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Name: Conor McNicholas
Occupation: NME Editor
Country: UK
Total Questions: 6
Total Answers: 4

Links
http://www.nme.com

What Yoosk members think about

Honest	Yes	2	No	1
Clear	Yes	2	No	1
Well informed	Yes	2	No	1
Inspiring	Yes	2	No	1
Consistent	Yes	2	No	1
Well intentioned	Yes	2	No	1

Answered Questions

keithwhu asked Conor McNicholas : "If bands are denied income from CD sales (because their music is being downloaded free from the internet) do you have any suggestions for alternative ways for them to earn enough money to continue to..." Show more »"If bands are denied income from CD sales (because their music is being downloaded free from the internet) do you have any suggestions for alternative ways for them to earn enough money to continue to be musicians?" Show less »
Conor McNicholas answers: "We’re about to find out what their options there might be. Could there ever be a band that worked entirely in a live sphere and didn’t release any studio music? Yes, I could easily see that there could..." Show more»" We’re about to find out what their options there might be. Could there ever be a band that worked entirely in a live sphere and didn’t release any studio music? Yes, I could easily see that there could be an artist who would do that. Bear in mind that Led Zeppelin never released singles, and that was considered the big money earner at the time. So some bands could certainly operate entirely in the live sphere. Studio recording, in terms of the album, is definitely breaking down. People are beginning to experiment by sending out one-off tracks, but some bands will always want to do albums. But I think the standard package of single, album and tour is definitely beginning to break down now. I think that the whole point of the new digital world is that it will deliver a number of choices. The most dangerous thing that you can ever do in this new sphere is say that something is impossible, because actually everything is possible. "Show less«
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0 comment | Topic: Arts and entertainment | Email to friends | Dec 27 2007 10:23:40 AM
JohnDuffy asked Conor McNicholas : "Radiohead's innovative ‘pay-what-you-like’ approach is a laudable gesture, but does it not set an unsustainable precedent for new artists, who without sales based revenue may never enjoy such autonomy?..." Show more »"Radiohead's innovative ‘pay-what-you-like’ approach is a laudable gesture, but does it not set an unsustainable precedent for new artists, who without sales based revenue may never enjoy such autonomy? " Show less »
Conor McNicholas answers: "The most exciting thing about the record industry at the moment is that it is the great unknown. Everybody’s experimenting and trying different things. Although Radiohead went with this big brave move..." Show more»" The most exciting thing about the record industry at the moment is that it is the great unknown. Everybody’s experimenting and trying different things. Although Radiohead went with this big brave move they are still hedging their bets and putting their album out on CD. But the one-size-fits-all no longer works for artists, so they will make decisions based on how they want to carry their music forward. The digital age allows artists, very, very big artists, to completely construct a virtual record industry entirely on their own terms. They don’t need to take something off the peg; they can create a completely bespoke solution for themselves. That’s great, but for a lot of smaller artists they are going to need ever more to plug into a one-size-fits-all service company, that will be able to get their music out there in one form or another. "Show less«
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0 comment | Topic: Arts and entertainment | Email to friends | Dec 27 2007 10:25:45 AM
mickthemouse asked Conor McNicholas : "It seems certain that the heyday of the 'millionaire-making' music business is past, and surely such egocentric careerism won’t be mourned by most. So shouldn’t musicians view doing what they love as ..." Show more »"It seems certain that the heyday of the 'millionaire-making' music business is past, and surely such egocentric careerism won’t be mourned by most. So shouldn’t musicians view doing what they love as being more important than whether or not they can obtain a jet-set lifestyle? Isn't rock and roll meant to be about freedom?" Show less »
Conor McNicholas answers: "I don’t think it’s up to anybody to tell a musician what they should and shouldn’t do. I think that it’s entirely up to them. Some people just make music because they can’t not make music; it’s absolutely..." Show more»" I don’t think it’s up to anybody to tell a musician what they should and shouldn’t do. I think that it’s entirely up to them. Some people just make music because they can’t not make music; it’s absolutely inbuilt into them. Some people make music and like other people to hear it, some people do it and don’t want anybody else to hear it, like writing a diary. There are people who write songs at home but wouldn’t want to share them with anybody. There are other people for whom making music is a means to an end. You don’t get the feeling that David lee Roth has a burning creative passion in his soul. Let’s face it Kiss, as a band, did not start out because they were desperate to communicate their view of the world and their personal angst to the rest of the planet. They wanted to get out there and be a fire-breathing rock and roll band because they wanted loads of women and loads of cash. Both of them are perfectly valid views of the world. But I don’t think it’s up to anybody to say that band’s shouldn’t be thinking about business plans because some people will and some people won’t. "Show less«
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0 comment | Topic: Arts and entertainment | Email to friends | Dec 27 2007 10:26:12 AM
DonLogan asked Conor McNicholas : "With newspaper and magazine cover mounts boasting increasingly high profile artists (like The Verve in the NME and Prince in the Daily Mail) how do new artists have any chance in persuading the public..." Show more »"With newspaper and magazine cover mounts boasting increasingly high profile artists (like The Verve in the NME and Prince in the Daily Mail) how do new artists have any chance in persuading the public to pay for their recordings?" Show less »
Conor McNicholas answers: "I think it’s a lot of the new artist’s coming through who are saying that music should be free. Artists do get paid for cover mounts because they get publishing royalties, and I think that that’s not ..." Show more»" I think it’s a lot of the new artist’s coming through who are saying that music should be free. Artists do get paid for cover mounts because they get publishing royalties, and I think that that’s not made clear enough, often enough. The NME is very keen that cover-mounts are seen as two distinct areas. If you’re a newspaper with no musical authority, like the Daily Mail, and you can choose to give away some music. But for that music to appear in the context of a newspaper has very little value to the artist. Whereas a free CD in a music magazine, where it’s being delivered as a recommended purchase, presents a completely different tone of discussion. There is a lot more free music about nowadays, but you’re not going to stop free music by cancelling cover mounts. "Show less«
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0 comment | Topic: Arts and entertainment | Email to friends | Dec 27 2007 10:25:15 AM