progressive rock in crisis

ForestFriend wrote: siLLy puPPy wrote: I have even more to add. Live music HAS become a hassel these days in many cases. Modern day life has made everything more expensive than it needs to be. First of all ticket companies gouge the consumers. I feel like you're only being gouged for live shows if you're seeing big name bands - smaller touring bands really aren't that expensive to see, and local bands are super cheap, at least where I live. I think a lot of people would end up paying more for parking and beer than they do for the music (speaking of gouging...).

"To me, this is the problem with the comments here. "

Run that by me again. Given you've been commenting on whether the *music industry* is in crisis, rather than progressive rock ? 

It's also not about whether *we* are making things a crisis by putting labels on what is and what is not "progressive rock". We seem to have agreed that there are several factors which are affecting all of the "proper" music industry. 

(Mosh again)
"The internet, caused a different issue, which Dave does not discuss ... the number of people out there, and buying things is probably times 1,000, if not 10,000, the number of records, or artists that TOWER RECORDS or any music store, EVER, had to show,"

Actually, I did discuss it, Mosh. I mentioned that (by referring to six years of analytics) people no longer buy music. They browse it. 

So you can have 50 billion musicians out there and no one buys. 

New eyes, new ears.... ;-)

I see loads of $15 to $20 gigs and usually enjoy them more than the big name 'events'.

siLLy puPPy wrote: It would probably be more accurate to say MUSIC INDUSTRY IN CRISIS. Music sales have been plummiting all across the board for years now. In fact i recently read that Mozart as well as older music outsold new artists for the first time a couple years ago. As many new artists as we add here will tell you that prog isn't in a crisis of being created. The crisis is in musicians making a living. It also seems music is less important to the youth than it was in previous generations with all the newer distractions like video games and virtual reality just to name a couple things.

These days, I don't know how a musician can make it, financially, playing any kind of music! 

^ i guess that all depends on where you live. I'm in the SF Bay Area so lots of money in these parts to pay too much for piano lessons i guess :)

I have even more to add. Live music HAS become a hassel these days in many cases. Modern day life has made everything more expensive than it needs to be. First of all ticket companies gouge the consumers. Secondly, terrorist attacks, gun shootings etc mean people feel less safe going into public settings these days. The world is simply a different place that doesn't allow the luxuries of the past. I speak from my own experience with this. I rarely go to live shows any longer unless it's someone i really wanna see (such as Magma).

I am, at this moment, sitting in front of £8,000 worth of self made modular synth, which makes 1974 Tangerine Dream's kit look like biscuit tins. There are one two three four five six seven analogue synths around me, 10 sequencers, six saxophones, five guitars, two basses and a flue, valve preamps, hand modded microphones, a wind synth, valve amps..... effects galore, a lot of them hand soldered up, 1960's valve audio generators....that's about half the setup we have. (Actually probably less than half). 

At the moment, I need a drummer, a van, one person to help on synths, PA hire (or even buy a couple of Bose stick PAs) - I'd get some trippy oil lights (Optikinetics Solar 250 plus 1/2 rpm rotators) and guess what ? You have the makings of an absolutely incredible little live gig. Six or seven weeks practice, that'd be enough. All mainly improvised. You'd probably all love it. 

Except. 

No one would turn up. If they did, they'd turn up if it was a fiver a ticket, but they wouldn't if it had to be set high enough to cover costs. There's additional money to print t shirts, so it'd be "risk £5-6k" on something where there is (no music sales) no provable evidence that you'd ever cover the costs. 

So I'll just sit in my studio surrounded by gear which gets played by me and a few musicians only. And all over the country, the same thing is happening. Sadly, what on earth is the incentive to possibly throw money away ? You'd take a chance for the fans. But there are seemingly no fans any more. 

So it's sad all around. Everyone loses. 

wiz_d_kidd wrote: I did a poll ("Bandcamp name your price") asking how much people would pay if you could pay anything they felt was fair.  Six out of 20 respondents said they would pay NOTHING, not even a buck or two.  That's just sad...