Well, it's been over six months since my last post and a few things have happened. Well, actually I wrote a really long ramble about how stupid mainstream music is but then for some reason it didn't go up. Oh well.
Anyways, we're halfway through 2003, and it seems like every other minute any "punk" band (or emo, or indie or band who used to be kinda small but sells out their club shows) with a decent following is getting signed to a major. Are all these bands really that great? To be frank, no. The truth behind this is the fact that most of the people at Majors aren't really into music. Well, the lower level A&R people who are hired to find the bands are but the big cats up top aren't. They like money, not music. So if some band has a bunch of fans but are on a label that aren't that huge, the majors can wave a bunch of money in their face and have them put out records on their label. Now, the thing that I'm puzzled about is who's actually getting screwed here, the bands or the labels? You see most of these bands that are getting signed don't really go on to sell that many more records on majors than they did on indies. Remember when MxPx got signed? They're a prime example of a band that had room to grow but weren't given it. It wasn't really there fault but in the end they've sold way more records for Tooth and Nail than Time Warner. When they got signed, it wasn't really during a feeding frenzy.
However, these bands all getting signed now are doing such not because going to a major is the next step, but because they have a decent fan base and the Majors feel they can make some money off of them. But for every Blink-182 and Green Day there are 50 Jawbreakers and Nerf Herders. So while AFI are selling out every obnoxiously huge venue they play and their record WILL be platinum (1,000,000 units sold) by December 31, 2003, bands like The Ataris and Poison the Well and maybe even Thursday will probably be talking about how the people at majors are bastards and will be putting out records with Fat Mike come summer of 2005.
While alot of these bands have alot of buzz in the punk scene, they don't really have the clout to do it for the majors. Kris Rowe may write some damn poppy songs, but no matter how long he grows his hair and how many jelly bracelets he wares and how much weight he looses, he'll forever have a face for radio. The main reason some of these hot topic bands are blowing up is because they're cute. Look at how adorable Good Charlotte are with their crappy tattoos and gang signs. Simple plan traded their Abercrombies for Dickies and bam, a "punk" band. But these real bands (non-assembled for main stream success) haven’t been able to break through onto the TRL dominated music market, because it seems that they don't really have what it takes to end up on a poster being sold at wall mart. Less Than Jake, the Suicide Machines, Sick of it All, the Muffs and H2O were all big hopefuls for Majors, but all ended up getting dropped and heading back to indies.
So getting back to my question, who's actually getting screwed, the bands that don't get any bigger or the labels who spend all this money to hype a band who can't get any more hyped? Well, the answer is still the bands because at the end of the day a major label except can loose millions and still go home to his mansion and sleep soundly next to his trophy wife while a member from a dropped band has to come home and wonder how they're going to make rent when they still have to pay for that bus the label "got" them for the crappy tour they did opening for Saliva. So, to the members of Thrice, Acceptance, Noise Ratchet, The Explosion and Squad Five-O, remember to get receipts on all those parties and dinners your guy takes you to because you're actually paying for them and always be thinking of other things you can do when this music thing is over, because the guitar player from Dance Hall Crashers works at the Rasputens records in Peasanton near Oakland and you may end up doing that too. Oh, and steal as much junk as you can from your label's offices (CD's, autographed posters, promo items). They always sell on ebay. And take money from petty cash because they don't usually keep track of that and it doesn't count towards the money they're going to claim you owe them. Other than that, enjoy riding on a bus.
And I guess to clarify something, I have nothing against bands signing to Major labels. Thanks to Majors, I heard Green Day and Nirvana, bands I like get exposure and new records from Thrice and Poison the Well will be $6.99 on they day they come out. If a band wants to go on to a Major instead of the indie they’re on (or Major funded label) more power to them. Just the fact remains that most of the bands who get signed to Majors who don’t blow up right away get forgotten and if you ain’t makin your label some green, they’re not going to do anything for you but leave you with legal troubles.
Shout Outs-
The Mars Volta- Holy friggin balls
The Hulk- I don't care what all you playa haters say. It was dope
Old School on Dvd- "What would you go to jail for, being awesome"?
Alice Cooper at the Del Mar fair- Best Muppet Show host ever
Iron Maden, Motorhead, Dio; August 26th, San Diego Sports Arena- a culmination of many things awesomely sweet.
Pootie Tang- I urge you therefore brethren.
Black Flag reunion at the Palladium in September- tickets not available at Hot Toipc
The New Tom Green Show- reuniting the cast of Animal Chinn
Quiznos- crack for the 21st century
From Justin to Kelly- not so bad when you bring a bottle of hooch into the theater and you use your old student ID
Disses-
Rancid signing to a major label- Don't make me say it guys.....
Seeing Alkaline Trio in 3 cities- Just because you drive to San Francisco, doesn't mean they'll play radio
Tim Armstrong's wife divorcing him after her band got signed to a major- well, at lest she didn't hire some one to kill him and make it look like a suicide
The G.G. Allin Documentary I watched the other night- not before or soon after dinner.
The Ben Stiller Show DVD set being delayed 6 months- Bastards
Records to Listen to (in no particular order)
1. Suicide Machines- A Match and Some Gasoline
2. Deftones- Deftones
3. Alkaline Trio- Good Mourning
4. Mars Volta- Deloused in the Comatorium
5. Bad Ronald- s/t
6. Radiohead- Hail to the Thief
7. None More Black- File Under Black
8. Coldplay- A Rush of Blood to the Head
9. RUN DMC- Greatest Hits
10. Pedro The Lion- Control
Interesting Things I Saw on the Streets of San Francisco
-a dude smoking crack
-dried fish balls
-lots of ninja swords
-Justin Timberlake
-Real Ho’s
Anyways, we're halfway through 2003, and it seems like every other minute any "punk" band (or emo, or indie or band who used to be kinda small but sells out their club shows) with a decent following is getting signed to a major. Are all these bands really that great? To be frank, no. The truth behind this is the fact that most of the people at Majors aren't really into music. Well, the lower level A&R people who are hired to find the bands are but the big cats up top aren't. They like money, not music. So if some band has a bunch of fans but are on a label that aren't that huge, the majors can wave a bunch of money in their face and have them put out records on their label. Now, the thing that I'm puzzled about is who's actually getting screwed here, the bands or the labels? You see most of these bands that are getting signed don't really go on to sell that many more records on majors than they did on indies. Remember when MxPx got signed? They're a prime example of a band that had room to grow but weren't given it. It wasn't really there fault but in the end they've sold way more records for Tooth and Nail than Time Warner. When they got signed, it wasn't really during a feeding frenzy.
However, these bands all getting signed now are doing such not because going to a major is the next step, but because they have a decent fan base and the Majors feel they can make some money off of them. But for every Blink-182 and Green Day there are 50 Jawbreakers and Nerf Herders. So while AFI are selling out every obnoxiously huge venue they play and their record WILL be platinum (1,000,000 units sold) by December 31, 2003, bands like The Ataris and Poison the Well and maybe even Thursday will probably be talking about how the people at majors are bastards and will be putting out records with Fat Mike come summer of 2005.
While alot of these bands have alot of buzz in the punk scene, they don't really have the clout to do it for the majors. Kris Rowe may write some damn poppy songs, but no matter how long he grows his hair and how many jelly bracelets he wares and how much weight he looses, he'll forever have a face for radio. The main reason some of these hot topic bands are blowing up is because they're cute. Look at how adorable Good Charlotte are with their crappy tattoos and gang signs. Simple plan traded their Abercrombies for Dickies and bam, a "punk" band. But these real bands (non-assembled for main stream success) haven’t been able to break through onto the TRL dominated music market, because it seems that they don't really have what it takes to end up on a poster being sold at wall mart. Less Than Jake, the Suicide Machines, Sick of it All, the Muffs and H2O were all big hopefuls for Majors, but all ended up getting dropped and heading back to indies.
So getting back to my question, who's actually getting screwed, the bands that don't get any bigger or the labels who spend all this money to hype a band who can't get any more hyped? Well, the answer is still the bands because at the end of the day a major label except can loose millions and still go home to his mansion and sleep soundly next to his trophy wife while a member from a dropped band has to come home and wonder how they're going to make rent when they still have to pay for that bus the label "got" them for the crappy tour they did opening for Saliva. So, to the members of Thrice, Acceptance, Noise Ratchet, The Explosion and Squad Five-O, remember to get receipts on all those parties and dinners your guy takes you to because you're actually paying for them and always be thinking of other things you can do when this music thing is over, because the guitar player from Dance Hall Crashers works at the Rasputens records in Peasanton near Oakland and you may end up doing that too. Oh, and steal as much junk as you can from your label's offices (CD's, autographed posters, promo items). They always sell on ebay. And take money from petty cash because they don't usually keep track of that and it doesn't count towards the money they're going to claim you owe them. Other than that, enjoy riding on a bus.
And I guess to clarify something, I have nothing against bands signing to Major labels. Thanks to Majors, I heard Green Day and Nirvana, bands I like get exposure and new records from Thrice and Poison the Well will be $6.99 on they day they come out. If a band wants to go on to a Major instead of the indie they’re on (or Major funded label) more power to them. Just the fact remains that most of the bands who get signed to Majors who don’t blow up right away get forgotten and if you ain’t makin your label some green, they’re not going to do anything for you but leave you with legal troubles.
Shout Outs-
The Mars Volta- Holy friggin balls
The Hulk- I don't care what all you playa haters say. It was dope
Old School on Dvd- "What would you go to jail for, being awesome"?
Alice Cooper at the Del Mar fair- Best Muppet Show host ever
Iron Maden, Motorhead, Dio; August 26th, San Diego Sports Arena- a culmination of many things awesomely sweet.
Pootie Tang- I urge you therefore brethren.
Black Flag reunion at the Palladium in September- tickets not available at Hot Toipc
The New Tom Green Show- reuniting the cast of Animal Chinn
Quiznos- crack for the 21st century
From Justin to Kelly- not so bad when you bring a bottle of hooch into the theater and you use your old student ID
Disses-
Rancid signing to a major label- Don't make me say it guys.....
Seeing Alkaline Trio in 3 cities- Just because you drive to San Francisco, doesn't mean they'll play radio
Tim Armstrong's wife divorcing him after her band got signed to a major- well, at lest she didn't hire some one to kill him and make it look like a suicide
The G.G. Allin Documentary I watched the other night- not before or soon after dinner.
The Ben Stiller Show DVD set being delayed 6 months- Bastards
Records to Listen to (in no particular order)
1. Suicide Machines- A Match and Some Gasoline
2. Deftones- Deftones
3. Alkaline Trio- Good Mourning
4. Mars Volta- Deloused in the Comatorium
5. Bad Ronald- s/t
6. Radiohead- Hail to the Thief
7. None More Black- File Under Black
8. Coldplay- A Rush of Blood to the Head
9. RUN DMC- Greatest Hits
10. Pedro The Lion- Control
Interesting Things I Saw on the Streets of San Francisco
-a dude smoking crack
-dried fish balls
-lots of ninja swords
-Justin Timberlake
-Real Ho’s
