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Finnforest View Drop Down
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Points: 17335 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Rock Band 101?
    Posted: May 15 2010 at 10:56
I'm sure you've seen similar TV commercials as me.  Local colleges offering courses in "How to be a Rock Band/Recording Artist." 

Beyond teaching sound recording technique, they instruct on all aspects of how to "make it", getting into marketing and image, etc. 

Are these classes good or do they turn rock and roll into just another career path, encouraging conformity and corporatist sheen in music?  I would think a band should not be guided by teachers but by the spirit that always pushed bands....getting out there and making your own path....not reading about and taking a quiz from a teacher. 

I want music that is the product of a certain pure, inner spirit of an artist.  I don't want to hear music that has been crafted by instruction "to sell" as I feel such bands are going to sound pretty much like label product, with the fire and the potential for authenticity removed.  If you have to be instructed on "developing an image" then what you have to say somehow matters less to me....just being honest. 

Any opinions on being "taught how to be a rock star?"   What would Keith Moon say? LOL


Edited by Finnforest - May 15 2010 at 10:57
...that moment you realize you like "Mob Rules" better than "Heaven and Hell"
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paganinio View Drop Down
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Points: 1327 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 17 2010 at 02:17
OK, read my potsst.
 
OK Computer would never sell 1000 copies without the major label support. A big corporation (EMI) was behind Radiohead and ensured their success.
 
These classes are important because they teach these things that almost no musicians know about. Do you know how much money you make per CD sold (about 90 cents I believe)? Do you know which website you should put advertisement on if you're an indie pop band (I think it's LAST>FM) ?
 
I don't either and that's why you need to go to these classes and learn.
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paganinio View Drop Down
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Points: 1327 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 17 2010 at 02:22
Originally posted by Finnforest Finnforest wrote:



how to "make it", getting into marketing and image, etc. 
 
Image is so important that it deserves another reply.
 
Suppose you're a band. You have two press photos. Photo A looks like every other pop/rock band out there:
 
Photo B looks like it's a metal band from Jupiter. The photo looks weird.
 
Which band has better image?
 
I'm not answering that because I want you to think.
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Dean View Drop Down
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 17 2010 at 04:22
Originally posted by Finnforest Finnforest wrote:

I'm sure you've seen similar TV commercials as me.  Local colleges offering courses in "How to be a Rock Band/Recording Artist." 

Beyond teaching sound recording technique, they instruct on all aspects of how to "make it", getting into marketing and image, etc. 

Are these classes good or do they turn rock and roll into just another career path, encouraging conformity and corporatist sheen in music?  I would think a band should not be guided by teachers but by the spirit that always pushed bands....getting out there and making your own path....not reading about and taking a quiz from a teacher. 

I want music that is the product of a certain pure, inner spirit of an artist.  I don't want to hear music that has been crafted by instruction "to sell" as I feel such bands are going to sound pretty much like label product, with the fire and the potential for authenticity removed.  If you have to be instructed on "developing an image" then what you have to say somehow matters less to me....just being honest. 

Any opinions on being "taught how to be a rock star?"   What would Keith Moon say? LOL
I think these schools and courses serve a purpose.
 
If nothing else they are a reality check for all those wide-eyed aspiring hopefuls who think that music is an easy route to riches. Being faced with the reality of the music business brings these people back down to earth.
 
Of course there are varying levels of courses, with differing levels of academic backing. The only one I have any knowledge of is the Academy of Contemporary Music here in the UK,  where you can study music and music production to Masters Degree level. People I know who have been through its doors have studied under professional music academics, knowledgeable industry people and notable musicians including Bill Bruford (who was tutoring Music Business Management - so it's not all top-40 pop producers and bubble-gum Svengali's).
 
They are not forcing students to make music that sells, though of course they are shown what sells and what doesn't, but they are given solid advice on what can be done to improve what they are doing - whether they take that advice is up to them. They won't fail the course if they make non-commercial music - like any academic qualification the purpose of any course is to equip students with the tools, and to show them how to use them, not what to do - the "teacher quiz" is to check that the student knows how to use those tools, not that they can use them to craft a top-40 hit.
 
Like it or loath it, the music industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that covers all aspects of music from top-40 pop, rock and urban to jazz, folk, world and classical music, (to run that as an amateur table-top mom&pop business is a farcical notion IMO), and raising the business knowledge level of aspiring musicians entering that industry can only be a good thing, both for the artists, and in the longer term, for the industry itself.
 
 
What?
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paganinio View Drop Down
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Points: 1327 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2010 at 01:13
That's good. But how do you know if the teachers are good? Due all respect, I may know more about music industry than some of those teachers do. They are probably MUSIC teachers who have only read two books on economics.
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