Where are the new music megastars?

[The Doctor]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-arts-15694487

There are more young songwriters in the UK than ever before, so why are all the biggest live acts over 40?

It's called the YouTube boom. The number of registered songwriters in Britain has topped 83,000. That's a 62% increase in just five years.

They are performers like Birdy, a 15-year-old schoolgirl who was introduced to a song by her aunt, recorded her own version, posted it online and then found that six million people had watched it.

She now has a two album deal with Atlantic - home to stars like Bruno Mars, James Blunt and Flo Rida - but it's a tough market for new artists.

Britain's Performing Rights Society (PRS), which collects royalties on behalf of songwriters and musicians, says there is a crisis brewing.

The number of young performers breaking through in terms of album sales is down by 30% compared to 2009, it says.

The industry is increasingly relying on aging heritage acts and failing to turn this huge resource of young songwriters into stars who will actually make money in the long run.

PRS chief economist Will Page says: "You've had an explosive growth in live music to the point where it's outselling recorded (music) for the first time in modern history.

"I think it's right to point out the imbalance of heritage bands dominating that music sector and ask the question who's going to be selling out the stadiums and festivals in 2025?"

That is exactly what Birdy would like to be doing.

"I hope to be getting my own music out there and travelling round the world playing huge concerts, because that's what I love - performing," she tells the BBC.

But the chances are getting smaller every year, says Elliot Kennedy - a music producer, songwriter, and this year's X Factor talent director.

"It's incredibly shortlived," he says. "Many artists aren't surviving more than 12 months".

Unsustainable

"It was Bryan Adams who told me he didn't have a hit until his third album.

"Think about that. That's a huge investment. Nowadays, if you don't have a hit with your first single you're dropped. It's over."

The problem, he says, is that there are thousands of young people who can sing but "an artist is someone who has transcended from being able to sing into being a 'singer'.

"It takes a long time to graduate to that status, to know what you're doing, to relate to people, to be sustainable."

There are, of course, exceptions to the trend of high turnover pop acts. Brit award winners Elbow did not achieve success until their fourth album The Seldom Seen Kid, for example.

But the market is increasingly cut-throat, and bands are being allowed to fade out when they should be at their commercial peak.

The situation is highlighted in a study by Deloitte of the biggest selling live acts in America over the last 10 years. Forty per cent of the bands had a lead singer who was 60 or over. Only one act in the top 50 was in her 20s, and that was Britney Spears. A stunning 94% of the top 20 was aged over 40.

The problem, according to PRS economist Will Page, is the collapse of the record market. Established bands can easily make money from touring but new acts used to rely on income from albums and CDs to fund a tour and build up their fanbase.

"What you're seeing now is fewer labels are willing to give tour support because fewer fans are willing to buy the CD. Hence it's tougher for bands to get on the road and develop a fanbase and become the heritage acts of the future."

That decline in album sales for new acts is marked.

In the five years to 2009, about 25 homegrown acts in Britain managed to break the 100,000 sales barrier every year. Last year it was down to 17.

This year the total has reached 16 and, of those, two of those are new bands led by Oasis's Gallagher brothers. Not exactly new, youthful, emerging talent.

In a presentation to Britain's top music venues, PRS said 2010 had already seen a 7% drop in live revenues, with a shortage of big names touring.

The Society says this will only get worse in years to come as the "classic rock" generation head into old age.

Rock music's biggest earners are approaching their twilight years. "Who," asks Will Page, "is investing in the heritage acts of tomorrow?"

Firstly I disagree of the idea there are no stadium bands under 40, what about Muse, Killers, Arctic Monkeys, Biffy Clyro, KOL, Coldplay etc.

But if fewer artists seem to be making an impact then that's down to our get rich quick, instantaneous success culture. Shows such as X-Factor are churning out masses of sing-by-numbers "artists", in the main devoid of talent and, as people have heard of them due to the show, they sell well while those smaller bands trying to make it on their own are pushed aside.

Finally, is a lack of stadium artists that bad? From going to watch small bands at venues like the Shed back in Leicester and down the student union on live music nights here and seeing large bands in massive halls I'd prefer the small, intimate gigs every time.

[Trav Le Bleu]

I agree 100% Al.

The article was obviously written by someone who has no idea of music beyond the Top 40.

[Alexikokopops]

What a bizarre article.

[MC Prussian]

Who in God's name does still buy CDs these days?

And why does the term "instant gratification" spring to mind again whilst browsing through this odd piece of journalism?

[SystonFox]

Who in God's name does still buy CDs these days?

And why does the term "instant gratification" spring to mind again whilst browsing through this odd piece of journalism?

Don't buy cd's myself just cos it's easier to get it online from iTunes and sometimes a pound or two cheaper but occasionally I do wish I purchased the cd so I had that physical aspect of it and something to show for my collection. But the reality is two or three clicks and three mins later ive got an album whereas it takes 10 mins to burn the same cd to iTunes.

Also that article is bollocks, no stadium fillers under the age of 40? Name me the ones over 40? Foos? U2? Stone roses? That's all I can think of and as mentioned there are more under 40.... MUSE, KoL, Biffy, Coldplay, Arctics, Kasabian to name but a few

[Jay]

Who in God's name does still buy CDs these days?

And why does the term "instant gratification" spring to mind again whilst browsing through this odd piece of journalism?

errrr me!

If it's cheaper than the download I will always buy the CD, on rare occasions I still buy Vinyl as well.....

[MC Prussian]

errrr me!

If it's cheaper than the download I will always buy the CD, on rare occasions I still buy Vinyl as well.....

Nothing against Vinyl, for pure retro reasons. Sound engineers as a collective are completely right when they say that Vinyl sounds the "warmest" of them all.

But CDs? They were the sh*t back in the 80ies and 90ies, but in terms of digital copies, I do prefer MP3s or or MPEGs.

Use up much less space, are handier to transport, don't scratch - and I can also choose between different bitrate qualities, if needed.

Looking forward to Apple's new technology that lets you upgrade all of your non-iTunes Store music to Apple standard for £15 (?) later on this year/early 2012.