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Post by BB Wilson on Dec 2, 2015 2:21:13 GMT
I really wanted to know what you guys think about this, because obviously the soundcloud/youtube/facebook popularity hasn't been the same. Do you think they're going through the same route as other so called "microgenres"? or are the capitol deal and other mainstream connections going to keep them afloat and more? I mean, I probably expect some kind of mainstream resurgence after Charli XCX releases her album with the Sophie and A.G. features, but what happens if not?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2015 2:28:59 GMT
You're reading too much into this.
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Post by wuchi on Dec 2, 2015 2:44:41 GMT
I'm of the belief that we're only at the beginning. A.G. Cook has stated that PC Music has always had major label aspirations. Now that they've reached that point I think we're going to see some of his and others' involved's best work come out. Just because they haven't been putting as much out now as before doesn't mean they're slowing down - they've just revving up.
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Post by austinjamesrobinson on Dec 2, 2015 3:14:57 GMT
With things like the Columbia deal and them finally starting to release actual EPs, albums, and iTunes stuff, I really think this is just the beginning.
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Post by ¬ on Dec 2, 2015 3:29:07 GMT
lmao they became a major label like a month ago! only time will tell.
i guess. the reason the steam was down was because they were so quite for so long
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Post by champiness on Dec 2, 2015 3:49:06 GMT
I mean as I think I've said before PC Music were always out of step with the other "microgenres" in that they seemed to aspire towards being co-opted. Like, whether it proves to be this or not everyone involved seems like they want to create a genuinely new model of making pop music, so a top-40 star co-opting their sound would be an ultimate triumph, rather than, like, the dubstep scene's collective crisis of conscience when Britney did a song with some LFO wobbles. And that's ignoring the possibility that they'll be the ones to lend that sound to the stars themselves with this new Columbia deal! (No doubt this lengthy pause in output is because they actually have to contend with, like, release schedules for proper albums and whatnot). Really if there's a concern about PC Music losing steam it comes from people not co-opting them quickly enough. I haven't really been too over-the-moon about their imitators so far (Manicure Records in particular almost strikes me as a mean-spirited parody, in vibe if not intent, though don't let any of them hear I said that or they might stop Periscoping shows); it all just feels so surface-level compared to the real deal. The collective refusal of the public, and some of the fanbase even, to engage with them on a level beyond the thinkpieces might be the cause of that. However the other microgenre-y people might feel about their "scenes", a style's in trouble if the list of people successfully making it doesn't grow. That's all kind of a moot point if it starts showing up in actual pop music, though. Then the terms of "losing steam" change significantly, and by that point it's beyond the power of random people on the internet to determine. It's in Max Martin's hands, etc. So really I guess it all comes down to the nature of what Columbia wants them for. If it's a genuine vote of confidence in a style they see as a winner, then I think we'll be fine. If they're just throwing breadcrumbs to a "microgenre", though, then there might be trouble. |
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Post by moneyisapartofme on Dec 2, 2015 4:02:09 GMT
honestly fuck popularity. I'm staying with this label even if everyone else on this forum leaves. WEIRD REBEL MUSIC FOR LIFE
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Post by ignatz on Dec 2, 2015 4:27:46 GMT
Imagine how much people would hate them now if they had been just as ubiquitous in '15 as '14. Sometimes you gotta lay low for a while.... although I still wish they'd released a little more over the summer/autumn.
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Post by jr on Dec 2, 2015 4:28:44 GMT
Are you kidding me? PC Music is just getting started!
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Post by jr on Dec 2, 2015 4:36:04 GMT
In the pasr month: SOPHIE releases an album, Hannah Diamond releases her first music video, Danny L Harle releases the first EP via the Columbia Records deal, hints of new music from QT and GFOTY, Charli XCX collaborations in the pipeline
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2015 5:12:33 GMT
In the pasr month: SOPHIE releases an album, Hannah Diamond releases her first music video, Danny L Harle releases the first EP via the Columbia Records deal, hints of new music from QT and GFOTY, Charli XCX collaborations in the pipeline SOPHIE's not actually under PC Music, neither QT, but otherwise, yeah. |
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Post by mylo on Dec 2, 2015 5:21:01 GMT
This was an obvious transitional year. Hannah's album is going to be the start of the 2k16 takeover.
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Post by dr on Dec 2, 2015 6:25:15 GMT
If you pay attention to the plays on their soundcloud, they've been gaining hella steam, especially Hannah, Danny and A.G.'s tracks which have accumulated hundreds of thousands of views each (Danny's remix of Years and Years is only a few 100k shy of 2 million!!). Plus the Columbia deal, SOPHIE's first official long-form release (I refuse to use the word "album" to describe a compilation of singles designed to complete a record contract). And no, he's not officially PC Music but his rise was instrumental to the label's current state of visibility/success, and arguably vice-versa, so I think we can discuss their career trajectories alongside one another.
And if you think about it, despite their relatively slow pace in 2015 w/r to content publishing PC Music has gone through a couple different stages in the past 2 years that line up really interestingly:
(stage 1) flood the internet with free original content, each project with its own unique brand and aesthetic, and see what sticks, and with what sort of audience. I quote A.G. Cook: "The personality is the hook." Some people may be more into Hannah's stuff than GFOTY's or vice-versa, they're super distinct even though both are produced by Cook. Some people may hate both and only listen to PC Music for the Xtreme Mixology/Felicita/Lipgloss Twins kind of aesthetic, super experimental with really distorted/mutated personalities. Then there's the Kane West/Tielsie/Life Sim approach, much clubbier but still with a certain personality or feeling unique to each project. Yes I realize these categories are really tenuous and each artist really has a totally unique thing they're contributing. But the idea behind stage 1 is quantity, and an intense diversity of quality. Their first year alone was incredibly prolific, just think about how much shit they put out, all of it so different despite the alleged "PC Sound" everyone seemed to be trying to describe.
(stage 2) the come-up. Suddenly music journalists are paying attention, the SoundCloud numbers start climbing. There's no one star here, though some releases clearly receive more attention than others, play-count wise: PC Music hit the internet with a cornucopia of content all under the same umbrella, leaving it up to us and the journalists to sort out what's good. But attention and plays lead to shows, which leads to SXSW/Pop Cube and the first iTunes releases – a significant change in approach, in my opinion. Then we get the first PC Music comp, an iTunes release with no new material, and this is when the content flood suddenly "dries up"/"loses steam," at least relative to the incredibly fertile 2013-14 period. Suddenly the releases are less frequent, some artists we never even hear from again (Tielsie, Lipgloss).
(stage 3) but consequent to the slowdown of content and the inevitable buildup of hype, we get a Columbia signing, SOPHIE capitalizing on the attention to get in with Madonna and Charli, and Hannah's first music video – which I think we can all assume cost a fair amount of money. The real question is, are these two things related? I mean the higher-profile, major label moves and the slowing down of free content from the madcap rate they used to keep up. Will they pick the pace back up, or does making deals with the suits mean no more free stuff? Obviously there is new music in the works but how much? Will it cost money? Is the Columbia deal with PC Music TOTAL or will only Danny and a few lucky souls get distributed while the rest of the roster languishes in the SoundCloud zone? Would Columbia records ever get behind a GFOTY record?? Will A.G. Cook finally give us My Girl and Superstar in an official release or are they to remain as low-bitrate mix rips on my hard drive forever???
I don't know the answers but I can't wait for stage 4, or maybe we're already in it???
just my 2¢
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Post by ♀ venus ♀ on Dec 2, 2015 6:26:40 GMT
In the mainstream they're probably loosing steam as the gimmick of the collective can only be received for so long, but in my eyes, as a fan of the work of everyone in the collective and of the genre, they're still going to be releasing more and more quality content. All of the new stuff that has been released, videos and songs, have been 10/10 in my books. I feel like the sky is the limit for the whole sub-genre and we're going to get even better content.
When they were just a soundcloud project, the crew were pretty much just doing what they could with what they had. Now the world is opening up to them and there's far more opportunity to change, to grow and to create in a larger scope than before. Just look at all the collaborations and connections associated with PC Music like Columbia Records, i-D, okgrl and the support from Charli XCX and Diplo. I feel the soundcloud days were the preshow and we're finally getting into the main event. #PCPLANET
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Post by champiness on Dec 2, 2015 6:50:19 GMT
All I know is that there's a semi-credible path for Danny L Harle to work on a Justin Bieber single now and if you had told me that in 2013 while I was driving around picking up Christmas presents to "Broken Flowers" I would have assumed that Bieber fell off pretty hard.
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