Radios' relationship with the record industry has always been important... perhaps never more so. With more alternatives for record companies to get their music promoted, is radio still relavent... and is the DJ recommendation more powerful than the algorithmic recommendation?
Who better to address some of these issues than former CEO and Chairman of EMI (UK & Ireland) and the current Chairman of the BPI, Tony Wadsworth.
I invited him to give the keynote record industry speech at this year's Radiodays Europe. If you weren't able to make it to Berlin... panic not. Here it is... (Update - it seems the producers of the video content have made this video 'private'. Not sure why! I will see if it can be shared again)
It's been interesting to see the rise of 'storytelling' as a powerful force in marketing.
Storytelling is of course as old as time itself, and for years in radio we've always known the best presenters are the ones who tell the best stories. We respond vetter as individuals when people are telling us stories... not just selling us stuff, or promoting something.
Over the last few years we've seen storytelling creeping more and more into mainstream commercials for high street brands.
The latest to jump on board this fashion is Waitrose... who are selling us both their values (wholesome, natural, steeped in culinary tradition etc) and their products with this technique.
I like these ads. Simple stories told in an effective way. And even with 'The Boy and The Lamb' they've managed to weave their celeb chef into the execution.
Bounce is all about creativity in music,
sound and content.
We work with a range of brands and
broadcasters producing audio, writing music, providing consultancy and creating
content... and so when we were asked to design and produce the soundtrack to
the Mayor of London’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks Display for 2013, how could we possibly
refuse?
The event is produced on behalf of the Mayor
of London by Jack Morton Worldwide. They are one of the world leaders in
staging events and a fantastically creative ‘global brand experience company’.
If you’ve ever wondered how an event like
the New Year’s Eve Fireworks Display comes together, the answer is simple. You
get a company with the experience to pull off something of this scale to do it
all!
Fortunately, at Bounce, we didn’t have to
worry about crowd control, about viewing areas, and about liaising with all the
relevant authorities. No. That was handled by Jim Donald from Jack Morton, whom
we christened ‘Head of New Year’. Without him, there is no New Year kids!
Our job was the soundtrack.
And we started, as you always do... in a
room... with some people... and some ideas... and a blank sheet of paper.
The people were... myself and Dan McGrath,
Bounce’s Creative Director; Jim Donald and David Zolkwer from Jack Morton; and
Darryl Fleming - the lead fireworks designer from Kimbolton Fireworks. They
know a thing or two about fireworks, and were involved in some small events
like the Queens’s Jubilee and the Olympics Opening Ceremony.
David Zolkwer is one of the world’s leading
producers of public events and ceremonies, with his credits ranging from the
Athens and Beijing Olympics through to the Hong Kong handover and World Cup in
South Africa. He has also been
appointed as Head of Ceremonies for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
So, it’s fair to say
we were working with the best of the best.
The objective was to
produce a 10-11 minute soundtrack which not only welcomed in the New Year in
style, but celebrated the amazing year that was 2012.
We wanted to produce
something that was very
British, very London, and would help raise a smile or two on the night as well.
At
the initial briefing meeting, we threw round some ideas... some song titles...
some potential themes... and that was it. We were off.
Quite
a few people have asked me what comes first. Music or fireworks? The answer is
the music comes first, and only when that is complete can the fireworks be
designed and choreographed to the music, along with the lighting design. So the
pressure was on to deliver!
Any
collaborative creative process is fraught with ups and downs. You can have what
you think is a great idea; spend hours producing a demo of a sequence, only to
realise that you were the only one who liked it! Straight away, you’ve got to
dismiss any notion of being too protective of your ideas. Yes – bring them to
the table, sell them in, be passionate about them... but if they don’t grab
everyone’s attention straight away, move on. They’re only ‘ideas’ and there are
always plenty more of those.
For
several weeks, we worked like this with the whole team, producing ideas and sequences,
having daily conference calls, listening, discussing, getting feedback,
agreeing, disagreeing... and laughing. It’s important to laugh when the
pressure is on. Often, we’d talk several times a day... updating as we went.
Dan
and I were working out of 2 studios simultaneously to maximise the output.
Technology allows us the freedom to work like that these days, and we honestly couldn’t
have done it without Dropbox, Skype, and of course Logic.
I
had to go and work for a few days in Vienna half-way through the intensive
production period for this, and so my trusty MacBook came with me! I’m pleased
to say that one of the sequences in the final cut was produced in a 6th
floor hotel room in Vienna at 3am, fuelled by Red Bull and take-away Weiner
Schnitzel!
As
things started to take shape, we identified some quotes from the Olympics,
Paralympics and Diamond Jubilee that we felt added something to the
soundtrack... so permissions were sought from Number 10, Buckingham Palace,
Clarence House, the IOC, The Mayor of London, BBC Sport, Lord Coe’s office etc.
And where rights could be easily granted, they were.
We
continued producing different sequences, doing different mash-ups, trying to
get the flow right until eventually after several weeks of late nights and
early mornings, and gallons of coffee... everyone was happy.
At
that stage we’d reached version 17!
And
just when we thought we were finished, we got word that there were problems
clearing just one particular track (which shall remain nameless!)... so we had
to find a new sequence to fit in the exact gap. Darryl had already started
designing the fireworks at this stage, along with the lighting from award-winning
lighting designer, Durham Marenghi, so we couldn’t just scrap the whole timing.
So
of course we did produce a new section... so strictly speaking it was version
17b that went to air!
The
result was fantastic. 12.9 Million people watched on the night in the UK, and
at the time of writing this, there are over 2 Million views on YouTube and counting. We got great feedback regarding the soundtrack, and even Joe from Nero (who have the very 1st track of the sequence - "Me and You") sent us a lovely email and thanked us for making Nero the opening track of 2013. We apparently made his Mum cry with happiness!
The
fireworks were stunning. The lighting enhanced the show even more and the event
looked fantastic on the BBC TV show ‘New Year Live’, guided by Claire Popplewell as
Executive Producer, and Catherine Stirk as Producer.
So
here are a few thoughts that have come out of the process which may be useful if
you’re embarking on any creative venture with a team of people;
Don’t
be too protective over your ideas
Share
everything and welcome all feedback, wherever it’s from
Fight
for the things you’re passionate about
Always
look for how something can be subverted or twisted to make it stand out
Never
settle for ‘average’; aim to make it the best and always improve, improve,
improve
You
can listen to the soundtrack on its own (without the pictures!) here:
“You only get one
opportunity to make a first impression... so make it count!” someone once said
to me. It’s true, which is probably why getting your first breakfast show ‘half-decent’,
is pretty important. At the same time, everyone in the industry knows that a
first show may be pretty unrepresentative of what is to follow over the next
few months and years.
So how did Grimmy
do then?
I tried to listen
to the first show more like a regular listener might, dipping in and out. I
must have tuned in at precisely the wrong moment though, as the very first
thing I heard on this “Now with Added Music” breakfast show was a link that
quite possibly ‘Moyles-eque’ in its duration. It was 12m 22s long folks.
Now I wasn’t
expecting all 30 second links and 5 in a row, but was this the right approach
for day 1?
And as I carried
on my listening I got the sense that the zoo / team format was still very much
there, but just toned down a bit. Grimmy was understandably using them as a
crutch, and threw to them quite a lot. They, on the other hand, were obviously
under some sort of instruction not to engage too much with him on-air. So the
result was something that, let’s say ‘lacked a little flow’. The chemistry is
not there yet for obvious reasons.
Content wise, it
already felt younger with his obligatory One Direction mate making an
appearance and a Justin Bieber pre-record. This in itself may be enough to
drive the older end away, which is of course part of the desired effect.
There’s no doubt
that Grimmy is a cool, well-connected guy but I worry that too much ‘showbiz’
might become a bit grating after a while. Mentioning his “manager” on-air and
name dropping the people who had got in touch to wish him well is so far
removed from the ‘down to earth, bloke in the pub’ shtick that Moyles did, it’s
going to take some getting used to. I know he’s a good Northern lad, and
getting the balance of ‘enough celebrity’ and ‘too much celebrity’ is tough,
but it’s certainly something for him to watch for.
One other thing;
he needs to actually tell some stories and have some content. At the moment,
it’s all very waffley and lacks any substance or direction. He takes 2 minutes
to say what could be said in 15 seconds. That’s something that needs to be
addressed pretty quickly I feel.
Now of course,
all the above is grossly unfair. Judging a breakfast show based on a couple of
outings is more than a little unreasonable, but it certainly is how listeners
do it. They don’t always allow the time a show needs to get into its rhythm. But
let’s revisit it in 6 weeks and see how he’s doing shall we?
I think Grimmy’s
a safe pair of hands for the show. He won’t be overly successful, and he won’t
be so bad that he’s forced off either. He’ll probably do it for 3 years... max.
But will he provide the injection of energy and creativity that broadcasters
like Moyles and Evans brought to the show? I rather doubt it. But he is mates
with One Direction, in case you didn’t know.
I listened to the last Chris Moyles Show on
Friday. It was, as you would expect, a suitable send off for a broadcaster whose
impact on Radio 1 is undeniable.
He arrived as ‘The Saviour of Radio 1’ and
it’s fair to say that he was true to his word.
He took the team / zoo format that Evans
had used a decade earlier, gave it his own style, and ran with it, growing the
ratings and audience loyalty along the way.
I remember doing a session with Andy
Parfitt at a conference just after he left Radio 1, and I asked him how good a
broadcaster he thought Moyles was upon reflection. He said plainly “He’s the
best.” And you can see why he would say that.
He was able to create great radio moments
out of seemingly nothing; bring mega-stars right down to earth with engaging
interviews; understand that doing a breakfast show is all about ‘the show’;
posses the right balance of ego and fragility, but with the talent to back it
up; and draw listeners in day after day with a classic approach to the ‘soap
opera’ of team radio.
The best talent always has its haters, and
for some Moyles was just not their thing. But the fans loved it. Really loved
it. You could hear their devotion when they spoke to him on-air, or you could read
it on the messages on Facebook.
Everyone had an opinion when you mentioned
his name in the pub. And you can ask for no more than that. People knew him and
had an opinion of him.
Yes – the critics in the industry would always
point to his age (38) and how he connected more with listeners in their 30’s
and 40’s than in the core Radio 1 demo. And there’s no doubt that at times it
was an obvious problem for the network, particularly when he’d rather play T’Pau
than Skrillex.
But to do what he did for 8 years and 8
months takes enormous talent and commitment. And for that we should applaud
him.
I hope he gets back on the radio soon. I
know several stations that want him. UK radio is a better place with Chris Moyles
on it.
And if you missed his 'Goodbye Song', here is
it is, in a typical understated Moyles fashion...
Nik is a UK based media consultant who works with brands around the world, advising them on creativity in music, sound and content. He is Director of the creative production company Bounce
Contact Nik by email: nik at thisisbounce.com
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