The legendary The Police co-founder and guitarist Andy Summers talked in an interview with Johnny Beane (Transcribed by Ultimate Guitar) about the current state of music. He noted that if the band doesn’t make good music it doesn’t matter if they use the social networks well, the music has to be there or they won’t be as big as they want to.
Andy Summers talks about the current state of music
“I guess if you’re a young band now, and it’s early in your career, and you’re hoping to really make it big time — one day and sell out Madison Square Garden — [then] you have to do this stuff all the time… Of course, you’ve got to be doing good work musically.
“Let’s just say… you’ve got to be a great band. You’ve got to have the songs, you’ve got to have a great guy on the front. And [then] you can do as much rubbish as you want on Instagram. But if the real stuff’s not there — I mean, things like Instagram, they’re all peripheral to the actual work… Yeah, you got it on Instagram, but it’s a crap song — sorry.”
“Well, most things are derivative. Now, it’s very rare that you’ll see something original anymore. I mean, even even in hip-hop… So, the only thing you’ve got is a fresh face… but hopefully they can sing,” Andy Summers said.
The Police was formed in 1977 and lasted until 1986, reuniting in 2007 and 2008 when the group made a successful reunion tour. They released five studio albums and have sold an estimated amount of more than 75 million records worldwide.
After the end of the group, all the three members Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland started their solo careers and have collaborated with many artists over the decades.