By David Farrell
From a marketing perspective one has to question the bang for the buck the Canadian music industry gets in having the Juno Awards continue to pattern itself after what seems to be an endless parade of red carpet televised events.
Yes, a few acts, such as Nickelback, Sam Roberts and Kardinal Offishall did well in the spotlight, but Nickelback could just as easily have done what the Tragically Hip have undertaken, namely beam a studio concert to the big screen. In the Hip’s particular case, the Tragically Hip are beaming themselves for one day onto a Cineplex screen in HD and surround sound. Now that’s giving the fan a bang for a hard earned buck. Sam Roberts is on a slow curve upward. His album is gaining momentum in the US. He has credibility. The album isn’t an over-the-top slam dunk as, say, Rumours was inescapably so for Fleetwood Mac. His is an intimate album that washes through one, not over. His Juno stage performance somehow lacked urgency and perhaps authenticity. Who can blame him? Going on stage in front of an arena wound up having watched Nickelback, and teased by a host that prides himself in not being particularly hip about the music business, is a tough gig, and the gig is stop-watch tight for time.
Coming back to viewing the Junos as a marketing tool, one has to wonder just how much sizzle sells through to the public. How significant will the post-show sales be, and can they override the cost of staging this televised event?
The answer is almost certainly not. Perhaps it is time the show take a long hard look at itself, define the objectives and morph itself into a series of televised concerts, or a road-show event similar to what Dick Clark and others in the day did with a travelling marquee of hit acts and up-and-comers. A show that firmly puts the spotlight on those acts that aren’t already selling out arenas and are atop of the charts.
As for the red carpet, I just find the whole exercise inane. The questions are invariably dump stupid, the attendant ‘stars’ pushed into making awkward comments and feigning comfort in the glare of the camera as they explain where they purchased their gear, and how they are feeling about the night. Given the tenor of the times, too, the red carpet is almost an anachronism. A throwback to an era that left the world in a lurch and made fools out of supposedly wise men. The red carpet is a relic of a time when style over substance counted. It’s about as meaningful today as an abacus on a trading floor.
The reviews may make all the effort seem well founded, but at the end of the day the sheer cost of mounting this beast has to be called into question.
That’s just my opinion, mind. Perhaps the revenues generated overall far exceed the cost of mounting the show. Somehow I rather doubt this though.
I would be interested in hearing what others think, and what suggestions any and all may have, so feel free to send in your comments.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
The answer to your headline question depends on who is funding what. What were the costs to the Canadian music industry? To me, that’s the figure that matters. What cities or provinces chose to spend on the Junos is their decision, and up to them to make. The same comment applies to the various sponsors. Could they get a better bang for their buck? It is CTV’s decision to be involved, and to fund at least some of the show costs. If they weren’t profiting, I doubt they would be broadcasting it.
I agree with your comments on the red carpet, but feel that the actual show was one of the best televised awards shows. The newspaper coverage is very valuable in building careers.
I dont know if they were worth the cost either – to me a better question is are they worth the hype? Did Vancouver as a city get anything out of it being here? Did the average Vancouverite get anything out of this weekend of Juno fever? The actual Juno award show this year, was boring. Uninspiring. Everyone knew Nickelback was going to walk away with most of the awards in their categories so it was almost a formality. I had a friend who attended in person as a seat filler (to make it seem like a full house for tv coverage). She said the two highlights of the evening were Sam Roberts performance and Great Big Sea closing it out. The rest was quite boring.
I just pulled up an article I wrote from 19 years ago about attending The Junos and compared it to what I saw the other night.
In 1990 Rod Stewart, Milli Vanilli, Aerosmith, Quincy Jones and Lyle Lovett were imported to prop up The Show. Allanah Myles was one of the few new Canadian “stars” who had actually sold some records.
Back then I scolded The Junos for remaining an Industry Event in Toronto so……
To my mind….The Canadian Music Industry and The Junos have come a lonnnng way.
The Challenges now for The Junos have more to do with Marketing The Brand than anything else. Yes….the Entertainment Sections of most Canadian Newspapers had Feature Stories, but now that Music can unabashedly be marketed in The Mainstream, why aren’t Juno Events part of Tim Hortons “roll up the rim to win”? Music and Fashion go to together. Couldn’t there be a “connection” there as well? The potential is HUGE.
So….I’m not sure The Junos next to be “fixed”. They just need to be taken to “The Next Level”.
sadly the Junos and other award shows have become nothing more than MORE ADVERTISING for designers and sponsors,etc. Like the Idol shows, the talent has nothing to do with it anymore,in fact with the Junos most of the votes are member driven and membership comes with a fee. The more memberships you have, the more of your votes count, get it. So is the winner truly the winner OR the one with the most subscriptions/votes ? Obviously this excludes the Fan Choice Award. While its no doubt that we have a powerhouse of talent, we already know who’s taking home the prizes, how does new talent ever get a chance ?
David (and you too Warren)
You may remember that I was a member of the CARAS Board back when the JUNOs were an industry only live event but a audience grabbing television show. True for some years that audience was grabbed by international stars but many years over 2,000,000 also saw the many Canadian acts featured. At the time that arena shows were first considered I was actively opposed to the concept. I felt then and still do that the addition of 16,000 screaming live fans reduces the opportunity for a well planned and executed almost studio style show that if well done and executed might get an additional 500,000 viewers. The live audience award show concept is dated, our red carpets efforts don’t have enough bang and the viewer competition is intense. Perhaps the traveling road show in many locations might be the future. The traveling extravaganza we now have is nothing but a money losing exercise in civic pride. On the positive side the cross promotion efforts that CARAS brings to the show are amazing. They certainly have improved their media competition relationship far beyond what we were ever able to arrange in my day. Kudos for the mentions and promotions on cable, radio and newspapers.That part is a job well done.