I was surprised by the news myself, being a musician who was inspired by some of the less popular bands that made their appearances on the TOTP.

I have been accused of being nostalgic, pining for the early post-punk days of the music business. It was a time when the possibilities were wide open, where it was okay to experiment and try something new -- even if it didn't bring in a lot of money. The artists seemed to care more about the experimentation than in the almighty dollar. It was a great time to listen to music, because you never knew what you'd hear if you picked up an LP at the local record store. It might be bad, but it was different from anything else out there.

In a day and age when self-marketing has gotten easier, not more difficult, for indie musicians, the focus has not been on the striving to create something separate and apart from anything already out there, but something that will sell.

The people who lose out are the music lovers who are overwhelmed with the commonplace, when all they really want to hear is something new. But the popular voices drown that all out these days.

TOTP had a little bit of something for everyone, from rap to raggae, from punk to lounge, from alternative to top 40...

A think it is a tremendous loss to variety for them to have been forced off the air. It saddens me.  

Hmm. I don't know baout this one, premature maybe, inevitable maybe not, but at the TOTP brand suffers becasue it truly is "Top of the Pops" - a genreless music show where the stars are wheeled in for one song, we try to guess if they are lipsynching or not , then wheeled out, to make way for the next. I've honestly never been able to stomach a whole episode.

I think kids these days want things from either end of the spectrum - a quick sexy flashy buzz (the music video) or a deep, rich, connective, experience (the concert albeit on TV). The TOTP's middleground doesnt offer enough of either to compell me to tune in.  

Wonderful to have both viewpoints here. I tend to be more favourable, but I don’t fully disagree with Dan. There was an awful lot of lip-synching going on, and I tended to enjoy those songs that seemed to have a different arrangement to the original. That is, assuming a guy like me, over 30, knows what the au courant stuff sounds like. But I still enjoy the community feel it has, as to me TOTP put the musicians with the people (well, studio audience, anyway) and we could see them how they are, not how some pop-video director thinks they are. I guess it just made me feel one step closer to them.  

That's sad to hear. I like top of the pops since I also like to listen to some British pop artist. Well I guess it's been swallowed up by the MTV hype and the likes. Since tons of music channels are popping up like mushrooms  

Any band decent band has a myspace page, and band members either run it or frequent it regularly, a tv show jsut can't compete in the "close community" vibe.

Where is your myspace page Jack?

mine is here

www.myspace.com/piratebot

Bills is here:

http://www.myspace.com/kingkapisi  

I am sure I signed up for one, Dan, but don’t really maintain it. I am pretty visible search-engine-wise so I think I’ll stick with this site.