Well last Friday night it was made official. Verka Serduchka the stage name of Andriy Danylko was chosen to represent Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest. Does this come as a surprise to anyone? I would say it doesn't. It just goes to show the low level of professionalism at the First National Television channel of Ukraine.
True, in most countries with well developed music industries, musicians do not even consider entering the Eurovision Song Contest, a made for television show showcasing talents of the different countries who are members of the European Broadcast Union.
Clearly Ukraine doesn't have a developed music industry, but nor does it have seasons music listeners who understand top class music.
Unfortunately back in 2005 Mykola Tomenko made a political decision to put forth Green Jolly for the Eurovision Song Contest. Well as a result two years later we have Verka Serduchka...
Everything is constantly in flux, from the music we listen to, to the politics and society around us. uaMuzik is a reflection on Ukrainian music, politics, society, the food I create and technologies.
It's a very complicated topic you dug your teeth in. I am appalled about who is chosen to go to Eurovision, but then the contest is also not of the highest culture.... The Merited Artist will not go out of style for a while, but it's only the indication of the old-time attitude I am afraid.
ReplyDeleteIt's a complicated topic that needs not only public discussion both in general and within the industry itself.
ReplyDeleteAs in football, the music industry has many different leagues. It is quite clear that Ukraine and many Ukrainian musicians are somewhere in the first or second league. Then there are exceptions, like Haydamaky placing in the top 20 CD sales for Ukraine Calling, see my post Ignorance is bliss on this topic.
Merit should be based on sales and true popularity, and I agree these Merited Artists won't disappear anytime soon but until the artists themselves do something about it, the opportunity for true talent will be suppressed.
Will this next idea may seem like a little bit like conspiracy theory but here goes! Given the amount of money Russian musicians take out of this country annually, See this post, it is clear that is in Russia's interest that a true music industry never develop in Ukraine. It is just one other way of cultural subjugation and control of what they consider to be their territory.
Russia, unlike many other other former Empires, has not and will not give up what it considers colonies, and as a result will never find allies in them. So the only way they know how to deal with them is find a way to hold them under their control. Culture is an extremely powerful tool when used by nations as part of both their internal and external policies. Ukraine clearly has no policy on culture, and with the political machinations that are taking place in this country right now the situation is not getting any better.
Very astute observation, Vasyl.
ReplyDeleteThose controlling the music "industry" in Ukraine are basically clones of the parasites that have overtaken it in North America.
With the advent of the new digital technology, said parasites are now wringing their hands over falling CD sales.
They can't seem to grasp that their product is the message, not the medium, i.e., that CDs are basically old technology. Much less do they grasp that this new generation has realized it has choice and is not stuck with the garbage the big money-grubbing labels put out.
Hopefully, Ukrainian consumers will similarly soon tire of being ripped off and opt for quality indie music over the chimerical "cachet" of tarnished labels.