加拿大的音樂工業結構

昨天拿到了四月份最新一期的Exclaim雜誌, 雖然還沒有時間仔細看內頁, 不過光是開頭的Editorial文章已經發人深省, 因此特別在這裡討論一番. 這篇文章的作者是James Keast, 內容主要是質問究竟加拿大應該如何去宣傳我們自己國家的良好音樂. 一直以來, 加拿大的本土音樂都非常不受人重視, 很多人覺得加拿大只不過是英美音樂的一個銷售點. 不過在剛過去的2004年, 這個根深蒂固的觀念開始出現了轉變, 原因是東面城市如多倫多和滿地可霎時間崛起了多支異常優秀的獨立樂團, 尤其Arcade Fire更是其中的表表者. 在世界各地包括英國, 香港, 日本, 美國, 歐洲, 很多樂評家都認定Arcade Fire的Funeral為全年最佳大碟, 這種情形可以說是前所未見. 作為加拿大人的我們自然感到非常高興, 問題是我們並沒有下意識地向世界多一點宣傳他們的音樂, 就連很多本地人也因為他們的音樂受到了世界其他地方的認同才開始接觸, 了解他們. 例如音樂大連鎖店HMV和Future Shop, 雖然Funeral早在去年的秋天經已推出, 不過這兩大連鎖店居然直到最近Juno Awards舉行期間才大肆宣傳這張專輯. 這種後知後覺的程度簡直令人瞠目. 以下是James對這件事情的看法(文字經過適量的刪減):

"Now I don't want to perpetuate a tired stereotype that somehow we're so lacking in confidence that we can't support artists until a somehow more legitimate outfit (invariably from the U.S. or UK) does so. Where indeed does our domestic music industry fit into this renaissance? If we can't step up and prove ourselves in a time when Canadian music is the hottest on the planet, what hope do we have?

Looking at the Juno Award nominations can't help but prompt a quizzical "huh?" Three cheers for each of Leslie Feist's nominations, but her competition in the Best New Artist category includes pseudo-jazz pretender Matt Dusk. Best New Group nominees include Alexisonfire but neither Arcade Fire, nor Stars will be competing against Thornley. The Juno Awards rightfully should represent the Celines, Avrils and Billy Talents of the world. But when Simple Plan is nominated for Best Pop Album alongside Canadian Idol Ryan Malcolm and Celine, one really has to wonder. Don't look for the future of Canadian music to represent on the TV broadcast either: its most prescient category, Best Alternative Album, where Newman, Arcade Fire, Stars, Feist and Jim Guthrie will represent our music's future, is one of those not featured on the telecast, making a little more room for performances from Sum 41 and Kalen Porter.

As long as the Junos continue to put forth nothing more than corporate-agenda rock, we will remain stewards of a throne we should rightfully claim, doing nothing more than stoking the bureaucracy for other people's decisions."