04-05-2002, 04:34 PM
Oh, you're right. Getting signed has nothing to do with talent, it's all about what sells.... PFFFT!!! You're forgetting the basies of the argument. We were discussing the finer points of buying music to "support artists" or downloading it to say "fuck the system".
Whether or not a band gets signed to a label has a lot to do with what is popular, and less to do with whether or not they are talented. Look at Britney Spears...
My contention is that if a band is truly good, they will distribute enough albums on their own, that the majors will actually come knocking. Otherwise, they are good enough to have a loyal following of people, much like yourself (in my eyes), who often like music a little bit more if it's not popular. See, the argument you present is quite reminiscent of people that call a band "sell-outs" when they get signed to a major. You just want to keep the band as your little secret. Which is fine, but don't bitch and moan about the fact that downloading music is killing indy bands. In fact, free music actually helps them out. The reasons are two fold, you can not hear the band on the radio, and most people don't go "diggin' in the crates" at their local record store, just dying to find that new band that nobody heard of... which is normally a mediocre band, at best, but because they are indy and not popular, that makes them sound a little bit better...
Now, I'm no musician and I certainly don't know their trials and tribulations. But, one thing I do know is the chances of becoming a successful band are damn near impossible. So again, it they are in it for that, they're in the wrong business. If they are in it for the music, people WILL hear it and spread the word. And your buying their CD at your local record store isn't going to put them over the top, financially. No more than my downloading their music is going to mean one less burrito at the next truckstop.
Whether or not a band gets signed to a label has a lot to do with what is popular, and less to do with whether or not they are talented. Look at Britney Spears...
My contention is that if a band is truly good, they will distribute enough albums on their own, that the majors will actually come knocking. Otherwise, they are good enough to have a loyal following of people, much like yourself (in my eyes), who often like music a little bit more if it's not popular. See, the argument you present is quite reminiscent of people that call a band "sell-outs" when they get signed to a major. You just want to keep the band as your little secret. Which is fine, but don't bitch and moan about the fact that downloading music is killing indy bands. In fact, free music actually helps them out. The reasons are two fold, you can not hear the band on the radio, and most people don't go "diggin' in the crates" at their local record store, just dying to find that new band that nobody heard of... which is normally a mediocre band, at best, but because they are indy and not popular, that makes them sound a little bit better...
Now, I'm no musician and I certainly don't know their trials and tribulations. But, one thing I do know is the chances of becoming a successful band are damn near impossible. So again, it they are in it for that, they're in the wrong business. If they are in it for the music, people WILL hear it and spread the word. And your buying their CD at your local record store isn't going to put them over the top, financially. No more than my downloading their music is going to mean one less burrito at the next truckstop.