THE END of bar/cover bands

[Kenny Allyn]

The introduction is a quote from the ROCK BAND website.

What’s to stop ROCK BAND 3 or 4 from taking this thing to the next level and having ROCK BAND LIVE? If you thought keyboards were going to usher the demise of bass players in the 80s think about this!

I got to thinking on it when I was at a relatives home for the holidays and watched their kids playing this game. And then
after reading one too many comments about cover bands being mindless, and others about the diminishing need for players to trust anything but FOH, sound, it got me thinking why really PLAY at all? If bar owners only want to sell drinks while patrons do the “He and She” thing then why not a new genre of entertainment?


Karaoke is a worldwide phenomenon done in about every bar on the planet these days, so why not ROCK BAND LIVE? Karaoke works because it takes a wannabe and puts them on a stage and they get to be a star, if only for the song they sign up for. All of their friends come to see them plus the people that come to see the next Karaoke singer up. You can fill a bar pretty quickly that way. If it works for singers why not for wannabe guitar players, drummers or “gasp” bass players?


I can see it now, groups form of “game players” that take it to the next level and put together a LIVE version of the game. Each member of the BAND has their own screen on stage and gets points just like they do at home, but couple that with working up a stage act to go along with it. The points numbers appear on a screen that the audience sees and they cheer on the players. The singer could actually sing it Karaoke style or just lip sync it if they can’t.


Since the actual music is pre-recorded anyway there are no missed notes or broken strings just canned perfection, coupled with an “act” with real people on stage living out their fantasy.

The implications are mind boggling … a perfect set list, great sound (no more drummers or guitar players to turn down) cheap for the bar owner too. No real band to hire because like Karaoke it will be amateur nite players. Oh you could have a prize for the winner of ROCK BAND nite competition and that will bring in even more people $$$.

Fender and all of the “instrument” manufactures jump on it and make more realistic looking props and now the Genie is really out of the bottle.



And then what … real established bands sell performance rights of their songs with cuts of live video and “Tribute ROCK BANDS” from to actually emulate the chosen band on stage.

[MysticMichael]

Let it happen. At least musicians who spend their time playing other people's music will then be compelled to create their own. And the musicians who are left over after the shakeout will then be actual artists: No more posers and wannabees...

MM

[Rando McNally]

Maybe it'll become Rock Band Live, and instead of people dancing they'll be playing Dance Dance Revolution.

Hmmm.

[low-endz]

I play in original bands so no problem here.

[midnightsin]

While I can see your point, I really don't think this will happen. If it does I'd give it 6 months tops before the buzz wears off and people decide that they want "the real thing" back up on stage.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the Guitar Hero/Rock Band games. When it comes down to it, I'd rather be playing on a stage or seeing a live band.

[HEADLE]

It's happening here all ready. Lot's of bars hosting Rock Band or Guitar Hero nights, instead of Kareoke. I've not been to one but I hear they are popular. Too many people love live music for it to ever disappear but yeah it's already happening.

H

[Kenny Allyn]

"Actual Artist" will NOT be safe either

All the guys recording in the basement on their laptop will have an interface to track the ROCK BAND style of note tracking on to a computer, and can create a Perfect virtual band to get their music out to an audience ... It becomes the way to not have to worry about those pesky other musicians, messing with your vision

... It also becomes a new marketing tool to get your music out and played

[2x4strgkramers]

This **** annoy the ****ing crap out of me. Guitar hero = losser.

[Thunderthumbs73]

Rock Band video games bothers me not one bit. Why? Professional aviation flight simulators which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each (if not millions) and are used to train, test, diagnose the abilities, habits and weaknesses of the worlds best pilots still (from what I'm told) leave much to be desired in terms of an actual flying experience. I assume this would be the case with passengers as well. I can play with Microsoft flight simulator all day long, but that hardly qualifies me to be a pilot. Don't loose sleep over a video game.

[Joe Murray]

All valid points!! Although, I think this is more of a fad that will pass. People will get bored with it eventually. Its the same with Karaoke...I mean, it is still popular but it's more of a sub culture. They have Karaoke on certain nights or at certain bars...but they never took the place of live music. Being that I play covers maybe its just wishful thinking by myself....but I really don't see these games taking over the circuit.

[low-endz]

You know I laughed @ Alice Cooper & the x-Skid Row frontman when I flipped past vh1 & saw them singing along with these plastic wielding losers. To make it worse one of the "guitar players" said some like " I will always remember rocking the stage like a star!"
I rolled my eyes so hard they amost got stuck.

[Mike151]

Originally Posted by Thunderthumbs73

Rock Band video games bothers me not one bit. Why? Professional aviation flight simulators which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each (if not millions) and are used to train, test, diagnose the abilities, habits and weaknesses of the worlds best pilots still (from what I'm told) leave much to be desired in terms of an actual flying experience. I assume this would be the case with passengers as well. I can play with Microsoft flight simulator all day long, but that hardly qualifies me to be a pilot. Don't loose sleep over a video game.

+1
I don't feel in the slightest bit threatened. It's a freaking plastic guitar. hehe

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

Let it happen. At least musicians who spend their time playing other people's music will then be compelled to create their own. And the musicians who are left over after the shakeout will then be actual artists: No more posers and wannabees...

MM

Wow....I need to get started calling all the symphony musicians in the world and let them know they are posers and wannabees.



When I started in music in the 80's I had an old salt tell me something to this effect:

" Get out of music now. In 10 years, there won't be nothing but keyboards and computers."

Well, that didn't happen. Sure, live music has suffered some from karaoke and djs, but many people still want to hear live music from real musicians. I'm not so sure that the majority of bar patrons will want to spend hours watching adults play video games........

[MingusBass]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

Let it happen. At least musicians who spend their time playing other people's music will then be compelled to create their own. And the musicians who are left over after the shakeout will then be actual artists: No more posers and wannabees...

MM

Yeah! Like those posers and wannabees in the New York Philharmonic. Can't they create their own tunes!?

[Kenny Allyn]

I don't see it totally replacing a real band but when Karaoke started it was a few Japanese bussiness men letting off steam after work ... now instead of having bands two nights a week many local haunts have one night of bands and one of Karaoke ... and this is even at biker type bars


... By my math that's a 50% drop in bookings

[NicJimBass]

I fpeople would put the work into playing an instrument well, and not pretending to be a rockstar, people would listen, IMO. Alot of bands these days shouldn't be playing out, as their talent is lacking big time, but with the availability of technology what it is, almost anyone can be a "musician". I'd like to live in the 70's or earlier, when you actually had to play your instrument well to get somewhere.

[LaughingGroove]

Originally Posted by HEADLE

It's happening here all ready. Lot's of bars hosting Rock Band or Guitar Hero nights, instead of Kareoke. I've not been to one but I hear they are popular. Too many people love live music for it to ever disappear but yeah it's already happening.

H

+1 Its already happening here too. However the two places that I know of here do Guitar Hero at the beginning of the week, CRAPeoke middle of the week, then live bands Friday and Saturday, then comedy Sunday night.

I really don't think that it will last. I have gone a few times just to see the response and both times it was pretty dead. Maybe cause it was at the beginning of the week too though.

[Thunderthumbs73]

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

Let it happen. At least musicians who spend their time playing other people's music will then be compelled to create their own. And the musicians who are left over after the shakeout will then be actual artists: No more posers and wannabees...

MM

Posers and wannabees, huh?

Ever played someone else's song?

And I guess those famous musicians covering the songs of other famous musicians makes them posers and wannabees as well? I'm sure there is a whole contingent of Real Book-oriented jazz musicians and members of symphonies and classical music ensembles who you might want to take up this argument with too.

Or did I somehow misunderstand you in that anyone who does not create their own music are NOT "posers and wannabees"?

[landry.bass]

I'm not that worried. Live music, cover bands included will always have a place in bars, and other venues.

[Lady Kayri]

It's happening in Philly and Atlantic City; but as stated above, for the most part the bars and what not have one or two nights with Rock Band / Guitar Hero contests; the rest of the week they have live entertainment. It's seen as one aspect of a spectrum of entertainment for their customers, not the end-all and be-all; and they have just as many, if not more, people showing up for the live entertainment. Personally, while I don't play either game, I don't see much harm in it. It has exposed a lot of younger people to more 'classic' styles of rock and bands - who might not otherwise have ever listened to them - and even encouraged a few to take up real instruments. (I've had a few kids who've been guests at the hotel I work at complain to me, when they find out I play bass, about how much harder it is to play a real instrument as opposed to the game controllers...heh! So I smile and tell them to view it as a challenge...)