Article about the costs of being in a band.

[alfierose]

http://www.rockrap.com/nomusicbiz/deal.html

Came across this elsewhere. Don't know how old it is or how accurate. Interesting though.

[magisme]

What t-shirt am I gonna wear? Brain aneurysm!!!

[alfierose]

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/oct/27/when-bands-fall-off-cliffs

This is an interesting read too.

[Guest Len B'stard]

There's something very telling about this whole concept and, y'know, i think it has a lot to do with why we don't have so many good bands anymore. The shit is like a hobby for people now, something they do 'as well as' something else. The idea of these bands in the instances of the ones that ended up great was that it was kinda all they had and cost was never a factor because...well, you only worry about economizing about a given thing when you have something else to factor in.

People have lived in squats, made DIY equipment (The 101ers made a mic stand using a wooden box and a broomstick for crying out loud), it's one thing to admire the life and look up to it but fuck me, if the accounts are accurate, sharing The Stones flat on....i can't remember the name of the street now, begins with a C i think, where Brian, Keith and Mick lived, with no carpets and fuckin' rats all over the gaff, it ain't everybodys cup of tea. I mean can you imagine your average contemporary hygiene obsessed poofter being able to manage that shit for long?

The cost for doing this shit, if you REALLY wanna do it, is your life. That's what it demands from you, your whole life, it's gotta all be about that shit. And if you can manage that well then, to my mind, you've kinda won before you've even started.

Sorry, I realise this post is pretty tangential.

[Jabberwocky]

This article is from the early 90's.

[dalsh327]

Steve Albini wrote that years ago. You could call this a follow up.

http://qz.com/202194/steve-albini-the-problem-with-music-has-been-solved-by-the-internet/

“Record labels, which used to have complete control, are essentially irrelevant ,” he says. “The process of a band exposing itself to the world is extremely democratic and there are no barriers. Music is no longer a commodity, it’s an environment, or atmospheric element. Consumers have much more choice and you see people indulging in the specificity of their tastes dramatically more. They only bother with music they like.”

Artists have to know the music business and how to produce music. Axl spent 15 years with a bunch of engineers and producers that he has to know how to do all that stuff by himself by now. DJ can design the next album cover and probably save a bunch of money instead of paying for some art department to do it. It's not like GNR can't put the next album out with the resources they already have. Why would they need the record company to promote the album when social media is more effective?

Producers are in control of what you're hearing in pop music, I don't know about up and coming rock bands, whether they try to find an established producer or are doing it themselves at this point.

[Guest Len B'stard]

Oh its the Albini article!