Voices Of The Underground2 Pt.11
Voices Of The Underground is a series that seeks to explore one question from many different angles. Every week, we will ask one question of many of your favorite music artists. We will post their responses below, and what you will find is that there is never truly one answer to every question, but instead a whole world of ideas that come from simple matters of taste, to deep held beliefs. Our hope is that through this series you are able to see past the promo pictures and the stage persona, and get to know the hearts of believers who are creating music every day.
Need to catch up?
Read Pt.1-What do you love about music?
Read Pt.2- What was your first musical experience?
Read Pt.3-What is your favorite/ultimate song?
Read Pt.4-What is the best live show you have ever seen?
Read Pt.5-If you hadn’t gotten into music, what would see yourself doing as a job?
Read Pt.6-Who is Jesus Christ to you?
Read Pt.7-What is Christian music?
Read Pt.8- The facets of the Christian music?
Read Pt.9-Can art/music not have a message behind it?
Read Pt.10-How do you keep yourself accountable in your out on the road?
What are your feelings on the modern day music industry?
Man, I don’t even know. It kind of sucks to see the effective death of the album with Itunes and file sharing websites, but I would be a hypocrite if I said I haven’t downloaded a lot of music myself. Heck, I’ve found tons of bands I never would have known existed had it not been for downloading music. Overall I think its been a good way for the industry to grow. Take the power out of the rich label owners who have screwed bands over for years and give bands marketing and promotion power themselves to in effect level the playing field a bit. But there is still a lot of uncertainty to a newly designed market and I think noone has yet to find the next successful model for selling music.
There’s pros and cons. Its easier to get your name out there but its easier for people to steal music. So it’s a little give and take.
Love it. Or leave it. It is what it is. And it’s all we have. I’m awful at keeping up with it all.
My next record is a book/CD combo. I hope that people by the hard copy, because I’d love for them to read the book.
That nobody knows what the heck is going on, how to make it as musician now, and where it is going. I try not to think about it too much and to do my best making the best music I can. Recently, I’m self producing my albums which has been a nice freedom so that I’m not dependent on the industry to make it happen. I’m free to make music regardless of the level of sales and success.
It seems easier to get music in front of people, but harder to earn money doing it. I’ve heard that that middle class of musicians is disappearing.
Some people like it, some dont. Me- I dont care. As long as people can get their hands on my music, Im ok with it.
It’s definitely different from what it was when I first started being involved in music, both as an appreciator and creator. That said, I think it’s helping to filter out those who truly care from those who don’t… if you care, you’re excited about the new ways to spread your music and willing to adapt.
I think we’re in a time of growth. Like we’ve seen in the past with 8 tracks, cassette tapes and CD’s, we have to adapt to our surroundings. It’s causing a lot of commotion because they can’t stop people from stealing music, and it’s effected everyone considerably…but it’s change…and no one likes change. It has it’s pro’s and cons, I’m excited to see what’s next.
Myspace and Youtube have been great tools for us and our ministry. We are not your standard band so because of the internet, we have been able to share our message worldwide.
I really am happy with the music market today. I believe the way the way music is sold today is very innovative and sold simple. I am always accompanied by my iPod or Macbook so having digital copies of everything is perfect for me.
For bands like us we might lose a little bit of income from it. That doesn’t really bother me because we are growing and the more outlets we have to promote our music the better for us. It really doesn’t bother me too much.
I have mixed feelings, Myspace is an excellent promotional and communication tool but at the same time its lame any band can go record get a friend adder and a play enhancer and get signed, it takes a lot of the work ethic out. I think that’s why you see a lot of bands break up or have frequent member changes when they get signed then just start extensive touring. As far as Digital MP3 stores I think it helps unsigned bands like us get our music out there when we don’t have the money to press CD’s however, unless Digital is the only option I’d take a record or CD any day, I enjoy the art and all that cool stuff.
The music industry is scary too. As a band we feel like the crazy fish at the lake that pile on top of each other in attempt to snag one measly piece of dog food. There are so many bands, and know one buys music anymore. Its all about who you know and who they know, and Then they tell us what music to like no matter how bad it is. haha. Thankfully despite their best efforts there are still a lot of bands making good music. All that being said, if you like our music, and can’t afford to buy it, go download it, then come to the show, and we can hangout.
I think that Myspace, blogspots, MP3s, torrents have changed the music industry drastically. It seems to be much harder to sell albums now days than it was before. We have encountered this numerous times, where kids have downloaded our album offline and don’t want to purchase it. However, it also has its positives. It is much easier to promote your band via Myspace than it used to be. I think the digital world has a good and bad side to the industry.
I think the playing field is leveled, and it has become nearly impossible for musicians to make money… which is good. You see, when musicians aren’t making exorbitant amounts of money, they maintain musical integrity. They make music because they love it, not because it will sell.
Well, I don’t really know much about “the industry”. What I’ve observed is that it’s a good and a bad thing for bands/artists. The internet has helped bands out a ton. The whole Myspace/Facebook thing has made it really helpful for bands to promote themselves and their music. But as far as the digital music wave of the industry, it tends to hurt bands as well. It seems to be getting harder and harder for bands to sustain themselves. But again, I don’t really have much experience with all of this.
This is all a natural progression. Obtaining music adjusts with whatever is happening in current technology. There is becoming less and less reason to go into a physical store to try to get music. I don’t think I’ve gone into a physical store and bought a CD for over a year at least. I download whatever I want from ITUNES usually… Online marketing is often cheaper for labels, and easier for the consumer to see… So, it is a natural progression. The labels, bands, and managers that really WIN in the music industry in the coming years will be the ones that learn to use the online stuff most effectively.
and 
Chris Anderson, author of 
, tour with your spouse, like Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken (sp?) often do.
