The sales of his albums are falling. The way people listen to music has irreversibly changed. Put the two together and it's not difficult to see why he's without a deal. Personally, I'd like to see him with a deal, but the figures just don't add up. He could start his own label, but he just likes spending other peoples' money too much. He should drop the sense of entitlement, ditch the yes-men, get some people who can write tunes that sell, and get on with making damn good music that people want to buy.
I don't agree with everything you say here Uncleskinny but in this instance we are as one.
The music industry has changed...it had to or else it would have died. Morrissey must change too...or else his career as a musician will die.
I still, perhaps naively, believe that he has at least one genuinely great album left in him. "Autobiography" showed that he still has a command of the English language that is, largely, unrivalled in the world of popular music. It also showed that his past has plenty to offer and to inform his lyrics. It doesn't have to be songs of bitterness or tired rants about this, that and the other...there is still beauty, sadness, love and character in him.
Recently the much maligned, perhaps correctly, Ordinary Boys have been using pledgemusic to promote/fund their new album. They post regular updates including a potted history of the band (with many mentions of Morrissey), ask fans for set-list requests, offer a wide range of merchandise (signed screen prints, cassette versions of the album, patches/badges and much more besides), produce Spotify playlists and make a genuine attempt to connect with their, still vibrant, fan base. Now, Preston is no Mozzer...he knows that, we knows that and Moz knows that. I also understand that much of the "joy" of Moz is in the fact that he does it his way BUT...if he is serious about being heard, if really wants to record music and if he wants to have one last moment in the spotlight then he needs to change.
I, and a fair few others here I am sure, would be more than happy to pledge in advance of a new album...with the right rewards I could be persuaded to offer up to £100; signed album, a screen print, advanced listen, priority tickets for a live show would be enough to see me cough up in advance. This was tried by Harvest but I don't think they got it quite right and I don't believe that it had the endorsement of Morrissey himself. I don't need him to email me or call me to thank me personally (although...) or to appear on Graham Norton with somebody from Eastenders but I would like to see him...give?
As for new songwriters...that is essential. Jesse Tobias is a competent musician and a fair songwriter but he lacks any real "pop" nous. Marr and Whyte are the two men responsible for his most successful and memorable "hits". What they had in common was a lightness of touch and a magpie ear. I don't know who fits that bill...people talk about Butler but I'm not sure; he's a prickly character in his own right. Strangely, Richard Oakes who wrote many of the biggest hits that Suede enjoyed in their career is the sort of character who may work well with Morrissey...I'm not suggesting Oakes but perhaps an unknown entity is what is needed. That or pick up the 'phone to Johnny...no Smiths reunion but a Morrissey Marr reunion. Ah, we all know that ain't gonna happen.
Without any change then we are all destined for a never-ending tour of enormodomes and a set-list that seems to genuinely be suggesting that "World Peace is None of Your Business" is a work of genius. It's not. It's a good album. It's got one or two brilliant moments but he is capable of more. At least I think he is. But what do I know?
Nothing.
