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The immensely high artistic quality of modern British music should be granted greater recognition and support from public service broadcasting, whereas the current proposals only serve to marginalize one of our most meaningful and relevant arenas of artistic endeavour. I cannot help but conclude that the management decisions leading to this proposal have been made as a result of a dramatic underestimation and misunderstanding of the importance of modern British music, which should be championed as a cultural achievement of global importance. Britain is a world leader in the generation of new music, and the intensity of commitment and creativity that modern British musicians undertake in producing their work is easily comparable with more established forms of music and art. The presence of 6 Music has undoubtedly been an important component in the resurgence of new British music over the last few years. Equally, 6 Music serves to introduce British listeners to new music originating from overseas, and therefore to stimulate creativity through the synthesis of other music. Rather than closure, the BBC should show the courage to give Radio 6 even greater freedom to develop its own distinctive environment.
The dated terminology of 'pop music' is increasingly meaningless to listeners with a true interest in the full diversity of British music, and simplistic arguments framed within the context of meeting the supposed requirements of a 'pop music audience' appear painfully out-of-touch. Modern music has evolved into a sophisticated range of domains, the diversity and innovation of which has never been satisfactorily addressed by the homogenized output of Radios 1 and 2, and indeed any commercial radio stations of which I am aware. It is very difficult to envisage how such stations could possibly be seen as a substitute for the services that 6 Music provide, except by decision makers that do not appreciate the complex array of groundbreaking music originating from Britain. Unlike 6 Music, other stations are not dedicated to promoting and providing information about new music - 6 Music listeners require a service that can fulfill their more demanding interests, as they are interested in hearing the work of innovative artists, and are not satisfied with being mere consumers of standardised output produced for mass markets, as is typically supplied by more mainstream stations, where in truth the quality of the music aired is often of minor concern to the producers and controllers of those stations.
6 Music provides an invaluable community focus for listeners that are truly interested in music, and is an essential forum for supporting innovative British artists. I request that the BBC Trust gives serious consideration to this perspective, and can consequently undertake to oppose ratification of the proposed closure of the station. Loss of 6 Music would be a ridiculously counter-productive measure for the BBC in achieving their public service obligations.
Leighton Cooke
With thanks to http://www.guardian.co.uk/users/ergolargo for the original here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/mar/02/bbc-protests-change-mind-6music
Update:
I love the bit in the video below where Jon Snow asks why should the license fee payer subsidise people in "Genghis Khan Land" who want to visit the BBC website. Jon, have you ever heards of the Brits abroad? We are called expats, and we prefer the BBC, to say Fox News, as a rule. The wonders of the internet make it possible for me to listen to BBC Radio 6 music online here in Amsterdam. You did mention the word online in your interview, so I presume that you know what I'm talking about. As for the folks in "Genghis Khan Land," maybe visiting the BBC website might be interesting for them too, and a good way to promote Britain overseas, or should they just be allowed access to American free content? Why not sell Radio 1? It would make a great commercial station.
Academy Award-winning writer-director Paul Haggis (Crash, Million Dollar Baby), whose own personal efforts as well as those of Artists for Peace and Justice have already saved countless lives in Haiti, filmed the private recording session to create the accompanying video and behind-the-scenes production, and serves as Film Director and as an Executive Producer with Jones, Richie, Jean, Phillips and Tortorici.
The 25th Anniversary recording features over 80 artists and performers. The recording of We Are The World 25 For Haiti embodied the same enthusiasm, sense of purpose and generosity as the original recording 25 years ago. Every one of the artists who participated, regardless of genre or generation, walked into the room with their hearts and souls completely open to coming together to help the people of Haiti.
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