TALLYHO TIME CAPSULE

Music industry insider, SIMON COFFEY, calls his www.tallyho.co.nz website  "An historic cyber art gallery". Actv8 asked him for his thoughts on today's New Zealand chart-toppers and also about his love of Kiwi music memorabilia.

What gave you the idea of putting your collection of memorabilia online and how difficult was it to design the site?

I had all of the material in boxes for years and I was thinking it would be cool to share this with others. The difficult part is scanning and sizing each item for the website (slow process). I went through three versions before the site went live, and just revised it again last month, and I'm currently talking to a professional designer about an updated design at the end of the year.

Your collection consists of historical material. What made you stop collecting?

I think as you get older other things are more exciting, like meeting someone you love and having children. Also I became more interested in reading about New Zealand and so focused on university studies and just stopped
collecting stuff.

Which item in your collection do you personally value most highly and why?

That's a hard one! I'd say poster by a NZ band called the Pin Group. I never saw them play, but I love their records. The poster for their 12-inch EP (extended play release, this one on vinyl) released in 1981 reminds me of hearing them for the first time, every time I look at it.

To what extent did the increasing popularity of CDs and the corresponding lack of packaging space cause a decline in the standard of music artwork?

Hugely; also, the decline of singles has reduced creativity, as well as design opportunities. There's no going back, but nothing beats a gatefold sleeve LP.

Do you still buy vinyl?

Very occasionally, for bands I'm a fan of, otherwise it's CDs and iTunes these days. I don't agree with the vinyl sound versus digital sound argument. Digital is better, hands down.

What do you think of the New Zealand iTunes Store compared with other local music download sites? Do you think they offer better value for money than physical recordings?

I buy all of my NZ music on CD, but I do think downloads are the way for young bands to get known, especially giving away the singles: iTunes for singles, CDs for albums.

What about design and packaging - how imaginative are artists and their labels around the ‘packaging' offered with paid downloads?

It's not the same as having a CD cover or, even better, an LP cover. Really, I think kids are missing out a bit here; the extra tracks are nice, but really not the same.

When you were growing up, to what extent were your musical interests dictated by the comparative obscurity of the band or artist?

Well, the internet didn't exist so websites telling you who was cool didn't dictate to me. Really it was word of mouth, friends hearing a song on the radio or reading about a band in overseas magazines (usually three months old). The hipster phenomenon, I think, is a more recent development (technologically and socially).

Have any of the artists or their business associates asked you to remove an image from your website?

"No, everyone's cool - especially since I'm doing out of love rather than money, and I know some musicians are enjoying see the artwork again."

What advice would you give a young New Zealand band today about design, image and packaging, and what lessons do you think they can learn from the past?

Firstly I would say focus on digital, but then do a limited release on CD and, gosh, if you ever can, on vinyl as well. Then use different artwork for each format - instantly collectable. And what about a cassette version? This would be the equivalent of a single in the old days being 7-inch, 10-inch and 12-inch vinyl, plus a cassingle (a single on a tape cassette).

What's on your iPod's ‘On the go' playlist - or are you an iPod refusenik?

No, no. I have an iPod, everything goes on i, and I have an adapter in the car to have it play
shuffle as a radio station. Lots of NZ acts:
Phoenix Foundation, Fat Freddy's Drop, Katchafire, Cassette, the Bleeders, as well as lots of overseas act. I'm always downloading free tracks to check out bands. iPods and digital are the future.

Your website has a list of bands you never saw but wished you had. What about bands you'd looked forward to seeing and then wished you hadn't?

I'd rather not be nasty, I prefer not to bad-mouth people or bands; it's impolite. Actually, more likely an overseas act not being very good live.

What are your thoughts on the current crop of New Zealand bands - are they indie enough for you and do you think Kiwi music is on the right track?

I think the indie is still there, but I think there is now a support-base for ‘commercial' bands to do well and make a living at being a musician, which is cool. It does cross over: Salmonella Dub, Fat Freddy's Drop, and Shapeshifter would've been considered alternative 20 years ago, but now they rock the charts.

If there was one New Zealand song you wish you had composed, what would it be?

"Dominion Road" by the Muttonbirds or
"Counting The Beat" by the Swingers.