Peaj wrote:Do you think the music industry is fucked, and moreso, do you think it's fucked for rock musicians?
Nowadays, I'm tempted to say "it's over" and look back with nostalgia on golden ages of rock n' roll, and better days for musicians in general.
IT'S NOT OVER IT'S JUST DIFFERENT. IS IT AS GOOD AS IT WAS? NO. IS IT BETTER? HELL NO. FOR LOTS OF REASONS.
THE BIGGEST BEING THAT PEOPLE ARE STEALING. THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE. I SAID THIS WHEN IT FIRST STARTED WHEN I MYSELF WAS A BROKE TEENAGER AND SUDDENLY THERE WAS MUSIC AVAILABLE ONLINE FOR FREE, THAT PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH "FREE" WILL END UP COSTING THEM IN THE LONG RUN. AND NOW HERE WE ARE. THERE'S NO ARTIST DEVELOPMENT ANYMORE. WHY? BECAUSE THERE'S NO MONEY AND LABELS CAN'T AFFORD THE RISK. FAT LIP NEVER WOULD HAVE TAKEN OFF WITHOUT THE MACHINE OF A RECORD COMPANY BEHIND US AND ALL THE MONEY THAT WAS SPENT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. SONGS DON'T GET ON THE RADIO BASED SOLEY ON THE FACT THAT IT'S A DECENT SONG AND RADIO LIKES IT. IT NEEDS TIME AND MONEY SPENT ON PROMOTION.
At the same time, I still wonder about certain things. The demand for music is still there, it's just not a demand for physical albums, and although physical album revenue is no small loss, I also know that the costs of promoting and self-producing music has plummeted significantly in the last few years. THERE'S MORE DEMAND FOR MUSIC NOW MORE THAN EVER. MAINLY BECAUSE IT BECAME SO ACCESSIBLE. THERE ARE WAYS TO PROMOTE YOURSELF YES, BUT NOT MANY THAT CAN HAVE THE SAME EFFECT AS THINGS LIKE MTV AND RADIO THE WAY IT USED TO BE. SOMETIMES BANDS CAN GAIN GREAT ATTENTION BECAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS EXCEPTIONS TO EVERY RULE. BUT YOU CAN'T DENY THAT LUCK PLAYS SOMEWHAT OF A ROLE TOO.
Additionally, touring will always be there. The demand for a good live show seems to be as high as ever, from what I can see. The challenge seems to be acquiring that fan base, in the first place, which is much more a DIY undertaking, nowadays. Also, for rock musicians, part of the challenge is dealing with a musical era that favors rock music much less than in previous decades. But nonetheless, there are still success stories. Gaslight Anthem and Black Keys, to name a few. Established acts like Springsteen, The Stones, Green Day, and your own Sum 41 still seem to do very well on the road. Rock music definitely isn't forgotten in this day and age. IT'S TRUE ROCK IS NOT THE MOST RADIO FRIENDLY OF STYLES OF MUSIC THESE DAYS. THAT WILL PROBABLY CHANGE AT SOME POINT LIKE IT ALWAYS DOES. OR MAYBE IT WON'T. NO ONE CAN TELL WHEN OR IF IT WILL CHANGE. WHICH IS A SHAME BECAUSE I'M SURE THERE'S A LOT OF GREAT BANDS OUT THERE THAT WON'T GET THE CHANCE AND VICE VERSA. WE WILL NEVER GET THE CHANCE TO HEAR THEM. WHICH IS A BIG REASON WE'RE IN THIS STATE OF POPULAR MUSIC. IT'S NOT BECAUSE POP IS THE "BETTER" MUSIC STYLE IT JUST HAPPENS TO BE THE BEST BET FOR MAKING MONEY.
TOURING AND PUTTING ON A GREAT LIVE SHOW IS IMPORTANT BUT AGAIN THE COST OF PUTTING ON TOURS IS VERY EXPENSIVE. MORE EXPENSIVE THAN MOST PEOPLE WOULD EXPECT. AND AT THE SAME TIME IT'S ALSO HARDER TO GET PEOPLE TO WANT TO PAY MONEY TO GO SEE BANDS. AND I FEEL BAD FOR NEW YOUNGER BANDS. IT'S SO MUCH HARDER FOR THEM NOW.
AT THE END OF THE DAY THIS IS A BUSINESS. IT HAS COSTS AND PEOPLE NEED TO BE PAID FOR WHAT THEY DO. NOT JUST MUSICIANS BUT THE PEOPLE WHO HELP MAKE THE RECORDS. PUT ON THE TOURS. THE CEW WHO TOUR WITH BAND. RECORDING STUDIOS ETC. THE LIST GOES ON. THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE IF MUSIC WASN'T MADE AVAILABLE FOR FREE. $10 DOLLARS IS NOT A LOT OF MONEY FOR SOMETHING THAT CAN HAVE SO MUCH MEANING TO SOMEONE'S LIFE WHEN THE AVERAGE PERSON SPENDS $20 DOLLARS A WEEK ON COFFEE AND DOESN'T QUESTION IT. BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS. AND WHO KNOWS WHERE IT WILL GO AND HOW IT WILL CHANGE. THE MUSIC BUSINESS RIGHT NOW IS LIKE A SPINNING TOP AND WE'LL JUST SEE WHERE IT LANDS.
HAVING SAID ALL THIS… I STILL FUCKING LOVE MY JOB!
Sorry, I know that's tons of rambling. I guess the question is ultimately, as someone who has worked extensively in many different corners of the music industry, do you think rock musicians can adapt to our current music industry climate? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel of this weird transitional period?
there's a lot to answer here. my answers are in caps.
