Cautionary Parallels To The Music Industry

professor ape · 06-25-2022, 02:50 PM

With the lackluster season of PT23 so far, it makes me think of the parallels to my favorite band. Marillion is a UK band which hit their commercial peak through the eighties. Despite being a nontraditional neo-porg band, they consistently sat around the top of the charts at home and across much of Europe. They built a fiercely loyal fan base which kept them solidly in the charts through the early 90s even after switching their popular frontman.

When their contract with EMI was up, they switched to a new label which showed great excitement in signing the well established band to a three album deal. The reality of what followed was that the record company recognized that the devoted following would buy a large number of albums and provide profitable tours regardless of how much or how little they invested in the band. Marillion was a cash cow for the record company which fed off of their past success and hard work. The band got so frustrated by the situation that they almost packed it in.

The handling of PT23 by the new owners feels eerily familiar. I can only wish that the future of the game goes as well as the last twenty years have for Marillion since they went independent and have produced much of their finest work.

06-25-2022, 02:50 PM	#1
professor ape All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: The belly of the beast Posts: 1,498	Cautionary Parallels To The Music Industry With the lackluster season of PT23 so far, it makes me think of the parallels to my favorite band. Marillion is a UK band which hit their commercial peak through the eighties. Despite being a nontraditional neo-porg band, they consistently sat around the top of the charts at home and across much of Europe. They built a fiercely loyal fan base which kept them solidly in the charts through the early 90s even after switching their popular frontman. When their contract with EMI was up, they switched to a new label which showed great excitement in signing the well established band to a three album deal. The reality of what followed was that the record company recognized that the devoted following would buy a large number of albums and provide profitable tours regardless of how much or how little they invested in the band. Marillion was a cash cow for the record company which fed off of their past success and hard work. The band got so frustrated by the situation that they almost packed it in. The handling of PT23 by the new owners feels eerily familiar. I can only wish that the future of the game goes as well as the last twenty years have for Marillion since they went independent and have produced much of their finest work. __________________ Last edited by professor ape; 06-25-2022 at 03:34 PM.