Music

Maybe it's the fact that it's so fucking expensive to do anything, forcing us inside which is reenforcing itself rather cyclically. It is really hard to get excited about things when you don't have the funds to go out and do things. I am older but would be going out way more to events if I didn't cringe at the money I know I will be dropping on these nights out. Third real world spaces are dearly needed and people are getting priced out of them. I used to go out to music events at least once a week ten years ago.

Definitely agree with the dude talking about how niche music has gotten. And to the dude who said "all new music sucks", get out from under your rock man. Theres just so many bands/artists creating so much music now, some is bound to be good. Its easier than ever to record a song and get it out on the internet. The bloat makes it harder to find stuff you jive with, but when you do it almost feels tailor made for your ears.

bands aren’t disappearing. Small local bands are still cheap and great fun. I know, i’m in one. We tour locally every year and play a show every weekend throughout summer. We have to turn people down because we are so booked up. And that’s not just us, but most locals i know. People still love live music just as much as they ever did.

Bands aren’t disappearing, it’s just that DIY is more inclusive from both a fiscal standpoint and enjoyment standpoint. I don’t think many bands want to grow to the point of doing stadium tours and having the stress of appeasing their labels, managers, venues, merch sweatshops, etc… To me, music seems to be about music again and many up and coming bands are avoiding the industry in favor of the artistry.

I wonder if how niche music tastes have become has something to do with it.

Probably; it feels like less that 'young people aren't excited by bands" and more like 'to be a band that takes off the way they used to, you gotta be doin something different'. I don't think anyone's exactly clamoring for bands to do the same shit as your average Seether, Incubus, or Three Days Grace expies. Meanwhile, you've got acts like Polyphia, Zeal and Ardor, and Ghost running around out here doing actively different shit and seeing payoff on it.

I'm in the midwest USA and even here you can see Hip-Hop and EDM taking over where pop and rock would've been the go-to. All the venues/bars that play rock look like a retirement home party now. I'd much rather dance to a DJ then a cover band playing the same shit I've heard a million times over the last 30 years.

Our local scene was decimated by pay to play promoters and it's never really recovered. We would have to pay in to presell tickets and then try to sell them just to try to break even when opening at 4:30 on a Wednesday. Not exactly a good way to gain new fans.

The actual promoters did nothing to really promote the gig since they were preselling to local bands they made their money that way.

If you're popular enough it's not tough to sell tickets once and awhile but if you want to play monthly, your pool of potential ticket buyers shrinks since not everyone can go to a show that often.

Marketb is over saturated with cover bands. If you don't seem then at your local venue it's because the promoter simply doesn't want to book cover bands. If anything cover bands are too damn popular

dudes out of touch music today is more diverse with less industry influence than ever

Speaking as someone in the UK, specifically about here but it may apply elsewhere:

• everything is vastly more expensive than before, with help slashed for individuals and groups

• Brexit. Bands used to be able to tour Europe just as easily as in the UK, aside from the whole language thing. Drive to the coast, get on a ferry, drive from France. We could earn there with no issues, perform with limited issues, but now? Not any more. Anyone other than established bands have been cut out.

• Due to the cost of living, COVID, etc, venues have shut down on a huge scale. I have many locations I used to love seeing bands at which have ALL shut down. Some were around for decades prior. Where can new bands tour now? The pubs I knew that offered places to perform have now also gone, some out of business and others out of noise abation notices due to new apartments nearby.

And in my opinion really, all this has an effect on bands. Why bother putting one together when you aren't going to be able to gig easily anymore?

There's a place right behind my flat that does live bands 3-4 nights a week, cover is usually less than seeing a movie, never more than 30/40 people there. I know it's tough for venues/bars to pay the bands (a proper rate) and turn a profit some nights, but I really reapect the event-led places that keep it up.

Technology supporting solo artists hits close to home.
It was certainly a larger factor in my decision to quit playing in bands, that composing/DAW software allowed me to make music in a similar fashion.

In many ways, it's better than playing in a band, because you can make exactly the music you enjoy and play not just one instrument, but a whole orchestra.

Obviously, this is far easier said than done and there's many awesome parts of being in a band, too, but I can definitely see this being the preferred alternative for many people.