the problem with arguments like these is that they're not based on facts. DJs pull out very large crowds on the regular, across markets... It has little or nothing to do with the medium with which the music is made.
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Is interest in live music declining?
- Thread starter theinfamous
- Start date
Reading through the thread, it sure does seem quite varied throughout the country (and further). Things have changed massively on the local level, either way things have swung though. I think a major turning point was when the touring acts became package deals for promoters, and local bands were no longer included on bills. I grew up opening for national and larger acts, but it's now rare to see a local on a large bill. It was once standard to always have a local. This really seems to have had a substantial impact on the perception of local music. Now there is the massive, underground DIY and house show scene mentioned, which is quite separated from the touring club acts. The cover bands that are surviving and doing well are more niche, doing specific tribute or "era" sets, that might be worth looking into more.
When I was coming up in the 70s, people had a passion for their favorite bands like they had for their favorite sports teams. We would argue over who was better Queen or Zep, Tull or The Who, in the same way as people in NY would argue over the Mets and Yankees, the Giants and the Jets. When we caught a good cover band playing our favorite music in a bar or club, it was like a religious experience. We would be totally engaged and rapt in the music. There was a passion and thrill to the experience. Unfortunately, methinks that the thrill is gone today.
My experience tells me that most people under the age of 30 want instant gratification and have ZERO patience. They want their favorite song, you know, the one that clocks in at an impressive 2.5 minutes tops. Anything longer and they're either bored or triggered. Not conducive to live music bar scenes.
This thread is not whether or not your band gets booked. If it does good for you but that's no indicator if the public is more or less interested in music.
I live in a small city which is the capital of the state. No longer do any current recording bands, with the exception of special occasions, play in the larger venues. The larger venues now host rodeos and basketball tournaments. They are playing in venues that used to barely be adequate for a popular local band. The venues that do promote music regularly are offering country acts and those that were popular in the 70's and 80's. Jesus, acts that used to play stadiums now play in casinos to Wallaby wearing geezers like me .
I have two college aged daughters. They and their buds listen to a varied song list and music is a part of their lives. But would they drive 3 hours on a weeknight for a concert? No. Would they wait in line for a local act? No. Do they buy vinyl, cassette, CD, etc.? No. Have DJ's at events? Yes. The magic of a live act with a platinum album, lead singer, 2 guitars, a drummer, that other guy and 15,000 fans, is just not here any more. If you live in a city of a gazillion maybe, but not elsewhere.
Please don't tell me live music holds the same priority for the public and that your bands recipe for success will change it. Do your best for your audience, enjoy playing bass and always fire the drummer.
I live in a small city which is the capital of the state. No longer do any current recording bands, with the exception of special occasions, play in the larger venues. The larger venues now host rodeos and basketball tournaments. They are playing in venues that used to barely be adequate for a popular local band. The venues that do promote music regularly are offering country acts and those that were popular in the 70's and 80's. Jesus, acts that used to play stadiums now play in casinos to Wallaby wearing geezers like me .
I have two college aged daughters. They and their buds listen to a varied song list and music is a part of their lives. But would they drive 3 hours on a weeknight for a concert? No. Would they wait in line for a local act? No. Do they buy vinyl, cassette, CD, etc.? No. Have DJ's at events? Yes. The magic of a live act with a platinum album, lead singer, 2 guitars, a drummer, that other guy and 15,000 fans, is just not here any more. If you live in a city of a gazillion maybe, but not elsewhere.
Please don't tell me live music holds the same priority for the public and that your bands recipe for success will change it. Do your best for your audience, enjoy playing bass and always fire the drummer.
There are a lot of things going on in this thread, but it's nice to know I'm not alone.
We are all stuck in this weird limbo where we could try harder, play more, spend more on lights and a stage show and it *might* help, maybe. Or, we can resign ourselves to the fact that this is how it is now and play what we like when we can.
I'm going to keep looking for new avenues for live music, keep pushing with new and different projects, and maybe someday something will catch on just a little.
We are all stuck in this weird limbo where we could try harder, play more, spend more on lights and a stage show and it *might* help, maybe. Or, we can resign ourselves to the fact that this is how it is now and play what we like when we can.
I'm going to keep looking for new avenues for live music, keep pushing with new and different projects, and maybe someday something will catch on just a little.
I can only go with anecdotal evidence but....
There is one cover band around here that has been around since the 80s. Theu still play as much as they want to. The singer/owner is well into his 50s. BUT he wears his hair spiked up and Bono style sunglasses.
They set up a great light show with four vertical TV screens showing images all night. They move around. They kill every song they play.
I talked to one of the band members yesterday. They have a few shows booked in 2020 already.
I don't Facebook but was able to snag a screenshot from their page. The guy in the middle is not the front man. He's the keys player who does a few songs on lead each night. BL was likely the one taking the pic. I can't tell but maybe the BL is the guy on keys in the pic.
This. Definitely another of many factors contributing to the decline. Maybe a side factor, but yes this fundamentally changed how many folks (mostly non-musicians, who are after all, our audience) perceive music. For me, a HUGE part of the joy of music is my own creation of mental visuals which go with it, in my own head, NOT determined by someone else. I still bristle at music videos, for the most part.
Agree with your first premise completely.
But regarding "Dad bands": the prevelance of dad bands today is also the direct result of young people not forming bands of their own... which would naturally force the 'dad bands' out of bars and clubs, to be replaced by the younger bands with bigger followings.
Younger folks - who often refer to themselves as "the technology generation," rather than "Millennials" (a label given to them by baby boomers) - have so many options for entertainment other than the local watering hole, not only do not go to dive bars in the same numbers as older generations, but also do not form bands that play dive bars. As a result, 'dad bands' are left to fill the void.
That is an awesome concept!
Try bringing those flat-screen TV's into a watering hole...
(Not that these guys would ever have to play one)
Begging your pardon, but it's all about whether my stinky little bar band gets booked. There is an awful lot of opinion in this thread, but this right here is fact:
We break every "rule" too. We have no EPK. We have no pro audio or video. We are definitely not breaking any kind of new musical ground. Oh, and we're definitely "too old." If people have lost interest in live music where you are, well, I'm sorry to hear that. They haven't lost interest in us. Yet. Someday this will all fall apart, but I'm diggin' it while it's here.
One thing I don't see covered here is the effect of smoking bans. Most people who want to hang out in bars and drink also want to smoke. If they can't smoke in a bar, they will likely go get a bottle and a pack of cigarettes and watch the tube at home.
I notices this in spades on Beale street in Memphis. When I was there in mid 90s, bars with live music lined both sides of the street punctuated by a tourist/gift shop here and there. The streets were full of people and the bars were packed. Last time I was there, about 2007, There was no smoking in bars. There were very few bars left. The tourist/gift shops had taken over the street. I went into one bar and the entire atmosphere was depressing. The band didn't seem to care and were not really putting on a show and the audience was indifferent.
I notices this in spades on Beale street in Memphis. When I was there in mid 90s, bars with live music lined both sides of the street punctuated by a tourist/gift shop here and there. The streets were full of people and the bars were packed. Last time I was there, about 2007, There was no smoking in bars. There were very few bars left. The tourist/gift shops had taken over the street. I went into one bar and the entire atmosphere was depressing. The band didn't seem to care and were not really putting on a show and the audience was indifferent.
I also noticed this correlation, although I don't know that the younger crowd is smoking the way previous generations did especially at $8 a pack. I think with smoking bans and stiffer DUI laws people don't go out the way they use to.....it became a risky proposition.
This is not a snarky question, just an honest one. How much are you making a night at these gigs? Not the band, but you personally?
the interest in music recorded by actual musicians has declined
the interest in live music as a whole has declined
the interest in entertainment is about the same: its about presentation. Many folks that complain "live music is declining" indirectly exacerbate that because they havent re-invented themselves and basically do the same thing that worked for twenty or thirty years and expect that to carry over into the younger generation........ If I was thirty years younger in a band looking to be successful ( and I define 'success' as having a large enough base to define my income and be self-sustaining), I would concentrate more on the aesthetics and show (including creative things to make live music interactive and gimmicktry -- this could involve making my own band's cell phone app) than how amazing we all are as players. People still like to see an amazing show, even young folks. I would pick age-appropriate songs (trying to get 20-somethings to see the band? Do 21 Pilots, Owl City, Portugal The Man, Foster The People, MGMT, etc) but 'spice them up' by adding solos (for ALL instruments) and lots of stage energy. On breaks, every band member needs to go out and shake hands, meet people, and thank them for coming....the younger generations (generalized) love to watch guitar wizardry and slappity-tackity slap bass but trying to get them to independently pick and choose to listen to songs on their own like that is like getting root canal.....I would put more emphasis on "come watch this band" than "come hear this band"....see what i did there?
the interest in live music as a whole has declined
the interest in entertainment is about the same: its about presentation. Many folks that complain "live music is declining" indirectly exacerbate that because they havent re-invented themselves and basically do the same thing that worked for twenty or thirty years and expect that to carry over into the younger generation........ If I was thirty years younger in a band looking to be successful ( and I define 'success' as having a large enough base to define my income and be self-sustaining), I would concentrate more on the aesthetics and show (including creative things to make live music interactive and gimmicktry -- this could involve making my own band's cell phone app) than how amazing we all are as players. People still like to see an amazing show, even young folks. I would pick age-appropriate songs (trying to get 20-somethings to see the band? Do 21 Pilots, Owl City, Portugal The Man, Foster The People, MGMT, etc) but 'spice them up' by adding solos (for ALL instruments) and lots of stage energy. On breaks, every band member needs to go out and shake hands, meet people, and thank them for coming....the younger generations (generalized) love to watch guitar wizardry and slappity-tackity slap bass but trying to get them to independently pick and choose to listen to songs on their own like that is like getting root canal.....I would put more emphasis on "come watch this band" than "come hear this band"....see what i did there?
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We had a band meeting on this subject last year. We get paid a lot more than our peers in the weekend-warrior world, enough that our BL asked us to not talk to our friends in other bands about it. So I'm not going to share that here, either.
I assure you I don't do this for grins and gas money. In my world money = validation.
