I really wanted to bring you another music discovery yesterday, but I was frustrated by something. It became a mental block. Here's the scoop.
First, a confession. Not all of my favorite artists are independent. There are a few bands, like U2, that I've been following since I was a teenager. I have fond memories of standing in line in 1984 to get a $15 ticket to the first leg of their Unforgettable Fire show at the "San Francisco Civic Center" (now known, as the Bill Graham Civic Center). The Waterboys opened. It was someone's birthday. Bono sprayed champagne all over the audience. Several of my friends got wet. It was a fantastic show. And, as a result, I've never missed a leg of any of their tours since. But that may have just changed.
Yesterday I was geared up to jump on the pre-sale opportunity for the an October date in Los Angeles. Since they haven't announced anything for the Bay Area, I was willing to hop on a cheap Southwest flight and be there to catch it. But I paused. Call me crazy, but I'm sorry. $250 for a decent seat! Sure I could get general admission on the field of the massive stadium for only $55, but I had to question... is it really worth it? It's not that I couldn't afford it, but rather, why? What else could I do with that money in support of the music I love?
There are some amazing bands and solo musicians all over the country that spend a good amount of their live performance time playing gigs in people's living rooms. These "house concerts" cost the host very little to produce (some food, a few cases of cheap wine perhaps, and maybe the rental of a few extra chairs), yet offer all their guests front row seats to one of the most intimate musical experiences they may ever have. Often in return, the artists simply ask for a suggested donation of $10 or so from the guests. If you've got a living room or basement or backyard big enough to host 30 friends or so, I encourage you to email an artist you like and just ask them. Chances are, they'd love to play a house concert for you.
If throwing a party isn't your thing, here's another way to make a tremendous impact in the world of independent music. Many studio albums, EPs, demos, and videos are all fan funded. That is, artists will offer up a pre-order opportunity before ever entering the studio to help raise the finances necessary to record the music they've worked so hard to write. Studio time is expensive. A 12 minute EP for example can easily cost $5,000 to produce. Unless the artist can be certain they'll sell a couple thousand copies of the EP after the fact, they're entering the studio at a financial loss. That simple donation of $10 or $20 from a few hundred fans, makes all the difference in whether or not the music is ever recorded. Think of it as buying futures in the music you love.
A few House Concert picks:
