The head of BBC Introducing on album artwork, and how to get heard

Date
30 March 2015

We get sent a lot of cool music-related ephemera at It’s Nice That, from vinyl, CDs and cassette mixtapes to gig posters and flyers, and while we want it to sound fantastic, the music it’s all about isn’t always our first priority. So we thought it would be interesting to speak to somebody firmly at the music end of the spectrum. Namely Jason Carter, the man responsible for setting up BBC Introducing. 

Now seven years old, BBC Introducing is a platform which allows up-and-coming musicians to submit tracks to the BBC in the hope of securing airtime on local, and then on national radio. “When it first comes through there’s no visual stimulus, it’s just audio,” Jason explains. “It’s all about the music.

“Then once it’s selected it goes to the nearest BBC Introducing local radio show, of which there are 40, and if they like it they will then push it up the chain to Radio One or 6 Music. And it’s at that point, when we’ve kind of got an interest in an artist, that we will Google them or YouTube them.” 

This system allows BBC Introducing to remain completely meritocratic, where many new music platforms place emphasis on logos or artwork rather than the sound. “One really good example is the band Slaves,” Jason continues. “So when we put them on at Reading and Leeds the year before last they were completely unknown. We plucked Slaves out because we kind of liked the sound of them, and then we did a quick Google search, and that’s when you really go ‘actually, they look really cool.’”

"Imagery is really important, and it’s an important way of helping you connect with a band."

Jason Carter

Interestingly, with the onset of digital media for sharing music, album artwork is taking a backseat as far as Jason and his team are concerned. “Back in the day, [album artwork] was something that helped inform the initial feeling on stuff,” he explains. “But now when we’re finding new music it’s all digital, through your Soundclouds and YouTubes, etc. So I guess it’s fair to say that those days of a more physical process – whether it’s copying CDs or vinyls to send to record companies with your artwork, or flying and fly-posting – are kind of gone. Nowadays everything’s so quick and so digital that I think it would be fair to say the element of artwork is less relevant at the early stages. People just want to hear it.”

“I know that still to this day BBC presenters still love getting things in the post and having a bit of a guessing game about what the artist might be like. So [printed ephemera] is still kind of relevant to parts of the BBC. But our process is about getting the quickest route possible for new musicians to get their music heard at the BBC.”

Ultimately, the music takes precedence over the visuals. “I’ve had people who have a lot of financial resource, for whatever reason, and they’ve spent £25,000 on a video shot in some exotic location. But you look at it and the music’s not very good. In my opinion. It still always goes back to the point that we made earlier that no matter how you dress something, it’s about how it sounds.”

Although BBC Introducing works to promote music based on its sound in the earliest stages, Jason admits he is a huge fan of printed ephemera. “Don’t get me wrong, I love album artwork and the collectible stuff!” he explains. “So many people do. That’s why people always love having vinyl. It’s all part of people’s passion for a particular artist, or genre, or a music scene.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of all the Factory records stuff – Peter Saville, the Hacienda Club in Manchester…It was quite bold, but simple. I’ve got posters up all round my house. Imagery is really important, and it’s an important way of helping you connect with a band. So I think it’s extremely relevant.” Still, BBC Introducing remains an exception to the rule, and in doing so it provides opportunities unmatched anywhere else in the industry.

“When we hit play, it’s what it sounds like. Music is such a personal, instinctive thing that if you don’t like it there’s no artwork, or anything else that’s gonna make you like it. It’s music first, really.” 

Above

Peter Saville: Factory Records, image courtesy of Peter Saville

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About the Author

Maisie Skidmore

Maisie joined It’s Nice That fresh out of university in the summer of 2013 as an intern before joining full time as an Assistant Editor. Maisie left It’s Nice That in July 2015.

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