BBC Sound of 2009

In their defence, and I truly believe this, the list is pretty good. To some extent, it is a reflection of 2008. It is the pundits looking back and saying, “Landfill indie is dead. What did we listen to when our country was fucked, oh yes that’s it, undiluted pop music with synths.”

What is thrilling about The BBC Sound of 2009 is that out of the 15 artists selected, their success up to this date – with the exception of Brit winning Florence – wasn’t guaranteed. However, since making the shortlist (reduced from 100), everything has changed. The BBC are too proud to let their predictions fall into disregard, so over the forthcoming year these artists will get more than their fair share of exposure. They will be endlessly plugged by Radio1’s finest until they enter the charts and Radio2 jocks will take the baton and run the sales home to gold, if not platinum, success. Eventually it will be universally agreed that X is a success story of 2009, the BBC will have foretold it again and Auntie bosses will stroke their egos’ once more.

For me, the list is an annual reminder of the Beeb’s stranglehold on the musical zeitgeist. It is the essence of the campaigning media abusing their reach to change the state of the nation ‘for the better’. Whilst the Daily Mail and Sun  witch-hunt paedophiles, the BBC, with its hands tied on political issues, chooses to bully the Cultural sector (Is it just me or does the Beeb come of worse here?).

The democratic process that creates the rankings, to predict the ‘Sound of 2009’ is totally flawed. There is no doubt that this is a list compiled by well versed pundits – It would be foolish to deny the potential for success in the top 3. It seems implausible, for example, that any of the voters believe Little Boots is the best ‘unknown’ artist of our day and age.

The list would be improved if the voting backed more stylish mules than the pedigrees in training – 7 of the 15 artist selected by over 130 critics are signed to Universal, another 3 are also on majors whilst indie signed Florence… and White Lies would have made the list even if Pol Pot was the judge. Universal may be struggling in these testing times, but this is no reason why the consensus should hand the hegemon back to an ailing juggernaut whose apathy for progression is part of the reason why they – and the industry – are so fucked today. When these companies are down, lets loot them of their power. Lets hang them and their distinctly average A&R departments out to dry.

What the industry needs now is a change from the current conservatism to daring activism. When it asks, “How can we make this better?”  lets not give the reigns back to those who have abused it at every instant because they hold onto the last coffers of control. Now more than ever, lets not support the artists whose PR will gift them success, lets support the artists to whom we want success. Lets reclaim Pop music.

Like any list, you could punch holes in it all day, a couple of examples:

1) Little Boots was completely ignored 2 years ago, why the new attention?

2) Do all the pundits read Popjustice?

3) White Lies – “Well we sold them Glasvegas last year”