Change Not So Good for Musicians

Early in my life, as the Beatles crossed the Atlantic, I developed a passion for music and all that the industry encompasses. As I child I spent a brief period on drums then as a teenager switched to guitar, and later learned enough bass to enable me to earn a  living. During the apex of big hair metal and the dawn of grunge, I spent several years playing bass for 12 Gauge, a popular touring band in the Pacific Northwest.  During this stint, I observed and experienced most of what the music industry offered at the time. I understood the perseverance necessary for booking gigs, the long hours spent practicing parts, the tedium of life on the road, as well as the exposure to unscrupulous promoters, club owners and record executives. On average we received approximately $100 per night per man, a food and beverage tab, and a place to sleep, whether a band house or hotel.  As a four piece band we learned to maximize our earnings by running sound and lights from the stage and booking all of our own gigs.

In 1988, I left the music biz, moved from Seattle to Florida, started a business and a family, and for many years afterward only dabbled in music.  I would occasionally sit in on bass if needed, participate in the worship band at church, or run sound for special events.  

After selling my business, finding myself involuntarily single, and suffering a nearly fatal accident, I, during my physical and emotional recovery, found myself smack dab right back in the middle of the music industry. As a result of the subconscious marriage that occurred between my acumen for business and my passion for music, I found myself a sought after commodity by both bands seeking promotion and venues weary from sifting through musicians in an attempt to discover talent. I briefly managed a rising country music star out of Nashville which led to booking arrangements with over twenty other acts and the exclusive representation of several venues within south Florida.  Now, sitting in a chair at a desk looking back over the past 30 years, I cringe at the detrimental change to musicians that has occurred. 

Thirty years ago, we had no internet, no cell phones, no personal computers, no home recording, no digital cameras, no camcorders, no low cost printing, no CDs, and no social networking.  We booked gigs in person or over a land based telephone, and we promoted ourselves by producing flyers, posters and cassette tapes (yes cassette tapes) as inexpensively as possible.  Clubs promoted almost exclusively through radio and low quality industry related magazines.  DUIs were rare so bands had followings and groupies that would travel great distances to see their favorite.  Prior to karaoke and the huge growth of DJs and dance house, the law of supply and demand heavily favored the musician. As a musician with only average talent, I enjoyed decent salary as well as a great deal of respect from both fans and the people paying us. 

Today, we possess the technology and ability to promote efficiently and inexpensively. Yet as a result of the popularity and influx of karaoke and dance music, we see an unusual degradation of the industry even considering that the skill level and number of players has steadily increased.  

I find these changes in the industry both shocking and appalling:

1) The average pay per musician per night remains the same as it was in the late 1970's. Factoring in consumer price increases, inflation, and the value of the dollar, pay should have increased 3 to 3.5 times just to maintain pace with the economy.

2) Venue owners place almost the entire burden of promotion and fan draw on the artists themselves. Bands are no longer judged by talent or originality but by their ability to draw.  Since club owner's would rather hire a mediocre cover band with a following than a very unique original act, musicians now tend to all sound much the same even acknowledging the fact that skill level has increased. 

3) Bands lack individuality and originality.  With increased skill level and virtuosity, one would expect original sound to abound but unfortunately we fail to see that.  Too many artists feel compelled to emulate their idol as opposed to discovering their uniqueness. With no one to copy, legends like Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page had no choice but to develop their own sound. If they had felt not the desire to pioneer but only to imitate, rock music would still sound like the delta blues.

4) With the advent of powerful technology like email, texting, and cell phones, I find it ironic to observe that many musicians fail to possess the basic skills required to effectively communicate off of the stage. With increased competition for gigs, I would have assumed that this ability would have increased.  

5) Another irony exists as a result of low cost home recording equipment.  With increased skill level and access to recording, one would expect superior sound yet  I observe the unfortunate deterioration of the quality of product.  Although the path to market has shortened, the over saturation  has led to inferior recordings and a steady decrease in music sales.

6) This decrease, fueled by free downloads and file sharing creates an environment in which recording artists find themselves forced to continually tour to earn a living.  This seriously contrasts the old philosophy that break even touring promoted new record sales.  Now break even record sales support touring.

7) Due to takeovers, mergers, buyouts, and consolidation, the media is now controlled by 6 major giants, Time Warner, Walt Disney, Viacom, News Corporation, NBC Universal, and CBS Corporation. In 1983, there were over 50 different companies controlling this information.  This consolidation makes it nearly impossible for rising artists to gain radio airplay.  Play lists are established electronically nationwide making it nearly impossible for a local DJ to spin a local favorite.  

I realize that this article will enrage musicians and club owners alike.  No one wants to assume responsibility for anything.  Please believe that I am a huge proponent of live music and care deeply about the quality of life afforded to musicians.  As a result, I will only let this article serve as a vehicle to motivate me to write more offering up my insight on how musicians may book more gigs, promote better, gain radio airplay, and achieve a modicum of success.  Writing this article served primarily as a wake up call to me.

As a disclaimer, please realize that I possess no real credentials as an expert on this subject.  I work in the music industry and I thoroughly enjoy it. The subjects I tend to write about are heartfelt opinions, not necessarily substantiated facts.