If You Build It, They Will Come
The key word in that phrase, of course, is if. There are a massive number of people in the fucking internet age, however, who seem to think that intending to build it is reason enough for people to come and it is really, really getting on my nerves.
Bloggers start blogs, write five posts, and then start making demands about being listed in the Hype Machine or elbo.ws directories immediately, despite it being incredibly fucking clear that it’s going to take at least two months before they’ll even consider you. They are important services and drive a lot of traffic to your site, so I can understand the desire, but please just show some fucking patience. At least create something of substance before clamouring for people to shower you with praise.
This happens when penis-brained publicists get their hands on a small but promising band as well: the uber-hard sell comes out to play. “Greatest band ever, set to explode!“ And not infrequently this band has no more than a small handful of songs to their name.
Venture capital-backed start-ups promise to REVOLUTIONISE online music sales/sharing/funding/whatfuckingever and send out these breathless fucking emails full of wind and promises about how you’ve JUST GOT TO BE in from the start. Do we? Do we really have to?
People do it to bands all the time. I can get you on the radio, I can get you this, I can get you that. And then they just stop paying any fucking attention, it all fails to materialise and the band is left with nothing.
The new mantra for the 21st Century should be more along the lines of: “I don’t care about your fucking plans, your grandiose ideas or your vacant, meaningless promises. I don’t care what you intend to do, or about your fucking ambitions. Go away, get your nose to the fucking grindstone and DO something. Then talk about it.”
Can you tell I haven’t had enough sleep?
Shout Out Louds – Hurry Up, Let’s Go
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The Magnetic Fields – Promises of Eternity
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Actually, I think “if” and “build” are both key words in that phrase, as in build a fan base before you brag about how huge it’s going to be. Get good at playing your songs before you start releasing singles. Build something strong enough to stand up to repeated listens.
Yeah, mixing it up with the film title wasn’t a really well thought-out association.
But like you say, it’s the proof before the pudding which drives me crazy.
This is just the nature of the beast that is the internet. It’s a free and accessible propaganda machine where people can put their ideas/music/websites out there and wait for feedback or lack of and base their commitment on that rather than their own belief in the product. We live in a very non-committal world these days.
May we ask what prompted this sudden outburst or is it an accumulation of events?
Just an accumulation of things really. Annoying PR, sometimes fellow bloggers, labels who talk a lot and offer very little. It just gets on my nerves.
The number of times I discuss an idea with people and they say ‘oh yeah, I’m going to do that too, and this, and that, and the other’ in a really derogatory way. Then what do they do? Fuck all. And there was much gnashing of teeth.
Oh…I sympathise…17 Seconds Records is much less advanced than Song By Toad Records, but we get loads of ‘Oh my mate’s just started a band.’ Well, good luck to ‘em, but as a backroom operation at the moment rather than a cottage industry it’s not possible to invest a whole heap of money I barely have in developing your band. Sooner or later there is going to be an unbelievably hyped up band that will split up before they’ve even played their first gig. Imagine how insane things might have been for menswe@r if the internet had ben fully functional…
Much less advanced? You have VINYL for fuck’s sake!
…aye, true, but it took ages. And we have only one full release to our name at the moment…Looking forward to the 26th, though… : )
Heh heh. Well we are playing the vinyl game next. 500 copies of The Furnace/William Henry Miller on nice shiny white vinyl. It will rawk!
Wee-ooo-ooo-ooo. Wee-ooo-oo. Clap-clap-clap!
Ooh-wee-ooh Wee-ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh. Clap-clap-clap! don’t you mean?
Depends.
you people know nothing of my work.
So which one is it?
Matthew’s one sounds like a police car to me.
i don’t have too much to say about the topic at hand other than any excuse to play that micah p. hinson song is ok with me.
Yeah, that was my thinking as well, to an extent. Apart from the opportunity for a good whinge, obviously.
What set this off? I agree with you – completely in fact – just wondering what put the burr in your saddle.