Is it possible for indie artists to survive making music?

Farview said:
The industry isn't making any new rock stars. Name one band that has debuted in the last 7 years that can headline an arena by themselves and a single opening act. You can't, there aren't any.
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Not sure when they got their start (and I'll forego any comment on their music):
Mumford & Sons
Breaking Benjamin
One Direction
Black Keys

Now if you want to include pop stars, not just rock, then the list is huge.
 
I think when you are as great as me you can't really help but shine
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As with any product. Being economically successful with music depends on 1 part good product (actually being as great as you claim you are), 9 parts marketing.

...
another 9 parts knowing the right people.
another 9 parts luck
probably another 9 parts "selling out" and creating what people want to buy rather than what you want to make. (Being dismissive of what "kids these days" are listening to in favor of what kids were listening to 30 years ago is a bad start. Even Alice Cooper does duets with Ke$ha now. If you want to supplant what's happening now, you have to PUSH the envelope, not pull it.)
 
Breaking benjamin was around in 2002

Isn't One Direction a boy band? No, I'm not including pop music in this because it is usually something manufactured by the record labels. Almost to the point where it wouldn't exist without them. The labels have to back them up for that reason.

You did get me with mumford and sons

Black keys have been a signed band since the early 2000's. No one noticed until the 2008 album, which is still around the cutoff.
 
Farview said:
Breaking benjamin was around in 2002

Isn't One Direction a boy band? No, I'm not including pop music in this because it is usually something manufactured by the record labels. Almost to the point where it wouldn't exist without them. The labels have to back them up for that reason.

You did get me with mumford and sons

Black keys have been a signed band since the early 2000's. No one noticed until the 2008 album, which is still around the cutoff.
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I am pretty sure Breaking Benjamin was signed in 2004, I want to say around February. I was there working with their manager at the time trying to get my nephew signed with Rick Rubin's record label. (I think, time gets skewed)
 
Not only rock, but polka is pretty much extinct. You notice that? How not as many polka bands are getting signed now as there were in the 1950s??
Thanks a lot heartless label execs for killing polka.
 
fat_fleet said:
Not only rock, but polka is pretty much extinct. You notice that? How not as many polka bands are getting signed now as there were in the 1950s??
Thanks alot label execs for killing polka.
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For the best if you ask me...that genre was influencing youngsters to commit unthinkable acts... like wear suspenders. It's like, hello? If we wanted our pants to stay up, we wouldn't be choosing underwear to match our clothes!
 
dudernut said:
For the best if you ask me...that genre was influencing youngsters to commit unthinkable acts... like wear suspenders. It's like, hello? If we wanted our pants to stay up, we wouldn't be choosing underwear to match our clothes!
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Suspenders would have killed rapper fashion.
 
Interesting. My younger kids cannot name a single rock band or even solo artists. The only music they is what Disney has produced for them. Now my 22yr old is blind and a music lover. Due to my varied taste developed over 6 decades she can name any artist within the first measure. Her favorite is currently Andre Becelli andTommy James! My advice to the op, keep the day job, just make it one you can enjoy. Music is fun, a great hobby and can be rewarding. It's also cheap.
 
My garbage man is the best guitar player ever. But, you guys are right. It's time I bit the bullet and faced reality. People are gonna reward the rappers and the chicks with pop rock bands over me because they like easy, predictable garbage. If I have the choice between joining an underground deathcore band playing to groups of 10-20 or I play classic rock cover band which has been done to death il choose.... selling every instrument I own to go work at Mcdonalds. And just accepting the death of music. Whos buying Bieber's new album? Whos buying Periphory's new album? Because I see no difference in quality between the two and thats the biggest problem with the music business today.
 
Pop music is popular because record labels promote the crap out of it. Periphery doesn't sell as much because they get no promotion in comparison to Bieber.

Quality never enters into it. It never did. If quality was a factor in what people choose for entertainment, The Bachelor wouldn't be on tv.
 
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