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The Official Covers vs Originals Thread

Original vs. Copy

  • I rather play with an original band.

    Votes: 84 46.9%

  • I rather play with a copy/cover band.

    Votes: 42 23.5%

  • It doesn’t matter.

    Votes: 53 29.6%
  • Total voters
    179
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#461
music appreciation is SO subjective.

our 30 song set list consists of 22 originals. last gig we played no covers. some of our covers are worth playing, some aren't better than the originals

hate when people say 'you play for free which devalues MY ability to get paid'. get over it. be a MUST-SEE band then. i don't begrudge you what makes you happy, you shouldn't begrudge others. i play for myself first and foremost, then for the band, then for whomever is in attendance.

i can't stand most new music. i can't stand most local original music. i love the stuff that my band plays. i'd play it for free because i am not in music to make money. i'm in it to have fun and share our tunes with the world. when a cover band does something so different from the original AND it pleases my ear, then that is great.

i have no desire to make money (it needs to cover expenses or not cost me more than $20). if it pays more, great! if it pays nothing and we put on a show that we are proud of and at least one person likes it, winner!

cover bands are entertainers that get paid because they play stuff that is recognizable to the masses and folks hang around to drink and listen/dance

original bands are creators that might get paid and it is hit or miss if anyone likes it. rule of thumb says most folks WON'T like it unless it is geared to the most-acceptable common denominator

i WILL go see an original band if i choose to 'go out'. i'd rather hear something new to ME than another cover of Freebird or Mustang Sally or whatever no matter how good it is. but everyone has their OWN reasons for why they attend live music performances. neither right nor wrong.

covers are a market. originals are a market. i don't look down on either. there is no meter that tells you if a band is 'good' or not. folks like what they like for whatever reason. covers are less risk. you will find someone that likes at the least the original version of the song you are playing even if your version doesn't cut it. original bands are always a big gamble. you never know what you are going to get.

i look forward to the day when someone(s) sing along with our songs. THAT would be payment enough (unless we had to travel long distances at our expense to see that come to fruition)

/hugs
 
#462
edpal said:
A PM from our champion of cover band-age "bluewine" inspired this. Questions in my mind:
1.Do original's band folk project an air of "artist superiority" that puts cover band folk down?
2. Do cover band folk project an air of "you must be a 'tard to play for free and think you're going somewhere"?
3. Is there any reason to feel superior or inferior in either situation?

My votes are yes,yes,no.
Click to expand...

I would say my answers would be the same. My current issue is this "I don't need the money" position to defend performing for free or being in an originals band.

To me it implies that those in cover bands need the mone. Some do and some don't. I like money, love it in fact and I want it, but I don't need the money I make from music.

blue
 
#463
bluewine said:
Yes, I did my homework and 2 years ago found a good fit for what I was looking for. And when and if it ends, it will take a long time to find another established gigging band.

I want to see guys out gigging, getting paid and having fun. I don't like reading stories about failed projects and bad band experiences.
Click to expand...

Im sure you'd have to admit that it took you various failed projects and bad band experiences before you finally found that good fit, yes? Thats what they call paying your dues.
 
#465
bluewine said:
Hi Matt,

Yes I did, and it took me a while to figure what I was looking for in a band at this point in my life as well.

Blue
Click to expand...

I think its just something everyone has to go through.
It'd be nice if it was always a good time, no stress, no drama kind of deal, but it seems there will always be a disagreement somewhere along the line.
Tension build, people get fed up, someone snaps, someone else reacts.

Its no fun when things get to that point, but we're all the better off for having lived through it.
Its much like relationships, its through the bad experiences that we come to find out what it is that we're looking for.
Everyone has to start somewhere.
 
#466
grinx said:
music appreciation is SO subjective.

our 30 song set list consists of 22 originals. last gig we played no covers. some of our covers are worth playing, some aren't better than the originals

hate when people say 'you play for free which devalues MY ability to get paid'. get over it. be a MUST-SEE band then. i don't begrudge you what makes you happy, you shouldn't begrudge others. i play for myself first and foremost, then for the band, then for whomever is in attendance.

i can't stand most new music. i can't stand most local original music. i love the stuff that my band plays. i'd play it for free because i am not in music to make money. i'm in it to have fun and share our tunes with the world. when a cover band does something so different from the original AND it pleases my ear, then that is great.

i have no desire to make money (it needs to cover expenses or not cost me more than $20). if it pays more, great! if it pays nothing and we put on a show that we are proud of and at least one person likes it, winner!

cover bands are entertainers that get paid because they play stuff that is recognizable to the masses and folks hang around to drink and listen/dance

original bands are creators that might get paid and it is hit or miss if anyone likes it. rule of thumb says most folks WON'T like it unless it is geared to the most-acceptable common denominator

i WILL go see an original band if i choose to 'go out'. i'd rather hear something new to ME than another cover of Freebird or Mustang Sally or whatever no matter how good it is. but everyone has their OWN reasons for why they attend live music performances. neither right nor wrong.

covers are a market. originals are a market. i don't look down on either. there is no meter that tells you if a band is 'good' or not. folks like what they like for whatever reason. covers are less risk. you will find someone that likes at the least the original version of the song you are playing even if your version doesn't cut it. original bands are always a big gamble. you never know what you are going to get.

i look forward to the day when someone(s) sing along with our songs. THAT would be payment enough (unless we had to travel long distances at our expense to see that come to fruition)

/hugs
Click to expand...

Amen grinx, amen indeed. I do play for myself first as well, then the band then the audience. And like you sort of iterated, if I can get the crowd or at least one person off and give goosebumps, mission accomplished.
 
#467
MatticusMania said:
I think its just something everyone has to go through.
It'd be nice if it was always a good time, no stress, no drama kind of deal, but it seems there will always be a disagreement somewhere along the line.
Tension build, people get fed up, someone snaps, someone else reacts.

Its no fun when things get to that point, but we're all the better off for having lived through it.
Its much like relationships, its through the bad experiences that we come to find out what it is that we're looking for.
Everyone has to start somewhere.
Click to expand...

I agree and I think what comes along with experience and paying dues is learning which battles to take on.

Sure there are things I could bitch about. But I don't and I don't obsess on anything either. I always say;

"Hey your in a gigging band, with good people and your having fun, leave it alone."

blue
 
#468
bluewine said:
I agree and I think what comes along with experience and paying dues is learning which battles to take on.

Sure there are things I could bitch about. But I don't and I don't obsess on anything either. I always say;

"Hey your in a gigging band, with good people and your having fun, leave it alone."

blue
Click to expand...

Definitely. In the beginning stages of a band everything is peaches & cream.
After spending countless hours with the same people certain little annoyances are likely to surface.
Im with you, as long as Im gigging, playing good music, and having fun I try not to sweat the small stuff.
Once it passes being small stuff, though, things need to be addressed and decisions need to be made.
All in order to make sure we're still having fun playing music with good people.
And the more times one has been around the block, the easier it gets becomes to spot who the good people are.
 
#470
A couple of weeks ago I turned down an audition with a band. I told them everything looks good except that they mostly want to play originals with maybe a few covers, and for me the whole point of playing country is to play my favorite country songs which means there are at least 50 covers I want to do.

I am playing another singer's originals, though, and I don't bother trying to talk her into doing covers anymore. We did a few covers at her first show, but the only ones we managed to get gig-ready were by my parents' favorite band from the 80s. Given a choice between covers in a style I don't really care about and originals, I don't care, I'll do whatever the singer wants.

So, basically, the more I like a genre the less willing I am to do originals in that genre. Go figure.
 
#472
Covers or Originals..... Both if they are done well. Neither if they are not. I would rather here a great cover band than a crappy original, and vice-Versa.

It's the third type of band that I guess I'm prejudice against. Party Bands that use a largely midis or prerecorded tracks for their shows. They kind of bother me. It's like watching a Hollywood movie instead of a concert. Not a fan.
 
#473
ChrisB2 said:
^ for some reason, I never figured you to be a country dude... :p
Click to expand...
Hahaha, well, I did live in Texas 17 years. Even my old black metal project did a whole album of country covers with the great title "Lonesome Drinking Metal", and my band that does all the reggaeton, dancehall and vocal trance covers also does some country. We did "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and "Una Mas Cerveza" at our last gig.
 
#474
bluewine said:
I would say my answers would be the same. My current issue is this "I don't need the money" position to defend performing for free or being in an originals band.

To me it implies that those in cover bands need the mone. Some do and some don't. I like money, love it in fact and I want it, but I don't need the money I make from music.

blue
Click to expand...

I suspect most people saying this really mean "The money isn't an important factor to me," rather than that they have plenty of money and believe cover musicians truly "need the money" in the sense of not being able to survive without it.

Anyway, my guess is that lots of original musicians can't understand why someone would play in a cover band instead of an original band unless it was because of the money, so they tend to assume that is the reason why most cover musicians do so (not saying that is accurate, but something I can easily imagine folks thinking). It doesn't help that plenty of cover musicians around here do raise the money issue as one reason to play covers instead of originals. If someone tells you that they don't like to play originals in part because of money, then "I don't need the money" or "I don't care about the money" seems to be a reasonable response.
 
#475
I played in only original bands for 15 years. Now I only play in one cover band. My reasons:

1. Time Commitment- We rehearse once a week. This could vary, but most original bands of mine met more than that. In addition, we were constantly writing songs or parts on our own in the evenings.
2. Age- I'm 43 now and have two kids and a wife. Playing in a cover band allows me more time than my original bands offered.
3. Money- Sad, but true. At least with the original bands I played with. The cover band pays a lot more. That equals happier wife and better equipment for me.
4. Attitude- Personally, I was scared at first and thought that I wouldn't enjoy playing only covers. But, I was wrong. It's definitely a different feeling, but it's very enjoyable for me still. The crowds are bigger and much more diverse than before.
5. Band Members- In my limited experience, the egos seem smaller in a cover band. Don't get me wrong, they are still there. But definitely a fraction of what I was used to.

The older I've have gotten, the more I realize I just enjoy playing live music with people who share the same passion. We are comfortable in our own skins and it shows in our playing. We have a blast!!!
 
#477
MCS4 said:
I suspect most people saying this really mean "The money isn't an important factor to me," rather than that they have plenty of money and believe cover musicians truly "need the money" in the sense of not being able to survive without it.

Anyway, my guess is that lots of original musicians can't understand why someone would play in a cover band instead of an original band unless it was because of the money, so they tend to assume that is the reason why most cover musicians do so (not saying that is accurate, but something I can easily imagine folks thinking). It doesn't help that plenty of cover musicians around here do raise the money issue as one reason to play covers instead of originals. If someone tells you that they don't like to play originals in part because of money, then "I don't need the money" or "I don't care about the money" seems to be a reasonable response.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with all your points, but saying "I don't care about the money" simply isn't true. Sure, they "don't care" in the sense that they made the decision to pursue "their music" knowing there probably won't be a payoff. But they would prefer there WERE one, I'm certain.

In the sense that "I don't care about the money" is used in this forum, I see it more as a defensive statement, a rationalization. They know they will likely never profit from their music while cover bands enjoy a nice income... naturally, a mechanism is needed to sooth this sting, hence the topic of discussion.

Imagine two twin brothers who both like to cook and want to serve food to others. One prepares tried and true dishes people love, largely invented by others but he gives them his special touch, and this brother has a large demand from paying customers. The other tries making up new dishes no one has ever heard of or tried, in fact they're somewhat odd and appeal to few, and his profits are slim to none. Yet he persists claiming he does it for his love of cooking (which is totally not wrong at all).

In such a case as this, when the topic of money comes up, the second brother saying "I don't care about the money" seems to be a reasonable response... but untrue IMO.
 
#479
Why is it so hard to understand, that the cover crowd are the ones bringing up money as an argument for their path, so therefore it demands an answer.

And actually it is simple economics.

Coverband is a small fee with a high probability.

Original material is a high fee with a small probability.

On average no one really has established that coverbands are earning more than original bands. True, not many get to hit the jackpot, but once they do, it can be HUGE.


It is simple economics .. expected payoff is probability times earning. That is what you base your investment on.
 
#480
ChrisB2 said:
I totally agree with all your points, but saying "I don't care about the money" simply isn't true. Sure, they "don't care" in the sense that they made the decision to pursue "their music" knowing there probably won't be a payoff. But they would prefer there WERE one, I'm certain.

In the sense that "I don't care about the money" is used in this forum, I see it more as a defensive statement, a rationalization. They know they will likely never profit from their music while cover bands enjoy a nice income... naturally, a mechanism is needed to sooth this sting, hence the topic of discussion.
Click to expand...

I think most of the grown-ups on this board know doing original music usually won't make them money. But, they enjoy doing it. It's pretty obvious that they aren't in it for the money. If they were, there would be other avenues they can take to do so. But they don't, because they don't care about the money. I don't get why it's hard to understand, since there are thousands of activities in the world that exist as both a hobby and profession.

Some folks have professions that make them enough money to pay the bills, but between family and work there's only so much time left. If they had to choose between something they love for no money or something they are tepid about for little money, I can understand why they would pursue the thing they love since they don't need the income from it. Of course, who wouldn't like to get rich doing what they love? But, there's lots of people who do what they love without getting rich from it and living happy lives.

The problem is that due to our nature to seek self validation, and at times seeking it through invalidating others, we create a false dichotomy. As a cover band musician, I'm not competing with original bands other than for musicians. I'm not in the market of doing a 45 minute set with 1-9 other bands on the bill for a share of the door. I'm not in the business of recording and promoting the recording. I don't play in venues that feature original music. On the flip-side, these original bands don't typically play weddings and corporates. They aren't typically doing 4 hour gigs at places that feature cover bands. They usually aren't working with agencies that deal only with cover bands. Crowds who want to hear the next big thing aren't listening to cover bands, and those who want to hear another version of "Don't Stop Believing" aren't going to shows featuring original music. Cover bands and original bands can exist side by side without competing against each other in the real world, and I don't see why they need to in the virtual world.
 
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