Only Stupid Bastards Help E.M.I.

Reaching a wider audience or "popularism" is the idea that by making the media/style of your politics more accessible to the public you can influence peoples attitudes and affect change. "Radicals" who follow this path often take the imaginative step of producing alternative forms of popular culture that rather than being recognisably different or challenging to the established norms tries to blend with it/mirror it in order to gain acceptance and popularity. The comical Class War's Sun style tabloid, or Chumbawamba's pop/dance music are examples of this idea. The Blaggers ITA have taken the further step of actually joining the capitalist culture directly, putting their names to a contract with EMI.

Despite the importance of breaking out of the "radical ghetto", what remains all important is how credible the "popularist" argument is faced with the compromises and associations involved. Artists come and go by the week, the turnover is necessary for the music business to sell maximum units before the punters lose interest or discover the shallowness of the product. Alternative artists that enter the commercial pop arena under the illusion that they can subvert the system or "rip it off" find that ultimately it is they who are being exploited along with the punters; the major label gains a bit of "hip" credibility and the band loses theirs!

The bottom line is that by collaborating with major labels "alternative" bands are helping to trample on the hard-pressed indie music scene that brought them to light. (Let's not kid ourselves about pseudo indie-labels like Back to the fuckin' Planet's Parallel which is part of Polygram). EMI is typical of major labels with its links to the most evil parts of the capitalist system. Thorn-EMI the (Blaggers) parent company is a major investor and constructor of weapons systems, nuclear weapons, guidance systems, vivisection and security control equipment favoured by countries like Chile and South Africa. They are also major contributors to the Conservative party.

So every record bought or publicity made that EMI gains from The Blaggers, New Model Army, John Lennon etc. helps to crush genuine resistance in countries where people are actually fighting fascist regimes! As well as bringing all our mutually assured destruction a little closer.

When you find the door prices at gigs of pop(ularist) bands hitting you in the pocket as hard as the bouncers hit you in the head, and the record prices rise, remember the bosses at EMI are grateful for your alternative contribution! Its sad after all these years to find people still happy "turning rebellion (or anti-fascism) into money" and willing to collaborate with the bastards who exploit us.

What we do is our own choice, "there is no authority but your own" but that requires a responsibility for your actions and their consequences. Hiding behind a feeble excuse of "getting the message to a wider audience" does not also absolve of that responsibility.

DIY not EMI (Author unknown)

This is taken from Profane Existance #23.