Monday, February 9, 2009

Listening Doesn't Have to be Passive

I'm privileged to have acquaintances in two bands on the cusp of making it big. The groups couldn't be more night and day. The first band, we'll call them Band A, creates new wave eighties hip hop. They started out in L.A. and moved to London because, well, the Brits tend to be more accepting of indie experimental music than their American cousins. (I also think it might have something to do with the British Isles being a bit smaller than the U.S.--just a bit.) It's a crazy group of guys who strip off their sweat-soaked shirts on stage, who travel across the world to Tokyo for just a one-night show, who can party with the best of them, and yet, who are deadly serious about their music. Is it their talent, dedication and savvy business maneuvering that got them interviews on BBC 1 and Jonathan Ross? That put them in the London Paper and magazines, and moved them up to #3 on the charts? That booked them more U.S. shows and made them one of the most requested bands on one of L.A.'s hit radio stations? Or is it something else?

The next band we'll call Band B. Band B is from Reno, NV. They got their start playing worship songs for a young adult church service. They tour Christian music festivals and retreats and churches, and last year won a major song contest in Houston that got them a record deal. Right now they're working with some influential musicians in the Christian sphere and making plans to tour nationally. They're all married, some of them with kids, and are actively involved in their Reno church. But they've agreed that if they don't make it big this year, they'll go back to just playing locally, not as a full-time job. What's interesting about Band B is that the Christian musician that's working with them, who's kind of like a mentor, has encouraged them towards a different sound, one that sounds conspicuously like . . . him. I was also surprised to learn that when they record their album, the vocalists in the band are the only ones who end up on the final product. The musicians are all studio musicians, not a part of the band at all. They play whatever Band B would play, but it's not the same instrumentalists. As a consumer and music lover I was shocked, and yet I hear this is a typical practice. (But I digress...this is an unrelated topic for another day.)

The two band's start-up stories pique my curiosity about my favorite bands--how they got started, how they got discovered, what makes them big or successful (because big and successful doesn't necessarily mean the same thing, I don't think). And at what point do talented musicians throw in the towel? I'm trying to make my way in the book publishing sphere, and book publishing is a lot like music in this regard: the artist's success depends on the viewer. Of course music mobility depends on a lot of factors, but above all, it comes down to word of mouth.

We, the listeners, are not so passive as I used to think. Or at least, we shouldn't be. If we want more good music, we have to talk up our favorite artists. We have to play their albums for our friends. We can become facebook fans. One of the sites that really helps this process along is NoiseTrade. You have two choices on the site: get free songs by telling five friends about it, or get the songs by paying whatever you think they're worth. Sites like these not only benefit the artist by increasing the viral nature of their music, but they also benefit us, because our favorite music keeps playing.

What are you doing to keep the music going?

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