Hey, this blog put me in contact with some cool dudes who have a band called Squat the Condos. You can download their EP here:
http://squatthecondos.bandcamp.com/
It's really groovy music, check it out! I'm partial to track 2 myself, but it's all worthy. "We Should Be Together" is pretty funny, too.
The Chicago Music Scene
Monday, June 27, 2011
Is Live Music A Commodity? Playing Music For Free
So, in the past couple days a debate has been raging on the Craigslist postings for Chicago musicians about playing music for free. This seems to have been sparked by an ad posted looking for musicians to pay in some coffee shop somewhere. The ad promises no compensation but free coffee or tea.
So now they are arguing, again. Should bands be offended by offers to play for no compensation, or a pittance? Is it the natural order of things? Is it "moral?" I'd like to espouse my thoughts on the matter.
The first thing that needs to be discussed is the question that I titled this article with: Is live music a commodity? A commodity is something with commercial value. Ticket prices to concerts seem to argue that live music is definitely a commodity, however the argument could be made that the reason big concerts cost money is that you're paying to see a FAMOUS band, with songs on the radio and Wikipedia articles. Then the value would be in seeing a personal favorite of yours, not in the live music itself. I think this argument holds; nobody goes to see a band they hate just for the value of live music. So, does live music in itself, regardless of your personal tastes, have intrinsic value?
The answer could be subjective based on the talent of those performing. Is talent subjective? I think the short answer is no. Even the musician that I think is the most overrated (Thom Yorke) has to be talented at SOMETHING, I'll give him that. Real talent and dedication show, they radiate from a performer and a performance, and if you're being open-minded, you can see it even in music that you hate. So if the band or group you're seeing has objective talent, then perhaps the live music has value in and of itself. But why? So this band spent a lot of time crafting this song and performance, and the lyrics and musicianship show natural talent and dedication to the performance? Why should we care?
First, the argument from the perspective of the intrinsic value of art in general. Some posit that art is the only thing (or most important thing) that makes life worth living for, and I'm not saying I disagree completely, however consider this: Are three teenagers playing four power chords way too fast and screeching about cutting their arms really creating "art?" If you don't like that example, there are a million others of bands that straight-up create shitty music, and the only people who would ever disagree are shitty hipsters who style themselves contrarians. I simply cannot call some music art, live or not, and I reject this argument out of hand.
Even if the music is horrifically bad, there's still a chance that the musicians are good people and worked hard on it. Does this matter? I think not; I can spend hours making a dot drawing of a giant penis and it would still be juvenile and retarded. The art should be separate from the artist. It's fine if you're a huge fan of some artist (using the broad definition of "artist") and learn about them as people, but it does not and should not affect the value (or lack thereof) of whatever art that person creates. Chris Martin is arrogant and pretentious, but Coldplay is a pretty good band. Inversely, Ricky Gervais is not funny at all, but he's a good person and doesn't deserve to be hated on. Just as Coldplay doesn't deserve a bad rap for Chris Martin's exploits into douchebaggery, Ricky Gervais doesn't deserve to be lauded even though he's an alright guy (I know a lot of people will disagree with me about Gervais but fuck those people and their strange British senses of humor.)
So, if a band or musician is objectively talented, then their music does have some degree of intrinsic value; however, if a band is objectively untalented, then their music does not have any intrinsic value. Therefore, I posit that live music does not have any intrinsic value from an artistic point of view. I'm not even going to talk about why something doesn't need to have artistic value to be a commodity. So, can crappy live music be worth something?
Venues book bands so that bands can bring people in who will spend money. In other words, venues book bands to make money. There is nothing wrong with this, it's supply and demand, straight-up capitalism. There are free modes of expression available to anyone, so don't even give me your "art-shouldn't-have-a-price" bullshit. If you want to make it in the music industry, clubs and bars and coffeehouses and all the other businesses that book bands are your training grounds; they're where you learn to play live, learn to work an audience, meet other bands, make connections, and have fun (in an ideal world every band would have to spend a couple years in the club scene before making it big.) There is nothing unfair about the general idea of making money off of live music. If your band sucks, but you bring a big crowd anyways, the venue makes money, you make money, and everyone's happy. Your music is a commodity. If your crappy band brings nobody in, however, then the venue loses money and you fail to uphold your end of the business transaction. You bring the goods, but they're worthless. Sure, bands have good nights and bad nights, but on your bad nights, your music is worthless. You are not a commodity.
Live music is only a commodity if you are able to bring out enough people to make your sponsors (the club or bar or whatever) money. If not, they might as well have closed down for the night.
Alright, so what if you play at a place like the aforementioned coffee shop that doesn't pay the bands, and you bring a massive crowd? The venue makes a ton of money, and you make squat. Doesn't seem fair, does it? Here's the thing: if you can draw massive crowds to any place, you have no business playing in a coffee shop unless you want to. The people who want to aren't complaining. The people complaining are the ones who don't want to and aren't, and as I've demonstrated, they have no ground to stand on. It is the coffee shop's prerogative not to pay bands, and there is nothing wrong with that, because no band can guarantee a large draw. Wouldn't that be nice, to know exactly how many people you can bring to any show at any given time? Well, you can't. You don't know if any real fans will show up (if you have them) and God only knows how many of your friends and family members are actually total flakes. Venues have to contend with this, which is why many pay based on draw alone.
You can't fault the venues for not paying bands; with so many disposable local bands who lie about their draw or have no idea (not to mention the economy) it is just horrible for business to promise to pay bands that may or may not deserve it. Don't be so presumptuous to assume that your band deserves some kind of compensation. There's no way to know if you deserve it or not, because A.) Your band might suck, and B.) You might not make the venue (AKA the people paying you) any money. Why would you get paid if you don't do your job? It makes no sense.
So, to recap: Live music CAN be a commodity, but not always, and there is no way to prove that your band is a worthwhile investment for a venue unless you have a relationship with them for some time. So, really, stop bitching about having to play for free.
There ya go. It is not immoral to not pay bands that play at your venue. Yes, it is always nice to offer some compensation but that's not what venues are there for. They cater to the audience, not the band. Now that I mention it, that's what the band should be catering to as well. The audience. Not themselves, as so many seem to do nowadays. Stop worrying about getting paid and concentrate on not being terrible! That's how you get paid!
So now they are arguing, again. Should bands be offended by offers to play for no compensation, or a pittance? Is it the natural order of things? Is it "moral?" I'd like to espouse my thoughts on the matter.
The first thing that needs to be discussed is the question that I titled this article with: Is live music a commodity? A commodity is something with commercial value. Ticket prices to concerts seem to argue that live music is definitely a commodity, however the argument could be made that the reason big concerts cost money is that you're paying to see a FAMOUS band, with songs on the radio and Wikipedia articles. Then the value would be in seeing a personal favorite of yours, not in the live music itself. I think this argument holds; nobody goes to see a band they hate just for the value of live music. So, does live music in itself, regardless of your personal tastes, have intrinsic value?
The answer could be subjective based on the talent of those performing. Is talent subjective? I think the short answer is no. Even the musician that I think is the most overrated (Thom Yorke) has to be talented at SOMETHING, I'll give him that. Real talent and dedication show, they radiate from a performer and a performance, and if you're being open-minded, you can see it even in music that you hate. So if the band or group you're seeing has objective talent, then perhaps the live music has value in and of itself. But why? So this band spent a lot of time crafting this song and performance, and the lyrics and musicianship show natural talent and dedication to the performance? Why should we care?
First, the argument from the perspective of the intrinsic value of art in general. Some posit that art is the only thing (or most important thing) that makes life worth living for, and I'm not saying I disagree completely, however consider this: Are three teenagers playing four power chords way too fast and screeching about cutting their arms really creating "art?" If you don't like that example, there are a million others of bands that straight-up create shitty music, and the only people who would ever disagree are shitty hipsters who style themselves contrarians. I simply cannot call some music art, live or not, and I reject this argument out of hand.
Even if the music is horrifically bad, there's still a chance that the musicians are good people and worked hard on it. Does this matter? I think not; I can spend hours making a dot drawing of a giant penis and it would still be juvenile and retarded. The art should be separate from the artist. It's fine if you're a huge fan of some artist (using the broad definition of "artist") and learn about them as people, but it does not and should not affect the value (or lack thereof) of whatever art that person creates. Chris Martin is arrogant and pretentious, but Coldplay is a pretty good band. Inversely, Ricky Gervais is not funny at all, but he's a good person and doesn't deserve to be hated on. Just as Coldplay doesn't deserve a bad rap for Chris Martin's exploits into douchebaggery, Ricky Gervais doesn't deserve to be lauded even though he's an alright guy (I know a lot of people will disagree with me about Gervais but fuck those people and their strange British senses of humor.)
So, if a band or musician is objectively talented, then their music does have some degree of intrinsic value; however, if a band is objectively untalented, then their music does not have any intrinsic value. Therefore, I posit that live music does not have any intrinsic value from an artistic point of view. I'm not even going to talk about why something doesn't need to have artistic value to be a commodity. So, can crappy live music be worth something?
Venues book bands so that bands can bring people in who will spend money. In other words, venues book bands to make money. There is nothing wrong with this, it's supply and demand, straight-up capitalism. There are free modes of expression available to anyone, so don't even give me your "art-shouldn't-have-a-price" bullshit. If you want to make it in the music industry, clubs and bars and coffeehouses and all the other businesses that book bands are your training grounds; they're where you learn to play live, learn to work an audience, meet other bands, make connections, and have fun (in an ideal world every band would have to spend a couple years in the club scene before making it big.) There is nothing unfair about the general idea of making money off of live music. If your band sucks, but you bring a big crowd anyways, the venue makes money, you make money, and everyone's happy. Your music is a commodity. If your crappy band brings nobody in, however, then the venue loses money and you fail to uphold your end of the business transaction. You bring the goods, but they're worthless. Sure, bands have good nights and bad nights, but on your bad nights, your music is worthless. You are not a commodity.
Live music is only a commodity if you are able to bring out enough people to make your sponsors (the club or bar or whatever) money. If not, they might as well have closed down for the night.
Alright, so what if you play at a place like the aforementioned coffee shop that doesn't pay the bands, and you bring a massive crowd? The venue makes a ton of money, and you make squat. Doesn't seem fair, does it? Here's the thing: if you can draw massive crowds to any place, you have no business playing in a coffee shop unless you want to. The people who want to aren't complaining. The people complaining are the ones who don't want to and aren't, and as I've demonstrated, they have no ground to stand on. It is the coffee shop's prerogative not to pay bands, and there is nothing wrong with that, because no band can guarantee a large draw. Wouldn't that be nice, to know exactly how many people you can bring to any show at any given time? Well, you can't. You don't know if any real fans will show up (if you have them) and God only knows how many of your friends and family members are actually total flakes. Venues have to contend with this, which is why many pay based on draw alone.
You can't fault the venues for not paying bands; with so many disposable local bands who lie about their draw or have no idea (not to mention the economy) it is just horrible for business to promise to pay bands that may or may not deserve it. Don't be so presumptuous to assume that your band deserves some kind of compensation. There's no way to know if you deserve it or not, because A.) Your band might suck, and B.) You might not make the venue (AKA the people paying you) any money. Why would you get paid if you don't do your job? It makes no sense.
So, to recap: Live music CAN be a commodity, but not always, and there is no way to prove that your band is a worthwhile investment for a venue unless you have a relationship with them for some time. So, really, stop bitching about having to play for free.
There ya go. It is not immoral to not pay bands that play at your venue. Yes, it is always nice to offer some compensation but that's not what venues are there for. They cater to the audience, not the band. Now that I mention it, that's what the band should be catering to as well. The audience. Not themselves, as so many seem to do nowadays. Stop worrying about getting paid and concentrate on not being terrible! That's how you get paid!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
My New "Job"
I haven't been updating this blog nearly as often as I told myself I would. That's to be expected. But I'm going to try to do better from now on. I am doing this in light of a position I have received writing for a website called windycityrock.net , sort of a better version of what I'm trying to do on this blog. They do reviews, news, and all that good stuff. Check it out!
So now I'll be writing for two Chicago music webzines. Awesome. If anything, I believe that this more legit gig writing for windy city rock will help keep things with his blog fresh and keep me sharp. Stay tuned!
So now I'll be writing for two Chicago music webzines. Awesome. If anything, I believe that this more legit gig writing for windy city rock will help keep things with his blog fresh and keep me sharp. Stay tuned!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Musician's Etiquette for Shows (The Ten Commandments)
Howdy, y'all. I'm sick and fucking tired of douchebag musicians coming to shows, acting like they're hot shit, and ruining the experience for anybody who's serious. It's time to face the fact, there are certain ways to behave at local shows. I'm gonna lay down a few commandments. Here we go!!
THOU SHALT NOT PERFORM WHILST ON DRUGS OR ALCOHOL
This one should be easy. Back in the day, yeah, everybody did it. And look what happened to them. Do you want to be Keith Moon, so fucked up that they have to pull a replacement from the audience? Stay sober on stage. Drink or do your thing afterwards. You owe it to yourself, and you owe it to your band. Plus, it might make the music sound better to you, but to everyone listening who isn't an idiot, you'll just sound like shit. Guaranteed.
THOU SHALT NOT SMOKE ONSTAGE
When Keith Richards does this, it looks incredibly badass. When you do this, you look like an asshole. You also look like a total poser, and a Keith Richards wannabe (Unless of course you are Keith Richards. In which case...YOU. ARE. A. GOD.) It's the 21st century. Smoking isn't "cool" anymore. It never was. You don't look like a badass. You look like somebody who is going to die before me. Keep it off the stage.
THOU SHALT NOT THINK THAT HEADLINING MAKES YOU BETTER THAN OTHER BANDS
It doesn't. You're headlining because you have more friends than the other bands. That's it. Don't flatter yourselves. If the show starts at 8, and you go on at 11, guess what? You should show up at 8. And if you honestly show up for the soundcheck, then leave and not come back until you're on, I will never respect you again unless you have a very legitimate excuse. You're not going to support the show that you're on? Is your life really that important? The other bands are most likely standing around waiting for you. And don't tell your "fans" not to show up until you go on, either. Musicians are supposed to stick together. Support EACH OTHER. Your karma will thank you.
THOU SHALT NOT LEAVE DIRECTLY AFTER YOUR SET, EITHER
I know a band semi-personally. I've gotten them 5 shows, including their first ever gig. I don't do it because I like their music. Quite frankly, they suck. But I went to high school with them, they're my friends, and I don't mind. They do this thing that irks the shit out of me and everyone else I've talked to who's played with them. They show up, bring some "fans" (their friends,) play their set, and then they all leave. They have done this at every single show I've gotten them. Don't be them. It's the same thing as the previous rule. Support the other acts.
THOU SHALT NOT BE AN ARROGANT PRICK
Honestly, unless you are selling records or consistently getting complete strangers to come out to your shows and give you positive feedback, just get over yourself. I was in an argument with a guy in another band once, at a show. I wanted to switch set times with him (I was headlining) because most of the people there were there to see his band. I figured many would leave after they played, so I wanted to play before them. Sounds fair. But this dude wouldn't have it. He said things like "I don't even want to be here," and told me to "Get my own fans."
Woah, there, buddy. I won't give you all the details, but this was a band that I knew on a personal level. None of the people there were their fans. Know the difference between a friend and a fan. A fan is somebody who would be there even if they hated you personally. Somebody who doesn't even know you. Someone who went to your show without you asking them to. Somebody who supports you in their spare time, because THEY want to. None of your friends are your fans. None of your family are your fans. Get this through your thick, inflated heads. My next point...
THOU SHALT WANT TO BE THERE
If you don't want to play a show, DON'T FUCKING PLAY IT. The audience can tell. Your band can tell. And the show will suffer for it. You shouldn't need a reason to want to play any show. You're playing music, the most cathartic experience life has to offer! Buck up! What the fuck do you have to complain about? Again, GET OVER YOURSELF.
THOU SHALT GET OVER YOURSELF
The whole "arrogant rock star" thing is very old. Just stop. It's not befitting of anybody, it doesn't give you "attitude" and none of the things you use to inflate your ego are actually substantial. Learn how to be a mature, kind person. That personality will show so much more.
THOU SHALT NOT FLIP A SHIT OVER A BAD GIG
Every band has bad nights. Don't sweat it. If it's such a big deal, nobody will begrudge you explaining what went wrong after the show. Just keep your head in the game for the next one. Bad shows are learning experiences.
THOU SHALT HAVE A LITTLE CLASS IN YOUR STAGE SHOW/PERSONAS
I saw this band the other day, and right in the middle of a guitar solo, the singer gets on his knees and pantomimes blowing the guitar player. I think he thought everyone would laugh, but if not for their shitty music, you would've heard crickets. Shit like this is not funny, it's not cute. Furthermore, keep personal shit off the stage. Inside jokes, personal feuds...nobody knows, and nobody cares. It's not funny and it's not interesting. It's memorable only in the sense that people will remember you as "the band that has poor perception of how other people think." Lose it, and develop a real stage persona. Not just "that goof who babbles and is a lot less interesting than he thinks."
Whew. Alright, I'm almost done. Finally...
THOU SHALT REMEMBER WHAT YOU'RE THERE FOR
The audience. The crowd. They paid money to see you. So give them something to see! Make a personal connection. Make eye contact with them, talk to them (on and off the stage,) make them remember you as a human being. That'll increase their chances of remembering you infinitely. It's what you're there for, it's why we do this crazy thing. Whether it's to seek approval, or to show off, or to look for critiques, the audience is your muse. At your shows, remember that they are the only reason that you're there. Treat them with respect, and they will do the same to you. Who knows? You might even make some new friends, or learn something new. Music is about growing and learning, and the only way to do that is to remember why you're doing it. The audience.
Well folks, that's all for now. Stay tuned!
THOU SHALT NOT PERFORM WHILST ON DRUGS OR ALCOHOL
This one should be easy. Back in the day, yeah, everybody did it. And look what happened to them. Do you want to be Keith Moon, so fucked up that they have to pull a replacement from the audience? Stay sober on stage. Drink or do your thing afterwards. You owe it to yourself, and you owe it to your band. Plus, it might make the music sound better to you, but to everyone listening who isn't an idiot, you'll just sound like shit. Guaranteed.
THOU SHALT NOT SMOKE ONSTAGE
When Keith Richards does this, it looks incredibly badass. When you do this, you look like an asshole. You also look like a total poser, and a Keith Richards wannabe (Unless of course you are Keith Richards. In which case...YOU. ARE. A. GOD.) It's the 21st century. Smoking isn't "cool" anymore. It never was. You don't look like a badass. You look like somebody who is going to die before me. Keep it off the stage.
THOU SHALT NOT THINK THAT HEADLINING MAKES YOU BETTER THAN OTHER BANDS
It doesn't. You're headlining because you have more friends than the other bands. That's it. Don't flatter yourselves. If the show starts at 8, and you go on at 11, guess what? You should show up at 8. And if you honestly show up for the soundcheck, then leave and not come back until you're on, I will never respect you again unless you have a very legitimate excuse. You're not going to support the show that you're on? Is your life really that important? The other bands are most likely standing around waiting for you. And don't tell your "fans" not to show up until you go on, either. Musicians are supposed to stick together. Support EACH OTHER. Your karma will thank you.
THOU SHALT NOT LEAVE DIRECTLY AFTER YOUR SET, EITHER
I know a band semi-personally. I've gotten them 5 shows, including their first ever gig. I don't do it because I like their music. Quite frankly, they suck. But I went to high school with them, they're my friends, and I don't mind. They do this thing that irks the shit out of me and everyone else I've talked to who's played with them. They show up, bring some "fans" (their friends,) play their set, and then they all leave. They have done this at every single show I've gotten them. Don't be them. It's the same thing as the previous rule. Support the other acts.
THOU SHALT NOT BE AN ARROGANT PRICK
Honestly, unless you are selling records or consistently getting complete strangers to come out to your shows and give you positive feedback, just get over yourself. I was in an argument with a guy in another band once, at a show. I wanted to switch set times with him (I was headlining) because most of the people there were there to see his band. I figured many would leave after they played, so I wanted to play before them. Sounds fair. But this dude wouldn't have it. He said things like "I don't even want to be here," and told me to "Get my own fans."
Woah, there, buddy. I won't give you all the details, but this was a band that I knew on a personal level. None of the people there were their fans. Know the difference between a friend and a fan. A fan is somebody who would be there even if they hated you personally. Somebody who doesn't even know you. Someone who went to your show without you asking them to. Somebody who supports you in their spare time, because THEY want to. None of your friends are your fans. None of your family are your fans. Get this through your thick, inflated heads. My next point...
THOU SHALT WANT TO BE THERE
If you don't want to play a show, DON'T FUCKING PLAY IT. The audience can tell. Your band can tell. And the show will suffer for it. You shouldn't need a reason to want to play any show. You're playing music, the most cathartic experience life has to offer! Buck up! What the fuck do you have to complain about? Again, GET OVER YOURSELF.
THOU SHALT GET OVER YOURSELF
The whole "arrogant rock star" thing is very old. Just stop. It's not befitting of anybody, it doesn't give you "attitude" and none of the things you use to inflate your ego are actually substantial. Learn how to be a mature, kind person. That personality will show so much more.
THOU SHALT NOT FLIP A SHIT OVER A BAD GIG
Every band has bad nights. Don't sweat it. If it's such a big deal, nobody will begrudge you explaining what went wrong after the show. Just keep your head in the game for the next one. Bad shows are learning experiences.
THOU SHALT HAVE A LITTLE CLASS IN YOUR STAGE SHOW/PERSONAS
I saw this band the other day, and right in the middle of a guitar solo, the singer gets on his knees and pantomimes blowing the guitar player. I think he thought everyone would laugh, but if not for their shitty music, you would've heard crickets. Shit like this is not funny, it's not cute. Furthermore, keep personal shit off the stage. Inside jokes, personal feuds...nobody knows, and nobody cares. It's not funny and it's not interesting. It's memorable only in the sense that people will remember you as "the band that has poor perception of how other people think." Lose it, and develop a real stage persona. Not just "that goof who babbles and is a lot less interesting than he thinks."
Whew. Alright, I'm almost done. Finally...
THOU SHALT REMEMBER WHAT YOU'RE THERE FOR
The audience. The crowd. They paid money to see you. So give them something to see! Make a personal connection. Make eye contact with them, talk to them (on and off the stage,) make them remember you as a human being. That'll increase their chances of remembering you infinitely. It's what you're there for, it's why we do this crazy thing. Whether it's to seek approval, or to show off, or to look for critiques, the audience is your muse. At your shows, remember that they are the only reason that you're there. Treat them with respect, and they will do the same to you. Who knows? You might even make some new friends, or learn something new. Music is about growing and learning, and the only way to do that is to remember why you're doing it. The audience.
Well folks, that's all for now. Stay tuned!
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