“Music is spiritual; the music business is not.” - Van Morrison
In 2018, I wrote an academic paper for a college English class about the local Metal scene here in New Orleans. I was refuting the idea that it's in a decline, which some prominent members of the scene think is taking place. From my research, I discovered that the younger generations have not abandoned the genre. They just have a very different approach.
How the business has changed...
For this section, I will refer to an interview that I conducted with a local legend of the New Orleans scene, Levi 'Blackwylde' Clark, percussionist of the band Cain Resurrection. It took place in September of 2018.
The lengthy interview went off on many tangents and expressed numerous opinions, only about half of them related to something musical. Mr. Clark is well-known for his many entertaining eccentricities. His many complaints ranged from social media/download services allowing fans to get songs for free, to bemoaning that fans only go see a band once (if at all). He also went out of his way to complain about what kind of show people will pay to see: "They'll spend hundreds of Dollars to see washed up acts at Jazz Fest instead of spending a five or ten dollar cover charge to see local bands! It's f**king bulls***!"
One claim he made in his ranting that can be substantiated is that the House of Blues takes a percentage from a band's merchandise sales. (The merchandise in this case being things like CD's, T-Shirts and other items with the band's logo emblazoned on them somewhere.) I believe him when he makes this claim since he was once the club's stage manager and actually collected this percentage. (Clark, Levi. Personal Interview.) A young, unsigned act already has enough financial troubles when they first start out in their career. The House of Blues doesn't need to be taking a cut of the money that the band rightfully earned through their efforts. That makes playing music even less profitable and will keep many groups from getting very far. Or, they just won't play at that particular venue. Either way, this disincentivizes a young musician just starting his career.
Mr. Clark knew this and that is why he sometimes refused to make the collection from the band's merchandise sales. During the interview, he recalled a trio that once played at the club and that he refused to shake down for their merchandise sales. The band was so poor that all three musicians and their equipment were being hauled around in an old, rusted out, dilapidated AMC Pacer. Mr. Clark was working at the House of Blues as their talent relations manager as late as 2015. That means that the Pacer had to be around 40 years old. Mr. Clark couldn't in good conscience take any money from a band that poor.
There's no way to argue against his claims that attendance is slacking at some shows since that data is unavailable. However, the lament about 'washed up' acts at Jazz Fest can be refuted. He used Fleetwood Mac as an example for this point after I mentioned them. A well-known act like that will naturally get a lot more attention than unsigned acts since everyone has heard of them. Not to mention heard their work on radio for many years. Who outside of the underground scene ever heard of Cain Resurrection? Also, considering the age of that band's members, you may not get too many more chances to see them. That's how these 'washed up' acts keep getting top dollar when they tour. Too bad that Fleetwood Mac had to cancel on JazzFest in 2019. And they were the replacement act for another band that cancelled. You may have heard of them. It's this little band from England called The Rolling Stones.
Mr. Clark also claimed that he doesn't think that younger generations are embracing the genre. Being a college student these days, I can personally vouch for this claim being somewhat inaccurate. On any random day, I see young students age 21 and under wearing concert T-shirts or jackets with patches of band logos. And they include every act imaginable from The Beatles to Five Finger Death Punch. After speaking with and befriending them, I feel comfortable asserting that it's not just a fashion statement, either. They may not buy as many physical albums on CD or LP as previous generations did, but they do love the genre.
Speaking of buying albums on physical media, there's also a sad fact that people just don't buy many actual CD's anymore. (Fox, Technological and Social Drivers of Change in the Online Music Industry. Scholarworks.iu.edu.) Thanks to that Pandora's Box known as Napster, people were exposed to the ability to pick and choose what songs they wanted instead of just buying the whole album. While Napster was destroyed through lawsuits, the proverbial genie was still out of the bottle. Streaming services like iTunes, Spotify, et al. have taken the place of music stores selling physical albums. And the consumer is all too happy to see this change take place. (Fox, Scholarworks.iu.edu) This does make it easier for an unsigned act to sell their music directly without the record companies. However, the royalties tend to be a lot smaller than with full album sales. That's why bands today rely so heavily on merchandise sales for their livelihood. Album sales haven't disappeared, but they do seem to be reserved now for fans that really like a band's work. Instead of having to buy the record to hear the music, they buy it as just another piece of band merchandise. Just like T-shirts, bumper stickers, posters and all the rest. Now you can see why so many musicians are so worried.
My recommendations to the local scene on how to survive and thrive...
So, how does the local metal scene (and the music business as a whole) fix the problem of declining album sales? I have six recommendations.
1.) Accept that the music business as we once knew it is over.
And it will never be the same again. Streaming services and online retailers have made physical record stores (and physical album sales) largely unnecessary.
2.) Don't depend on getting a recording contract as your ticket to success.
That came from the old model where bands made money from selling millions of records. While you can still sell many records, it probably won't happen with too many metal bands. That genre is much more difficult for the average listener to follow than other genres like pop music. That's why the major record companies want to sign people like Taylor Swift instead of great metal acts like Sabaton.
I recommend ignoring major labels and focusing on smaller, independent labels that do sign heavy music acts. Roadrunner and Nuclear Blast will promote you however they can. Atlantic, Capitol, and the other major labels seem like they couldn't care less.
3.) Develop a unique theme or onstage gimmick.
There are too many bands trying to repeat what Black Sabbath and Pantera did. For example, look at Amon Amarth and Sabaton.
Amon Amarth is a band of 12th century Viking Berserkers turned into 21st century musicians. Virtually all of Sabaton's songs recount a legendary historic battle in the most epic way possible. Those two are also extremely successful. That wouldn't have happened if they didn't innovate and do something different. Do anything it takes to stand out. Do you think that a record label deliberately set out to find a band like Amon Amarth and Sabaton? Not a chance!
4.) Advertise more and be shameless about it too.
Bands in this local scene just don't advertise enough or with any real coherent strategy. Facebook pages and a poster listing showtimes outside the venue are not enough. Facebook is not a reliable platform anymore since many (myself included) have abandoned the site. Incorporate other social media platforms into the advertising strategies. Take out ads in local culture publications like The Gambit and commercials on local radio stations. Pester the local radio stations into setting aside at least one hour of airtime for local acts. Staple flyers to telephone poles, if necessary. Anything it takes to get the word out, folks. That is what you have to do.
5.) Find better venues.
Since we're talking about show attendance, I strongly recommend local bands find better venues. Seedy-looking dive bars that most people would never patronize on any other night aren't going to attract larger crowds. In fact, try to build/invest in a bar/club/venue for the local scene. I'm sure that Phil Anselmo can afford to build a bar or club. He had enough money to start his own independent record label a few years ago. He might like the idea, especially if it can make him some money.
6.) Whore yourselves out on the band merch...
Finally, let's talk about the band merchandise that is the principal source of revenue for a band these days. Local bands are not doing enough in this area. T-Shirts and CD's won't cut it anymore. Neither will occasionally throwing in signed copies of limited edition pressings of an album on clear vinyl. Take a page out of Gene Simmons' proverbial book and market yourself however possible. His philosophy of 'anything that can have the KISS logo on it, should have the KISS name on it' helped make him worth over $500,000,000.That's also why the KISS name is on everything from condoms to coffins. He literally has his fans both coming and going and turns an enormous profit in the process.
I don't expect unsigned bands to go that far, but how about a few cheap items like Zippo lighters and keychains? Remember, band merchandise is just as useful for advertising as it is a source of income. Be as shameless in your self-promotion as possible. Wear your band's T-Shirts everywhere, especially on stage, if that's what you have to do. No, that's not lame. Quit your bitching and do it, guy.
Conclusion
I refute the idea that NOLA Metal is in decline. It's changing for a new generation that does things in different ways. I'm 37 now. I grew up in a very different world from today's kids. Hell, I can remember a time when America was at peace instead of in perpetual war! The new generation of teenagers and 20-somethings are doubtless going to approach Hard Rock and Metal in a different way. Albums are sacred to my generation, but to them, just another form of merchandise. I have mixed feelings about that, but shit happens.
However, unlike many of my contemporaries in the scene, I'm personally hopeful for the future. These kids are listening and loving the same bands that we did (KISS, Pantera, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, et al.) and being influenced by them. Metal is now a part of the musical fabric of Western Civilization as a whole, just like the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods. That's as close to immortality as it gets for any form of artistic expression.
Metal won't sell as many records as some pretty Pop star since it's so extreme in nature. We've known that since Metal became an art form in the late 1960's. However, at least metal can claim that it relies on polyphony, syncopation and other musical tricks. Pop can only claim formulaic songwriting, Autotune and a young female singer's looks. Taylor Swift will be forgotten. Someone like Corey Taylor of Slipknot and his actual talent will probably be remembered.
The genre and local scene will survive in one form or another. It's just far too mean to die.
Sincerely,
Lord Publius
Works Cited (Not necessarily in MLA format)
Clark, Levi. Personal Interview. 10 September 2018.
Fox, Mark. "Technological and Social Drivers of Change in the Online Music Industry".
Scholarworks.iu.edu. 4 February 2002.
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/dspace/handle/2022/16907. Accessed 7 Oct 2018.
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