Capturing Cardiff: Is Myspace responsible for diluting the Welsh music scene?

[Laura Elizabeth Johnson]

Dark and empty venues for the declining Welsh music scene

Myspace is the most popular social network on the internet at the moment. In 2006 over 600,000 bands were using it to upload songs and announce shows and new releases. The majority of bands in Cardiff use Myspace, with only a limited few abstaining from what has become known as ‘the Myspace revolution’.

Social networks have been praised for bridging the gap between musicians and their fans. They allow bands to upload tracks in order for visitors to hear the band’s music free of charge. There are currently 400 million people on social networks. Therefore it is clear that there is a greater potential audience than if a band were to do the ‘toilet circuit’ and play tiny venues in and around the United Kingdom.

However, is Myspace a double edged sword? Despite allowing bands to reach a greater international audience, is it responsible for killing off the attendance at live shows? Various musicians in Cardiff argue that because music is so easily available on the internet people are less willing to go and see new bands live in the city centre, as they can watch videos and hear tracks from the comfort of their own home via the internet, and more specifically via Myspace.

Paul Marshall is a vocalist from South Wales who has been in numerous bands for over 10 years. These bands include The Mighty Indigo Bubble, Mendes, The Alternative Ending and currently Dead Against The Rest and Les Antoinettes. He has been in bands since before the ‘Myspace revolution’ and believes that because bands can become so popular by utilising social networks such as Myspace they are not paying their dues and thus the Welsh music scene is suffering. He gave the example of a band called Flood Of Red. When they toured last year they had a lot of coverage on Myspace and in magazines such as Kerrang!. Because of this they sold out Cardiff Barfly. However, once the initial ‘boom’ had subsided, the next time they played the Cardiff venue he said the turnout was poor to say the least. He believes if the band had toured heavily and created a genuine fan base in Cardiff the turnout would have been greater.

Scott Lee Andrews is front man for Cardiff rock legends Midasuno who have received a lot of coverage in magazines and online this year. Their album ‘Songs In The Key of Fuck’ was voted number 24 in Rock Sound magazine’s top 100 albums of 2007. Despite the online coverage Scott does not believe Myspace to be as great as it claims, and that bands in Wales are suffering as they believe as long as they have enough friends on Myspace they are successful.

Scott does acknowledge that “Myspace and other social networks are so integrated in youngsters social lives that it has become a part of life for a high percentage of people who are into music.”However, he also agrees that Myspace has become a double edged sword. “When radio and magazines were the taste- makers there was no way of getting your opinion heard on the same level. Whereas Myspace has levelled the playing field as far as bands are concerned.” His other argument is that “Now you are having so much new music put on your plate that people aren’t taking it as seriously. The bi-product of that is that you’ve got millions of bands. Everyone’s in a fucking band.”

Greg who runs Grab Promotions and works for Cardiff Barfly believes the Welsh music scene is thriving in Cardiff and this is due to the comradeship among fans. People will go along in gangs to watch their friends play. This is not related in anyway to Myspace and how many bulletins have been posted advertising the gig. It is because Welsh fans support Welsh music. They did so before Myspace came along and hopefully will for years to come.

When talking to Scott again, he reminisced about the ‘good old days’ before Myspace; “ I remember the Cool Cymru scene, which involved early Funeral For A Friend, Midasuno, When Reason Sleeps, Panel, Petes Sake, The Next Nine Years, Jarcrew and Hondo Maclean. There was a lot of difference between the bands. Everyone had their own things to say. Myspace has diluted that.If you dare to be different from the ‘cool scene’ you will be ostricised.” Especially in Wales it seems, as Scott says, “Cardiff is quite snobbish. They don’t give people a chance. People are there to be seen as opposed to watching a band.”

Therein lies the problem. It seems Cardiff’s music scene has become a place where success hinges on how many Myspace friends you have and how many ‘cool new gigs’ you can fit in on your online calendar. The music is now the after thought.

Committed musicians will always play, but with Myspace and other social networks bombarding people with new music every day, the danger is that no one will turn up to listen.

Find more music like this on Cardiff University Online Journalism 2007