tnppostwoman.com archives

Seto Says: Being a comeback kid is hard. Just ask two artistes on opposite ends of the music spectrum - Britney Spears and Axl Rose.

Both have highly-anticipated albums dropping during the festive period. For Spears, it’s her way of proving yes, the cache of Video Music Awards trophies she picked up earlier this year wasn’t a fluke and she still has what it takes to be the princess of pop. For Rose, it’s his way of proving yes, he can resurrect the Guns N’ Roses brand name as one of the top rock bands in the past few decades.

Will they succeed? Only time will tell. Reviews for both Spears’ first single (off her new album Circus) and Rose’s new disc Chinese Democracy have been mixed.

But musical comebacks aren’t so easy. Sometimes fans are so put off, they may not bother sticking around. And in an online-dependant climate where album sales are declining, it’s hard to rely on fans anymore. For Spears, her fans are tired of her continuous personal problems and run-ins with the law. For Rose, his fans are just tired of waiting for an album that was supposed to have been out years ago.

Tell Us: What do you think of Britney Spears’ Circus or Guns N’ Roses Chinese Democracy? Are these megastars still worth listening to or are they has-beens?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg. Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

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As a huge Guns N Roses fan all I can say is I found the album just ….. blah with a few listenable radio friendly tracks. Nothing in Chinese Democracy is going to end up a favourite rock anthem like Sweet Child O’ Mine.

If Axl needs more than a decade to come up with this then I’m certainly NOT going to wait another 15 years to listen to his next album. No doubt Axl still has that voice and can still sing his balls off, he sounds so “careful” like he is singing for the Pope in Chinese Democracy. So much for trying to live up to its name of being the Most Dangerous Band in the World.

I miss that I don’t care about you attitude that made Guns N Roses so huge.

I just hope Axl, Slash and all the former members will just “Get in the Ring” and let bygones be bygones as what made Guns N Roses so great was all their unique personalities and talents combined.

Metal Maiden

Seto Says: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. That, to me, pretty much sums up the uphill task in trying to get local music on-air.

It’s a tricky balance - between good quality local fare and listener ratings. But cable broadcaster Rediffusion is taking a bold first step in introducing the first 24-hour station, called RediStar, dedicated to playing only local music. Some say it’s a welcome move because any exposure is good exposure. But some say, why segregate between local and non-local?

Admittedly, Rediffusion has the luxury of not worrying if listeners decide to switch channels on a whim. Unlike free-to-air which is heavily-dependant on market forces, Rediffusion has a ready
bank of paid subscribers who would naturally want to make full use of their subscription fees.

But what’s more important is, will plying the airwaves with local music expand the scene? Will the music translate from a smaller cable channel to mainstream radio, and dare we hope, into album sales? I’d like to think of it as a crucial first step, the way college and indie stations in the US (and of late, the Internet) have helped to give some bands their first real break.

Tell Us: Will you tune in to the new 24-hour station dedicated to local music? Do you think this will be a boost to the local music scene?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg. Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

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LETTERS VIA E-MAIL

Singapore is a tiny red dot on the world map,that dictates the fact that any local artiste who intends to makes it big has to strike it out overseas. Our local artistes who has gone global is a very impressive one for a country our size. That list includes Electrico, A-do,Kit Chan,Joi Chua, Tanya Chua, Mavis Hee,Ho Yeow Sun, Huang Yida, JJ Lin, Eric Moo and Stefanie Sun. All of them made it with a combination of factors, selling themselves to the global crowd, heavy airplay on local and international radio, appearances as well as album sales. It goes without saying that the radio is a an important chain in an artiste’s quest for popularity.A high percentage of album sales and artiste recognisation stemmed from casual encounters with an artiste’s music on the radio.Radio gave many artistes their big break and it goes without saying that local artistes need our support in whatever capacity possible.The fact that the new station is on a paid radio channel means that it’s shut off from many would-be listeners. It may not make immediate financial sense but i believe the station should have been on a free station.That will significantly enlarge the potential target audience and give the local artistes the exposure they crave for.

As it is,too few people will have access to the station and the boost to the local music scene will be minute.

Peng Tie Lun