|
A few words on commercialization, by Sven Vath
|
View this Thread in Original format
| skywarp |
This is a copy/paste off Sven Vath's site,
http://www.sven-vaeth.de/related_li...index_engl.html
----------------
In our press release on Friday 20th of April, we already pointed out that Cocoon Clubbing and Sven Vaeth will not take part in the Love Parade 2001 in Berlin. With this, I want to take the opportunity to explain the reasons for not taking part in this year's parade. Of course, all the wrangling about the date, together with the inscrutable jungle of contracts and the enormous costs related with the registration and the proceeding of a float, have been some of the reasons for my decision. But, to be honest, there are some things I don't like and couldn't overlook either.
The Love Parade has sold its spirit. And although this may sound like a very serious accusation, it nevertheless is the sad truth. I say it once again: the Love Parade has literally sold its spirit! The price of this spirit could be illustrated quite easily by the vast amounts of sponsor money, through which several people and companies bought influence and platforms to promote their aims - aims which have absolutely nothing to do with the Love Parade. The Love Parade used to be a demonstration for love, equality and free spirit, for understanding among nations and justice, for brotherliness within an alternative society which has grown so rapidly over the past ten years that it shaked the whole earth. All this is good and worth supporting, and I have been part of it from the beginning, always a backer and a protagonist of the Love Parade. But bigger and bigger is not necessarily better and happier.
The spirit of the Love Parade is not the same anymore, and these wonderful things like tolerance, love and lifestyle just have to give way as soon as the money's rolling in. Small clubs and upcoming artists have definitely no chance to take part in the Parade with a float with the registration fee having risen up to 6,000 DEM, and the organisation/realisation of the participation with an attractively decorated float easily exceeding the 100,000 DEM limit.
In the last years, I always made a bad deal out, but this was OK because I wanted to support the whole thing. But when I look at the fact that in 1999 RTL sent a float to the Parade to promote their stupid and meaningless Big Brother show, and that there were floats sent by the Young Conservatives and the Young Liberals, and one sent by Mixery and one by Camel, and when I have to watch the horribly presented TV shows on VIVA or VOX, when I see the cameras zooming repeatedly on some big and I have to realise that here the boring and out-fashioned attitude of "sex sells" is still in use, and when I see _ oh what a wonderful provocation _ people ing openly on a float to demonstrate how casually we handle our sexuality _ then I feel shocked and bored and I must cry out against this: This is NOT what I stand for, this is not what it's all about and I won't support this!
The wrong people have paid a lot of money to gain influence. The Love Parade is suffering from a massive decline in class, and the marketing strategies (see TV rights, records and Parade hymns) have manoeuvered the Love Parade into a corner where it doesn't belong. I cannot say if ever and how much of this money comes back to the Love Parade. The media have never been cool, and they will never be. What is it that Gotthilf Fischer is after at the Love Parade? Why is he sticking flowers to his jacket and and gets on the kids' nerves by forcing them to sing along a techno version of "Hoch auf dem gelben Wagen"? I have the deepest respect for those kids who were cool and joined him in the end because they didn't understand the shamelessness and arrogance of this self-production. And I find it absolutely disgusting if then someone like Fischer accuses those people of ignorance who don't want to join his evil play. Why do Mallorca-Balneario Bavarian bands play at the Love Parade? Isn't their proper place to be the ’Oktoberfest'? I know, I know....tolerance, tolerance. Come on, Vaeth, be tolerant for a change!
But I don't want to be tolerant in this case. I don't want to participate in the sell-out of the Parade.
My suggestion is to give the Tiergarten a break because, besides all the love for the Love Parade, the environmentalists are not totally wrong. We cannot go on like this! We have to think about alternatives, new beginnings and new ideas, about new concepts and new ways to approach the thing. Back to the demo and back into the clubs. Let's give upcoming artists and small companies a chance. Don't leave the field to the majors! Cocoon Clubbing and Sven Vaeth will not take part in this year's Love Parade. You may think what you want about that and you can draw your conclusions as you like it, but I wanted to set an example, and hopefully the reasons for this are now obvious to everybody. It ¢s all about LOVE and TRIPPING, baby, and not about POWERTRIPPING... |
|
|
| da_MynDLesS_one |
He's got a point...
But when something that was once underground becomes too popular, that's when commercialization occurs. Companies want in on what's popular for the profit... It's inevitable. That's what commercialization is all about. You want to avoid the sell-out of the Love Parade, then just be wary of who sponsors the event and what they're in it for. |
|
|
| Gaurave |
| I've always respected sven vath as a DJ, but after reading that, I've found a whole new respect for him as a person. |
|
|
| LiquidX |
| Sven vath really has a point there , stron words though, but about the people going to the Parade, I heard that is not very kewl at all , the STREETPARADE i heard is better , people wise and artists.. well... cant force Sven to do something he doesnt like, be part of a huge Commercialized act. |
|
|
| Coup |
hummm, intresting read. i agree strongly about what he says on big companies, it drives me mad to see a nice tradional event or place, totally distroyed and made into a money spinner for huge companies that drown out "smaller" parties that try and join in the action. big companies always distroy things and turns them into moneyspinners and pile there advertising logos all over the place, take the big brother ad. and sex, well y does everything HAVE to end up with either naked women or plastered everywhere.
Coup :whip: <--me whipping big companies!!! :D |
|
|
| Cream21 |
Yes but you also should hear the other side!!!! This is the answer of Sven Väths letter!
It seems that dissing the Loveparade has become popular these days. Now a strange coalition - of citizens, early retirees, political party officials, envious people, the " Parade" and the conservative press - has a new member in Sven Väth. Considering all of the problems that the Loveparade has had to deal with this year, this stance will not make things that much worse. Considering that the critique from Sven Väth was publicly expressed and now many people are probably wondering what's behind it all, we do not and cannot remain silent. We have the impression that with this open criticism he is increasing his personal profile at the cost of the Loveparade. Especially because there has never been a discussion about the "bad state of things" that he so critcized.
Dear Sven Väth,
So, there was too much "dilly dally about the parade date" and the costs were too high for you? We are very sorry but you have no idea how the wind is hitting our face here in Berlin. Rest assured that we would have gladly preferred to have been spared all of that but unfortunately we cannot override the decisions of the Senate administration: we had to negotiate and it concerned the existence of the Loveparade.
"Demonstration, which demonstration" is how you started your own text. Actually, by this time everyone has surely understood that this is exactly the root of the controversy with the city of Berlin. We see the Loveparade as a demonstration. As far as the question of the parade being "political", this is only a question of definition. We see it as socially political and we will go to the highest court in order to fight for this (and for all other parades by the way).
Then it continues: "The Loveparade sold its spirit". If with a wave of the hand, you can say who, for how much and better also maybe why, then give us all an explanation! Such statements deserve justification otherwise it's just plain cowardly. Fact is: the Loveparade has for years offered a platform for all participants and this has also been gladly used by yourself. For example: how one can really make money during the Loveparade can be best seen at your Tresorgarten parties. Everyone knows that you belong to the big money-makers and no one would honestly buy your story if ever you said you went back to Frankfurt without any money. The Loveparade has grown larger over the years and that has not made things easier for us. Unfortunately you have not sufficiently thought about the problems concerning the event. For a long time the Loveparade has been much too big to organize in Mommy's Kitchen.
This means:
An event for over one million people has to be reasonably planned and carried out. For years we have done everything we can to realize this. A cost-free event is logically dependant on sponsors and they want to advertise. Without VIVA and RTL 2, hardly any sponsors would have enough interest in supplying the necessary means. Consequently a lot went the wrong way - this did not escape us - and so we right away made the decision last year that in the future there would be no more floats from the sponsors (we really had nothing to do with Gotthilf Fischer: the Loveparade is public and that is likewise its strength as well as its problem!). We also sharply criticized RTL 2 for their Big Brother float and so it will not happen again in the future. That's old news!
We reformed the float selection and organized a committee comprising of the most important scene media representatives, in order to make the process as fair and transparent as possible. The Loveparade still has the goal to be a platform for club culture and for international exchange. Without money this is not possible. Each and everyone can experience and be at the Loveparade without having to pay one little Deutsch Mark for it. It's as easy as that.
For its success the Loveparade of course thanks the participation and application of the many float organizers. That the cost of a float has risen is the result of the competition between the different float organizers. If one wants a louder or nicer float, then we are not the reason for higher costs. Each has it in the hand and when a float is financed by a sponsor, as most of them are, this is the sole responsibility of the float organizer. As for the subject of the registration fee, all we can say is that it has always been about calculating only the pure costs and no one can convince us that we have ever profited from this. On the contrary: the Loveparade platform has always been available without "calculation" and so the costs have only been for the before-mentioned registration fee and the self-produced costs of the float promoters.
Big is bad and small is good? You can't honestly think it's as easy as that. This is pure polemics and passes right by reality. The fact that there is a Loveparade has helped everyone - even the "little people" - and that the Loveparade has grown, one can only regret but not avoid. Or should we build a wire fence around the Tiergarten, take in 50DM a head and have face control at the Brandenburg Gate? It can be true that you have something better to do on the 21st but that because of this everyone should stay at home to help the Tiergarten is, considering the situation, a strange suggestion. There will be 50 floats again and among them more international representatives than ever before (for example Egypt, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Netherlands, Belgium and Israel). We have worked for months on this event and are all really excited about the 21st of July. You will miss a legendary Loveparade, that much is sure.
The Loveparade
http://www.loveparade.net/portal01/..._vibessvenfehlt |
|
|
| Izzy |
I am very glad you posted that second letter. It is very easy for an individual to get swept up on what they first read. by reading only sven vath's statement one is swayed by PROPOGANDA, a personal agenda. now i've never been to the love parade so i'm not all that educated on it but at least we have to chance to read both sides and make up our OWN mind.
now as i see it as long as the main theme (the same one that started it) is preserved than size doesnt matter. i was glad to read that the float selection went through reform and now has a method to choosing. |
|
|
| Astronaut |
| We'll miss you Sven!:( |
|
|
| djnaeblis |
Izzy, Well Said. :)
*clap*clap*
Sven still has a good point though ;)
Too bad I live in the USA, we dont get a "Love Parade", we get the Rose Parade.. what a catch :)!!! |
|
|
| Coup |
read both, enjoyed both, an intresting contrast of views, nice thread!!
Coup :) |
|
|
| Omni |
| I thought the Love Parade was cancelled? |
|
|
| TranceCluber |
| i like Sven as a Dj...but hes extremely Cocky never the less...i know the parade might be commerical now...but hey what do you expect a scene to be underground for ever???? I know the times were good when it all started and it was still very young.....but the fact of life...something this good cant stay underground forever.....so i say dont worry abou and sven should still play his music and make the best of it...at the loveparade |
|
|
|
|
