NVMP: Why do you think that record companies still refuse to dig deep within their own musical rosters to push any artist making music that is viewed as “experimental” or “difficult”?
Alan Wilder: I’m sure in an ideal world, any record companies would like to see all of their artists sell plenty of product. The reality is that some are always going to shift more units than others. There can be any number of factors, including luck, which determines how popular an act is. The trend these days with the companies (even more than in the past) is to ‘chase the ball’ and follow-up on whatever bites. It’s become a more rare thing to see an unknown act taken by the scruff of the neck, and to have money thrown around in an effort to break it big. Mute in particular are not that kind of record company, and we rarely see that kind of rash and often misguided approach. But it does still happen. Take ‘Hurts’ for example. I’ve no idea how an act like ‘Hurts’, who seem to have come from nowhere, are suddenly splattered across my TV and radio, being marketed everywhere from sports adverts through to national newspapers. That can only mean they are the pet of some A&R guy with a lot of power – or, somebody in power has made an executive decision to take a gamble, throw as much shit as possible at the wall, in the hope that some of it sticks.
11/1 – Recoil ft. Alan Wilder at Highline Ballroom, NYC!
Nevermind The Posers 