From: nasiatka@anhep3.anl.gov.bitnet (Jim Wylde)
Subject: Re: Devil CD's
Keywords: hot rails to hell
Organization: Argonne National Laboratory 
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 22:29:49 GMT


dbidwa@sei.cmu.edu (Daniel Bidwa) writes:
>
>nasiatka@anhep3.anl.gov.bitnet (Jim Wylde) writes:
>|> Oh, I don't know about that....  I mean it's really nice to just be a
>|> 'cult' band have a small, dedicated, faithful following, but to really
>|> make it big means that: A) more people get exposed to you, even if the 
>|> first set of stuff they hear is pop-ish.  They dig it, do some digging
>|> for the other stuff, and maybe get a lot of new fans.  B)  It keeps the
>|> record companys happy, so they let you make more.  C)  You get to
>|> make a bit more money 'cause now yer big-time.  Oh, yeah, D) you get to
>|> stop having to play small bars/clubs 'cause you can fill a 30,000 seat
>|> arena!
>
>A) Okay. Not a bad end result, although I don't agree that it's
>necessarily a good reason for a band to change its sound.

How 'bout 'cause they wanted to, then?
 
>B) Who cares about the record companies -- in this age of inexpensive
>multitrack recording, it's not like record companies are really necessary for
>anything more than distribution (and maybe promotion), except maybe the
>initial chunk of cash needed to press the record.

Oh, excuse me.  Inexpensive multitrack recording is not inexpensive.
Go and check out studio time, and then come on back.  As far as
promotion and distribution goes, that's BIG chunk of stuff.  You
work for a radio station, how much does ad time run?  You get 
how many new records free each week, how many other radio stations
across the country do?  You think a band from podunk Iowa (or
Seattle) has the immediate resources to tap into record stores,
chains, radio stations across the country?

>C) Who cares. 

You never had to spend $3,000 on a new power amp, or buy 8 hours 
of studio time, or replace a $20,000 light system...
Musicians also like to eat and pay bills and stuff too.

>D) _Big_ who cares. Arena shows suck like crazy sound- and presence-wise.
>I'd take a smaller club any day. (This reminds me of when Thomas Dolby, in his
>pop heyday, chose to play four shows at the 9:30 in DC (a relatively small
>club) rather than play just one show at a larger venue. Better sound, better
>atmosphere, more fun for everyone involved.)

Ok, you have a point here, but there are some shows meant for arenas.
I think I should have said that since you are more popular, you
get to play out more, usually that means in bigger venues, but
could mean more dates at a smaller club.  It also implies having
the backing to do silly little things like world tours and such.

>I think a lot of this depends on why people get involved in music. If
>someone's in a band to "make it", as is the American Rock Music Dream, then
>all of this makes sense. If someone's in a band to make music that they like,
>then all this is less important. (This tends to drop into the whole "artistic
>purity vs. commercialization" argument, which may or may not be relevant,
>since there's plenty of shitty music being made on both sides of the coin.)

Usually those who are in it just to "make it" are classified as
one hit wonders. (re where are they now... Millie Vanillie...)
There is always a compromise between pure music and pure business.
your in the industry. you know this.  It's really nice to just
play what you want, but that don't pay the bills usually.  Anyone
who wants to play out, wants to "make it" while playing thier own
stuff, but lifes a bitch.  If you can compromise a bit, you stand
a better chance of hitting it big and then being able to do exactly
what you want.


>|> >Wow, rap, punk, and now metal -- soc.motss is certainly hitting the
>|> >fringes of queer-accepted music lately. Klezmer, anyone?
>|> Whaddya mean fringes?  How many of your gay friends grew up with Rock?
>|> Most of mine just ditched it because *you have to be into dance music*
>|> to be gay.... (YEECH!!!!)
>
>That's true -- Gay culture does seem to be fairly pop-oriented (Erasure,
>blech), or at least that's how it seems; I honestly have no idea what's really
>popular (in both the queer and non-queer communities), so it's hard for me to
>say. 
>
>|> Hell, up till recently, I ran the Gay Metal Society here in Chicago.
>|> Group of Heavy Metal Homos into all sorts of rock/metal.  We did parties,
>|> and had metal nights at local queer bars, and were somewhat political in
>|> interfacing with the music scene out here.  You'd be surprised how many
>|> gays/lesbians there are on the rock scene...
>
>Probably. I just wish more of them would be willing to come out of the closet.
>Heck, David Geffen did it, and now look what he got -- Nirvana! (Further proof
>that queers have a stranglehold on culture...:-)

Yeah, that'd be nice.  I could out soooooooo many, but I'm  a nice
guy. (snicker)  Well, I am basically outta here for the holidays.
probably see ya in the next year!  Have a good one!!

Jim


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