Ahh, the music industry's version of a pyramid scheme...
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Why We don’t do battles
- Thread starter Nephilymbass
- Start date
They actually do them all the time in NC at least once a year in every bigger city. Like I said though it had been over a decade since we’d played one before this and we didn’t sign up for a battle it we signed up for an online voted thingy and then instead of announcing a winner they said there would be a battle for the top 5. Our fans were excited after hearing that and we didn’t have a gig booked that day so we said what the hell and just played it. I’m glad we did. We did pretty good selling merch and got to play for some people that had never heard us because it was basically all the bands hat headline that venue each week so they rarely have more than two of those bands on the same show together.
Attention paid can be good, or bad... it's still attention. Ask Jerry Jones if he cares whether the attention is good, or bad... for some reason, he usually comes out smelling like a rose, no matter the situ...
... hope you guys rocked your part of the show!
I hear it's lonely at the top... have you ever tried to sit on one of those?
Back in the early ‘80s there was a story told (note: it’s good enough to be true although I make no representations) about two good looking super buff guys who were conducting auditions and screen tests over a three week period for a new movie they were directing. It was a soft porn pilot for a late night series for one of the new cable TV channels.
They got a bunch of hopefuls, had them in for auditions and screen tests, and at the end of the announced three weeks…rolled up their tent and were never seen or heard from again.
Some assumed they ran out of money or had their backers pull out on them. That or the cable channel canceled the planned show.
Those who had more wisdom however, thought the far more likely explanation was that two good looking college athletes decided to have some fun on the last three weeks of their summer break by getting a number of well-endowed young women to voluntarily disrobe and perform a number of suggestive (and downright lewd) acts while they videotaped them doing it.
Nobody ever got to the bottom of what was really going on with that one.
***
I always felt that these so-called battles of the bands have a lot in common with that movie “audition.”
They got a bunch of hopefuls, had them in for auditions and screen tests, and at the end of the announced three weeks…rolled up their tent and were never seen or heard from again.
Some assumed they ran out of money or had their backers pull out on them. That or the cable channel canceled the planned show.
Those who had more wisdom however, thought the far more likely explanation was that two good looking college athletes decided to have some fun on the last three weeks of their summer break by getting a number of well-endowed young women to voluntarily disrobe and perform a number of suggestive (and downright lewd) acts while they videotaped them doing it.
Nobody ever got to the bottom of what was really going on with that one.
***
I always felt that these so-called battles of the bands have a lot in common with that movie “audition.”
Never been anywhere near the top of anything...except a mountain of debt!!
I think the OP has a valid viewpoint on "battles," at least in regards to the current state of local live music.
*He has an established band and fanbase;
*They didn't believe the hype about winning;
*They played their butts off and picked up new fans;
*They took it at face value, meaning they got tons of free PR, sold a bunch of merch, and did it on an "off" night.
Dear God I almost used the word "exposure." LOL But, yeah, sometimes (not always or often...) playing for free can be worth it for the free advertising, especially if radio is involved. And like Indiana Jones in the Last Crusade, "Choose Wisely."
*He has an established band and fanbase;
*They didn't believe the hype about winning;
*They played their butts off and picked up new fans;
*They took it at face value, meaning they got tons of free PR, sold a bunch of merch, and did it on an "off" night.
Dear God I almost used the word "exposure." LOL But, yeah, sometimes (not always or often...) playing for free can be worth it for the free advertising, especially if radio is involved. And like Indiana Jones in the Last Crusade, "Choose Wisely."
Yeah. It's more of a popularity contest. There's an all girl band in my area that wins pretty much every battle they enter. I mean hey, They're attractive scantily dressed girls on stage. Who wouldn't vote for them? Plus we wouldn't want to hurt their feelings if they lost right?
That’s my experience as well. We did win one once, but the “prize” had been misrepresented and the whole thing ended up costing us. So- yep, just another scam. Oh, did I mention that WE won?I'm not sure why people keep falling for this scam. It was a scam when I started playing 45+ years ago, it's a scam now and it will be a scam when my nephews kids are old.
Here is the only red flag you need - It's a battle of the bands.
I wouldn't do one now, but in 1967 I was with a newly formed band trying to get noticed. There was a club nearby that put on a BoB to choose the house band. The crowd would decide. It was all very straight up.
We were watching the band before us while we are waiting our turn. The name of the band was Falling Rock. They were so band members of the audience went on stage and unplugged their amps. Needless to say we were intimidated.
But, we won the gig and it got the band off to a nice start.
We were watching the band before us while we are waiting our turn. The name of the band was Falling Rock. They were so band members of the audience went on stage and unplugged their amps. Needless to say we were intimidated.
But, we won the gig and it got the band off to a nice start.
Brilliant.
This is politics. You gotta play the game.
Call the DJ! Talk to him live! Just thank him for having you out and for supporting local music. Tell him you have nothing to do with your fans' reactions.
DO NOT handle any of that part through social media. If you do you risk pissing off both sides again.
Once you talk to the DJ and smooth things over, then you thank your fans for their enthusiastic support and congratulate the winning band again on social media. Then DROP IT. DO NOT reply to any fans PERIOD. Let it die down. Two weeks from now nobody will care.
The only thing worse than losing a battle of the bands is winning. I've never known anyone who ever got what they were promised. It's just a scam to fill up the clubs. Every band brings their friends so the club is guaranteed a good audience. They either don't pay the bands, or charge an 'entry fee.' Then they renege on the prize. With new suckers, I mean contestants coming up all the time, it's a scam that never dies.
I remember these things when I was younger and can't believe people fall for it or go for it still. I would go as a music fan, not musician. The best band hardly ever wins and after a few of these, I noticed that all these things are just promotional events for a predetermined winner. That was was 30 years ago, lol
Energizing the fan base, yeah! How is this a problem?
What I noticed:
"We had a nice crowd draw and also made a lot of new fans at the show, our merch table was busy all night and I hadn’t signed that many autographs in years."
All the other stuff seems like fluff to me.
"We had a nice crowd draw and also made a lot of new fans at the show, our merch table was busy all night and I hadn’t signed that many autographs in years."
All the other stuff seems like fluff to me.
Haha! The guitarist wanted to play that!
But I think we played Pinball Wizard, Paranoid (Sabbath), and Voodoo Child (SRV version).
Never seen one without a pre-decided winner. If a person gets mad about he outcome that’s on them. Besides didn’t someone once say that all publicly is good? - even tho you lost, you won.
I'd try and be gracious about it.
It sure sounds like it was rigged, but you're not gonna get anyone to admit it.
I'd post on your social media congratulating the winning band (do it ironically
) and ask the fans to cool it.
Actually, no. Now I've had some coffee, strike that.
As it's a station that your fans don't listen to, maybe go to all-out war on them.
Make it a big deal.
Call the DJ and the other band cheating low-life pond-scum.
Get the local news stations/papers involved.
Get the other bands involved.
This is no time for pussyfootin' about, being all nice and letting people walk all over you.
What are you all, ROCK MONSTERS or sheep?
There's no such thing as bad publicity, after all.
It sure sounds like it was rigged, but you're not gonna get anyone to admit it.
I'd post on your social media congratulating the winning band (do it ironically
) and ask the fans to cool it.Actually, no. Now I've had some coffee, strike that.
As it's a station that your fans don't listen to, maybe go to all-out war on them.
Make it a big deal.
Call the DJ and the other band cheating low-life pond-scum.
Get the local news stations/papers involved.
Get the other bands involved.
This is no time for pussyfootin' about, being all nice and letting people walk all over you.
What are you all, ROCK MONSTERS or sheep?
There's no such thing as bad publicity, after all.
Screw the PC route...go full on conspiracy theory and produce a youtube video about it. Make sure to mention the illuminati and bigfoot.
