Am i missing the point?

Negoba wrote: Wow, that's very different than the US. Tribute Bands are a novelty and pretty fun. They're not squeezing out any original bands at all. Of course, lots of small bars hire cover bands or bands that mix originals and covers, but that's how you move up.   DJs however have taken over many venues that could and should be using live bands. I think it's just cheaper.

I think tribute bands eventually will be a widely accepted thing. As some of the big name bands from the late sixties and early seventies wind down, the more there will be a market for such acts. With the passing of Richard Wright there is a chance that Pink Floyd won't be touring again. Many people that never seen the Floyd perform would love to see something resembling that experience. As technology improves, so it will be the ability to deliver shows with the latest in lights, and projections at a fraction of the cost of what it used to be. I've seen Pink Floyd four times but my wife never had the chance. I took her to see The Australian Pink Floyd Show so that she could get an idea as to how it feels to be there. Sure, it isn't the same as the real thing but these are still very capable musicians delivering a very high-quality show and at the end we had a good time. I do agree that there is no point in tribute bands for bands that will still hit your town some time during the year. But there are many bands that don't tour anymore that would be fun to experience. Because of those reasons I see the proliferation of tribute bands as something that will become more and more mainstream. I suppose it would be like anything else, some will be good and some not so good. Some will be just plain awful but the audiences will be the actual judge on the subject. If they are good, they will stick around. Tributes and cover bands have also made some kind of dent within the industry. Journey found their new singer by watching a filipino cover band on Youtube. YES replaced their ill singer for a tour with the singer from a Canadian tribute band. The incredible part is that in both cases the singers sound exactly like the original singers did at their prime. Nothing replaces originals but when the originals are no longer available, a good tribute would provide with a good time on a Friday evening. Making money out of plating someone else's music is nothing new. It all depends on how good or bad the band is at it. Everybody seems to like the Monkees around the sixties. The Monkees were nothing more than a marketing strategy to come up with an American answer to Beatlemania. The Monkees were actors trained to pretend to be like the Beatles. Music was written and recorded for them by others. I think they sang but I'm not even sure they sang all of their songs on record. Many vocalists hire people to write songs and lyrics only to take all the credit if they become a hit. Tributes are just like anything else, another avenue to expand the entertaining offerings based on something that is tried and true. Many tributes never make enough money to call it a "cash cow" but that's another story altogether.

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Hi There.

Kotro wrote: Yeah, let's get rid of all those posers playing other people's music, starting with the orchestras and philarmonics, 'cause they've been here longer.

I agree!