From subculture to popular culture
Migros Culture Percentage has long been committed to Swiss pop music. It was only thanks to these efforts that the m4music music festival was founded in 1998. The 2016 publication Time Is Now is the first book to reflect on and report on the status quo of the Swiss pop music scene.
The m4music music festival, supported and sponsored by Migros Culture Percentage, is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. The purpose of the event, which is held in Zurich and Lausanne, is to promote and network the Swiss music scene. Now Migros Culture Percentage is looking for more: on its behalf, the editors Hedy Graber, Dominik Landwehr and Philipp Schnyder von Wartensee are presenting a series of books on "Pop music in Switzerland today". The twelve authors of the first volume, entitled Time Is Now had the task of scrutinizing individual aspects of the local pop scene.
Its 192 pages cover topics as diverse as Switzerland as a concert destination, the monetization of music videos and the music scene in French-speaking Switzerland. A broad range of topics. Reading through the anthology is often reminiscent of a visit to m4music: some of it seems arbitrary, but much of it is urgent and exciting. The problem with the book: Time Is Now may not be able to decide whether what is on offer should merely serve as a snapshot of the music scene or, in particular, be used as a handbook for young musicians with far-reaching aspirations.
Different quality
The varying quality of the articles is striking. The article is limited to Are you still buying? The journalist Martina Kammermann, for example, focuses on presenting well-known facts about streaming. Unfortunately, her text fails to mention current trends - such as the surprising vinyl boom. Even less gripping Sophie's favorite stands out from author Carole Gröflin. Her report on the singer Faber is content with a mere observation that does not question anything or attempt to find out more about the motivation of Sophie Hunger's 23-year-old protégé.
Other articles offer readers far more and dig deeper. Christoph Fellmann, music editor of the Tages-Anzeigerargues in his article, The new folklore, Since the 1990s, pop has no longer been a subculture in this country, but a popular culture. Fellmann hopes that Swiss pop will find its way out of this in future in order to explore more impassable terrain. True to the maxim: friction is necessary to create excitement. Music journalist Adrian Schräder, who took a look around the Swiss hip-hop scene as part of a reportage, and Bund editor Ane Hebeisen, who provides a short but fascinating history of pop on the radio, also provide insightful and inspiring insights.
Although one Time Is Now can and must be criticized for a number of things - from linguistic idleness to a lack of focus in terms of content - the publication of the volume is also a pleasure. After all, as the editors note, "there are surprisingly few publications on the subject with a local sender". This may change visibly with this series. Time Is Now is still a somewhat cautious first step. But one in the right direction.
Time Is Now - Popmusik in der Schweiz heute, edited by Hedy Graber, Dominik Landwehr, Philipp Schnyder von Wartensee on behalf of Migros-Kulturprozent, 192 pages, Fr. 19.50, Limmat-Verlag, Zurich 2016, ISBN 978-3-85791-817-9
