We went, we danced, we drank, we were merry; we lost people, the odd flip-flop, our inhibitions and (perhaps at times…) our minds, and loved every moment. The Sziget Festival: a week of party people from across the globe, gathered on an island on the Danube. The rules change in a festival field; norms become stretched, at times a little skewed, and people seem to open up more, to new experiences, new sights, new sounds and new people. I lost track of every different nationality I met, random conversation I had, or musical style I danced to into the early hours. What I do know, though, is that some truly great people came and went. Amongst them was Adrian Stefanoiu, Business Development Manager of Universal Music, Romania. He was here for a few days, and, after making a 7 a.m. flight back to Bucharest (despite partying with us until well after sunrise) managed to reflect upon this year’s festival in the context of the current climate, as well as, of course, its lasting impression…
“I have to admit that I was very curious to see how one of the biggest festivals in Europe would adapt to the current market conditions. In the same way we speak about wine, 2009 was a good year: Sziget ‘09 astonished me!
Cutting to the chase, the headliners were very well-balanced, and we were really lucky to have had so many releases this year. I’ll only mention a few: Manic Streets’ Richey Edwards’ song book came to light (Journal for Plague Lovers), Prodigy’s Invaders Must Die’s hard, aggressive dance reminded us why we loved them in ‘94 and adored them in ‘97. Placebo went optimistic with their Battle for the Sun album and received an energy infusion thanks to the newly acquired Steven Forrest.
Placebo recently mentioned in an interview how the music industry is changing, how the old-fashioned ‘let’s-get-an-album-out-and-hit-the-road’ isn’t doing it anymore, and how bands need to adapt in order to be able to “keep the roof over their heads or food on the table”. I have to say that we share the same opinions when talking about the evolution of the music industry. Napster was the beginning of the end for this music cycle. This is not business as usual; the rules took a 180 degree turn. If concerts were, in the past, the way to promote an album, nowadays the album has become a promo tool for concerts. People are searching for the full flavor experience; they want to see and be seen, hear and be heard, applaud and be applauded… the monologue is over.
In spite of the recession, I haven’t seen less brands, ugly outfits, fat promoters and so on. I think the best explanation for this is the fact that nowadays we tend to act and spend rationally, and on the most important things. Some marketing people have realized that music has the power to appeal to our emotions, to make us forget about the rational and just give in!
I am grateful for every single minute spent on the island, every beer sip, áfonyás pálinka shot, every minute spent in the company of my trustworthy friends, enjoyed every Molko and every Bradfield, every Maxim and every Howlett, every me and every you, I enjoyed each and every one of the 52 hanging artists from La Fura dels Baus.
Hope y’all enjoyed it as much as I did… If for any reason you didn’t… there’s always next year!”
Adrian Stefanoiu and Amy Weston