Chris deBurgh And Napster

“Don’t Pay the Ferryman” (1982) and “Lady in Red” (1986), two songs that found popularity in the United States, represent only two of the many works of a 52 year-old artist, songwriter Chris deBurgh. Popular in Europe, South Africa, and Canada, in the US he remains virtually unknown. That could change.

DeBurgh, born in Argentina of British parents, raised in South America, Malta, Nigeria, and Zaire, now lives in Ireland. He earned a degree in French and English from Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland, not Hartford, Connecticut). Dudley Moore-ish in stature and appearance, 19 albums speak to the accomplishment and popularity of this songwriting, storytelling balladeer. With a style reminiscent of Connecticut’s Gene Pitney, it is far different from today’s pop music scene characterized by singers like Britney Spears, Ricky Martin, or Korn. DeBurgh’s haunting, sometimes dark lyrics take the listener back to a time when an artist’s emotional trip crafted the soul of the song. In Europe, deBurgh enjoys a large and loyal audience.

Until recently, I rarely purchased music. CDs received as gifts often had songs ripped (converted the songs to MP3 format) in order to listen via headset while Web surfing or reading/writing e-mail. With the use of Napster I “discovered” deBurgh. Horrified readers will gasp at the admission that I (like hundreds of thousands Netters – often college students) downloaded copyrighted material. In my view, the widespread use of Napster testifies to a raucous, harmonic outcry by computer enabled music fans that traditional distribution channels are not sufficiently efficient in the digital age. Music fans hear with broken record repetition of powerful distributors owning the artist’s lyrics, recordings, and copyrights. That story again played out in the FAQ (frequently asked questions) area on the Official Chris deBurgh Web site (www.cdeb.com). In deBurgh’s case, the year was 1972; the culprit: Egg Productions. Billy Joel heads a long list of songwriter/artists who echo similar tales of exploitation. With a body of work spanning 19 record albums by an English speaking artist, the absence of wider recognition in the United States speaks volumes about the power of distribution. Perhaps the Internet will bring change.

Don’t Call The FBI

While listening to deBurgh’s music, I was struck by the unusually high percentage of his work I found to be either very good or outstanding. Often, CDs/tapes contain one or two quality tracks. CD fillers, at least in my experience, are of significantly lower quality. Even artists with a large enough body of work to release “Best of” albums frequently have weak tracks. For me, deBurgh breaks the mold. As a result, I am in the process of legitimizing my small collection. (Finding obscure songs with Napster holds a great deal more challenge than the media and record industry would have you believe.) In Canada, where deBurgh enjoys widespread popularity due in part to numerous concert performances, CDs of his work are found in greater abundance. I recently purchased my first deBurgh CD from a Montreal dealer on eBay. I continue to windowshop eBay for additional treasures.

The Big Payday

While many songwriter/performers sell millions of CDs, Courtney Love detailed (in Salon magazine) the miniscule share of the pie that trickles down. For artists who distribute directly to the fan base, the dynamics of the distribution equation changes. At 52, deBurgh’s musical style is unlikely to change. Given today’s tastes in pop music it appears doubtful he can attract enough fans, even with the help of the Internet, to fill stadium-sized venues in the United States. However, a growing segment of newly minted Net-based music fans can uncover his extraordinary talent and enjoy the passion he brings to his craft. Should he ever perform live in concert on the East Coast, I would be one of the first to purchase a ticket as his performances of “Spanish Train,” “A Woman’s Heart,” and “Just Another Poor Boy” would be worth the price of admission. My guess is that this would result in a big payday.

It would be surprising to learn Chris deBurgh buys on eBay, knows how to download MP3 music files with Napster, and enjoys tracks with jukebox-esque software like WinAmp. However, it would come as no shock to learn he continues to attract new fans in the United States who would wait in line to purchase tickets for a live performance. Quality music has no borders. We will witness the emergence of lesser known artists, like deBurgh, as music distribution channels change. I cannot wait. Until then, if you get the opportunity to listen to deBurgh’s songs, you may be as impressed as I. Without the Web, it would not have happened in my case. Hope to see you at the concert!

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.cdeb.com/

(This is the 213th of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the Internet. Next, “Eric Raymond and the NYT” is the subject on tap. Stay Tuned. Until next week, happy travels through cyberspace. Previous issues of Internet Info for Real People can be found: http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and suggestions: rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)