I'm going to starting with when people express disappointment about a band they like not coming to their town, and the band complain; fair enough you know you work pretty hard to bring your music to as many places as possible, but why not be just a bit flattered that fans want to experience your music live? We don't want you in our town because we want you too spoon feed us your music, we want you because live music has grown so popular now and it's great to hear a band you like in the flesh. Baring in mind train ticket prices are sickening; to travel 30 miles it's £20 for a one way ticket and takes like 2 hours. Then having to leave halfway through the headline set because you're train leaves in half an hour; it's not something that's appealing at all.
Also, I think I'm allowed to be a bit peed off if a band IS coming near me, but booked an 18+ venue. Like what is the reasoning? I know it's probably cheaper but everyone in there are students or middle aged people who're bored and just out in town looking for a cheap pint and something to do.
I must admit I have expressed to bands that I'm disappointed they couldn't play near me or whatever, but I'm not being a lazy sod just because I'm a jobless 15 year old with little money.
The next point was about how it's so easy to just listen to music and discover new bands online. I was quite baffled to see how this is a bad thing. Literally everyone by now has a presence on the internet so it is a fantastic way to get known and share experiences and interests.
I torrent most of my music and my excuse is I just do not have the money to buy every album I want to listen to on the go. However, if I do love an album, I will buy a physical copy. I still value CDs as I love the large album art, lyric sheets and pictures in the inside cover. The average price of a CD is about £10 from HMV, and that's irrelevant to how long the album is or how many tracks are on it. While I know the reasons for the pricing, I just can't justify spending all of my small income on one CD.
What if we go out to buy an album and it's just plain shit? There's not a feeling like the feeling of 'I've wasted my money, now I have none left and I'm sad'. It's a huge disappointment and I'd be a bit pissed off. So on that note, thank god for online reviews.
As for not 'experiencing' and narrating the music anymore (instead, just reading a track-by-track review), that maybe just with you Steven. I know when I get an album I'll try and listen to it all the way through and experience it all. I barely ever read album reviews, and if I do, it'll be a quick summary and help me make up my mind on it.
So what if we can download music online and have albums delivered? That is a convenience, and it's certainly not a bad thing, Some people don't have the time or money for bus fare and any additional prices of buying it from their local CD store. So what if it's all there ready for us? Do bands honestly appreciate the people buying or listening? Is it truly the fans fault for this 'passive' musical experience?
It's completely your choice to put your album on iTunes, yes, you'd loose out on a bit of money and people may be questioning why it isn't on there, but if you were really that bothered about people easily listening to music online, then do something about it! No one is forcing anyone to 'please the fans', because all in all it's all down to the band or artist, and what they want to do with the music they've created. Yes, it's disappointing as hell if they don't play near to you or don't have an online download, but the fans don't control how the music is distributed.
No one's demanding tour videos and signed CDs, surely that's all done for fun and out of your own enjoyment? We could wait after a show for you to sign our album if we really wanted. I personally don't mind about signed albums; but I find it weird that it's not been signed with you there handing it to them. It seems to be defeating the excitement of someone signing your record because everyone who pre-orders one will have it signed anyway. It's not rare or that exciting if that happens.
I don't request bands to come to Liverpool because I have a sense of 'entitlement' and want everything so easy for me, I want them because it's just great to be at a gig, and have a such a good time that it stays with you for ages. And I'm sure I'm not alone on that.
Comparing everything to what it was like for our parents to grow up, it's great. You'd buy the NME every week to hear about the same bands and decide if you'd spend all your pocket money on some album that may or may not be as good as they described. While that may be a more 'authentic' way of discovering new music, it's just not as relevant anymore due to our advances in technology.
I know what he was trying to say throughout the article but it just seems a really sad way to look at it and I hope not all bands feel this crap towards people that're paying for their clothes and cigarettes.
Sometimes I'm really aware about the internet's complications of music consumption, but then I cease to care because it's basically all I've ever known and I'm glad it does exist. I'm happy about being able to discover great music that I wouldn't have been able to do without the internet, and I think bands should be happy about people stumbling upon them and liking them; I know I would be.
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