Why Bands Dont Make it?

[Cloneboy Studio]

Honestly, I think that's mostly BS. I've been gigging a lot of years, and in my personal experience maybe 2% of the crowd is interested in what instruments you play. The rest of them are there to be entertained.

So what you are saying is you are not interested in a 2% increase in popularity? In 'the big game' a 2% boost in sales can mean millions and millions of dollars; or, the difference between being signed and not signed.

 

[freshmattyp]

So what you are saying is you are not interested in a 2% increase in popularity? In 'the big game' a 2% boost in sales can mean millions and millions of dollars; or, the difference between being signed and not signed.

Not at all. I'm saying that in any given crowd there are 2% interested in what my setup is, and 98% who just came to hear our music. There's a tendency in music (both performance and recording) to focus on the gear, and not what you do with it. Does it matter in the long run if I play an Ibanez through a Crate amp if it serves the song and the overall sound of the band? Does it matter that I used an 87 to record my vocals? I contend that the answer is no. You may beg to differ. You listed a lot of good reasons in your original post. This isn't one of them.

Just my $.02

 

[CoolCat]

why bands don't make it?
1) the band no longer appeals to the buying public. ex. 10 to 15 yr old crowd.
2) the drummer kept falling off his drum throne due to drinking too much. it was ok at practice but when it started happening during the shows..well...
you figure it out.

 

[andydeedpoll]

Plus, if you are serious about getting signed you should aim for having the right tools, and better tools, and more the merrier. Shoot for having 6-7 guitars on a rack case next to your Orange and VHT half stacks, while the bassist thumbs his choice of a Ricky 4002, Fender Jazz or Precision bass thru an Ampeg SVT, and the drummer is wailing on DW kit and Ludwig Black Beauty snare.

the lead guitarist in one of my faveourite bands, Radiohead, plays ones guitar, through one amp on stage. i wouldn't be able to tell you if he had another guitar, but i've read interviews and he doesn't talk like he does. i've never seen the bass player swap instruments either... to me, thats far cooler than having a bzillion guitars, and i think most of the musicians i know would think that.

i think there is something to be said for playing your instrument in a different way, without it being a cliche or gimmicky, though. reminds me of Spinal Tap when he plays his guitar with an actual violin . its already been said - people come to your shows to be entertained... if that means that halfway through your show you give the drunk at the back the oppertunity to shout "bugger me, he's playing his guitar with a whisk!!!", then so be it. but obviously, only if it works.

i liked the point about having less than two hours of your own music. i know someone who has recently recorded his first album, and is beginning to gig every few nights, has done a tour and is beginning to build up a fan base. he's decided not to try and make himself known to record companies until he's completely written, recorded and rehearsed his next two albums, even if he hasn't had copies done and started selling them at shows yet.

but then again, i'm 16, and what i've said is all speculation. i don't actually have a clue. *shrugs*

Andy

 

[BMWerks]

The music industry has no president or CEO. ( Or, maybe he's behind the curtain over there) It's a free-for-all. I think of all the hundreds and thousands of musicians male and female, (or others) that stood in line at Music Row, Nashville to be auditioned for the one big hit they believed would put them on the map.

Toto! Oh, Toto! Where are you Toto? Oh my, Auntie M, Auntie M. Where are you Auntie M? We're off to see the wiz........All the A&R guys; "Follow the yellow brick road!"

Just have fun with it. "Making it" happens from within first. When Joe Public sees that you're constantly making improvements at your art and craft, that's when the buzz begins. You begin to attract attention to your self. The "Music" becomes a bi-product of the spirit behind it.

Problem is, when the buzz begins, there's no instruction manual to teach you how to keep it going and growing. "Success" here, is the right combination of many ingredients. More skill than luck though. A lot of planning and a seamless strategy. Brains and tenacity. Shear will won't cut it. It's where art and business marry like peanut butter and jelly.

"Making it" in the music business is not for everybody. It's only for those who can't do anything else.

 

[CoolCat]

"making it" is a vague term??or Not Making It..whichever?

Beatlemania type making it?

Having 10 generations of your Christmas-penned-song played every December?

Not having to work at the factory, you live humbly off the music industry in some form?

Tequilla makes her clothes fall off and so does your smooth playing?

One hit wonder and you retire at 31$$?

Constant touring and bookings on the road?

Selling your bands HR CD and pulling in enough to buy more gear type making it?

 

[CoolCat]

There's a tendency in music (both performance and recording) to focus on the gear, and not what you do with it.

Just my $.02

i'm guilty! is it that common?

 

[grn]

beatlemania type making it, I'll take that one

 

[BMWerks]

Sometimes I wish I started out with a passion for making money instead of a passion for making music.

www.bmwerx.com

 

[BMWerks]

i'm guilty! is it that common?

I say, focus on any damn thing that makes you happy. To me that's success. Life's short. If you ain't living on the edge, you're taking up too much space.

Does writing music and playing it for the public make you happy? Or, is it a "job" or "task" to perform in the mean while, waiting for your ship to arrive?

Ask the hard questions. Do you just like playing with the gear and are not too commited to the music? If so, admit it and be happy.

Would you rather make a friend than a buck? That's OK too. Just freakin admit it.

Your heart felt love and dedication to your music is priceless. Bands fail because the members aren't all singing from the same hymn book. Let alone, reading from the same page.

Money or no money, make the contribution, have integrity, the effort put forth to improve the quality of life, for you and others, should be enough to make you happy. "Making it" in the music industry is a selfish fraud. Anybody out there perpetrating a fraud?

 

[CoolCat]

Bands fail because the members aren't all singing from the same hymn book. Let alone, reading from the same page.

i think thats true and a critical factor in successful bands, the personalitys fit...."on the same page" as B said.

As a Band, like a special forces or green beret team, each have a major role, different skills......in a band, many outgrow their roles quickly.

then they all start getting off the same page.

and so the drummer starts showing up on drugs and booze,
the bass player decides to start wearing Beatle-outfits and play Pop-rock, the Lead guitarist wants the band to dress like KISS and play Thunder-Glam rock,
the lead-singer decides this week he is changing his personality and hair style again
and wants the band to go in a different direction
and play songs just like all the other bands that are making it right now on MTV. or maybe hmm???

RAP Country music!!!

Country RAP!!! we could call it??? hmmmm

 

[andydeedpoll]

i watched an interview with Coldplay on TV a week and a bit ago. interesting. someone asked them 'what makes Coldplay work?' and the lead singer, Chris Martin said something like 'argh, the hated question! we work because we were friends first, and thats always the most important thing, and nothing should get in the way of that. we work because we all want to get to the same musical place, and we're interesting because we all have slightly different ways of getting there. we work because some of us are loud, and others slightly more withdrawn. we work because one of can do a backflip. who knows?'

like i said before, i know nothing. but i can't imagine a band 'making it', in any sense of the phrase, if the band is unstable - musically or personally.

i make music best when i'm making it with my best friends

it'd be interesting to add a poll to this thread, to see what people percieve is 'making it'...

Andy

 

[mjr]

i think thats true and a critical factor in successful bands, the personalitys fit...."on the same page" as B said.

As a Band, like a special forces or green beret team, each have a major role, different skills......in a band, many outgrow their roles quickly.

then they all start getting off the same page.

and so the drummer starts showing up on drugs and booze,
the bass player decides to start wearing Beatle-outfits and play Pop-rock, the Lead guitarist wants the band to dress like KISS and play Thunder-Glam rock,
the lead-singer decides this week he is changing his personality and hair style again
and wants the band to go in a different direction
and play songs just like all the other bands that are making it right now on MTV. or maybe hmm???

RAP Country music!!!

Country RAP!!! we could call it??? hmmmm

Country Rap...look up Cowboy Troy...he's a "member" of the Muzik Mafia...he's kind of Country Rap...

http://www.cowboytroy.com/

It's a flash site, so it might load a little slowly over a 56K...

 

[Grey Angel]

I didn't read all the posts on this thread, just the first few, so this'll be going back to the beginning of this thread...

I think that many bands/musicians don't really make it because they try to make music that's catchy or they think will be accepted by a certain age group. I dunno, just one of my ideas.

Also, there are a few bands I like that aren't very popular, I think because their music and lyrics are too deep or poetic for people en masse to enjoy just casually listening.

 

[Supercreep]

I think somebody already mentioned this but I think it bears repeating.

Sometimes, you just get dealt a bad hand.


I know a great band that got signed by Capitol and went nowhere, because the label just wouldn't promote them.

They worked just as hard as you please, toured, purchased the right things, looked the right way, etc.

At the end of the day a simple expeditious bean-counting landed them on the outside of the feeding trough, and another Tool soundalike got the dollars. Record companies don't like risks. They are looking for the next Sure Thing.

Tough luck, huh?

Anyway, every single one of those cats made it in my book - they wrote a song I'll remember my whole life. The song is king, to me.


Famous? Never. Rich? No way. Well known? Unlikely. However if you ask them if they would do it all over again they will tell you they wouldn't change a thing. That's believing in your music's intrinsic value, not how much you can sell it for by the pound.


The band was SweetVine. The song is Ever Made Love to Be.


I guess the moral of the story is: Love what you do, and you can't fail.

 

[PaulKarate]

When Joe Public sees that you're constantly making improvements at your art and craft, that's when the buzz begins. You begin to attract attention to your self. The "Music" becomes a bi-product of the spirit behind it.

This is very true. The "Music" becomes a bi-product of the spirit behind it. It really boils down to having a great live show. Anyone can stand there and play but people really want to be entertained.

 

[giraffe]

bands don't make it for many reasons, here are a few
(this list is in order of importance)

1: they suck
2: the members are all lazy, and expect shit to happen simply because they exist
(those are the biggest ones, if you have both of those bases covered, you're doing better than most)

3: unfortunate timing
4: no members of the band are "personable"
5: not knowing any one (this will not stop you from making it, but lets face it..... knowing someone, any one, will make the trip easier)

 

[BMWerks]

I think somebody already mentioned this but I think it bears repeating.

Sometimes, you just get dealt a bad hand.


I know a great band that got signed by Capitol and went nowhere, because the label just wouldn't promote them.

They worked just as hard as you please, toured, purchased the right things, looked the right way, etc.

At the end of the day a simple expeditious bean-counting landed them on the outside of the feeding trough, and another Tool soundalike got the dollars. Record companies don't like risks. They are looking for the next Sure Thing.

Tough luck, huh?

Anyway, every single one of those cats made it in my book - they wrote a song I'll remember my whole life. The song is king, to me.


Famous? Never. Rich? No way. Well known? Unlikely. However if you ask them if they would do it all over again they will tell you they wouldn't change a thing. That's believing in your music's intrinsic value, not how much you can sell it for by the pound.


The band was SweetVine. The song is Ever Made Love to Be.


I guess the moral of the story is: Love what you do, and you can't fail.

Lenon and McCartney would be very proud of you. This song could have been on the Rubber Soul album. I love the Beatles.

I remember Ed Sullivan asking The Beatles what their lifes aspirations were back when he had them on his show I think around 1965. They each stood close to the mic Ed was holding and said, almost in unison; "to make a million dollars". Anybody out there remember that show? I was 16 years old, wore a Beatle suit and had my hair to the bottom of my earlobes.

 

[gullyjewelz]

i hate it when people say shit like "dont focus on the money" - u cant even make a damm song without a keen eye on the money -- the same people who say dont focus on the money are the first ones to tell you u got a "hit" if it was recorded and mixed by a professional, or it would sound better had u a better mic

i think the most important thing is to find people who love to "sell" and "promote" the same way you love to "make music" and then u will definitely make progress -- the major record labels have this -- each artist gets a "team" of folks who's explicit focus is to sell that artist

 

[mjr]

i hate it when people say shit like "dont focus on the money" - u cant even make a damm song without a keen eye on the money -- the same people who say dont focus on the money are the first ones to tell you u got a "hit" if it was recorded and mixed by a professional, or it would sound better had u a better mic

i think the most important thing is to find people who love to "sell" and "promote" the same way you love to "make music" and then u will definitely make progress -- the major record labels have this -- each artist gets a "team" of folks who's explicit focus is to sell that artist

Another interesting problem is one of the money that's spent to record/market/promote. Even if you do it at home. You still have to buy the equipment, buy the software (if applicable), buy the recording media (unless you're recording on your computer), buy/create marketing materials (generally requiring some type of printing or printing cost), buy & burn your own CDs (which also cost money). I guess the argument would be if you enjoy making the music, it won't matter if you sell ANY.

I know for sure a copy of one of my CDs is going on my wall at home! Although a friend suggested I wait until I sell my 100th CD before I do that...