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How to Kill the Rhode Island Music Scene in Four Easy Steps

It's 1983. Start with one good club scene: nationally reputable clubs, national acts on weekends, the area's largest rock station playing local music at lunchtime everyday.


	Released: 06.01.98
	Source: rattlehead
	Author: ferret
	Original source link

It's 1983. Start with one good club scene: nationally reputable clubs, national acts on weekends, the area's largest rock station playing local music at lunchtime everyday. Let the best local original bands open for national touring acts, giving them exposure and prestige. Let local musicians see themselves and their friends onstage. Let the average Joe and Jane see their friends on stage playing. The result: the average Joe and Jane on the street is conscious of a local band, maybe even knows a few songs. There will be a strong foundation to build a fan base and promote bands nationally, with gigs at clubs in outlying suburbs leading to gigs in Providence, leading to opening for nationals, leading to regional touring, etc.

Then....

Take away lunchtime airing of local music. Relegate local music to "local music shows", where it can be safely played while no one listens during each stations smallest audience share. (Example: Sundays 11pm-12, or Tuesdays 12-1am.) The result: the average Joe will no longer be conscious of local bands. 99% of the entire state population will no longer be able to name a single local band or song.

Allow the big labels to book their own openers for their national touring acts, closing off weekends at prime venues, as well as valuable exposure to the general population. The result: creates a crucial gap between local performance and regional touring, making it much harder for bands to become successful inside and outside the state. Also, it limits exposure to the general populace and restricts it to people who only attend original clubs on off-weekend hours.

Then, while attention is focused on Providence and the larger venues, allow a cover band manager to sign contracts with all of the large clubs and bars in the suburbs, effectively eliminating the presence of local original music except for opening slots--then take those away as well. The result: restricts a band's exposure further and eliminates traditional entry-level performances and development of fan bases.

Wait five years. Soon, many original clubs will close, become cover clubs, or dance clubs. The majority of people who see live music will never see an original act unless it is at a national level. Eventually, people will begin to believe that cover bands are the only kinds of bands worth seeing, because it's all that they do see. Original music, once a source for new sounds, will become something to be avoided for the same reason. Original bands will become an oddity; drawing less and less people. Eventually, RI bands will be signed to major labels only after establishing themselves elsewhere. (Examples: Belly, Throwing Muses, Scarce.)

The result? Look around you.

Are you tired of 73% of the performance slots in this state each week going to non-RI bands or cover bands?

(Go ahead, count 'em.)

Does it bother you that people are excited to hear you're in a band, but seem sad when you tell them it's an original band? (And then they begin to tell you about the last band they saw and loved, which was a cover band.)

Have you noticed that Once Upon a Time, clubs hired bands to entertain their customers, and now it seems that bands are hired to bring the customers instead?

Are you happy with the "RI music scene" as it stands today?

The news is that we have been sold out by the clubs, by the radio stations, and by the labels. Especially the labels. And Instead of expending more energy trying to find a new strategy, a different marketing ploy, a different way of playing the same game, maybe it's time we considered changing the game.

That's what RattleHead is all about.

And the more help we have, the faster it will happen. Contact
us if you're interested...there's plenty of perks, as
well as the satisfaction that you're turning the tables on
the corporate bastards and taking our state back.

Thanks for reading,

--Sean

Chief Ferret

RattleHead Records

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