#1626738 - 06/25/03 02:23 PM
Local band competitiveness.
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The Thrashole
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Registered: 05/21/02
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Loc: OH, UNITED STATES
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the music scene in my area sucks. There aren't many places to play, there is no local radio support, and the bands all seem to be at odds with each other. there is no sense of community. Anyone have some ideas on how to help a scene realize that local music really is helped by bands working together.
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#1626739 - 06/25/03 02:56 PM
Re: Local band competitiveness.
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djarrett
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Registered: 09/12/00
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Loc: Nashville,TN,UNITED STATES
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You could organize a free Battle of The Bands (hence the competitiveness) competition. This could be organized for a local charity. Sure, it might suck not to get paid for something like this, but it could be for a good cause, ... and more importantly, be great exposure for the music scene there and the local bands.
This would help make the local community more keen that bands do exist, and club owners may get the message the live music is desirable.
It is tough because we live in such an instant entertainment society, that going to see bands play (whether at a concert or a local club) is becoming a thing of the past.
Think about it.
DJ
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#1626740 - 06/25/03 03:07 PM
Re: Local band competitiveness.
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Rick K.
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Loc: phoenix,AZ,UNITED STATES
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One of the ways we help, is to help promote live music of any genre. We get tons of calls looking for musicians and we give tons of references. Try to not get into the price gouging just to get gigs. I guarantee if you start dropping your prices to work, you'll drive down the prices overall, then everyone loses.
Attend other live venues. Meet other musicians. Network. Go do jam nights. Share web links from websites.
Rick
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#1626741 - 06/25/03 03:44 PM
Re: Local band competitiveness.
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DC
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The best way to make friends from other local groups is to go see them and compliment what you like about them (and maybe don't talk about what you don't like about them). Before you know it, they'll be checking out you on your gigs and then you can start letting each other sit in on a tune or two and such.
It really pays to be allies 'cause like Rick said, you can really help each other out by finding out what clubs will pay and that sort of thing.
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#1626742 - 06/25/03 06:20 PM
Re: Local band competitiveness.
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CMDN
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Loc: Philadelphia,PA,UNITED STATES
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I've never been to a town (and I've been to a lot of small ones and big ones) where the locals didn't complain about the music scene in their area.
Funny... We always have good shows in their towns. I think it's all a matter of perception.
If you don't like the way things are in your town, you can:
1. Try playing in other nearby towns that might be more lively
2. Try to organize some bands and create multi-band showcases to get the attention of local press and radio
_________________________
\m/
Erik
Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?
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#1626743 - 06/25/03 06:40 PM
Re: Local band competitiveness.
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The Thrashole
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Loc: OH, UNITED STATES
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Well,yeah bitching about the scene is pretty cliche'. Radio coverage will not happen in this area. It is totally dominated by clear channel from cincinnati to columbus. not a lot of press coverage but I can think of ways to help out there. The funny thing is when you go to see a show most of the people there are from other bands.
I was more concerned with changing the attitude of some local bands. experienced bands will just sneer at the newbies instead of helping them out. I've even seen a band slam their opener before. They are just very cutthroat. Not much networking here in my experience.
I've done a few benefit shows and they work pretty well. any other ideas?
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#1626744 - 06/25/03 06:49 PM
Re: Local band competitiveness.
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Lee Flier
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Registered: 09/13/00
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Loc: Atlanta,GA,UNITED STATES
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Yeah, what Erik said. Very rarely is there a time and place when a particular town becomes a local music mecca. Most of the time, local music isn't a very big moneymaking concern and therefore club owners, radio stations, etc. are not going to be very supportive. So that's what you're dealing with.
With that in mind, it's CRAZY for the bands themselves to be competitive with each other and unsupportive. I have no idea what they're thinking by doing this. I used to see it a lot when I lived in L.A. but luckily almost no one here in Atlanta is like that. The bands do a really good job of sticking together and helping each other out, often going so far as to sit in on each other's recordings and attend each other's gigs.
This has really helped us all out of late, with the club scene sucking as bad as it has in the past year. Club owners are mostly clueless, and a lot of times if you can present them with a complete bill that makes sense, they love you. So the bands have mostly taken matters into our own hands. We'll talk to each other and work out a bill, then one of us will call a club and present the entire package to the booker. That works out pretty well - strength in numbers and all that. We also of course talk to each other and try to avoid booking gigs that would split up our crowds - where two bands with a lot of the same fan base play different clubs on the same night.
Bands who consider other good bands as "competition" and try to sabotage their success, are just lame.
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#1626745 - 06/25/03 07:00 PM
Re: Local band competitiveness.
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CMDN
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Registered: 11/13/01
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Loc: Philadelphia,PA,UNITED STATES
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Thrashy...
Ya can't change people, but you can change the way you react to them. Some older bands are just bitter and nasty because their careers haven't gone the way they wanted. That's just the way they are. When you run into folks like this, either give 'em a break ('cause they might just be having an off day) or make a note to give them a wide berth. But always try to be nice. Believe it or not, treating nasty people nicely can sometimes change their attitudes... if not towards everyone, at least towards you.
The music biz can be very competitive and nasty sometimes... Some people will just treat others like crap. In my experience, these folks don't wind up going very far...
Re: other stuff you can do to improve things in your town
You might want to try creating a musicians' coalition. Go to some shows, see what bands seem to be making an impression of people. Approach them about forming a "band alliance" in order to foster some unity in your music scene. Start off with maybe 6 or 7 bands, and make some plans for events... showcases are a good idea. Set things up so that you can have all the bands play on the same night. See if you can get some local sponsors (restaurants, music stores, etc) to give away gift certificates as door prizes. Take all the door money and use it to buy an ad in the local paper for your next showcase... talk to local studios about setting up some kind of "package deal" for all the bands to record and mix a single song and make a compilation CD... send the CD out to college stations for airplay and to local press for review... make sure the stations and newspapers/mags know that the CD is the product of a musician's coalition.
Believe it or not, I did all of these things. It works. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved. It IS a lot of work, though.
_________________________
\m/
Erik
Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?
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