Music industry ramblings.

In 2000, I was in a (pretty terrible) band. Stereotypical aggro man rock. I'm not even sure what we were so angry about, but we were. And we played like it. As we drove around in an ugly blue van, lugging equipment behind us across every state, we destroyed hotel rooms (how very punk rock) and our livers. 

The next step was inevitable -- we were going to sign with a label. Which one, we didn't know yet.

I wanted Century Media, because they not only had my friend's band, but also three others that I loved. Unfortunately, they didn't care for us. Instead, we got a "soft offer" from another label, called Roadrunner.

During all of this, everything was falling apart. Between alcoholism and the ego of a certain member, I couldn't handle it anymore and walked away. I didn't leave empty-handed, though. I took the drummer and started a new band.

That whole scene lasted about 9 practices.

I decided that I couldn't really deal with being in bands anymore, because a lot of what I'd seen from touring and being around other bands, frankly, grossed me out. Being in a band was a sort of skeleton key for drugs and sex. Don't misunderstand me; those things can be great. But it was bordering on abusive in every sense. So, solo music it was.

After touring around a bit, I got my first label offer. Three days after signing the contracts, just before I mailed them in, the label disbanded. Mildly funny story, but not mine to tell. That was followed by a much bigger one. I won't bore anyone who reads this with the details, but it was enough to make me decide to hide in my apartment and avoid the world for a bit due to social anxiety.

Christ, this is long-winded.

Life goes on, you do normal human shit, but as a writer, that ghost haunts you forever. Eventually, you'll write again. You'll find yourself doing it without noticing -- small notes on your phone, humming some dumb melody in your head all day, maybe even scratching out a quick voice memo recording. But now, talent isn't enough. Appearance isn't enough. Hell, even having enough money to place music all over the world isn't enough. Somewhere along the lines, we collectively allowed the music industry to, not just determine what we hear, but to *create it*. It's the industry's safest option for control.

I've been friends with musicians my entire life, many of whom are well known "enough." Veterans. And all of them have eventually succumbed to the same BS that new artists are dealing with now. Spotify doesn't have a financial incentive to promote small artists. Neither does Apple. Bandcamp, for all its posturing, still isn't anything more than a "music hosting page." Getting out on the road and being face to face with an audience is almost financially impossible today, so most bands run the "surrounding states circuit."

So the final option becomes having a massive social presence. Live-streaming shows, staying super active on places, and hoping to gain more attention. The problem is, though, that everyone else is doing the same. There's too much traffic and not enough eyes. 

It sucks seeing so many new bands get brushed aside because of a saturated industry that doesn't care about them. Art is one of the purest human expressions. If it's stifled early, it can be crushing to creators.

I have hope, though, that eventually independent artists will create their own network. Almost a rehashing of how the punk scene was in the early 80's -- "If you like my band, you'll love these guys." Mutual support. Something that can't be ruined by the larger mechanisms already in place.