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Interesting Article about Corporate Metal


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I was agreeing with him for most of it until

"how about you wait until your band has more than a demo before you head out on a two month, half-booked tour during you college downtime? You know… that way a band that has workhorsed their asses off all year won’t get paid $50 less at a show"

He writes this huge rant about touring and how its so hard for him to survive by it and corporate sponsers are ok because they help put their name out, but at the same time an up and coming band shouldnt tour because it takes money away from him.

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I'm with him.

I am also a long believer and practicer of the art of tipping touring bands. I am just driving home. They are driving to another city or state. They gave me a night of fun I will talk about for a while. I appreciate them playing in my city, making it easy for me to see them. If I buy a record that is $15 I will give them the entire $20. If i only buy some stickers for a buck or two I will give them a $5. More people need to do this on a regular basis. Hand it to them and say Thank You. Even if they have a tip jar it never hurts to show your appreciation.

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After skimming this essay, it's clear why there aren't any good bands left. The mindset of a band today is that the music fan owes them a living, a guitar, and gas money. Fuck that. Play music because you love it or not at all. And did this guy really use the term "extreme music" seriously? Fuck him, fuck his band, and fuck his sense of entitlement.

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I have a friend who works at camps for the handicapped. She doesn't make shit for money, but gets to travel the country and do something that is worthwhile and for the good of humanity. I understand that she should be paid more than she is, but it is her choice to follow a low paying career path to do something that she loves. I correlate being in a band the same way. I would love to be in a band and tour around the country, but I like having a stable career path (and life) more.

If this guy wants more people to come out to see him, maybe he should play more radio friendly "sold out" music than "extreme music". If he wants to stay real to himself and his band and his music then he just has to realize that playing in a crappy "extreme music" band that no-one wants to see doesn't pay very well. Yes, it sucks that people are drawn to flashy lights without any substance. This is the reason why Transformers and other movies do well while independent films are lucky to break even. This is the case in EVERY art form.

Every time I go see a band I drop some money on a shirt or album (if I don't already have it). I go to probably 10 to 20 shows a year which is not anything crazy, but it is more than probably 99% of the population, and is about as much as I can keep up with my busy life. Unless a band is a longtime favorite of mine I almost always illegally download any new albums before I buy them. If they are good and I enjoy them then I go on to buy the albums. I don't see how that hurts independent music at all. I would think a band would be happier for me to download their stuff for free and give it a try and decide that its not really my thing than to not even give them a try.

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I definitely see his point. I try to support bands and labels that I love. When I see a band on tour I always try to buy a record or shirt. However, it seemed like he was shitting on new bands for trying ot a build a following. Instead of embracing the community that has allowed him to get to this point he seemed to merely say "fuck you" to every young band trying to make a name for themselves and that bothered me.

I guess it's worth noting that I play in four, possibly five bands soon, and I work my ass off to be able to play shows, record, make shirts and all that. We usually play for next to nothing when we support touring acts and that is fine, but to have them treat us like shit for even being there is really disheartening and something that happens all too often.

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I think he loses the point he's trying to make somewhere after he goes from talking up corporate sponsored tours to calling out all "extreme music" fans who think ticket prices are high as being fatties who stuff their faces with popcorn in the IMAX before running off to their $300 seats at a Lady Gaga show. Not even bothering to take into consideration that they may be people who might actually have trouble stretching their paycheck to cover rapidly inflating concert prices.

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