The Swedish music industry has a yearly ceremony for patting itself on the back, just like all other countries have. I have no problems with that. But what I don’t like is how it makes the Swedish music scene look like a stagnated old pool of middle aged loosers. Just look at these finalists:

Group of the year

  • Backyard Babies: These guys formed in the 80’s and have been doing a rather bland hard rock/punk mix since then.
  • Bo Kaspers Orkester: A very good jazz-rock-pop band with serious easy listening influences. Sure, they are good. But no more good this year than with their debut in 1993.
  • Kent: These are the mega stars of Swedish rock, sort of Radiohead and Coldplay rolled into one (and divided by half), but in Swedish. But they have been the mega stars of Swedish rock since their second album in 1995.
  • The Hellacopters: See Backyard Babies, above. They are even founded by the same guy.
  • The Soundtrack Of Our Lives: Founded in 1995, you might thing that this is the newest and most innovative band in the list. But you’d be wrong. This band was formed from the ashes of another band, Union Carbide Productions, formed 1986.

Yeah, as you see these are bands all formed in late 80’s – early 90’s. Yes, by people who are either in their 40s or rapidly approaching it. Is this really accurate of the state of Swedish music?

Of course not. There are lots of good music, but it’s being ignored. Because the Grammis is not about the music industry giving praise to the ones who deserve it. Nope, it’s an advertising stunt, and the people who get to be finalists are the ones the record industry thinks have the chance of selling more albums with a bit of exposure. That’s why Kent always wins, but only if they released an album. Funny that, isn’t it? Touring evidently doesn’t count as being a band. That’s also the reason the defunct band Gyllene Tider became artist of the year in 1996, even though the band even didn’t exist for ten years, but did a temporary reunion tour. Gyllene Tider was the Kent of the early 80’s if you wonder, and all those people with no taste in music that is my age will of course go out and buy their records. Especially since we apparently don’t know how to use Pirate bay.

Oh! There we have it! It’s not the music scene that stagnated. It’s just that kids of today, that listen to good and interesting music, and not to middle-aged farts who think they rock, they don’t buy records, they just download them!

That explains it. Or not.