🚀 go-pugleaf

G'day Charlie,

Thanks for your thoughts.   No, I don't feel bad, just think it's a lost
opportunity for Rounder, Rebel and Pinecastle, and for all the artists they
represent.

Some independents, some Australian bands, and Copper Creek, Sugar Hill and
Hay Holler artists are getting quite a lot of airplay here, because they
look after the people who count in the bluegrass business here - the mail
order retailers, and the radio people.  It's a complete waste of money
trying to work on the retail stores for the vast majority of titles.  The
exceptions being AKUS, and Steve & Del 'n'em, and Ricky Skaggs.  (But then
again, you can't buy Ricky here either, because he won't allow his albums
into Australia.  They have to come in through grey channels or the
Internet.)

In Australia, and I'm sure it's the same in other markets like us where
there's a vibrant music business but bluegrass is swamped  by the volume of
other kinds of music, the music distributors would rather handle a new
Michael Jackson CD than 50 bluegrass ones.    Rounder's Australian product
manager (he described himself as a marketing guru for pete's sake!)  told
me last year (he's not with them any more and I'm sure Rounder is better
off for it) that "we'd much rather look after Kylie Minogue (an Australian
pop singer) than Alison Krauss and those losers."    With representation
like that, it's no surprise that Rounder doesn't do well here.

Anyway, I'm always hopeful that the producers of bluegrass in the USA will
see Australia as an opportunity to get some additional sales for nearly NO
promotion cost, and a minute amount of effort on their part.

If anyone in that part of the business wants to know more, I'm always here
.. and I don't charge a penny for my information either.

Cheers,
Mike Kear
Windsor, NSW, Australia
mkear@healey.com.au
==============================================
Webmaster:  Bluegrass in Australia 'What's on' Guide.
Archive site for Bill Monroe tribute postings.
http://www.healey.com.au/~mkear/bgaust.html
Chairman: Pacific Bluegrass Network
http://www.healey.com.au/~mkear/pbn.htm
===============================================



-----Original Message-----
From:   Charlie Hansen [SMTP:chansen@AURACOM.COM]
Subject:        Re: New Rounder CDs - what a pity

Don't feel bada , I haven't heard from Universal/Mercury (Canadian
distributor) either. So I guess Canadians don't buy Bluegrass either.
It must have something to do with our common British roots..
Cheers,

Charlie.
-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Kear <mkear@HEALEY.COM.AU>
To: BGRASS-L@LSV.UKY.EDU <BGRASS-L@LSV.UKY.EDU>
Date: Wednesday, May 05, 1999 11:08 AM
Subject: Re: New Rounder CDs - what a pity


>What a pity they won't be heard on Australian radio.  Rounder don't send
>any demos to Australian DJs, and their local distributor hasn't been heard
>from all year.  No contact at all
>
>I guess it'll be a case of Rounder saying "Aussies don't buy bluegrass".
> Since no one's playing their stuff on the radio, and CMT is watched by
>about 20 people in total (and that's the Australian version not the same
>content you have in the USA) , it won't be a big surprise.  If Aussie fans
>only hear 15 year old vinyl albums, they won't know what's available now
>will they.
>
>If only the record companies would listen when I try to tell them how to
>they can do simple, easy, very low cost business in Australia.
>
>I haven't played a new Rounder title on my show for over a year.
>
>Nor Rebel.  Not heard of in 18 months. I thought they went out of
business.
> Said so on my radio show several times.
>
>And Pinecastle are even more stingy.   Out of my 150 titles, and the
entire
>library at our station, there are only 2 Pinecastle titles.  Bet they're
>wondering how come Aussie bluegrass fans never buy and Pinecastle product
>too.  My listeners have only ever heard a few tracks from Continental
>Divide's first album, and some 1995 New Coon Creek Girls.   As far as
>Australian listeners are concerned, Pinecastle is out of business too.  No
>wonder you can't find any of their material in the stores either.  Not on
>the mail order catalogues either.
>
>(Sigh) And they wonder how come no retail stores carry bluegrass here.  We
>can't get material from the stores, and Rounder and Pinecastle and Rebel
>don't  support us.  So how do they expect to do any business here?
>
>It's all up to the record companies of course.  They decide for themselves
>whether or not they want to do nearly free business in Australia - a
>country very like the USA, and if they want to walk away from it, then
>that's a pity but there's nothing I can do about it.   I just seems a big
>pity to deprive avid bluegrass fans that are so similar to American fans
of
>the music we all want to hear.
>
>Oh well, I guess its back to the Waltzing Matilda for the thousandth time.
>
>Cheers,
>Mike Kear
>Windsor, NSW, Australia
>mkear@healey.com.au
>==============================================
>Webmaster:  Bluegrass in Australia 'What's on' Guide.
>Archive site for Bill Monroe tribute postings.
>http://www.healey.com.au/~mkear/bgaust.html
>Chairman: Pacific Bluegrass Network
>http://www.healey.com.au/~mkear/pbn.htm
>===============================================
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From:   IAMA Productions [SMTP:iama@XMISSION.COM]
>Sent:   Wednesday, May 05, 1999 12:17 PM
>To:     BGRASS-L@LSV.UKY.EDU
>Subject:        New Rounder CDs
>
>Just got 2 Rounder CDs in the mail yesterday:
>
>        1. Lynn Morris "You'll Never Be The Sun"
>           Lynn on guitar & clawhammer banjo on one cut
>           Marshall on bass, of course
>           Jesse Brock on mandolin
>           Ron Stewart on banjo & fiddle
>           12 cuts & it's classic Lynn Morris stuff
>
>        2. Laurie Lewis "Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals"
>           Laurie on fiddle & rhythn guitar on one cut
>           Tom Rozum on mandolin
>           Mary Gibbons on rhythm guitar
>           Craig Smith on banjo & lead guitar on one cut
>           Todd Phillips on stand up bass
>           13 cuts & it marks Laurie's return to BG
>
>
>**************************************************************************
>The Old Man of KRCL 91 FM Radio Free Utah; IAMA Events Producer & AAFOUF
>founder aka Tony Polychronis P O Box 2187, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110-2187
>801-339-7664 (Voice Mail) iamaprod@iamaweb.org  http://www.iamaweb.org
>**************************************************************************
>