Over the last number of years Guinness (or Diageo in fact) created a monster. A feat of marketing genius that effectively created a national holiday dedicated to celebrating the “Black Stuff”. Today that monster has been destroyed. There will be no Arthur’s Day 2014. There will be no city-centre shut-down as A-list artists play in back-lane bars and pubs. Arthur’s Day is over.
So, what brought Diageo to the point where they gave the nod to a series of lower-key weekend gigs over the seminal yearly celebration? According to Newstalk lunchtime today, it was the backlash of last year’s event, which saw accusations from the media, politicians and interest groups that the event was simple promoting alcohol consumption. It may be stating the obvious, but surely that is the main aim of any drink company’s marketing campaign?
As for how this will affect the average Hip-Hop fan in the city, it brings down the likelihood of witnessing your favourite artist in tiny venues. Over the last few years upcoming artists such as Wretch 32 and Iggy Azalea were brought in to play to Dublin fans; artists who otherwise would never have been booked in the city. Hopefully with the newly announced Guinness Amplify gigs, Hip-Hop fans won’t be forgotten.
