The Music Industry...

Today, yet another brilliant band has announced it's time for them to split. So many of the bands I've seen in the past year have broken up, and it really sucks. It also shows how harsh the music industry really is. 

I've seen a fair few bands live, and out of them all, some of my favourites have split up. They are; 

• Blitz Kids
• Glamour of the Kill (GoTK)
• LostAlone
• Framing Hanley
• My Chemical Romance (in 2013)
• Blink 182 have a different line-up 
• The Blackout 

A lot of these bands are smaller bands, they don't have a crazy-huge fanbase, which makes it even more gutting that they've broken up, because they never had a chance to show the world how awesome they are. 

GoTK's break-up post from today (Wednesday) really inspired me to make this post, because they said the reason behind their break-up is the same for many other bands'. I'm talking about money issues. 

I understand that being in a band costs you a lot of money. You need to pay for studio time, to release music, to pay promoters, for fuel for tours, venue hire. And I know a lot of bands pay for stuff like this out of their own pockets. So it makes sense that they maybe can't afford much. This means that bands need our help. By buying their merch, we not only help them by maybe paying for fuel while they're touring, or buying their next meal, but we get their name out there. If small bands want to storm the music industry, they need their name to get out. They need a loyal fanbase. 

It really bugs me that people think it is okay to just download music from YouTube, because they feel their actions have no consequences. And I'm sat here thinking, maybe if I'd brought more of those band's albums or merch, they might still be here. Which sucks, because I've attended shows, met them, and thanked them. I've brought so much merch to support so many bands.. And yet I still feel I could have done more. 

I'm not going to go on about music piracy, because I wrote a whole post about that, but please, just buy music. It really helps a band. 

It is so hard to make it in the music industry nowadays, because there is some tough competition. People want polished songs, attractive band members, and huge stadiums they can brag about it to their friends. It is difficult for small bands to 'make it'. I don't know much, but I know the music industry is nothing like we imagine it. If you're in a female-fronted band in rock, you get compared to Paramore. If you're pop-punk, you're too similar to All Time Low or Blink 182.. 

See, the thing is, we don't like anything that is different. All bands get compared to another one, they aren't allowed to be unique.. We are killing our music industry, and young bands' creativity.. We don't allow them to succeed by digitalising everything, and crushing their hopes of being something different.. 

The music industry sucks.. 

Finally, I'd like to say if I've accidentally referred to bands as 'we', it's because I think of myself as being in a really big, famous band.. Oops..

- Dottie.