Manchester indie stars Doves have spoken about the plight of the music industry, claiming it is more difficult for young bands to make an impact.
The music industry is in crisis. The impact of illegal downloading has led to labels slashing their budget, with few mavericks able to make headway in a music scene dominated by talent shows and cheap electro.
Doves came up the hard way. Leaving the wreckage of Sub Sub behind them, the band toured hard until they got their break.
But speaking to BBC 6Music, the group seemed pessimistic about the chances for young talent. “It’s really tricky for new bands to get tour support because there’s no such thing as tour support any more” explained singer Jez Williams.
“So people haven’t got that back-up any more. And that’s a direct link to people downloading albums without paying for it. It’s suffered because of that.”
Doves are preparing to celebrate their new ‘Best Of’ collection with a lengthy British tour. However looking back on their own origins, the band seemed unconvinced that they would enjoy such success in the current climate.
“It’s going to be quite hard for you to pay the rent because there’s no money, there’s no tour support, very little in the way of advances, so it’s very hard to make any kind of living out of it if you’re just starting out” explained the singer.
“I really feel for up and coming bands. But I guess the only thing that hasn’t changed is that if you’ve got the hunger and the determination then you’ll do it. You just have to. You have to be a little bit more determined now.”
