Magic Dirt - Annandale Hotel 15/08/08

If there is a more flamboyant, entertaining and energetic rock goddess than Adalita then let her be known! If Adalita is the Aussie Rock Queen then The Annandale must be her castle and the stage her throne. For a small thing, Adalita certainly packs a punch when it comes to her performance, incredible vocals and stage presence all delivered with an abundance of attitude.

Magic Dirt at the Annandale were, simply awesome and that is putting it mildy. These guys are the very antithesis of a ‘Boy Band’ or sweet pop group, they are loud and raw. To be honest, it’s the first time I have seen them live but it certainly wont be the last. If you like loud and hard guitar riffs then you would have been in complete admiration and awe of the night and the moment. The band is a very tight unit, and despite Dean being replaced on the night due to sickness, they didn’t miss a beat ( or any screeching amp feedback )

From the very first song ‘Get ready To Die’ to the last guitar grinding encore of ‘We Had Love’, Magic Dirt had the sell out crowd rocking away and a steady stream of heads rocking in unison.

Romy Video

There were some softer songs like ‘Friends In Danger’ ( a song that they haven’t played for over 10 years ) that lulled you only to snap you back to reality when the guitars grinded in. To their credit, even though they were promoting their new album ‘Girl’, Magic Dirt varied the set list, that included songs from most of their past albums and EP’s, they even pulled out some classics from their first EP.

Thanks Magic Dirt for a thoroughly entertaining and memorable night, the fact that it took me days to come down from the musical high, speaks volumes.

OK Computer ... Now What?

On August 1, 1981 MTV was launched and with it came a massive shift within the music industry, particularly on the sales and marketing front. Music Videos were now the central focus and method by which Record Labels would sell music to the ever consuming public. Revolution or evolution, a debatable subject, since music videos did exist prior to MTV’s inception but, to some point, were much more low key.

In 1997, Radiohead’s ground breaking album, “OK Computer” was launched. Its subject matter involved a world dehumanised by the rapid and constant growth of technology. Fast forward a decade later and isn’t this the world we live in today?

Mobile Phones, The Internet, iPods/MP3 players, Facebook, Myspace etc. Where once we all communicated, to some point verbally, today we seem to isolate ourselves, shielded by this form of technology and this very technology is responsible for the current huge paradigm shift within the music industry. Digital Music and the easy accessibility to it, via a portal called The Internet, has resulted in quick and easy access to music that can be downloaded and played on a MP3 player within minutes, so much more convenient and cheaper than going down to the local CD shop. This has also led to a monumental increase in record piracy, as not all of these music downloads are actually paid for. This poses many problems, the two most important being Musical Artists losing revenue and the record labels becoming obsolete or at very best expendable.

So what to do? Well, many of you would be aware of Radiohead’s retaliation to this by releasing there latest album on the Internet and exclusively available on the bands Website, at a nominal fee, based on what the fan was prepared to pay. There have been many bands to follow this method, amazingly at the begrudging criticism of some artists like KISS and Moby…jealously or ignorance?, you be the judge.

So, what of the Record Labels, well they are also adapting, recently Myspace MkII was launched, a huge revamp on its old format where Record Labels such as Sony/BMG, Universal and Warner are actually investing in Myspace's new venture. With this new agreement, revenue generated from music downloads is divided up between Record Labels and their respective bands and artists. This format is by no means the only one currently evaluated, there are other online revenue based schemes out there but as Prince said this is a ‘Sign ‘O The Times’.

I think it's all early days yet but there is no doubt that record Labels and Artists alike, are taking this seriously and are doing what is required to ensure their ultimate survival…..Watch this space …..