Backstage with Damien Rice
Just in the door, we are. Marvellous time had by all experiencing Damien Rice perform at Munich's Backstage. Mostly stuff from the wonderful "O", but lots of older songs, too. Rice is an incredible performer; an all-round talent, who writes and sings and plays as if it were all as natural as breathing. The band is superb with Lisa Hannigan's vocals a joy to hear.
Rice is a remarkable story in himself and a possible indicator of where the rock music business is headed. Ten years ago, in a suburb of Dublin, he founded a band called Juniper, which ended up securing a five-album deal with Polygram and Mike Hedges of Manic Street Preachers was lined up to be the producer of the first recording. Just when it seemed as if things couldn't get better, Rice quit. Control of his music was the core issue and that's what he now has. "O" has gone platinum in Britain, selling more than 300,000 copies on top of the 200,000 it has sold in the US.
What makes this all the more remarkable is that he rarely gives interviews and spends most of his time touring. The secret of his international success? The web. By using the internet intelligently for publicity and sales, Rice is showing that there is an alternative to the major record labels. He gets the full return for his labour, not company accountants and PR flunkies. This is a very scary story indeed for an industry that's experiencing very scary times. Consider this: the retail market for CDs is taking a tremendous beating from the net, and 25 per cent of retail record stores in the US closed down last year. The "burning" of songs is growing exponentially and file swapping is going on much as before, despite the actions of the corporate lawyers.
Dramatic changes are taking place in the way people buy and listen to music and Damien Rice is clever enough and brave enough to grasp the opportunity. Yes, "brave" is an appropriate word when one considers the shameful apology Justin Timberlake made at the Grammy awards for that "wardrobe malfunction" with Janet Jackson. Grovel. That's what you have to do these days when you work on the corporate music farm.
Can other artists replicate the Damien Rice success story? Perhaps not, as what he's got is unique, but an alternative to the major record companies is emerging, and it's there for those who are brave enough to use it.
