Fresh from Finland

The headline might as well read: Rambling Post, Summer of 2010.

First of all I want to state that there is so much going on in music, so many different developments, a statistical maze of information, both relevant and irrelevant, that it is often hard, if not impossible to single out the relevant facts. One thing should be clear as Mr. T’s advertisement checks though, this is surely the calm before the storm.

While at lunch a couple days back, we discussed the parallels of music and venture capital. Interesting discussion, but it does bare many factual points, if not true similarities. With the economy in such a state, the jitters are all around us. This has been transformed into heavy investments being made in only the surest of places. Rest assured, this does n

ot include extremity nations like Finland. Many of the so called musical superpowers are only grasping rights of artists, to leverage them against the possibility of someone else profiting from said artists. Strategic positioning 101, but does it really serve a purpose?

So, as someone might now retort “Who cares? Get on with it!” there is a distinct issue at hand, and that is the separation of what the artists want and what most actors are ready to give them.

Image via Wikipedia

With the epiphany of a dysfunctional market, we have started to truly realize what the future will mean for music. Or, put it another way, who will lead the development of the future of music. We’re not stuck this way because “nothings working” – the state we are in is a direct result of the inability to act. Pointing fingers is not in my repertoire of thinking, but you can imagine the what and where on your own.

Luckily we are on the cusp of seeing a solution and we at Fresh Tunes Finland don’t believe in a single solution, but in a networked initiative that will lead to a healthier music society. World domination, eh?

Working with inspired and talented people, it is clear that there is no absence in the pool of human creativity. With the Internet as a ground-breaking tool for musicians around the globe to audition to the masses, reaching their fans even prior to most giants ever hearing of them, there truly needs to be some innovation to put this industrial model of music to rest. During the following months, we will seek like-minded and driven partners all around, to make sure this post can’t be reused as such in 2011.

Interesting related articles by Zemanta

• AudioDraft gives musicians new tools for online, worldwide collaboration (venturebeat.com)

The Island in the Sun festival is undoubtedly among the most eccentric festivals of the summer! Arranged on the 16th and 17th of July, on Jurmo, Brändö on the Åland Islands, this summer extravaganza can be a real splash. One can see it as a packaged get-away of sorts, two boat rides and a summer festival in the middle of the ocean. Interested, I am.

The modest in size festival is located on Brändö, that has an incredible 520 inhabitants and over 1200 islands of various sizes! This should already give you some headway into what you might expect from the location. There are shops, being careful not to stress to plural too much, but no ATM. Scared yet? Maybe you should be. With props like these, this isn’t just a indiepop – electro summer festival, it’s a ludicrous summer adventure!

Main act of the summer, the Concretes, the modern soulful pop Swedes are making the Island in the Sun festival their only visit to Finland this year, even as the Åland Isles is more like the Switzerland between the two countries. Three full length albums, several other releases and international touring experience from some large attractions build this seven piece orchestra up as an attraction waiting to be (heart)felt.

Check out more on the Concretes on their MySpace!

Even as the program of the Island in the Sun festival remains unpublished to its full extent, the confirmed line-up so far looks something like this:

• Anna von Hausswolff – MySpace
• Masshysteri – MySpace
• Manna – MySpace
• Leo Med Lådan – MySpace

Largely due to the extraordinary circumstances this festival extravaganza is set up in, one cannot help being intrigued. Amidst the vast ocean with music sounds seems unrealistically idyllic, especially in the middle of summer, which is why it is hard to not get carried away. One thing is sure, this little sister of a festival is surely a whole other experience, from the rest of the Finnish festivals.

More information on Island in the Sun can be found on IslandInTheSun.nu