It seems the viral video darlings of Ok Go are at it again, and kudos to them for going one step outside of their typical music video hilarity. Above is the video they created while documenting their parade around LA to spell out “Ok Go” on the city map using an iPhone app. As a continuation of this project, they are now looking for their fans to help out by submitting video and online maps they make using the same app. The fan-submitted content will then be used to produce another video later this year, which will hopefully lead to the whole world becoming one giant canvas.
So, at this point you should be asking yourself, how can I beat this?
So, I’m going to let you all in on a little secret right here and now. Music does not make money.
[pause so you can recover from the shock]
That’s right kids, no matter what Fiddy Cent or Kid Rawk tell you, the life of an artist and most of those involved in this business (for lack of a better word) is one of tap water and cold Kraft Diner. Or, if you’re vegan like me, perhaps ramen noodles or bean burritos. Sure, there are those who have not been in the game long enough who believe that they are the only ones having to milk their last beer ticker for all its worth. However, the ones who have been there through the ebb and flow of any local scene know that whether you’re playing in front of the mic, coiling the cables at 4am and shutting down the PA, collecting the money at the door, keeping the venue calendar full, taking the pictures to make the local rocker look like a god, or writing the review for the local weekly, everyone is going home to their small apartment, dusting off their vinyl and falling asleep with no more than a little bit of lint in their pockets.
“And I’ll ride back and forth, on this two-bit hobby horse, until she splinters and gives way, I’ll till the flowers by her grave, and whisper her name.”
Now, if you have to ask me why people would be so involved in something that doesn’t lead to money, I’m going to tell you to go watch a few more Jay-Z videos and never quit your day job. The answer to that question should be something you live, breath and eat every day. If it’s not, then you’re never going to survive on music alone.
“If anyone out there understands, can I please see a show of hands?”
However, if you know what I’m talking about, and you just happened to come across this while updating your MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and every other bit of presence you can muster online to let people know you’re playing this weekend, then this documentary probably speaks to you. In fact, it probably hits a little too close to home. Sadly, 98% of us have stories of that great venue that closed in the past few years. The place that held the best shows, had the best crowds, and was run by people who cared. Then something happened. One bad show where someone got hurt, a liquor law was broken, a neighbour complained about the noise, a landlord couldn’t swallow the missed rent payments anymore, the city wanted to make way for a condo or a wal-mart, etc…
I’d love to say I have a solution, a call to arms of everyone who knows the answer to why we’re all willing to work those shifts that no one wants to work filling the shelves at the drug store or taking the calls in the cubicle, but I don’t have any better ideas than you. All I know is this: just keep fighting. Don’t put down that guitar, don’t stop looking for another empty building that just might work, don’t stop finding a way to pay for the van, don’t give up on postering even if they keep coming down a day later, don’t stop trying to book your favourite bands, and, most of all, don’t stop loving music. Someone or something outside of your control can take away pretty much everything else, but they can’t take that.
And that’s all we have, but then again, it’s all we’ve ever needed, right?
I’m sure we all have stories from one show or another about this person or that group of people who just wouldn’t stop talking. Whether or not it was about the show or what their co-worker said or did last weekend, it didn’t matter, they were ruining a moment that would have been great.
Now, how many of you are guilty for doing the same thing either at a show you were a part of or one you were simply attending? I don’t think I can state enough times how disappointing it is to go to a quieter show, or to book a quiet show, with musicians I love only to have one or two of them spend their time at the show talking with their friends or others in attendance while someone else was onstage.
So, here’s the question: would you prefer a pin drop to be heard when you’re pouring your heart out on stage or would you prefer to hear the headlining act talking about their new album at a table two feet away from you?
I’d like to think you would go for the former, so here’s a suggested rule of thumb: if there is no mic in front of you, shut up.
Sure, if you’re at a big show and people are chatting in the back and the music can still be heard by those who want to listen, don’t ignore your friends and fans, but if you’re sitting in a quiet cafe politely make it clear to the people you’re with that you prefer to listen to the artist and you can talk after their set.
After all, if artists don’t fight for their fellow musicians onstage, who will?
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