Not the Brits, the Blands

The UK music industry's awards night has gone pop-lite. But it'll lose kudos rather than sales. By Susie Mesure

Suggested Topics

Time was when the Brits vied with the Grammys for kudos in the music calendar. Not any more. With pop-lite nominees including Leona Lewis, Mika and Kate Nash far outweighing industry heavyweights such as Arctic Monkeys, quality music acts are more likely to queue up to knock this Wednesday's event than to collect an award. The industry's big night out is descending into the battle of the "blands".

Craig David, the R&B singer who was up for six gongs in 2001, yesterday panned the award ceremony for failing to represent the UK music industry. "The year that I was nominated for six, I couldn't have sold any more records or had any more number ones... To still not pick up one proved to me that, however the voting system is and whatever the excuses were made, it just didn't really represent what was going on," he said.

The rapper Dizzee Rascal, one of the country's most celebrated hip-hop artists, snubbed at this year's awards, added his condemnation in an interview with The Independent on Sunday. "I watched the Brits when I was a kid, when it was Blur versus Oasis. That was exciting. After that? I've been there, seen what it's about, OK." He will not be among the guests at Earls Court on Wednesday night. "I don't think I've been invited." His category – Urban – was dropped in 2006.

Even Girls Aloud, who are up for best British group and have managed to retain a veneer of cachet despite being a television show creation, have no time for the Brits. Speaking before their nomination, Nadine Coyle said: "If we won a Brit now, I would send it back."

Industry observers are also keen to take a pop at the event. "The awards themselves are bestowed seemingly solely on the basis of commercial success, with little or no import attached to creative achievement and influence," said Paul Rees, editor of Q. "Swathes of important, exciting music is perennially ignored, or at best receives a token mention."

Yet, come Thursday morning, the newspapers will be full of stories about who won. So why do we still care about the awards, which first aired in 1977, featuring work from The Beatles and Cliff Richard?

"If you want a big glittering celebration of the British music industry, then the Brits is good for that," said Dan Silver, associate editor of the NME. "You'll always get that uncoolness, but it kind of works for them – millions of people around the world watch it and... I don't think they care what people think."

The event, which ITV1 will broadcast live to upwards of five million UK viewers, plus thousands more in some 40 countries around the globe, still packs a punch where it counts for the music industry – at the tills. In the week after the awards last year, individual artist album sales for those nominated soared 21 per cent. Expect the same effect over the next 10 days – despite the paucity of talent on display.

Additional reporting by Paul Bignell

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Arts & Ents blogs

Owen Howells: From the UK to Australia and back again (and again!)

Owen Howells is a DJ/producer who grew up in Australia but was born in the UK. He came back to the U...

Brighton Fringe 2013 – Is everyone sitting uncomfortably?

Fancy seeing a play about serial killers? How about inviting a funeral director into your home for a...

The Fall ‘Darkness Visible’ – Series 1, episode 2

There are a good many moments in the second episode of this psychological thriller that deserve refl...

       

ES Rentals

    Johnny Marr talks relationships and reunions

    He's worked with Modest Mouse, the Pet Shop Boys and Beck, to name a few, and recently released his first solo album. So why, wonders Johnny Marr, do people still hark on about The Smiths?
    After the flood: From Haiti to Britain, one man has captured the devastation of our increasingly deluged lands

    In pictures: After the flood

    From Haiti to Britain, one man has captured the devastation of our increasingly deluged lands
    Death becomes her: Meet the very modern mortician who champions 'cool' funerals

    Death becomes her: A very modern mortician

    Ever considered baking a loved one's remains into a cake or putting their ashes in fireworks? If so, talk to Caitlin Doughty, champion of the alternative death industry.
    How long can the 'Keep Calm' trend carry on?

    How long can the 'Keep Calm' trend carry on?

    At first it seemed clever and cute. Then the 'Keep Calm' motif went mad, spawning endless offshoots.
    The man who built Brum: A lament for the demise of John Madin's Brutalist Birmingham

    John Madin: The man who built Brum

    The architect's buildings were supposed to leave an indelible, futuristic mark on his beloved hometown but they are now being inexorably torn down.
    School of chop: Learning the art of butchery at the Ginger Pig

    School of chop: Learning the art of butchery

    How do you butcher a lamb? Or make Mexican street food in a British kitchen? Christopher Hirst finds out.
    James Pembroke: The man who's eaten everywhere

    The man who's eaten everywhere

    Few people know more about restaurants than James Pembroke, who only spent five mealtimes at home during his entire childhood.
    A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

    A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

    The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
    Banned Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof to attend Cannes Film Festival 2013, his first public appearance since prison

    Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival

    Mohammad Rasoulof to make his first public appearance since being imprisoned three years ago
    Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

    Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

    An exhibition explores images how photography has shaped astronomy
    Eat Spam and carry on: Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating

    Eat Spam and carry on

    Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating
    Facial hair: Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence

    Facial hair

    Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence
    The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

    The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

    Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...
    Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

    Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

    Chief executive says trophies will come if a 'core' of suitable players is in place
    Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

    Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

    The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats