it's a stuggle out there today for any artist without a huge advance to help get a superior job done, but even then, there are new comers out there in the trendy modern rock world who have gone out there on their own and treated their art as a buisness and gone out and got bank loans to get the best possible sounding debut records, and done everything themselves from marketing to production and promotion and built up a slow but steady fan base in the process, cutting out the middle man , "hello Dexter Freebish", this is something which is lacking in the AOR/melodic rock scene as it seems most bands want it all on a plate in the first instant, then when they get it, the bands complain of lack of sales and eventually split a year or two later thus we end up in a catch 22 situation where this genre stays at rock bottom.

Trouble is today the scene is small for melodic rock and AOR, even the bigger bands have had to take a dip in fortunes and sign to the indy labels, however, recent shows by Journey prove there is an audience out there, even if the trek has been a double jaunt with Def Leppard, but it's how to get the "NEW" bands of this genre out to that audience, and it's nuts that a top magazine called "Classic Rock" whom can do something about it, is erm, ignoring classic rock, wtf? how do they work that out and have the audocity to call their mag classic rock, oh I forgot they feature Ozzy every other issue, and these are the journalists who championed the original bands back in the day, and it is these bands who made those writers who they are today, talk about selling out (bar one or two respectable scribblers), more power to Fireworks Mag.

Back to our "genre" Most of the audiences attending those Def Leppard and Journey shows are unaware of websites promoting this genre and have no idea of the superb releases that are out there as there is little promotion bar this core audience of the internet going down to support these releases, a months promo and that's about it, no label especially here in the UK seems to get their acts on a major tour.

If Z Records as an example (and this is no way to slander them just incase I get sued, lol) as they claim is "Europe's Premier Rock Label", then how come they aren't bending over backwards getting say Lost Weekend a slot on Journey's upcoming tour next year? None of them won't do it, becuase they got to pay to do it and won't take the chance, and in defence, most bands when signing to a label expect the label to pay for their tours which is not always the case, thus, the scene as it has been for the past ten years stays where it is, (remember Frontiers magazine and Hard Roxx and early Powerplay championing the scene and foreseeing its growth and AOR come back), well its never happened, where as Power Metal has blossomed, and lets face it, even its hey day of the 80's, AOR was never actually that big and mainstream with most of the stuff at Shades for example being Imports., so is any wonder that releases today have lacklustre production and big bands of yesteryear are signing to smaller indy labels and we see tons of "projects" releases that aren't up to the standard, its catch 22, indy labels want complete product before giving out advances if your a new band, and unless your Journey or have a decent production job won't take a chance and pay for recording from scratch, so new bands looking to get deals can't always afford bank loans it's hard, I don't have the answers, does anyone?

All we can do is as fans keep supporting the scene the best we can in the hope that one day, one band will break it out of this core audience, and I hope it is one of the new bands that achieves this goal, as they are the future of the genre, and that scares me, as the bands we all know and love are now getting on in age, and will soon retire within the next 10 years from the scene, where will that leave AOR and melodic rock then? The future is not in these half assed reunions that's for sure, and I bet the VH reunion won't last more than 10 shows. Thank god for Michael Bormann, Gotthard, and WigWam and even though I didn't go this year, events like the Firefest, support them please !!! They are the future, do we want it to end up in Wigan again? I think not!!

If you spend some time searching out the internet and other rock websites right up to myspace you can find some damn right excellent bands. My hot tip at the moment - Agnes - When the Night Falls killer melodic rock from Finland, big news, this is how it should be done...check 'em out and listen to the song "Danger In Love" , has to be one of the best AOR songs of the year. http://www.myspace.com/agneshelsinki