Although many great things have come to life from the incredible evolution in music technology, one of the most tragic casualties may be the concert experience. Music promoters and bands used to NEED concerts as a channel to promote their music. Concert tours were an integral part of the strategy for several reasons: they generated direct revenue through ticket and merchandise sales, they created awareness for songs on the current album leading to additional record sales, but more importantly it allowed artists to personally connect with their fanbase and generate loyalty. If an artist was able to successfully develop a persona that was larger than life and connect with listeners on a personal level, they came away with a loyal fanbase guaranteeing future sales. Loyalty would drive fans to own entire collection of albums from their favorite artists even before hearing any of the songs, and regardless of the overall quality or critical review. A loyal fanbase provided the band with leverage and allowed them freedom to explore creative ideas with their sound and style without having to worry about delivering a home run every time.
Radio airplay was and is an important way for bands to cast a wider net and expand their fanbase. However, only the 1 or 2 singles that were released would get any significant airplay. Radio stations could rarely be counted on to dive deeper into the album tracks unless the band was legendary or the album skyrocketed in popularity. I use the band Hardline as an example. They were released in 1992 and even had some star power with Neil Schon from Journey on guitar. But, since Grunge music was increasing in popularity, Hardline did not receive the kind of airplay that would have made them superstars had they entered the scene 5 years earlier. Additionally, nothing guaranteed how long the song would stay in regular rotation. Frequency of rotation was dependent upon a variety of factors, but often not long enough to allow the album to really catch on. Many people need to hear more than just 1 or 2 songs that they like before they make the decision to buy an entire album. I have a two song rule. I will not buy an album unless there are 2 or more songs that I know that I like. It was at the live concert where the underground, grass roots movement of rock and roll thrived. It was the only venue with which a band could guarantee that all new material would be heard by their target audience. I can’t count how many albums I went out and purchased after seeing a band in concert.
The rock concert was also where fans could get a preview of soon to be released material. Many artists wrote music on the road and would often work in new music at their concerts to generate some excitement, or get a feel for the response. If you were privileged enough to hear it, you earned the right to brag to all of the poor saps that missed the show about how much the new songs rocked. This added to build-up of anticipation towards the next album’s release. During the 70s and 80s many bands were built and sustained through this type of underground promotion. Led Zeppelin, built much of their incredible following underground. They toured like road dogs, and although they had very few Top 40 hits, all 9 records were Top 10 in sales, with 6 hitting #1. They are just one of many other bands from that era that enjoyed high record sales while being blasted by critics and getting little initial radio play.
The rock concert is also where many new bands would get their break. Being added as a warm up band for bigger acts was a golden opportunity to be recognized on a large scale. Van Halen came up playing the clubs in Hollywood, but they became stars when they were invited to open for Black Sabbath on the Never Say Die tour. Ozzy has said in interviews that he was embarrassed at how badly they got their asses handed to them by VH every night on that tour. Van Halen headlined the following year. Some up and coming bands that I remember seeing: Iron Maiden opened for Judas Priest, The Babys opened for Journey, Loverboy opened for April Wine, Night Ranger opened for Sammy Hagar. The list is long of bands that gained significant popularity by opening up for established bands.
The arena was where musicians became larger than life. Especially through the 70s and 80s where musicians consciously developed a band image, created unique individual personas, and took pride in putting on a show… not just a live version of their music. The concert is where our favorite stars appeared to be within reach. Somehow being that close to musicians who wrote the music that moved us made our regular life a little more exciting.
When the 80s ended, music changed. Star power started to fade, guitarists stopped playing solos, singers dropped melodies to levels that anyone could sing, and extravagant outfits were replaced with t-shirts and jeans. Larger than life rock stars were replaced with ordinary everyday people and concerts were no longer events that couldn’t be missed and became just another form of entertainment.
Today, promoters no longer need the concert and are not underwriting massive tours in the way that they used to. Unless you are a super relevant and rising pop star, there is little chance that your record label is putting you on a national tour. Bands, especially classic rockers, are left to join forces just to create enough of a draw to fill enough seats to allow them to stay out on the road doing what they love.
Another death nail for arena rock is the ungodly increase in ticket prices. Unlike today, twenty years ago concerts were cheap! I saw KISS in 1979 for $7 and tossed in a concert shirt for another $5, a few months later I saw Journey for $10. Today, that tab would be around $60-100, and then add in tax, a venue change, and the satanically evil Ticketmaster’s “convenience” charge to buy them online (btw, if its convenient for the buyer AND for Ticketmaster, shouldn’t that be free?). This price point is very much outside of the expendable income range of most teenagers.
Technology has leveled the playing field. Studio time is no longer a limitation, as digital recording advancements have made it easy and affordable for anyone to produce quality recordings right in their home. Promotion has never been faster or easier as it can now be done entirely online. New videos can be instantly uploaded to YouTube, and mp3s can be made available for fans on a bands website or social media pages within hours of the completion of production.
Unfortunately, not only has technology taken the magic out of the live music experience, but it has ironically caused people to become less social. My friends and I would wait in line for hours before the show and easily make friends with the whole line. Now, concerts can be experienced with surround sound and YouTube, and all in the comfort of your own home. Why go to an arena when someone has undoubtedly uploaded footage to YouTube? I can now even watch old concerts that my friends and I actually attended!
Don’t get me wrong, people still love music. However, there is less loyalty to bands, and the magic that made them larger than life has faded. In the next post, I will go off in a full-fledged rant about how the entire industry has changed, and what the future could look like for musicians and music lovers.
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