As a live musician I totally agree with you, however it’s tough out there for venues with rising rents and audiences not showing up like they used to. Lots of spots I played at in the last few years have closed and many that are open are barely hanging on. Not sure what the solution is
As a fellow musician, AMEN! Bars were THE place for people to see live music and the up and coming generation is not drinking. While that is great for health, it leaves a void for live music because of, well, money. The legacy acts and mega-stars are able to pull it off, but everyone else is really struggling. About 80% of the places around me where I played are either closed or not doing live music. People forget the ecosystem that existed for all those epic bands of says past is drying up. I believe that playing music is a trade like all other trades. It takes time, dedication, and experience to excel...and the ability to make money doing it. If you cannot feed yourself by doing something, people will look for something else that does. By the way, I have been a music teacher and working musician for 39 years, so I have been around a bit.
ditto... i did a gig last night in an old style bar playing country music mostly...the audience is all over 60, perhaps partly due the music we are playing, but here on vancouver island, live music places and opportunities for local musicians is drying up! the places that are running are usually struggling... i've been playing for 50 years and 70..
James, I am saddened over the lack of places to play. I'm in Vancouver, BC, nearly 70, and run into many who miss listening and dancing to the music that has great lyrics integrated into a well-formed melody. Why is it so challenging to bring back the dance halls? Is it mostly about cost?
i used to play and live in vancouver.. i moved to victoria in 86.. left at expo, lol.. lots of vancouver players have moved over here to the island over the last 10-20 years even more so.. the osborne bay pub - closes nov 27th... i am doing one more blues jam on the 20th, and i played with a 7 piece band there on this past sunday to a full house, but it will be over soon.. whether anything comes along to replace it... it is not looking good... to your question - i really don't know.. i think it is cultural and i would argue very differently then ted here... while it might be true shows like taylor swift and big name acts are doing fine, the places where these acts got their start are not doing fine and going out of existence... last time i played vancouver was 2018 2019 - blue frog and frankies a few times..
What a tragic sentence, "the places where these acts got their start are not doing fine and going out of existence." Gosh, there were SO many places offering all kinds of genres in the 1970s, when I first moved to Vancouver.
Frankly, the 'big names' adding glitz and glamour, it's a distraction. I went to a concert where it was one musician with their guitar, and the evening was memorial. Hearing the musicians flow into their music, with the love for the music, having a great time well, that is what makes the difference in attending LIVE .
I appreciate your reply, and hey, sorry to hear it's not much different over on the Island.
thanks! i don't know how young folks can make a go of it today... playing music for me was always a signing on to a life of poverty essentially... i must have been a monk in my previous lifetime, so i was used to it! fortunately i have a small pension - we still have them in canada - and own the place we live in.. i appreciate the additional income and i love playing music.. for me, i have always played because i love playing music and interacting with others on this level.. i never did it for the money... but it has worked out ultimately... i always had enough... i hope young musicians today can find places to cultivate their music, and it doesn't have to just be in some limited single or duo context, where they can play in a band and have an opportunity to do that for an extended period of time..
There is an interesting connection between the musician and a live audience. They really need each other.
One of my favorite stories:
Several years ago my late wife and I were attending a fundraiser for a local politico. He had a band playing boomer classics, nobody was paying attention and you could tell the band was just going through the motions. I took my wife out on the dance floor and we started to dance to a Sam Cooke number they were playing, slow and swaying. I swear the more we danced second by second the better the band played. We are a social species, dance and music are part of our evolutionary history.
As someone who had a truly transcendent concert experience with Patti Smith not 4 days ago, and has in fact taken away lifelong memories of transcendence and connectedness each of the four times I've seen her, I completely agree with this take and I'd add that the cool thing about live music is that good live performers have a very long shelf life and in many cases just keep getting better. Even once people stop caring about an artist's new albums, artists who had a fair amount of initial success (or had delayed success) can keep making money playing the hits and selling merch for potentially decades, and can keep actually growing their skill at performing that whole time. It's a great way for an artist whose new work isn't finding commercial success to keep earning some income and reaching new fans with their art.
That said, it's got to be acknowledged that touring is brutal. It's hard on relationships, hard on families, hard on the body. If you have kids or want to have kids, boy, being a touring musician fcking sucks. I am hoping and praying for my own sake that Rosalia is going to announce a Lux tour real soon now...but she doesn't sound that excited about the prospect, and I can't say I blame her.
As a prior small time producer at a micro venue hosting local and DIY music acts, this article really resonates. And the scale does make a difference; artists performing to a 50 seat audience note the amazing dynamic between themselves and attendees. These dives are never a money maker, but are the heart of neighborhood culture at its best.
I’ve made my living working in bars, concerts, festivals and more and more as I get older, at cultural institutions like libraries for close to 50 years. I’ll be 69 next week. Probably average 10 or so gigs a month. Used to do over 20 a month until I hit 65 and said “enough!” But I still love it and have no intention of hanging it up. Played a fundraiser at the Symphony Hall last night, playing Fats Waller, Louis Jordan, etc. What a ball. Back in the 90s I played a concert in Pittsburgh backing up Big Jay McNeely! What a great gig! He was very nice. Hanging out after soundcheck/rehearsal, Jay told me “RJ, these records we make ain’t nothing but calling cards for getting gigs” and so it is! Truer words have never been spoken.
This is the kind of thing i think people should be considering. Hell i remember when groups of people would sing together for no other reason than there was a group of people and what should we do. Phones and a too easy but dull life killed all that.
But i dont think people can do anything anymore unless money is involved
I stream at home and still play Cds {FYI I am about to spend $500 to replace my Bluray CD player that is skipping/dropping out] so I am commited to all ways to get music. You are 100% right nothing beats the live experience. Ticketmaster seems to be taking advantage of us and final prices have gone through the roof. What I have been doing lately is going to music performanes at house concerts [performances in private setings-often large basements etc where suggested contribution is $40. or less] . I am going to Jazz concert at Annapolis church this eve] and I go to other churches, halls; private not for profit spaces etc with concerts . No you wont see Taylor or Mick etc but there are so many great artists that are under the radar and we need to search them out.
One big thing.....you can't "pirate" a live performance. Oh, you might sneak a video or audio, but it's a laughable comparison. You had to be there. Great for musicians. When I was a kid, we could take our horns a go place to place in the Village and learn from masters. That might be coming back!
"And 80% prefer to spend money on experiences instead of consumer goods."
Funny to read on substack, where we pay people to write about *their* experiences and thoughts. But where does this 80%s money actually go? Consumer *services* nowadays, and plenty of goods too.
"This is why live music will never die. Nothing else can replace it"
Lots of things die without being replaced. Live music will never die bc it comes from within us, no other reason. Its the money that fucked this whole thing up. I dont see that going away. When streamings played out theyll dig their claws into whatevers next, maybe live music. And we'll let them, bc we bend over for whatever new crap they want to sell us, like streaming(which has been a trade down imo)
The company Live Nation is here in Japan rebuilding infrastructure and stadiums to streamline concerts for western acts so they can simply show up do their thing and move on to the next venue. They’ve begun doing it here and across Asia.
Of course only big names acts get to participate in this money scamming venture.
I grew up in the 80s with the DIY punk rock ethos. In the end, everything gets commodified and nobody seems to give a shit.
They are no longer artists after getting swallowed up by the system.
What's also great is no one is recording it on their phone for the anticipated "joy" of memories to be enjoyed at some later point in time. They are all completely there right now.
I love this piece and can't stop thinking of the many examples in my life when I was transported by the stories the musicians were telling from stage; most recently when I was transfixed by Larnell Lewis (and the amazing steelpan virtuoso Joy Lapp) at Berklee. It was as if everyone in the house was connected by a mutual feeling of joy, astonishment and head-shaking appreciation of what the virtuosos on stage were serving up that night. What a rush to enjoy music that way.
...And that feeling becomes deep-seated memories that last a lifetime. In 2018, as my elderly father-in-law was convalescing from illness, he shared a story about being blown away by a trombonist in the Fifties who closed out a big-band set in NYC by performing "When The Saints Come Marching In" while standing on the piano. Everyone in the house was shouting, clapping, stomping, then followed the trombonist as he led a march right out the doors of the club and onto the streets.
I did a quick search and found the guy: Conrad Janis, who later became a recognizable character actor in film and TV (he played Mindy's dad on "Mork and Mindy").
Just for kicks I reached out to Conrad and shared the story. His wife got back to me immediately to say how happy Conrad was to hear that my father-in-law remembers him more than 60 years later, and that he was still jamming every week at age 90 with the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band. Can you imagine how thrilled Dad was when that fleeting connection was re-established after all those years?
This is the power of live music.
Ted, thank you always for reminding us of the human connections that make life worth living.
The internet scales content.
Live moments scale humanity. 😎
As a live musician I totally agree with you, however it’s tough out there for venues with rising rents and audiences not showing up like they used to. Lots of spots I played at in the last few years have closed and many that are open are barely hanging on. Not sure what the solution is
As a fellow musician, AMEN! Bars were THE place for people to see live music and the up and coming generation is not drinking. While that is great for health, it leaves a void for live music because of, well, money. The legacy acts and mega-stars are able to pull it off, but everyone else is really struggling. About 80% of the places around me where I played are either closed or not doing live music. People forget the ecosystem that existed for all those epic bands of says past is drying up. I believe that playing music is a trade like all other trades. It takes time, dedication, and experience to excel...and the ability to make money doing it. If you cannot feed yourself by doing something, people will look for something else that does. By the way, I have been a music teacher and working musician for 39 years, so I have been around a bit.
ditto... i did a gig last night in an old style bar playing country music mostly...the audience is all over 60, perhaps partly due the music we are playing, but here on vancouver island, live music places and opportunities for local musicians is drying up! the places that are running are usually struggling... i've been playing for 50 years and 70..
James, I am saddened over the lack of places to play. I'm in Vancouver, BC, nearly 70, and run into many who miss listening and dancing to the music that has great lyrics integrated into a well-formed melody. Why is it so challenging to bring back the dance halls? Is it mostly about cost?
i used to play and live in vancouver.. i moved to victoria in 86.. left at expo, lol.. lots of vancouver players have moved over here to the island over the last 10-20 years even more so.. the osborne bay pub - closes nov 27th... i am doing one more blues jam on the 20th, and i played with a 7 piece band there on this past sunday to a full house, but it will be over soon.. whether anything comes along to replace it... it is not looking good... to your question - i really don't know.. i think it is cultural and i would argue very differently then ted here... while it might be true shows like taylor swift and big name acts are doing fine, the places where these acts got their start are not doing fine and going out of existence... last time i played vancouver was 2018 2019 - blue frog and frankies a few times..
What a tragic sentence, "the places where these acts got their start are not doing fine and going out of existence." Gosh, there were SO many places offering all kinds of genres in the 1970s, when I first moved to Vancouver.
Frankly, the 'big names' adding glitz and glamour, it's a distraction. I went to a concert where it was one musician with their guitar, and the evening was memorial. Hearing the musicians flow into their music, with the love for the music, having a great time well, that is what makes the difference in attending LIVE .
I appreciate your reply, and hey, sorry to hear it's not much different over on the Island.
thanks! i don't know how young folks can make a go of it today... playing music for me was always a signing on to a life of poverty essentially... i must have been a monk in my previous lifetime, so i was used to it! fortunately i have a small pension - we still have them in canada - and own the place we live in.. i appreciate the additional income and i love playing music.. for me, i have always played because i love playing music and interacting with others on this level.. i never did it for the money... but it has worked out ultimately... i always had enough... i hope young musicians today can find places to cultivate their music, and it doesn't have to just be in some limited single or duo context, where they can play in a band and have an opportunity to do that for an extended period of time..
There is an interesting connection between the musician and a live audience. They really need each other.
One of my favorite stories:
Several years ago my late wife and I were attending a fundraiser for a local politico. He had a band playing boomer classics, nobody was paying attention and you could tell the band was just going through the motions. I took my wife out on the dance floor and we started to dance to a Sam Cooke number they were playing, slow and swaying. I swear the more we danced second by second the better the band played. We are a social species, dance and music are part of our evolutionary history.
Jack
As someone who had a truly transcendent concert experience with Patti Smith not 4 days ago, and has in fact taken away lifelong memories of transcendence and connectedness each of the four times I've seen her, I completely agree with this take and I'd add that the cool thing about live music is that good live performers have a very long shelf life and in many cases just keep getting better. Even once people stop caring about an artist's new albums, artists who had a fair amount of initial success (or had delayed success) can keep making money playing the hits and selling merch for potentially decades, and can keep actually growing their skill at performing that whole time. It's a great way for an artist whose new work isn't finding commercial success to keep earning some income and reaching new fans with their art.
That said, it's got to be acknowledged that touring is brutal. It's hard on relationships, hard on families, hard on the body. If you have kids or want to have kids, boy, being a touring musician fcking sucks. I am hoping and praying for my own sake that Rosalia is going to announce a Lux tour real soon now...but she doesn't sound that excited about the prospect, and I can't say I blame her.
As a prior small time producer at a micro venue hosting local and DIY music acts, this article really resonates. And the scale does make a difference; artists performing to a 50 seat audience note the amazing dynamic between themselves and attendees. These dives are never a money maker, but are the heart of neighborhood culture at its best.
I’ve made my living working in bars, concerts, festivals and more and more as I get older, at cultural institutions like libraries for close to 50 years. I’ll be 69 next week. Probably average 10 or so gigs a month. Used to do over 20 a month until I hit 65 and said “enough!” But I still love it and have no intention of hanging it up. Played a fundraiser at the Symphony Hall last night, playing Fats Waller, Louis Jordan, etc. What a ball. Back in the 90s I played a concert in Pittsburgh backing up Big Jay McNeely! What a great gig! He was very nice. Hanging out after soundcheck/rehearsal, Jay told me “RJ, these records we make ain’t nothing but calling cards for getting gigs” and so it is! Truer words have never been spoken.
RJ Spangler in Detroit
Live music is one of the singular pleasures of life, and a force to be reckoned with.
How about making music?
The old days of sheet music, parlor guitars and pianos.
That is ultimate in live music; you make it yourself!
This is the kind of thing i think people should be considering. Hell i remember when groups of people would sing together for no other reason than there was a group of people and what should we do. Phones and a too easy but dull life killed all that.
But i dont think people can do anything anymore unless money is involved
I stream at home and still play Cds {FYI I am about to spend $500 to replace my Bluray CD player that is skipping/dropping out] so I am commited to all ways to get music. You are 100% right nothing beats the live experience. Ticketmaster seems to be taking advantage of us and final prices have gone through the roof. What I have been doing lately is going to music performanes at house concerts [performances in private setings-often large basements etc where suggested contribution is $40. or less] . I am going to Jazz concert at Annapolis church this eve] and I go to other churches, halls; private not for profit spaces etc with concerts . No you wont see Taylor or Mick etc but there are so many great artists that are under the radar and we need to search them out.
One big thing.....you can't "pirate" a live performance. Oh, you might sneak a video or audio, but it's a laughable comparison. You had to be there. Great for musicians. When I was a kid, we could take our horns a go place to place in the Village and learn from masters. That might be coming back!
"And 80% prefer to spend money on experiences instead of consumer goods."
Funny to read on substack, where we pay people to write about *their* experiences and thoughts. But where does this 80%s money actually go? Consumer *services* nowadays, and plenty of goods too.
"This is why live music will never die. Nothing else can replace it"
Lots of things die without being replaced. Live music will never die bc it comes from within us, no other reason. Its the money that fucked this whole thing up. I dont see that going away. When streamings played out theyll dig their claws into whatevers next, maybe live music. And we'll let them, bc we bend over for whatever new crap they want to sell us, like streaming(which has been a trade down imo)
The company Live Nation is here in Japan rebuilding infrastructure and stadiums to streamline concerts for western acts so they can simply show up do their thing and move on to the next venue. They’ve begun doing it here and across Asia.
Of course only big names acts get to participate in this money scamming venture.
I grew up in the 80s with the DIY punk rock ethos. In the end, everything gets commodified and nobody seems to give a shit.
They are no longer artists after getting swallowed up by the system.
But nothing beats live music in a pub/hotel like when Dr John played in the back room of the Half Moon in Putney, just him and a piano. Brilliant!
What's also great is no one is recording it on their phone for the anticipated "joy" of memories to be enjoyed at some later point in time. They are all completely there right now.
I love that picture. I think we’ve used it in an AoM article somewhere
I love this piece and can't stop thinking of the many examples in my life when I was transported by the stories the musicians were telling from stage; most recently when I was transfixed by Larnell Lewis (and the amazing steelpan virtuoso Joy Lapp) at Berklee. It was as if everyone in the house was connected by a mutual feeling of joy, astonishment and head-shaking appreciation of what the virtuosos on stage were serving up that night. What a rush to enjoy music that way.
...And that feeling becomes deep-seated memories that last a lifetime. In 2018, as my elderly father-in-law was convalescing from illness, he shared a story about being blown away by a trombonist in the Fifties who closed out a big-band set in NYC by performing "When The Saints Come Marching In" while standing on the piano. Everyone in the house was shouting, clapping, stomping, then followed the trombonist as he led a march right out the doors of the club and onto the streets.
I did a quick search and found the guy: Conrad Janis, who later became a recognizable character actor in film and TV (he played Mindy's dad on "Mork and Mindy").
Just for kicks I reached out to Conrad and shared the story. His wife got back to me immediately to say how happy Conrad was to hear that my father-in-law remembers him more than 60 years later, and that he was still jamming every week at age 90 with the Beverly Hills Unlisted Jazz Band. Can you imagine how thrilled Dad was when that fleeting connection was re-established after all those years?
This is the power of live music.
Ted, thank you always for reminding us of the human connections that make life worth living.