Tagged: simonfrith

Figures released by the Official Charts Company this month have revealed that rock songs are gradually vanishing from the charts. Rock sales have dropped by 18% this year, with pop (whatever that is) and Urban (eh?) rising about 30% a-piece. So what? Aren't you... Read more..

A significant year for musical excellence and diversity is highlighted by the 12 Albums of the Year shortlisted for the 2009 Barclaycard Mercury Prize , announced on Tuesday 21 July, 2009. "This has been a rich and creative year for British and Irish music," says Simon Frith , Chair of Judges. "There are seven fine debut albums on the list and five outstanding records from more established acts, all marking out new ground. What most impresses is the imaginative verve with which British and Irish musicians continue to [...]

Simon Frith - the music writer and Mercury judge chair, not the one who writes for The Archers - has been given a gentle grilling at The Pop Cop . They ask him if, given that the album is now more than ever looking like a random construct, there's much future for the Mercury Prize. Unsurprisingly, Frith doesn't think so: If you take music making, we're constantly reading that because of the way the internet works, the iPod revolution and downloading in terms of individual tracks, that the album no longer really makes sense as a unit [...]