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Neko Case
Sufjan Stevens
Tapes 'N Tapes
Matisyahu |
By RYAN BROSMER
YOUTH CORRESPONDENT
PLUG is about the independent music community coming together to recognize our own.
--plugawards.com
I'm struggling with this story. I'm supposed to be writing about the PLUG Independent Music Awards, basically a glorified Internet poll found at plugawards.com.
The stated purpose of the awards is to recognize artists on independent labels, in genres including punk, hip-hop, electronic and Americana. They also include categories such as Zine of the Year, Podcast of the Year and Music Festival of the Year. Voting ends Jan. 31, and it all will culminate in an awards ceremony Feb. 11 at New York's Irving Plaza.
Previous years' participants including Matisyahu and Sufjan Stevens have lent the ceremony just enough indie cachet to demand notice. Among this year's nominees are familiar names to any indie fan, such as Neko Case, Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis and Radiohead's Thom Yorke.
Yet many of the acts remain decidedly (and perhaps deliberately) obscure, even to the scene's most astute followers.
On one hand, the organizers of the PLUG Awards seem determined to help these independents gain exposure. Ironic, yes--but they're just trying to spread the word, right?
Then there are nominees such as Brian Rafferty, whose Idolator.com is up for Music Blog of the Year. He sees the PLUG Awards as part of the decadence of the independent music world.
"The indie-music culture has now become as self-congratulatory and narcissistic as the rest of the music biz," said Rafferty.
This brings another problem. Rafferty points out that Idolator might have an unfair advantage: "We're backed by Gawker Media, a large company. That means we can post more frequently, employ the occasional freelancer and not worry about advertisers dictating content."
It sounds like maybe the PLUG Awards picked the wrong cause for their charity.
While nobody involved in the inner workings of the shindig would return my multiple attempts to contact them, not all of the nominees shared Rafferty's sentiments.
Matthew Jordan, who runs YouAintNoPicasso.com, is another nominee for Music Blog of the Year, and that's fine by him.
Before casting his own vote, Jordan said, "I researched it a bit in order to make sure it was an event that I could support--turns out it was. Then, surprise, surprise, I was actually nominated for one of them. After exploring into it a bit, I see the PLUG Awards as a chance for the independent music community to celebrate their own."
These bloggers are somewhat more in touch with the indie music world than are some of the artists involved. Sites like Idolator make it their mission to explore everything from the bands and the fans to the culture and the technology. And YouAin'tNoPicasso is Matthew Jordan's self-described "blog to chronicle my own musical discoveries--be they a band that doesn't have a label or someone from the '90s that I just never got around to listening to."
However, of the 12 nominees in the Music Blog category, the majority of bloggers I talked to were just as confused as I, unsure what side they should take or whether it's worth taking sides. They would continue blogging whether they were nominated or not, and will keep on doing it whether they win or lose.
How much attention does being nominated for a PLUG Award get you? "Not that much," said Jordan. "A couple congrats here and there, but it's been pretty minimal."
I think I've come to my conclusion about the PLUG Awards. Let's say the minions of the independent scene are like underdeveloped, impoverished nations.
The PLUG Awards, on the other hand, are a well-paid, world-renowned celebrity or a wealthy nation. The latter can shower the former with aid, be it money or supplies. That's nice, but it doesn't build them a stable economy or functioning body of government.
In the end, the PLUG Awards are just a superfluous and saccharine, self-aggrandizing charade. Instead of voting for your favorite band, why not just buy their CD, or just tell a friend or two about them? That will go a lot further than a pat on the back from the PLUG Awards.
RYAN BROSMER is a student
