Tag Archives: unsigned bands

Could the global ecomonic situation be a good thing for music?

By jade.wright | Published: November 9, 2009
A couple of years ago, the climate around new bands became overheated to the point of meltdown. Mild hysteria surrounded any group with one good song and more than 5000 MySpace fans. Enthusiasm snowballed into sycophantic hype in the blink of an eye. Bands were everything and then nothing on the scene before their first single [...]
Posted in General | Also tagged , , , , | 3 Comments
Recent Comments: (3 / 3) Add a comment
  • I think the cream will always rise to the top, there's always been one hit wonders and there always will be. Myspace enabled bands to get a lot of coverage very quickly, without the need for gigging to 5 people every week to build a following. Myspace has faded almost to death now, but there are other internet based ways to promote yourself. If you want it, and enough people like you - you'll make it. Being made to work harder for attention is only going to be a good thing, talent contests are never going to find the world a genius - just something to market. There's no easy road to success. If youre gifted you may get there sooner, if you have to work harder than people before you maybe thats because you need to.

    posted by: cheapskate - view / reply

  • There is certainly some historical evidence that recession breeds both creative musicians and entrepreneurial activity amongst music practitioners. From the birth of Rock ‘n’ roll in the USA in the 1950’s that spawned the first independent record labels. To the emergence of Punk in a very socially and economically challenged 1970’s Britain ( and later on to a lesser extent Rave), to smaller but not insignificant examples such as the emergence of Grunge in Seattle in the late 80’s early 90’s, a common denominator is very often recent or current economic and social hardship. This situation coupled with a lack of investment capital and/or a risk adverse climate within the major corporations has always seemed to breed musical creativity, technical ingenuity and business initiative on the furthest fringes of the market. Typically, these socio-cultural movements emerge from initially small-localised music scenes or increasing connection between geographically dispersed scenes.

    Whilst the internet is arguably place, and a space where communities meet and socialise, what is lost is the proximity of musicians and fans congregating in a physical space to be part of something exciting and underground.

    An interesting question related to this topic is, is it likely that digital socialisation can effectively replicate the experience of being part of a geographically localised music scene? Therefore, in the future will music scenes just as readily be germinated and developed in cyberspace as the real world?

    posted by: Mat Flynn - view / reply

  • I think it may all depends on why you want to learn an instrument or "get into" music in the first place. I did because at 16 my mates bought guitars and needed a drummer. I didn't want to be left out bought a cheap kit and never looked back. So where is the motivation nowadays to learn - is it peer pressure, opportunities at school, being inspired by your favourite band / artist / musician? Having learned your instrument and formed the band where do the expectations come from - as you righly point out very few bands will make it, in the global sense, but they might just do enough to get satisfaction from their art - whether it be by producing an album - actually going into a recording studio, hits on Facebook, a video on YouTube, a few live gigs, support to a major act, or be the major act. I haven't the answers but thought I'd raise the point !!!

    posted by: mwilson - view / reply