Various Artists - FOPP Award for new Music 2006

Whilst I’m all for supporting new music and anything that raises the profile of good new artists I’m not entirely sure what this fairly long running scheme in partnership with FOPP, The PRS Foundation for new music and Clear Sound and Vision is trying to achieve. Looking at the judging panel which includes staff from the NME as well as big wig A&R men and listening to the music on this sampler CD one can’t help but wonder that the award is aiming to find new music with the biggest commercial potential not necessarily the most competent or interesting music. Olympus Mons sound like every other ‘Libertines-Lite’ band currently doing the rounds, Conrad Vague is a proficient but uninteresting singer-songwriter with only The Dials and Morton Valance doing something slightly more interesting, which is interesting as they’re the only two artists on the CD that already had a profile before entering the competition. Proof perhaps that those deserving will win through and be noticed anyway or maybe a sign of conflicting opinions and motives in the Judging Panel.

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Published in Unpublished