Those of you with any involvement in your local music scene will probably have noticed a bit of a downturn in recent years. It doesn't take a genius to work out that the main reason for this is that attendance is thinning. I will say, right off the bat - I don't go to as many local gigs as I should. I never have the money. However, I know that's not a valid excuse, as I'll often go out and spend £30+ on getting pissed. I'm not on a high horse here; I'm guilty too.
In Liverpool, the music scene is in trouble. I mean real trouble. The Masque, one of Liverpool's biggest and well-loved independent venues, was recently closed due to financial problems. The Jacaranda and others soon followed suit. It seems like every few weeks, a performance space is biting the dust. And why? Because no one seems to care about the performances.
From the age of 15 to 20, I was the vocalist in a band. You can find our music here. It was a huge help to us at the time that there was a local venue (the legendary Flying Picket) that put regular 'dry bar' night on, for bands of our age group. The gigs were free, and they let pretty much anyone play. The experience for a whole heap of young bands like us was invaluable. Since then, I've run a promotion outfit, putting a couple of huge local gigs on over the past few years. I've also booked and managed a nationwide tour for a local band. If there's one thing I've learned throughout those experiences, it's that filling out a venue for a gig full of 'local' bands is almost always a challenge, and is becoming more difficult as years go by.
Obviously, technology has played a huge part in this. I don't just mean illegal downloads either. In general, those of a regular concert-going age (I'm estimating 15-35, I'll deal with your complaints later) generally just spend a lot more time indoors, due to the internet, DVDs, etc. You could no doubt argue that the global economic crisis has worsened things too. I think we had this problem long before that, but there's no doubt that it is a factor. With all this talk of recession and economic downturn, I know people are tightening the pursestrings a little. I know that price can be an issue, but try to get it in perspective - some people will get a bit funny about paying £5 to see 4 quality bands, but they won't even blink when someone charges them the same to get in a shitty overpriced nightclub of a weekend. Think about what you're getting for your money.
On a more fundamental level, one could begin to wonder whether music as a form of mass entertainment even has a future in our world. My Stepdad went to a local HMV recently, and said he was just shocked as how few people there were in such a huge store. He raised the point that until the 20th century, music was not really something that people enjoyed and consumed in masses. It was often something that families or friends enjoyed in private - chamber music, family around the piano, etc. It's a harrowing thought for someone who's spent most of their life in love with music, but maybe it's beginning to run its course. However, I refuse to accept this notion. There's no doubt that the underground has hit a slump, but I have faith that the music-loving public can turn it around.
So what exactly can we do to save the future of real, independent music? It's real simple. Go more gigs. Support the venues that still have the sense to put live music on. While you're at it, buy more merch. With the number of shady promoters and stingy club owners about, there is never any guarantee that a band are going to get any money. Chances are, they won't. The only way you can be sure that they do is to buy their T shirts and CDs directly from them. This won't make them rich, but it will support them enough to keep doing what they do. Your tenner will mean the world to them.
As welcome as it would be, I'm not expecting people to go out and start getting involved in their live scene to feel like they're fulfilling some noble purpose. You needn't feel motivated by guilt - aside from anything else, it's just a great experience. I've had some of the best nights of my life at underground gigs, whether playing or watching, and if you've never had those experiences then you're missing out.
To the initiated among you - it's time for us to step up to the plate. We're all guilty of being blasé about our local talent, and we've all said at some point 'ah, I'll go to the next one'. It's time we get off our collective arse and make our local scenes great again.
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