I’ve often spoken about the over touring so many bands are doing these days. Playing so much their draw starts to decrease because people get tired of seeing them. It’s a by product of the fact that bands are not making money from selling music sadly. But we now have the over saturation of artists being in way too many bands. Again, same problem behind it. Artists are just casting their line out as many places as possible to see where they get a bite. All looking for something that has some traction and can be a viable source of financial and creative success. But I see it as really becoming a bit of an issue because it is flooding the market with product that has almost no chance to break through. I have been sent music featuring an artist from one label and had another label send me another release the same week featuring the same artist. How much can you do? How many interviews can you have with one person in one week? How can fans invest anything into some of these projects when you know it might already be over before it’s released or they may never do a live show? Very confusing. You have labels that will release almost anything from some bands but not ever really work it past a week. Hired gun promoters are everywhere pushing things one week to the next until the retainer they are paid runs out and then have moved on. Again I understand why it’s all happening but I also believe a less is more plan could work just as well. I miss the days an artist had one band and it was special to see them live or release and album every year or two. I know all things change and evolve but some of the multi tasking going on in today’s music world is hard to figure. It’s already hard when everyone is so over stimulated and with such short attention spans to sell music and get real traction, but when artists are hitting you with 3-4 projects or more a year you can’t blame the fan for being confused and not knowing where that person hangs their hat. Not blaming the musicians. The business has become the wild west and I don’t blame anyone for doing what they must to survive. But I have to think that it might be a better way if a band tried to just make a full commitment to one group and see what happens. Actually work and grow it and make all the focus on it. Tour, keep the priority in one spot. I have to laugh how a couple years ago my good friend Mike Portnoy was roasted for having several bands. Well guess what? Now almost everyone is doing it and it doesn’t seem so crazy.
Menu
40 Responses
Black Country Communion, Chickenfoot, etc
Before I read any of the other comments, great article Eddie. You really hit on some key points, and I don’t get it either. I tell ya, seeing Rudy Sarzo, the perennial Ozzy bassist in Dio just wasn’t right, seeing Rudy lick his bass during “Heaven and Hell,” that just doesn’t work. Seeing Carlos Cavazo in Ratt when someone else is playing in Quiet Riot. The current Foreigner and Journey situations: it’s completely changed into a mercenary culture. The art, the music, suffers. I’m glad you have taken up the issue, and you should do more of this stuff on here, if you don’t mind me saying.
All I know is, bands should stop charging 125 bucks for a concert ticket. Furthermore, even if you get a lawn ticket for, say, Kiss, it’s cheaper but not that cheap. And Kiss tunes down and Paul can’t sing anymore. Not giving 100% seems to be their mantra of late. Charging full price for the same staid setlist sans a song or two, the same costumes, the same show, and NO Kiss sign (on a VIDEO screen? Blasphemy!) all add up to one thing: the party is over. Time to do one last show with Ace and Peter and call it the day that should have been called in 2001. gene and Paul may not play in multiple bands, but their ridiculous hubris causes them to have side ventures that really, nobody gives a damn about but them. And the band suffers for it. look, Tommy Thayer had the best song off Monster. Really. And it really is a good song. It’s just too bad Gene and Paul are too busy with a losing football team and Rock N Brews to bother to write better material and do a different show. Not sure if this makes much sense being on this message board, but there you have it lol
“Freak” is the only great song on Monster, the rest are solid though. But “Wall Of Sound” sounds too much like “Love In An Elevator” for me to fully appreciate it.
Besides being dead wrong (Gene Simmons brought 125% to the show I saw about two weeks ago; beyond debate that he is NOT phoning it in at what, 64 years old??) what does that have to do with the original post? Kiss is actually one of the few bands that have kept it “pure” in terms of member over-saturation.
And want to stick up for my man Mike Portnoy; at least his projects are different enough to be distinguishable, and different enough to appeal to a cross section of people. Transatlantic is one of the few true “prog” bands out there, and his playing there is totally different than Winery Dogs. Plus, as a drummer, the impact isn’t the same as say, hearing Myles Kennedy and wondering “Is this Alter Bridge? Solo? Slash? Something else?” Despite arguably starting the trend, Mike is actually one of the least offenders at this point.
First off remember the days when bands like Rush & Kiss put out 2 albums a year and never stopped touring? In the 70’s if you weren’t releasing a record a year and playing 8 days a week you were considered a slacker. Now we’re suffering from oversaturation? The bands/ artist are releasing too many records and touring too much?
I get it the economics aren’t the same. Which isn’t that part of it as well? This summer it was either Kiss / Def Leppard or Aerosmith / Slash or Motley / Alice? 25 years ago it wasn’t much of a question because tickets were affordable. So isn’t part of the blame the fact that ticket prices are so high? Which if Kid Rock can go out and offer $20.00 tickets and reasonably priced merch why can’t other acts take note?
Also part of it is that albums are cheaper to make thanks to technology. So many bands are recording on the road on in home studios knocking down the costs. Everyone from Phil Collin to Mick Mars is using an amp sim plug in these days. So yeah ABC act isn’t spending 6 months in the studio anymore writing and recording and waiting another two months for mixing and mastering. And it isn’t costing $150,000 either.
Add to the equation so many independent record companies out there look to stay afloat by signing anyone who might move some units. Which even before pirating the common record industry standards were the multi-platinum artist paid for the entire roster of artist. Still is.
Eventually the cream will rise to the top. And that is the last point. At no other time has the consumer been able to sample before they bought. No here is the first single or video that’s all you get, no waiting for your buddy to get it to see if it was good (which if it was you’d probably just copy it to cassette) no buyer’s remorse for paying 15 bucks for a CD that had 2 good songs and a bunch of filler. The artist that create great music, promote themselves right, work hard and get that break will sell and gain an audience. The artist who have drained themselves creatively and are just chasing a buck won’t.
Personally would rather be oversaturated with Rock than Pop music disgust as country, or Pop artist that think their rock because the scored a 30 year old Iron Maiden tour shirt. Besides…what other profession would you tell someone I think it’s a good idea to take a year off and not do what you do to pay the bills and put food on the table?
O.K, I’ve read some of the other posts.
When I hear those side projects I hear pros that go in and bang some stuff (I hate that we can’t cuss on this site anymore..) out in about 2 days, pro-tool the hell out of it and just slap some cover on it and put it out. This happens all the time. They go and do some shows, and are just banging stuff out, going through the motions even. Sure, it’s a great job, and they enjoy it, but they aren’t putting all of the their blood and sweat into all of those bands, maybe one is the wife, and the rest are mistresses? But then….I better stop…