The New Industry

Have you ever listened to the radio and heard a song that just didn’t “deserve” to be there? Thought that your band should be? Well, as sad as it is, in this current state of the industry, you will never be heard outside of your friends. And you can thank MySpace and the internet for that.

It used to be that in the old days you could record a demo, put together a decent press kit, and ship off a few copies to the labels. They’d listen to them, and if you were good and what they were looking for, they’d give you a call or show up at one of your gigs. Or perhaps you were lucky enough that you were just gigging like you usually did and there was an A&R rep present who dug your sound. Things were good if you were a truly talented band. And if you did in fact get signed, you were set. Think of the artists who have been around for years. Aerosmith, Mettallica, U2, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, and so many more. Then think of any artist today that will be around in the next 10 years still making hits. Or who will be considered one of the “greats”. You’ll be hard pressed to come up with more than three. And this is sad.

With the advent of the internet, we thought that it would be easier to be “found”. Record a demo, put it up in (the disgusting) MP3 format with a few pictures, and then sit back and wait for the calls from the labels.

Those calls never came. So you improved your site, worked on your songs, and then sent them to the labels. Still, the calls never came. All thanks to the influx of mediocre garage bands. Don’t get me wrong. I think it is absolutely fantastic to have these outlets for your music. I wish I’d had access to them when I was younger. But it all seems too good to be true. A little misleading. You think you’ll be able to get your music to millions, and you’ll be rich and famous. You’ve got that next big hit, right? Well, sorry, but no, you don’t. Because no longer do we as musicians and listeners decide what we want to hear. The labels have taken it upon themselves to “research” the industry and see where the trends are. They take an artist who has visual appeal and market the life out of them. If you see an artists face enough and hear their name enough, eventually you start to think there must be something to them. They’re getting all this attention, right? Well, they’re only getting it because the labels are generating the buzz. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. And the labels will go to extremes to make sure the artist sells millions of records. If they don’t, the labels drop the artist or sell their contract to another label. And there is nothing the artist can do about it…unless your name is Madonna or you’re in U2. Then you can do whatever you please.

For you bands out there that are trying to “make it big”; stop trying. Start focusing on the market that you already have unlimited access to. Your hometown. Historically, hometown fans have been the base that really supports a band and show any prospective label that the band has a truly loyal fan base. This conveys hard work and determination on the band’s part. And those local fans will spread the word about your band so you can focus on playing. Why work so hard when you can have people do it for you? And other listeners and radio stations will believe a fans word over yours. You’re trying to sell your product. The fan doesn’t have anything to gain from promoting you, though, and this is evident to potential listeners, stations, and labels. Keep that in mind.

Concentrate on making good music that you’re passionate about. This is why you began playing in the first place. Don’t rely on anyone else to get you somewhere. You have to do it yourself. For more insight and advice on the music industry, follow us on Twitter and make sure you bookmark this blog!