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Viewpoint - Beggars Group chairman Martin Mills
12:31 | Monday March 1, 2010
I firmly believe that the BBC should not close 6 Music. 6 Music is a station for music lovers and plays music that largely is not heard anywhere else on the dial. Isn't that what the BBC is meant to do? The BBC's public service remit charges it to do exactly that - and 6's output is distinctive, eclectic and unique.
Radios 1 and 2 do a great job at what they do, but are essentially pop music stations. 6 is the Radio 3 version of that, and is a home to great artists and music, particularly independent, who don't fit in with its larger brothers' programming needs – ‘album’ artists who have large followings like The National, who can sell out the Albert Hall, but who won't fit on 1 or 2 until when or if they come up with a pop radio-shaped track. Then there are new artists like The xx, who got all their initial exposure on 6.
This is not an area that the commercial sector will fill - Virgin and Xfm both started off with similar ambitions, but commercial pressures have turned them into what they are. A station like 6 can only survive and prosper in the public radio sector.
91% of listeners to 6 Music say that it introduces them to music that is new to them, and 89% say they hear music on 6 that they don't hear elsewhere. It plays five times as many new songs as any comparable commercial stations, and half 6's music output cannot be heard anywhere else on radio. This is exactly what the BBC should be doing.
We in the music industry need 6 Music. Its existence is a big part of the reason that the UK’s music scene is so vital and healthy at the moment - and I don't just mean UK music making, I mean the appreciation for and love of artistic creativity in music.
Of course, we should remember that the BBC has not – as yet – said it is going to close 6 Music. I hope it doesn’t. But if the BBC is seriously contemplating that, we need a campaign to save the station now – and to grow it, to raise awareness of 6 Music.
I have nothing against commercial radio. Commercial radio is commercial radio. But the beauty of the BBC is that it is a public service. It can put art and culture above commerce. That is precisely what 6 Music does. And that is precisely why we need it. You'll hear tomorrow's Bob Dylan or John Lennon on 6.
Readers' comments
you have made an eloquent case for the symbiotic relationship, not only between the music industry and 6 Music but also in the way this vital station nurtures art and creativity please do not stand around waiting for this closure to happen as I fear it will - the men in grey suits have shown such despicable contempt for their original remit- what is the music industry actually going to do ?
Couldnt agree with you more. Its hard enough exposing new artists as it is, surely the BBC should be standing firm under pressure from commercial broadcasters and making a case for VALUE. It reminds me of the comment Tony Benn made about Thatcher "she put a price on everything and a value on nothing". Lets hope that the BBC will listen to the many voices online, and that the industry majors and indies alike, will kick up enough fuss on this to change this stupid decision. We all pay for this and we all deserve to recieve the service we desire. Same goes for the Asian network incidentally in my opinion...PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTER isnt it ??
I can't listen to 6music - it bores me to tears however nme radio plays all the new stuff that 6 music plays, has virtually an identical playlist but doesn't succomb to the odd "radio friendly pop tracks". The presenters are listener friendly and there is great interaction with email and twitter. Anyone who says that 6music is the only station to play new music is not looking very hard...
Couldn't disagree with a word of this. Good to see the labels coming out in support. I hope you can work with other labels to make a really effective lobby of the BBC - how about an open letter from all the label bosses? Not just showing public solidarity, but also something the press will pick up on - to keep the campaign momentum going? Also, all labels and bands have websites and mailing lists . Please make us of those to spread the word. Everyone else: if you haven't filled in the BBC Trust's consultation, do it now. Here: https://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-review/consultation/consult_view The Trust has the power to reject these proposals. But they'll only do so if they get a lot of public and industry response.