OFF: Survey for free music

[ANDREW GARIBALDI]

WOW!!!!!!
A whole lot of points there you spark off, but let me just deal with one.
THE main one revolves around 'being satisfied with the audience numbers'
that the band has. Sadly, throughout most of the world right now, we live
with a global media that doesn't give one earthly toss about anything that
they don't construe as applicable for mass consuption or so friggin' obscure
that they feature it purely to further the 'one-upmanship' that keeps them
sane. As a result, the only way bands can reach greater audiences is by
throwing money at publicity. For a start most of the bands don't have this
sort of money, and then the question of 'where'  - how the hell can yuo
guarantee spending a few thousand on ads in Magnet or Classic Rock is going
to achieve greater sales. How the hell do you get over to a new audience
unless some media gives you the time of day, and by that I don't mean a
feature on Hawkwind that simply politicises the band - a new audience needs
to know what it's to hear.
There's the internet, but it's mind-bogglingly vast, and people seek what
they want - they don't know to seek out what they don't - after all can you
find the wheat among 170,000 examples of chaff. In short, I've recently seen
a musician throw a load of money at a media feature and it reached the
so-called 'right audience' too and didn't make much more than a ripple -
I've seen musicians who live with their limited audience but get round it by
releasing practically a new CD a month. But there are also up and coming
bands who are trying to tour in the trad way too. The Dead had it made -
they toured like shit and had a lot of other activities as well as being
licensed (sort of ) to a major label and their stuff 'transcended' fashion
so it got written about.
In short, if Dave can keep the audience levels worldwide, and maybe add a
few too, then he's actually doing darned well, and if he wants more funds to
roll in, the main way is to release more music to an audience that wants
it - for too long audiences have demonstrated via bootlegs that they are
willing to buy if it's there - but growth? Blame the state of the
mass-media, and the idea that if something doesn't appeal to as huge a
number of people as possible, then it can't make a profit.
I had this idea a while back that I'd get Krel on the road - not in pubs,
not in concert halls - but in schools - playing to kids - sound mad? Well,
nothing can ever be written off.....
Andy Garibaldi
----- Original Message -----
From: "K Henderson" <henderson.120 at OSU.EDU>
To: <BOC-L at LISTSERV.SPC.EDU>
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2001 4:26 AM
Subject: OFF: Survey for free music


> Hi Folks...
>
> OK, I been coming to the conclusion that we all are