If I were asked to round up year 2001 for the music industry, there would be two major points that immediately spring to mind. The first would be the quality of the music; it really was an exceptional year in terms of quality, if you knew where to look. On a less positive note, a phenomenon emerged to a degree that I haven�t seen before in the (for want of a better word) �alternative� music scene. This phenomenon is an industry saturation of media hype on a completely unprecedented scale. For all the years I have been part of the music scene, I have never witnessed so much media hype telling me exactly what I should be listening to, without seldom little justification as to why.

Call me a paranoid conspiracy theorist, but I would hardly be surprised if you told me that the music press had signed a contract in blood with the record companies to wildly promote any band presented to them. Now I am not suggesting that some of the hyped bands do not deserve wide exposure to a large range of listeners. Some do. But I think that far too many acts are getting hype that is detrimental to themselves, detrimental to the industry, and, more importantly, bad news for the music lovers like you and me.

This all started when I was reading messages posted on the �New and Unsigned� Yahoo! Club. Some members were expressing feelings that The White Stripes, surely one of the most hyped bands of last year, were severely over-rated and didn�t merit a listen, let alone reams of media hype resulting in a very profitable licensing agreement with XL Recordings. This led me to post a long diatribe about the state of the music industry, and the insane levels of hyping that seemed to have crept in. The interesting point is that I really rate The White Stripes, but I can appreciate that a lot of people wouldn�t, and telling people that this is what they should be listening to just creates disappointment, and will surely result in the band being dismissed as hyped up one-minute wonders, which is bad for everyone. Hopefully this article will put my own, personal views across about the hyping phenomenon in a more coherent manner, and perhaps lead people to think a bit more about the damage this can do to our (not the record companies) scene.

Possibly the best way to look at this is through examples, and I can state three very clear cases of hype gone mad. Our first act have fallen victim to the hype machine and imploded, the second are riding on the wave of hype (although I fear that they may be pushed to the same fate), and the third are also in the eye of the hype storm, but I believe they have the necessary attributes to survive.

Relationship of Command was, for me, one of the best guitar albums of all time. It showcased a band at an unprecedented peak in their development. And yet, pending a UK tour (for which myself and a few friends had tickets), At The Drive-In split. Why? The band put it down to pressures, particularly of the touring process. But I find this reason implausible; the band had been touring solidly for years without a hint of breaking up. I believe that it was more likely the ludicrous hyping by the music press that had put enormous pressure on the band as �The Next Big Thing�. I spoke to a number of friends who heard the band, and didn�t like the style they were playing. This is understandable, since the style of music is particularly aggressive and perhaps not to everyone�s taste. Now whether or not I think the band are one of the best acts ever (which I really do think), I know that their appeal is not going to be universal. So why did the music press tell everyone that this was the band to listen to? This causes disappointment, and ultimately resentment, which appears to end up being directed not to the music press, but to the band themselves. They are given expectations by their audience, whipped up by the press, that they cannot possibly deliver. And now, fans of At The Drive-In are denied any more of their fantastic music.

If there should have been a lesson learned here for 2001, it was conveniently ignored. I don�t think many people would deny that the most hyped act of the year was The Strokes, the New York punk outfit. Such was the British press�s obsession with this exciting new band that after all the hype their debut album shot into the charts at No 2. You might argue that the band had made enough of an impression to merit this position. However, if you look at the USA, which hasn�t seen the same media push for The Strokes, the album debuted at 74, which is surely a more realistic position for a new punk band, no matter how accomplished.

This probably sounds like I�m taking a swipe at The Strokes, disgruntled that they achieved such success so early. But it is actually quite the contrary. I think The Strokes are a promising band with a strong repertoire of songs. What I would hate to see is the same media hype and over-exposure seen with so many other bands, leading to disgruntled listeners, duped into listening to music they don�t want to hear, and a frustrated band, wondering why the press has dropped them as quickly as they built them up, and being unable to fulfil the ridiculous expectations that have been created for them.

So, onto the other hype victims of 2001, and what an unlikely pair of candidates, Jack White and his big sister, Meg, hailing from South West Detroit. Kicking out a rough, under-produced blues noise (and what a splendid noise it is), no one was more shocked than The White Stripes to find themselves under the spotlight touted as �the next big thing�. Articles in The New Musical Express, and, incredibly, The Daily Mirror, saw Jack and Meg become prime candidates for the press�s unquenchable quest to find the new musical heroes. On the surface, this may seem like a dream come true for a small blues duo, but conversely, from my eyes it appears to have bred as much contempt for the band as respect. Many listeners, primed to hear an unfeasibly planet-shattering act, feel betrayed when hearing the sounds, which are undeniably minimal and basic (which to me is the charm), recorded in the comfort of Jack Whites� front room.

I personally don�t believe the band went out for the media circus that descended upon them, and this will be what saves them from the same fate as the other hype victims. When I saw the duo play at the Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall, they seemed unaware of the audience before them, rarely talking, just doing what they do best and kicking out the sounds. They are unaffected, whether playing to two or two thousand. This ability to ignore the hype will stand them in firm stead when the media spotlight swings round to �the next big thing�, and they will slot back into the scene they came from, to a hardcore of satisfied, loyal listeners.

So what would be best for the music scene? It may be a touch optimistic, but ideally the press will drop their ridiculous obsession with hyping the �next big thing� of the moment, and reduce the wreckage of over-hyped bands. What I would really hate to see is the alternative and underground scenes go the same way as the pop scene. It seems like an age ago, but it is true that at one time the pop world was highly respected and spawned a variety of new, creative acts. It is a scene that I have had almost nothing to do with for many, many years, because of the bland monotony of record company controlled charts. Turn on daytime commercial radio and listen to the various DJs sets. What you will hear is an endless rotation of corporate record company controlled singles as predictable as they are boring. I find it truly ironic that the media presented The White Stripes as some sort of respite from the bland monotony of the pop charts with the manufactured pop idols and pop stars. But the media are the ones guilty of propping up the record company�s marketing schemes and methods, and allowing the corporates to control what you hear on the radio.

This suggests to me that the record companies and the media are encroaching upon the �alternative� scene, which they now see as a profitable, controllable commodity, rather than the peripheral and unregulated entity of before. Just like the modern pop scene, they are building an alternative image, an image detached from the music, a step-by-step guide for people to be cool with very little musical investment.

Let�s not let them get away with it. Are we so easily taken in? Do you listen to something different because you like it, or because the press have told you to? Let�s buy The White Stripes because we like their music, not because we think everyone else rates them. Let�s buy The Strokes because they sound good, not because we want to look cool like them. Let�s keep the victims of hype to a minimum, and hear as much quality, creative and unique music as we possibly can. Let�s keep the alternative and underground scenes alive, vibrant, and untainted by the deception of the music press. We will not let them touch our scene.

As Public Enemy told us all those years ago, Don�t Believe The Hype. Your scene needs you to remain questioning of what you read, and use your freedom to choose what you listen to, rather than allowing the media to spoon feed you your next musical meal.