Happy New Year from everyone at 4or The Record!!!

I hope you have all been revelling in the festive season, gaining a few pounds, nursing more hangovers than usual and indulging in the spirit of Christmas TV!  Now that January is upon us once again and it seems to be colder than ever (yet still too cold to snow?) and its time to go back to the rudiments of life, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about how 4or The Record will be including some exciting new elements to it’s already multi-faceted existence.

First off is the launch of the AAA section of the site, which is focused on the music industry as a whole.  Think of this as your backstage glimpse into the world behind the artists, the managers, the agents, the roadies, tour managers, lighting and sound technicians, festival organizers, promoters……and so it goes on.  For anyone who wants to learn about how everything works, then this is essential reading for you.  We aim to make the industry more transparent whilst sufficiently entertaining you, tantalizing your tastebuds and being completely honest about the often glamourless existence through the respective jobs.

Secondly later this year we will be launching 4or The Record TV through the website, bringing you exclusive footage of the interviews we feature and wherever possible footage from certain shows……more details to follow as this starts to unravel. 

When we started 4or The Record in May last year after feeling the need for a completely impartial and non genre specific music site it never occurred to me just how quickly it could grow in just a short amount of time.  Clearly, although shambolic at times, we must be doing something right as the feedback has been really positive and has pushed us to take the site further and in different directions. 

It remains important for us to keep supporting the unsigned scene throughout the UK and beyond, spotting talent and giving people the credit they are due for making fucking good music that inspires other people in different ways……in our case to write about it!!! Furthermore we want to give more and more people the chance to write for us or to contribute in other ways…all ideas considered!  We want to encourage people to keep the music industry alive alongside the artists that drive it into our ears and heads because everyone has a voice and with a bit of encouragement you don’t have to be a journalist to write!  

With elements of UK music being slowly suffocated by the many issues making it newsworthy (think illegal downloading, the ubiquitous “credit crunch”, major labels on their knees and the lack of people physically going out and purchasing cd’s or albums at an all time low) and the continued fickle nature of other music publications (print and online) who by nature like to build artists up just to swiftly knock them down usually about a week later, 4or The Record’s mission statement if you like, is to be a little more driven by music as opposed to scandal, gossip or being the heat magazine of the music world.

Without sounding trite or completely lame, we are not in the business of slagging people off, commenting on people’s hair (although I appreciate a good barnet just as much as the next person) or discussing the delicate intricacies of exactly who’s shagging who in the muso world.  But at the same time we like humour……very much!!!  

So all that remains for me to say is 2009 is looking good for www.4ortherecord.com, so keep telling people about it and keep reading.  

You have been a wonderful audience!

xoxo