this country you should be troubled by the changing face of our live music industry.
This weeks sees the launch of THE MILL - described by Miller Genuine Draft as "an exciting new platform for emerging music talent in Glasgow and Edinburgh". It should sound familiar. It's the same business model that has already been adopted by Jack Daniel's under their JD Set banner, not to mention the likes of Beck's Fusions, Tuborg Music, Smirnoff Electric Cabaret and the Red Stripe Music Awards.
It doesn't end there. Carling's brand name is permanently glued to the Academy venue in Glasgow; Tennent's, of course, have long sponsored music events in Scotland with the likes of T in the Park, T-Break and now Tennent's Mutual, the self-proclaimed gigging revolution that allows fans to vote on artists, locations, venues and ticket prices... though unfortunately not on how much punters should be paid to drink their foul cooking lager.
Let's get this straight. Alcohol companies aren't stumbling over themselves to sponsor live music because they care about breaking new acts or supporting creative talent. Guitar bands are cool as fuck and the people who watch them are the choicest cuts for the drinks industry, i.e. young adults spending the night in a licensed premises with money to burn. If a similar demographic turned up in similar numbers to play chess you can guarantee Guinness would be trying to endorse the pieces.
So what's the big deal? Why is The Pop Cop complaining about wads of cash getting pumped into the music scene in return for a bit of product placement. It seems like a no-lose situation but here are a few facts about Scotland:
If you care about the biggest social problem that blights this country you should be troubled by the changing face of our live music industry.
This weeks sees the launch of THE MILL - described by Miller Genuine Draft as "an exciting new platform for emerging music talent in Glasgow and Edinburgh". It should sound familiar. It's the same business model that has already been adopted by Jack Daniel's under their JD Set banner, not to mention the likes of Beck's Fusions, Tuborg Music, Smirnoff Electric Cabaret and the Red Stripe Music Awards.
It doesn't end there. Carling's brand name is permanently glued to the Academy venue in Glasgow; Tennent's, of course, have long sponsored music events in Scotland with the likes of T in the Park, T-Break and now Tennent's Mutual, the self-proclaimed gigging revolution that allows fans to vote on artists, locations, venues and ticket prices... though unfortunately not on how much punters should be paid to drink their foul cooking lager.
Let's get this straight. Alcohol companies aren't stumbling over themselves to sponsor live music because they care about breaking new acts or supporting creative talent. Guitar bands are cool as fuck and the people who watch them are the choicest cuts for the drinks industry, i.e. young adults spending the night in a licensed premises with money to burn. If a similar demographic turned up in similar numbers to play chess you can guarantee Guinness would be trying to endorse the pieces.
So what's the big deal? Why is The Pop Cop complaining about wads of cash getting pumped into the music scene in return for a bit of product placement. It seems like a no-lose situation but here are a few facts about Scotland:
- 30 deaths a year on our roads are as a result of accidents involving drivers who are over the limit
- 62% of domestic abuse cases involve alcohol
- 50% of people who commit suicide have a history of alcohol abuse
- 45% of prisoners admit they were drunk at the time of their offence
- Alcohol-related deaths have more than doubled in the past decade
- 70% of assault victims who end up in A&E do so as a result of an alcohol-related incident
- When someone gets murdered, not only will two-thirds of the suspected killers be drunk but so will half of their victims
- 40% of 15-year-olds drink alcohol at least once a week
Scotland has a problem. Perhaps not me, or you, or even anyone you know personally, but alcohol abuse stains this nation and, as far as we can see, nobody is taking it seriously enough.
Two years ago NME reported on a study that called for a total ban on alcohol advertising at music events as part of a major crackdown on binge drinking among young people. The response from InBev, who own Tennent's, was telling. They warned that many cultural events in the UK would not happen if drinks companies didn't provide funding. A similar message was delivered by the Department of Media, Culture and Sport. A spokeswoman said: "Many music events rely on sponsorship from these companies for events like T in the Park. Where would they be without it?"
In other words, the Government doesn't care about the long-term effects the promotion of alcohol through music is having on our population - just so long as 80,000 people can be shoehorned into an abandoned airfield in Balado for one weekend every summer. Cheers.
The Mill @ Oran Mor, Glasgow*
August 27: How To Swim, The Moth & The Mirror
September 3: Tokyoblu, Kazoo Funk Orchestra
September 10: Twin Atlantic, Kobai
September 17: Injuns, Punch & The Apostles
September 24: Be A Familiar, Endor
October 1: We See Lights, Pearl And The Puppets
October 8: Dbass, Underling
The Mill @ The Caves, Edinburgh*
September 18: Punch & The Apostles, Injuns
September 25: Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Pearl And The Puppets
October 2: The Ads, Found
October 9: Dbass, Underling
*All events free but ticketed
4 Pearl And The Puppets - Mango Tree
4 We See Lights - Landmine Hearts
Two years ago NME reported on a study that called for a total ban on alcohol advertising at music events as part of a major crackdown on binge drinking among young people. The response from InBev, who own Tennent's, was telling. They warned that many cultural events in the UK would not happen if drinks companies didn't provide funding. A similar message was delivered by the Department of Media, Culture and Sport. A spokeswoman said: "Many music events rely on sponsorship from these companies for events like T in the Park. Where would they be without it?"
In other words, the Government doesn't care about the long-term effects the promotion of alcohol through music is having on our population - just so long as 80,000 people can be shoehorned into an abandoned airfield in Balado for one weekend every summer. Cheers.
The Mill @ Oran Mor, Glasgow*
August 27: How To Swim, The Moth & The Mirror
September 3: Tokyoblu, Kazoo Funk Orchestra
September 10: Twin Atlantic, Kobai
September 17: Injuns, Punch & The Apostles
September 24: Be A Familiar, Endor
October 1: We See Lights, Pearl And The Puppets
October 8: Dbass, Underling
The Mill @ The Caves, Edinburgh*
September 18: Punch & The Apostles, Injuns
September 25: Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Pearl And The Puppets
October 2: The Ads, Found
October 9: Dbass, Underling
*All events free but ticketed
4 Pearl And The Puppets - Mango Tree
4 We See Lights - Landmine Hearts
4 comments:
nice post
the link between drink and music, and sport, is a curious one. i think the only time i have responded to their desperate attempts to curry favour with me is at the academy, when after shelling out for the overpriced ticket, the only choice i have is carling on draught. or the unfortunate time i had to drink tennents at The Balado Commercial Juggernaut. I suppose there has always been a link between alcohol and the excesses of rock n roll, but maybe some authenticity wouldn't go amiss. the sterno blues festival maybe?
which isn't quite the same as influencing my choice of drink by having a flashy website edited by some trendy wanker they found in the merchant city with a copy of the skinny in his/her back pocket, getting some shitey indie bands to play under their overbearing banner and having some small print about being responsible so i know they are socially conscious.
and as for events not happening without alcohol peddlers, that is probably true in as far that things as we know them wont happen. but im sure we'd get over it . would all those bands decide not to bother as beer companies had pulled out the market? sure there would be a gap, but when bands want to play and people want to listen there will always be a way.
Great Post.
They said certain sports would crash and burn with a ban on tobacco advertsing. Didn't happen.
But don't hold your breath for any govt legislation banning alcohol advertising in Scotland. After all, 'our national drink' is one of the main reasons tourists come here...and we can't be hypocritical, can we???
The sad thing is that even if the link between music and booze was brought to an end, the stats wouldn't change all that much....its too ingrained in our culture and getting more and more acceptable in the eyes of many.
Thirty years ago, I'd have got no joy out of my old man if I wanted a drink from him at a family wedding. Three weeks ago, I watched a bundle of nieces and nephews (and their friends) get pints, bottled beer and alcopops and spirits bought for them by parents at the latest such gathering.
couple of thoughts....
entertainment (or 'experiential marketing' as it is now known- there are a number of reasons for this change of focus, maybe now isn't the time to go into them) is the fastest growing area in the sponsorship sector. sport still dominates the sector but many brands are shifting to entertainment in an effort to find a place that is less constrictive and formulaic, where innovation and the new are welcome and they can better express their 'brand values' through experience.
correct - they are doing it to target a difficult to reach, young, media resistant market. they need to be smarter in talking to these 'bullseye' consumers, because they are resistant to traditional advertising routes and jaded by advertising in general.
of course you're also absolutely right, they are only doing it to shift product and/or ideas – that’s the game they are in, there's absolutely nothing altruistic in the intention, though there is an argument that there often is in the results.
It’s churlish to say that TITP wouldn't happen without alcohol sponsorship, reading and leeds didn't collapse when carling walked away this year, it might mean that Live nation wipe a few hundred grand off their profit sheet, but that’s a fairly small drop in a very big ocean. however, there are events that just wouldn't be happening without it...triptych was one, which needed real backing and investment to make it happen, and the only brands spending that kind of money in Scotland, are alcohol related. trocabrahma was another, i'd venture an event like the Mill wouldn't be happening either. that said, maybe you feel strongly enough about the potential ills of alcohol advertising to argue that we'd be better off without these events...(but remember, its not the 'commercial juggernauts' like TITP that wouldn't happen, its the more interesting, leftfield and LESS PROFITABLE events which would go - the ones that, for me, give current provision a bit of colour and character).
one of the key reasons that the tobacco advertising ban didn't adversely affect the sponsorship and entertainment sectors is the rapid rise of gaming, and communications, as big spenders in this area, these interests went from zero to huge spend in a remarkably short space of time. there is plenty of arguments either way on these sectors too...
maybe a bigger debate is one around creeping commercialism and consumerism in every area of our lives.
Back to the bevy…to my knowledge, there is actually a very strong anti-alcohol lobby within the Uk government, much stronger than the rest of europe, and funnily enough, this is where any unilateral action by the UK government would probably fall down - there is an equally strong pro-alcohol lobby at a european level and restrictions in trade such as the one you are advocating would need to work at a european level to be carried and fully effective. Money is the issue here, bevy equals cash in terms of the commercial economy, and even more so in terms of taxes raised, alongside this, the Europeans don’t see the same issues with alcohol as we do, as it stands it’s a peculiarly british issue. This too, makes me question whether a ban would make any difference, if alcohol sponsorship isn’t causing the same issues outside the uk, then is it the advertising, or the attitude towards alcohol consumption, that’s the problem?
Banning things isn’t always (or often) the answer. Educating consumers to make positive and responsible choices can be however, look at our stats around recreational drug use and compare to a more liberated approach such as the Netherlands for evidence in that sense.
In general, I’d agree with the sentiment, alcohol abuse is a social and economic burden on our society, but I think you need to take a wider view on the potential solutions or contributory factors to make a difference.
i'm not convinced that a ban on alcohol sponsorship would positively effect the everyday consumption levels of consumers.
thing is, alcohol has been massively and destructively over-consumed by humans ever since it was first (invented? discovered? distilled?). "dying morals" suggests we used to be better than this. we didn't. read any book set in the 19th century or watch any wild west movie and you'll see that. the only difference now is the pernicious influence of advertising where, eg. Miller are trying to gain a positive brand image through something entirely unrelated to the taste or quality of their product. But that's a marketing thing, no different from the Ford adverts I see around Champions League games that have absolutely no connection to motor vehicles, and anyone with half a brain can see through it.
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