Fire up the van, we're going on tour!

Okay, so I am not going on tour but I had a recent conversation that has been gnawing on me for a little while. What does it take to make it?

The old way was with your band. You practiced, and practiced, and practiced. Once you and the gang felt "tight" or "ready" you put together a demo tape with a beat up four-track. You put the tape in a manila envelope, added some pictures of your band in front of a brick wall, slapped on a sticker and/or drew some cool logo and now you had a publicity package. You send it out to all the bars, clubs, strip joints and maybe you get a bite. Or, you call your friend "Billy" or "Big Ted" or whoever you know that manages a bar, or is a bartender or once slept with the dude that knows the owner of some club that is currently hot.

Eventually, if you don't suck too bad you get a gig and you start playing. You have to drag your gear to the show, set-up, sound check, get your drink tickets, maybe a name or three on the guest list and you play. You get a few bucks (if you didn't drink it all) and then you have to split it up with the group. Of course "Tom" or "Teddy" or "Billy Jay Watkins" wants more because it was his dad's van he borrowed to get all your shit to the venue and if he doesn't give it back with a full tank his old man will flick lit cigarette butts at him, but you work it out.

The first gig usually has a decent little crowd because all your friends show up, but the next gig maybe half of them come. Then the next only your band's girlfriends/boyfriends make it. Eventually they may even stop coming, because it is the same damn show or they had to get their nails done or get drunk or they just broke up with you. Whatever.

Overtime you get better, people dig you and then you get a name. You start playing out more. You plan a tour of the county, state, or region (depending on how gutsy you feel or how much vacation you saved up). You hope that one day some other big band you open for likes you and wants you on tour with them, or that there is such a buzz some record exec shows up and is blown away, or you keep sending demos to everyone you know and/or stalk to see if something bites. This goes on for n number of years and either you make it or you don't. More then likely you don't, but that is the biz right?

But what about now? Is this process still true? Sure you can replace the band with a set of turntables and a mixer, but the process was the same djs too. But do you need to play out now-a-days to make it? And when I mean play out, that does not mean a live show here or there, I mean working the circuit. Playing every show possible, hanging out in the scene and pimping and ho'ing yourself to you get the better, bigger gig.

A while back I would have said yes... this is the way. But there has been a change in the winds of music. Look at acts like Boards of Canada. They don't play out, they don't tour. They did do some live shows once they started getting a lot of good press for their EP, but that is not how they got known. Their music speaks for them. People hear it and are blown away by it. It gets down to one big change, one big revolution to the music industry, you know what I am talking about... the Internet.

People from all over the world can stream new music, talk about what they want, order vinyl or CDs from all over the world. IRC, forums, blogs, all kinds of new ways to inform each other about music. Also, look who is getting hot... producers are coming out from behind the boards and making a name for themselves. They didn't tour, they didn't do shows day in day out, they just sat in their studio and made music.

Wired just did a cover piece on the "Super Producers" (albeit the WORST cover article of all time). More people are letting the music speak for itself first, then pursing the act. It is an interesting time in music... big changes are happening and to me it is absolutely amazing.

Okay, I don't want to give the impression that playing out is not important. It is and I think it is a very good way to "make" it. You get a hometown following, you get to learn how to play to a crowd, get a feel, overcome stage fright, tighten up, play the same things over and over again and still enjoy it. Playing out is critical, but I don't think it is they main vein into the music heart as it used to be. I think more musicians should turn to the internet and embrace it. Look for alternatives for getting your music our there.

For example, DBC is starting OEM radio. This is a really great idea. Allowing musicians to have their music broadcast to an audience. Here is a wonderful forum for electronic artist to have there sound shown. Another is CDBaby. Here is a site that acts like a label but treats the artist with the utmost respect. They will take anyone (okay, so that means more crap to have to did through) but the talent will percolate up and here is a place to find it. Yeah, okay, turds float too... bad metaphor.

I don't know where I am going with this, but it is something that has been floundering around in my brain for a while. But for now, I say let the music find the people.