Jahfin Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Traveling from town to town and playing for an audience is the lifeblood of any musician. It’s a calling that has transcended centuries, generations and styles. But it’s imperiled by the rising price of gasoline. “We drove from Omaha to Madison to play a show and it cost us $240,” said Matt Maginn, bassist for the Omaha indie-rock band Cursive. “My jaw just about hit the floor. That’s double what it cost us before. If you’re a new band driving cross-country in a van pulling a trailer of equipment that’s getting six miles a gallon, and you’re getting paid 50 or 75 bucks to play a gig, I don’t know how you survive.” To read the rest of the article click here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hickory Man Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 It's a great time to be an established band, cutting out the record companies and reinvesting what they need into promotion, but who is going to develop acts? Bands will find it difficult to DIY if fuel costs keep rising. We've entered an interesting era in music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
croquet'n'cocaine Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 We've entered an interesting era in music. The future is in immersive 3D cinema broadcasting of live concerts. Anyone that's seen U2:3D (the U2 concert film) will know what I'm talking about. Of course, someone would have to set up a performing/broadcasting studio in every major town/city, and receiving venues would have to kit themselves out with giant IMAX screens. But other than that, it's definitely the way forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 There's also the possibility of "holographic" touring, which you can read more about here. I saw U23D but don't really think it was an effort to replace a live appearance. Even it were to catch on, neither that (3-D/IMAX) or holographics would ever come close to replacing the real thing. Maybe to a generation raised on video games but not to those of us accustomed to the magic of an actual live performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Now and Zen Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Well Im sure gas prices will hurt the little guys and small bands. Certainly wouldnt hurt the likes of a Led Zeppelin. I posted a gas panic thread in the Randsom Forum. It is getting crazy. Over $4 a gallon and rising unmercifully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzfan715 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 There's also the possibility of "holographic" touring, which you can read more about here. I saw U23D but don't really think it was an effort to replace a live appearance. Even it were to catch on, neither that (3-D/IMAX) or holographics would ever come close to replacing the real thing. Maybe to a generation raised on video games but not to those of us accustomed to the magic of an actual live performance. I'm part of the video game generation, and I see where you're going. 3D would be great for things like TSRTS, because that can't be recreated. However, I'd much rather go to a real show. I've only been to one concert, but it was so much fun, I don't think that can be recreated in a cinema. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmie ray Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Even it were to catch on, neither that (3-D/IMAX) or holographics would ever come close to replacing the real thing. Maybe to a generation raised on video games but not to those of us accustomed to the magic of an actual live performance. That's for damn sure! Nothing wrong with enjoying a live transmission or recorded show, but that's not an event to cherish. I have no worries, though. The Hot Tuna boys have their own concert hall at the Fur Peace Ranch guitar camp in Ohio, where they have increasingly done shows with the other instructors there. I just received a couple CD'S from one of their students, with the likes of G.E. Smith and Pete Sears jamming with them there. I can always go to them if they stop touring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 I admit to ducking a few times during U23D but that's about as "real" as it got. To paraphrase Bono, it was definitely nothing like the real thing. Speaking of video games, I guess I'm part of that generation as well since I had an early version of Pong back in the 70s (I think it was called Odyssey made by Sears) but I never became a video game enthusiast (except for a very brief time when I became addicted to the Mario Brothers game in the early 90s). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmie ray Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I only interact with real things, that you can hold in your hand - like a ball, a bat, a dart, frisbee, titties, ass cheeks, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadScreamingGallery Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Traveling from town to town and playing for an audience is the lifeblood of any musician. It’s a calling that has transcended centuries, generations and styles. But it’s imperiled by the rising price of gasoline. It's a great time to be an established band, cutting out the record companies and reinvesting what they need into promotion, but who is going to develop acts? Bands will find it difficult to DIY if fuel costs keep rising. We've entered an interesting era in music. It sounds as if it is almost the (sad) end to an era that lasted, as you note, for centuries. For all of the established bands like LZ, the Stones, and the Who that my husband and I saw in our youth, we also saw dozens of other new bands - some of whom made it and some of whom didn't, in small and remote venues. We've always encouraged our children (when they were old enough) to discover new bands and new music and to visit music clubs (and not just huge venues). If gas prices stay high (and climb higher still), I wonder what the impact will be, not only on new and unestablished bands, but also on the more geographically remote towns and small cities where bands may be reluctant to travel because of the increased cost to travel there. Little Big Town's I 'm with the Band Last night in Memphis Tonight in New Orleans Tomorrow I’ll be miles from here Ain’t nothing to me, nothing me Sweet gypsy highway Won’t you let me chase my dream Cause I got a song to take me there And it’s something to see, something to see Lord I was born with a suitcase in my hand Living in a life that few could understand Sometimes it gets so confusing that I don’t know where I am But I always know who I’m with I’m with the band Cheap whiskey midnight Another round with my friends Watching the world through the windshield And we’re rolling again, rolling again Lord I was born with a suitcase in my hand Living in a life that few could understand Sometimes it gets so confusing that I don’t know where I am But I always know who I’m with I’m with the band Oh Lord I was born with a suitcase in my hand Living in a life that few could understand Sometimes it gets so confusing that I don’t know where I am But I always know who I’m with I’m with the band Last night in Memphis Tonight in New Orleans Tomorrow I’ll be miles from here Ain’t nothing to me, nothing me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted June 18, 2008 Author Share Posted June 18, 2008 High gas prices force slow touring bands to get creative Members of Portland's Blind Pilot will ride bikes on their an upcoming tour; national touring act Apollo Sunshine will convert its van to run on vegetable oil LUCIANA LOPEZ The Oregonian Staff Tune up the bikes and scrape up the french fry grease: It's summer touring season for bands. As gas prices climb ever upward, musicians have had to get creative at something more than their music. Portland band Blind Pilot, for example, is traveling under pedal power, and nationally touring psych-rockers Apollo Sunshine are converting their van to run on vegetable oil. There's an easier way to save gas money, though: Portland rocker Michael Dean Damron is just flat-out canceling dates. Click here to read the remainder of the article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted June 26, 2008 Author Share Posted June 26, 2008 Gas Prices, Economy Shake Sales for Summer Tours Festivals, top acts feel the heat as many fans stay home this summer George Michael's first North American Tour in 17 years is struggling with weak ticket sales, while tickets for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' summer dates have been selling out since February. Photo: Getty STEVE KNOPPER Four-dollar-a-gallon gas prices are eating away at the summer-concert business, with top festivals and tours taking unexpected box-office hits over the past few months. Bonnaroo and Coachella fell short of sellouts for the first time in years, tours such as Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson, Maroon 5 and George Michael are struggling, and even perennial sure things like Bruce Springsteen and Nine Inch Nails are soft in some cities. "It has an effect when people are filling up their cars for $80," says Alex Hodges, chief operating officer for Nederlander Concerts in Los Angeles. "How many concerts are they going to go to with all the other costs?" To read the rest of the article click here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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