“Who do these guys think they are? They sound like crap, why are there so many people watching them? They call this music? This is garbage! Why is this band so popular? This band is no longer relevant to me, they sold out because they’re on a major now. Its bands like so and so that make me not want to be a musician. ” These are just some of the things I’ve been hearing while attending shows recently and while most of the time I would normally brush comments like this off, after the third or fourth show, it became kind of redundant and soon I became a bit agitated.
While I fully believe in the first amendment and everyone is entitled to their opinion, I would like to shed some light on some of these comments. Also, purely my thoughts and opinions. Just because you’re not hearing a certain band or artist on mainstream radio, doesn’t always mean that they don’t have a huge following, underground or otherwise. A lot of musicians and bands in todays music industry rely on the internet to acquire their fan base; and with the always growing pool of web resources such as Myspace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and iTunes, why shouldn’t they?
With the ability to set up (mostly) free accounts, its the easiest way to market themselves. Billions of people are using these networking websites. They’d be stupid not to. Im not saying that record labels are no longer relevant, because they are. Though they no longer are the powerhouses that they used to be, record labels are still very much necessary. Record labels even rely on Myspace to discover new artists. Why would label executives want to leave their offices when they have the ability of finding everything they could ever want right at their fingertips.
This leads me to my next point: Bands selling out because they assigned to a major label. Most of the time when a band signs to their first label, its usually an indie label or something of small stature. This is to get their feet wet and to learn the ropes and get their music out there with a little bit of a financial backing. When the growth of a band reaches a certain success level, sometimes its begins to be a bit harder for a band to move on without the right resources and ability to push an artist further.
A lot of bands who sign to indie/smaller labels are fine for the first year or two of their contracts however; most of them jump ship to a major label in order to achieve more substantial audiences and to expand their horizons. Another thing that major labels can do that indie labels have a tough time doing is getting their artists on the radio and music television networks. Bands and artists would virtually do anything to get their music on the radio.
The only way to do that is with the help of a major label or any label and a really great management team that has the resources and money to put into the band to help them achieve their new level of success. Lets face it; every band hopes to make it to the big leagues. They want people to know their music and to hit superstardom. Just because your band signs to a major label, doesn’t mean they sold out. If you’re at a show and you’re there to see a band that you admire and there is a band opening up the show that you absolutely cannot stand, is it really necessary to talk shit and yell obscenities at the band during their entire set?
How hard is it to keep your thoughts to yourself or maybe lower your voice so that only you and your pal can hear? How hard is it to walk away? Go outside or go check out the bands merchandise stand. I understand this will happen, but wheres the respect? When I heard the comment, They call this music? This is garbage! I had to laugh. I’m not naming the show I was at because thats not important; however the band that was playing is HUGE. What gives you the authority to label the band’s music as garbage? Why are you at the show in the first place?
Because you and your friends didn’t have anything better to do? The band has a platinum selling record and a sold out tour nationwide, this show drawing in 800 kids! I couldn’t believe the nerve. He might have thought the bands music was garbage, but I think he needed a reality check. Another thing that has been boggling my mind lately is the amount of bands trash talking other bands. A lot of bands tend to be talking a lot of trash on other bands and I know it happens and it will continue to happen, but what happened to the times where everyone was in it for the love of music?
Who cares what kind of music the other band is playing? What happened to the idea that even though you might not enjoy the music of your peers, shouldnt it be respected that you’re in it for the same thing? The music?! Its kind of disheartening when you overhear people, especially bands who are on tour with someone, talk poorly about the band that they are on tour with or near the same genre. Its called networking. Nobody is going to want to take your band on the road if you’re going to trash talk every band that you’re on tour with. I also understand the other viewpoint.
A lot of the music in todays scene is oversaturated. A lot of the bands sound the same and are ripping off someone else. This has been happening for years. Though they may not be original, some do it better than others. I also understand that there are some bands and musicians that don’t try nearly as hard as other bands, but its quite simple really. The ones that work harder are usually the ones that go way further and last longer in the industry, even if it takes them longer to achieve success. I will agree that there are some artists that todays society can do without, but I don’t cry about it.
Their fame will die out; its only a matter of time. My point is, with such easy accessible resources with things like Myspace, its easy to discover new music. Music (in my opinion) is supposed to be something that makes people happy. Music is something that people can share, bond over, sing and dance to. Its something that unifies people. Its not supposed to be something negative. I’ve met some of my best friends at concerts! Music has purpose and although you might not be listening, there are ten more people that are, as opposed to your one that is not.
