[fatpizzaman]

Hi all,

Being a subscriber to the Aria Charts, I was rather disheartened to read the chart entry to see this week that in the Top 50 only ten of the entries were by Australian artists and the highest charting one was Natalie Bassingthwaite's "Someday Soon" which is sitting at No. 13 and heading downwards. Six other local singles are just under the top 30.

Five songs in this week's top 40 are by British and European artists, and a mammoth thirty four are by American artists with the poncy rap pretty boy Flo-Rida at No.1.

I think that this is ridiculous. Australian radio needs to be more supportive of its local bands and artists and focusing less on American music just because it's been in the Top 40 over there. I'm not anti-American as such, but I think that there is too much cultural emphasis on Australian arts instead of our country forging its own identity with its music. America is not the world.

We've got a lot of great local bands and artists who are hardly given any airplay time by top 40 radio and the only stations that seem to bother are the likes of Triple J, community radio, and stations that play the Australian Golden Age bands of the 70's and 80's mainly on adult daytime radio.

Come on Austereo and the local record labels: give more time to the local struggling artists and concentrate more on what is coming out of this country. Our music is just as good as that which comes out of other places, if not better.

[fatpizzaman]

Oops, I meant in my last post there is too much emphasis on AMERICAN arts and entertainment instead of our country forging its own identity with its music.

[Firetorch]

I already find there are too many playings of average Australian songs on commercial radio. No need to shove songs down our throat.

[Mister Man]

Firetorch, on Mar 22 2009, 4:22pm, said:

I already find there are too many playings of average Australian songs on commercial radio. No need to shove songs down our throat.

*cough* Triple J *cough*

[aamslfc]

Honestly, most music nowadays is shithouse. It doesn't matter if it's Australian, American, British or Maltese, it's all equally crap.

As for Americans getting airplay over Australians, that's probably more a reflection of contemporary Australian society which seems to prefer American entertainment over Australian entertainment (be it movies, television or indeed music).

[phileasmann]

Waiting for my Aust. satellite radio, where there's promises of wider choices, so the bitchy 13-year-old teenagers of today can continue to pick some crappy American trash like "Jizz In My Pants" and they don't have to pollute my hearing, and hopefully this will allow an all-Aussie channel to come out. Plus political stations mirroring satellite radio in the US FTW, but this is about music here.

For example - when's the last time I heard Thirsty Merc, one of the best bands out there, on the radio? Rai Thistlethwayte makes much better lyrics than the so called "emo/alternative/etc" crap these angst-filled American "bands" make about.

But I agree the problem starts at the source and the record labels themselves need to be supportive, and with support of local names it'll have a domino effect.

[fatpizzaman]

I don't know why all these American rock bands constantly go on about being depressed. They have a lot of admirers, they get three meals a day, a roof over their heads at night, and financial support from the government if/when they fall on hard times. Many people in other countries can't afford them. I think it's disgusting when people in pop and rock'n'roll wallow around in misery when so many people live very shitty and mediocre lives.

[Tim]

There are Australians listening to it, sad but true. There are also people who listen to Alan Jones, hence I find it much less depressing to stay away from commercial radio altogether. Community stations are fantastic for local music as well; and http://www.triplejunearted.com is very useful for finding local bands in your area..there are some rather fantastic acts on there.