Totp

call me sentimental but i was a little miffed when they moved it to fridays. now it's sunday evening on bbc2 - what is going on with the world?

i say bring back TOTP to thursday night at 7.30 preceded by Tomorrows world. while we're at bring back Magpie and wtf is question of sport doing on at 9.30 on a friday?

 

have not watch totp for a very long time so not really bothered what they do wirh it, but i am with you on tomorrows world, wish they would bring that back, what ever happened to the inventions they featured? great show. sadly missed.

 

i don't watch totp very often either but somehow it's reassuring to know where it is and that it's in the place it should be. totp thursday night 7.30 was as much a part of my childhood as anything else.

here's an idea for a program tommorows world revisited - you know the kind of thing, look at old inventions that promised to change the world and did or didn't. the things they missed or rejected that went to to do great things etc.

 

now that would be a great idea, the one i remember was the rsin sensitive windscreen wipers which mercs use now but there was some real promising stuff on that show.

ya know what you mean about programs in your childhood, its more like an institution, been there for many years, i gess they have a new schedual manager who is just out of nappies and wants to change everything.

there used to be some geat stuff on the bbc, don't know where it went, now i am just sounding old?!

 

let's wheel out this old chestnut....

nostalgia's not what it used to be

 

Bottom line Johnhunt is that viewing figures are low

 

And why are the viewing figures low?
Because the programme is based on singles sales - nowadays you only have to sell 7 to get to number one, and they're all bought by 9 year old girls...

How come no one's made a "Pop Idol" sort of thing for bands? I don't mean all the celebrity wannabes justifying themselves to fools of the calibre of Simon Whatsisname, but more of a battle of the bands type thang - possibly fronted by someone with cred, like Lemmy... Shame I don't work in TV anymore cos that could be a winner!

 

ya like who was buying that awful crazy frog song, how was that better than coldplay, should ban kids from buying singles, not taste at all.

 

The people that buy singles, in general, are young people. This has always been the case. A lot of Coldplay's fans would and did buy the album. Singles are brought out for many reasons. One reason was to promote a artist's album and the artist themselves. In the past, a few singles may come out before the album was released to promote the artists new music. The single will be the flagship song for radio and media promotion of the act. Because this promotion is available in many forms, the need to buy the single is not as great.

Singles were also released to make a quick buck. The crazy frog song is an example of this. There has always been novelty songs like this. They can make money. All they need to do is appeal to enough people for a few weeks so these people can go out and buy the record.

Singles are also a pointer to see if an act may take off. Every year countless acts release records and cds. If these don't do a certain level of sales or reach a certain position in the charts, the act will get dropped. Some acts get tens of thousands (or more) pounds spent on them, so record companies want to see a return.

The music industry is a high risk/ high loss but potentially high gain business.

SCIDB

 

It's also a very play-safe business...
The problem with this is that, unlike many other money making ventures, it relies on art of one form or another.
The safer they play it, the less sympathy they get when they start bleating about the latest Napster-style file sharing site.

 

If singles are a advert for the album why is it then a song will be hammered for upto 6 weeks on the radio before being released? Or is it just a way of getting a no1

 

Hi Leonard,

It's hardly surprising it is a play safe business. A lot of money is at stake. About 75% of the record business is owned by the big four companies, Universal, Sony BMG, EMI & Warner music group. These four groups own the rights to a lot of labels and back catalogue. selling back catalogue is less risky because the original investment has already been returned. certain artists will always be in demand and new customers will come along for it.

Downside is the risk taking. As a dj, I have piles of records and cds from acts that didn't make it. Some of these acts would cost a record label tonnes of money. A label may strike lucky and other labels may release their version of the said act or style in the hope that they will make money as well,

Hi Gazz,

records are promoted well in advance of the release date to get the tunes and the artists into peoples minds. By building a tune over a number of weeks, the buyers will become familar will the song. They will start to request the song on radio and in the clubs. They will listen out for the song. If they like the song they will make a note to buy it and will find out the release date.

This can lead onto getting to know the artist's other material, which the buyer may go for.


If a number of people who like the song, they will rush into the shops and buy it on release date. This may get the record to the top of the charts. As a dj, I get stuff sent weeks, and some case, months ahead of release. This is in the hope of me playing the records at my gigs.

SCIDB

 

lee wrote

ya like who was buying that awful crazy frog song, how was that better than coldplay


i thought it was

 

Shows like TOTP and the other music progs on digital channels can be great to watch even if you hate the music. When the likes of Rachael Stephens or Beyonce comes on you can get the horn at the same time listening to something you like on your hifi.

 

Wot John said Coldplay sound like everything else now - played it safe into boredom. "Clocks" is the only thing they've done since their first album, "Parachutes", that was worthy of note imho. They're not bad at what they do by any means, but 9 year olds aren't gonna be up for that.

I'm with the sentiments re TOTP though - in the early 80s at the blind school, we had to be in bed by 7. TOTP on Thursdays was our weekly treat The best period was 1983 - I used to love the vids to "Moonlight shadow" and "Down under" - that whole time period has some ace visuals, and of course, there was also Kajagoogoo's hexagonal digital drumpads - sooooo cooool!!!

BTW - WHY DID they axe Tomorrow's World? And Horizon? (I think that's stopped anyway??)

I remember seeing the Compact Disc (Bee Gees' "Spirits having flown", door loading (a'la tape deck) silver CDP, and the jam) demo the first time round, as a 6 year old. "This won't sound that great through your TV, but trust us, you'll be amazed to hear this in real life". He he he...

Oh that also reminds me of Chrismas 1988's demo of "No noise" when they totally killed a 7 inch copy of "Mistletoe and wine" by attacking it with a compass (or pair of scissors) - poetry in motion!

 

Here's a challenge for you all. If Rachael Stevens could magically want to have you in her bedroom for two hours, anything goes, you would like that, yes? Now let us suppose that is the 90% chance outcome but to be eligable for it you have to accept the possibility of the 10% outcome and go through with the two hours of passion regardless. The 10% risk is that you do not get Rachael Stevens, but you get Shakin' Stevens instead ! Would you chance it to have Rachael ? :NADowner: Disclaimer: Cloth-Ears wishes to stress that Shakin' Stevens does not give him the horn.

 

Shakey was a childhood hero of mine, but... I'd probably still take the risk for Rachel!

 

Cloth-ears you are one warped SOB

I would be tempted btw so long as if it all went pear shaped and I got shakey I would be giving not receiving

 

Cloth-Ears, seriously, are you on some sort of ward?

 

makes perfect sense for it to be shown on a sunday - as they chart is updated on a sunday, seems a bit daft showing the actual program 5 days later...?