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The Future of Live Music: Poll

What is the Future of Live Music?

  • Future? Live music is dead, R.I.P. – DJ’s and Jukeboxes Rule!

    Votes: 7 7.2%

  • Live music? You mean me and my buddies on Guitar Hero right?

    Votes: 3 3.1%

  • Live music will see a rebound and pubs, clubs and live venues will be packed!

    Votes: 36 37.1%

  • Live music is as healthy as it has ever been and will continue to be. Stupid question.

    Votes: 40 41.2%

  • Other - Please explain...

    Votes: 11 11.3%
  • Total voters
    97
  • Poll closed .
#4
live music will be alive and well for the foreseeable future. it just needs to adapt like every other aspect of the music industry. dj's and such are definitely here to stay, but so is a live band. just different applications these days
 
#5
Live music is still going strong, but it almost seems like the market is flooded these days. Everyone and their brother is in a band and has a demo they want you to check out, especially since every band knows someone who has a home studio and can record their music for them in an at least semi-professional sounding format.
 
#6
I'm seeing a resurgence, and it's good - when I first picked up a bass, the "scene" was all about grunge - music that I love, but don't find particularly challenging. The newer, "A-list" bands today are (in general, of course) showcasing much more in the way of technical abilities than in the mid-90s, which I think can only be a good thing.

Also, with Rock Band and Guitar Hero inspiring people to pick up an instrument, and getting them interested in otherwise unknown (to them) music, it's broadening horizons - there seems to be less "speciation" in music, more diversity in what people like, which I also think can only be a good thing.

And, every decade or so (it seems), people bemoan the death of music, or how stagnant the music scene is, and someone comes along and revitalizes it, spawning thousands of new bands. I believe we're about due for a change from the Korn era, which was the big shift from the Nirvana era, which was a big shift from the Metallica era, and so on.

Of course, this is all IMO and E, and YMMV.
 
#7
I think that gas prices at the pump have really hurt the smaller bands on indie labels. Large bands with big label sponsorship are not affected by this obviously. I live outside of Knoxville, TN and we use to see a good number of unsigned bands come through the area and play the local clubs. But for the last 4 or 5 years that number has constantly gotten smaller and smaller. On the other hand, one could deduce that perhaps it is due to a lack of patronage on the part of the locals here. Again, as gas prices have soared many may just be favoring staying home.
A point I would like to add to this discussion, is that I think the part of the music industry that will die first is record labels. With the advent of the internet and file sharing and so many studio takes being leaked that I feel it is only a matter of time before the record labels are filing for chapter 11.
 
#8
The area where I live probably has one of the quieter scenes in Australia despite being a tourist capital and night club venue. And its not so much the venues than the patronage. We do our best to attract punters but mainly its our good friends who are the main support centre for us. We also don't quite fit into alot of the action around. We've been playing shows with grunge bands and punk bands, which isn't the worst thing. But again, its more the friends of bands who show up rather than other punters just out to see a band.

Admittedly we are at the start of our journey as a band. So with more hardwork we will see improvement.
 
#9
live music will survive.

It is, however, being ruined by artists/bands using way too much "fake" gimmickry like the boxes that create harmonies, instrument tracks, etc.

It's fast becoming something closer to karaoke and less about live music. The general public doesn't care. They're too stupid too notice.

That being said, I think there will always be a market for hearing live music.
 
#11
Eh, in my fairly small city (wichita, ks) there's an underground show, a couple country groups, a few top 40 cover bands, a jazz trio or two, multiple acoustic fok acts, and a "metal" show almost every night with touring bands at about half of them. It's been this way for years and years.

@ neurotic tim: I think the artists to come along like korn and nirvana have already and inspired a whole new generation. The only thing is that with the larger base of available music instead of one band/scene, it's been a multitude. Between Sufjan Stevens/Bright Eyes, Sigur Ros/Radiohead, The metalcore scene, the post-rock scene, the new-wave revival, top 40 groups like nickleback/three days grace, and bands like Wilco... there's been plenty of inspiration (and that's just off the top of my head). Live music, as far as I can tell, (aside from the "gas-guzzle") is alive and well.
 
#12
I'm positive about the future of live music, so I voted the third option. :)

In my town, you're starting to see more and more live music in the pubs and nightclubs. Last year the most popular Irish-style pub (pretty large) built a stage and started to hire various bands to play there almost every weekend. Another nightclub that is struggling with their economy due to less customers than they used to have, are now also trying the concept of live bands... The future looks good to me. :)
 
#13
Local scenes differ heavily, but internationally its doing fantastic. In Australia we keep gaining new festivals (taste of Chaos, Soundwave etc) and Big Day Out (our version of warped tour I spose) has NEVER been bigger and tickets have NEVER sold out faster. I can tell you where I live the music scene sucks, but in places like Brisband, Melbourne bands are constantly being churned out. In Australia its alive and kicking.
 
#14
live music is slowly coming around in my town. we've never really had much room for anything other than thrash metal in the Rocky Mount/Wilson "music scene", but things are slowly picking up to catch places like Raleigh and Charlotte...

the only thing i see changing the current face of what music is (young boys in their bedrooms jamming on parent-bought,
high-priced instruments and high-priced amps on youtube to songs they learned from a teacher), is the price of Instruments steadily inclining.

**i realize that i made an extreme generalization, but being a teen myself, and having many friends who've begged and pleaded for their instruments, and having worked for all the gear i have, i can make such a statement ;) (no, no offense to anyone)
 
#16
Thing seem to vary greatly from region to region within the US. There seems to be even a greater gap between US activities and our European brethren. I was in Burlington, VT in the late 80’s and could pick between three to four pubs – 7 days a week – that would have live bands I could listen to. I have visited the town since and all but one of the venues closed or stopped playing any live music and the last hold out – Nectars, seems to have cut way back. It made me very sad.

I next lived in San Jose, CA for about 15 years (90’s-00’s) and was also in several bands there. I watched the slow evolution from many bars having cover bands to fewer and fewer. Many replaced live bands with acoustic duos during happy hour (5-8pm) then big-screen TVs and loud jukeboxes at prime time. It was mainly due to the fact that people weren’t showing up to listen to live music and preferred places that had loud jukes. I can’t really blame the bar owners from switching to match the client’s preferences. Cool live music clubs like Marsugi’s and the Cactus Club shut down and the scary new “pay-to-play” venues started appearing.

I now live in Western MA, near a large college town and I am shocked by the low level of local activity. I don’t see a lot going on save a couple of small venues in Northampton that book regional & national acts – granted I don’t get out as much as I used to. Some buddies of mine that are in a local classic rock band said they are getting fewer gigs and bar owners are bitching that customer numbers are way off dues to (1) no smoking laws and (2) high gas prices.

I am hopeful that things in the UK seem better and that the US seems to follow the lead of the UK in musical trends. Keep it strong!
 
#17
RiseAgainst said:
Local scenes differ heavily, but internationally its doing fantastic. In Australia we keep gaining new festivals (taste of Chaos, Soundwave etc) and Big Day Out (our version of warped tour I spose) has NEVER been bigger and tickets have NEVER sold out faster. I can tell you where I live the music scene sucks, but in places like Brisband, Melbourne bands are constantly being churned out. In Australia its alive and kicking.
Click to expand...

that's good to hear... I was under the impression the "pokies" were killing off venues friendly to live music...

For the benefit of readers from other nations: Pokies is slang for poker machines...
 
#19
makaky said:
CD's are as dead as dead unless you sell sell a whole bunch of them. Live music is the only thing left for musiciens to make a living
Click to expand...

Cds were always terrible earnings for bands. we're talking barely cents per cd, record companies, distributors, all that takes it all. Indy bands make more from cds. Touring was always the only thing that made the big bucks for bands. And you know, selling pepsi.
 
#20
Music is a socio-evolutionary (I know I'm making up words) tool, it will be here for as long as we are. Our society NEEDS new music, it a social response to government and culture. It's how we communicate larger emotional ideas.

The only way new music gets heard is live, people come for the atmosphere and the chance to hear something new. You can't get anything new off a CD from borders, there needs to be an entry point and that is live music.

Also in a lot of scenes the drug culture spurs on the musical culture, people come to shows to meet other people like them. To be themselves in a group setting and let loose and be wild. Last I checked Bonarro wasn't just about music, and nobody would go to a rave if they where sober listening to Unce-Unce-Unce all night long. What would the blues be without a seedy whiskey bar to listen to it in? There is reason old people call weed jazz cigarettes.

Disagree if you will that is Just my .2
 

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