Listen To Radio!

Awesome…fricken…radio!

I was at a great Grindhouse movie festival in Toronto this past weekend.  As is the tradition, the first film started at 11:30 pm and six movies ran until 10 am.  It was amazing.  I didn’t yawn once.  I’ll write a review this week!

Now to the real subject: RADIO!

I love radio.  Always have.  I used to listen to stations like AM 640 (when it was the Hog…which lasted like…a year maybe?), CFNY 102.1 (they didn’t really call it The Edge back then that I remember) and whatever my radio could pick up in small town Erin, Ontario.  I used to tape it so I could listen to it later, which is kinda crazy to think about now.  I heard new songs, discovered new bands…I discovered my love for mainstream radio.

There is a lot of talk about the death of radio.  I don’t think it’s dying, though I do think it’s waiting for someone to come in and change it to save it.  It’s hurt.  People don’t like 20 minutes of commercials in 60 minutes of radio.  Most people I talk to want more variety on their radio stations.  Many have switched to sattelite, and I can understand why: XM is pretty fricken awesome.

It’s odd then that most artists still desperately want radio play and consider it a major goal.  ’You haven’t made it until you’re on radio.’  Despite YouTube successes, touring successes, the whole indie/hipster movement of bands who NEVER get on the radio, people still want radio.

That doesn’t sound like dying media…does it?

There’s one problem.  Everyone wants radio, but they don’t know why, or how, or anything really.  And that is because of one problem:

No one LISTENS to radio. 

That’s a lie.  People listen to radio.  But not the people who want to get on radio.  Artists and musicians are desperate to be broadcast but have no clue what format, what station, or even what constitutes a radio-friendly song.

In Canada, there are fewer radio formats than in the US, but there are still quite a few.  For example: AC, Hot AC, CHR, Rock, Modern Rock, Country…and within these genres there are variations that exist station to station.  One Modern Rock station might play different artists than another.

So, in this complex world, would you think it’s a good idea to throw the random song you think would be good out into the ether and hope someone catches it?  Because people do that.  In the last two weeks, I’ve talked to two artists who did just that.

It’s called DMDS…it’s like a pipe that goes straight to radio stations.  It’s kind of like leaving an unsolicited package on a doorstep.  It’s a crapshoot.  It costs money, but that’s fair, since you’re using someone’s service to reach stations from St. John’s to Victoria.

You know…stations that you don’t listen to.  And that might have no interest in your song in the first place.

So, what am I getting at?  There are a few steps you should maybe take before you go throwing your song around.

• FIGURE OUT WHERE YOU BELONG: Are you pop?  You might want to check out AC, Hot AC or CHR.  Rock? Well, are you hard rock or more like grunge?
• LISTEN TO RADIO: Thanks to the internet, you can listen to radio stations online now.  Go to the format you think you fit and start listening to stations across the country.  Go to the station website, and click the button that usually says ‘Listen Live.’
• MAKE A LIST AND MAINTAIN IT: What songs are they playing?  Would your song fit between any pair?  If not, maybe you’re aiming for the wrong format!
• DON’T SEND THE MUSIC DIRECTOR RANDOM EMAILS: It’s annoying.  They have a lot of work to do in a day.  They have all the labels and independent radio trackers and people like ‘you’ calling and emailing them regularly each day, and all these people are asking for radio play…which…
• DON’T EXPECT TO BE PLAYED EVEN IF YOUR SONG IS AWESOME: …is rare.  The last couple of weeks, many radio stations haven’t added a SINGLE song.  Each week hundreds of people are vying for a slot.  Sometimes, a hundred songs are fighting for one slot…

I’m not meaning to deter you…I’m meaning to explain why you’re having such a hard time getting through to the radio stations.  They’re busy.  I’ve heard say that some of the biggest artists in the world are currently ‘on hold’ because there are enough songs on the radio already.  You’re in that line.

So…even if you did listen to radio, and did find the perfect fit, and did send your songs out, and did impress the music director…there may not be any space in the first place!

Think of it like a job.  You’re sending your resume everywhere, doesn’t mean they have positions.  And add to that:

• Half the stations wait for the song to be charting before they add it, so you need to get on the stations that will add you even if you aren’t on the charts
• Many stations watch other stations and follow what they add
• Some stations wait until there’s success in the U.S.
• Many will never get back to you…they don’t get back to the professional trackers or labels, they just don’t reply

Radio is the LAST place to go.  The first place is wherever you write songs and make sure you write a good one.  The second place is on stage, playing for people.  The third place, online so you can reach a wider audience.  The fourth, a tour to spread the love around.  The fifth, make videos and put them on YouTube.  The sixth, maybe try to get your song onto a TV show or video game or in a movie.  The seventh…tour again, more videos, more songs.

Radio will come to you once you have a fanbase.  Going to radio before you have anything going on and without knowing what you’re doing…that can never end in success.

Now, I realize I’ve been a Negative Nelly recently…sorry about that!  I just see the same pitfalls everywhere and although I don’t think I’m an expert, I think I know enough to say that these are bad steps to take.  This post and the last one (You’re Doing It Wrong) are really about how artists keep making big mistakes and are frustrated when they don’t find success.  I hope if you’re reading this that you take what I’m saying to heart.  Try it for a month or two.  And tell me how it goes!

I’m on Tweetererer @Potoroo so check me out!

Sad Truths

Hiya! My name is 'One Hit Wonder Exception To The Rule!' What's your name???

Are you a musician looking to make it big??  Here is my two cents on Radio, Video and Album Sales…

• Want to get on radio…listen to the station that best fits your genre…listen to who they play.  Write songs that could fit between the two most popular artists.  Are you pop?  Write something that can be squeezed between Katy Parry and Bruno Mars.  Rock?  Can your music squeeze between Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters?
• Want to get on Much Music or have a popular video?  Do you have tens of thousands of dollars?  We’re talking ‘broadcast’ here.  Watch the station you would like to be played on…find out who directed the videos.  Choose one of them.  Have them direct your video.  If you’re in Canada, apply for a grant…it increases your chances of at least getting a week of airplay.
• Want to get a number 1 album?  Find an investor.  You’re gonna be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions to get on the charts.  Do you  ’honestly’ think Adele didn’t have millions of bucks backing her when she hit it big this summer?  Each Rihanna song costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to make.  You need co-writers, producers, marketers, distributors, ad buys, publicists, a tour in the works…

Or you could just write music you love, release it on the net to fans, and let radio, video directors, and investors come to you when the time is right.

I dunno about you guys, but I’d rather pull interest than push my songs on people…just seems like it’s worth a whole lot more in the end.

(PS. at the risk of losing all your faith in me…I only use Rebecca Black as an image because she managed to become famous with a $2000 song that was released on YouTube…I got no problem with Ms. Black!)

Potoroo’s Bazaar Returns to CFRU…One Day Only…

This past Sunday was a blast, revisiting the old CFRU station where I had a radio show for close to four years!  The show was called ‘Potoroo’s Bazaar’ and showcased oddball, offbeat, quirky and fun songs…the stuff I listened to college radio to catch!

The booth was different – instead of the blue beast it was more of a mangeable silver beast for the board – but the vinyl library hasn’t changed, nor has the CD library, and the happy on-air feeling came back pretty quickly!  I went through some classics in the first hour, and got into some new greats in the second…at least, that’s what I planned!  The show went by quickly!

I haven’t listened to it yet, but the show is available online…if you’d like to check it out, here’s how!

Head to CFRU.ca, go to the archive and click October 23rd’s 3:00 and 4:00 shows…

…or otherwise…click the following two links to go directly to the hour-long slots:

Potoroo’s Bazaar from 3 to 4

Potoroo’s Bazaar from 4 to 5

What Radio and Video Want

I wish I ran a radio station…also, a music video network.  I’d like to think my choices would be pretty good, that the music would rock, that opportunities would be given to people who created unique and original music.

Thing is…I know I wouldn’t be able to.  In the end, the bills need to be paid.  Broadcasters don’t exist to play music…they exist to sell ads.  And to do this they need to make sure people are watching and listening.  Experimental folk is unlikely to keep the status quo glued to their seat.

It would keep me…and I’d probably become loyal to any business who advertised during the ‘Experimental Folk’ hour.  But I’m not status quo.  I’m abnormal.

Selling ads.  That’s the whole reason…that’s why stations let television shows interrupt the commercial break, and why radio lets songs get in the way of yet another ‘Two people having a conversation that ends with a cheesy punchline’ ads.  Because they know we aren’t listening for ads, we’re listening for entertainment…so really, it’s a big trick.  A ruse!  …roos?  Hmmm…

What do video stations want?  Easy…I’m going to tell you right now, before you spend $2000 on a video that you KNOW will make it on MTV:

THEY WANT YOU TO SPEND MORE THAN $2000!!!

Imagine if you watched videos all day.  You would know a cheap production (even if it’s masked by a clever premise and amazing help from your friend who does colour correction for network television) from a big budget.  Picture the video you want to make sandwiched between this:

And this:

That’s what they’re looking for.  Something that fills the gap.  Obviously, you can’t spend $2,000,000 on your video.  But they are looking for more than just creativity in what you’re filming.  They want POST-production.  Is it broadcast ready, sharp…as a co-worker asks ‘Does it sparkle.’  If you’re serious about getting on Much Music or making an impact with a video do your research: who is directing videos that are getting on TV (in Canada, look at Canadian bands who are making it to air).  That’s the level you have to aim for.

Now…for radio…there are important things to remember as well:

• If you’re a pop artist, again…EXPECT TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY!
• If you’re a rock artist, expect a battle (even to make it on your local rock station)
• If you’re a unique, creative artist…don’t expect to get airplay anywhere

The Foster the People’s, Mumford and Sons’ and Adele’s of the world are few and far between.  They started as bands and musicians unlikely to make it to radio.  They lucked out.  You could too…thing is, I doubt for most artist’s like this, that radio was a goal.

Writing to get on radio is not the way to go…write music that you want to write, and if it’s good, radio will come (…once you’ve built a fanbase, and online presence, and have played many shows, and worked very hard).

It always comes back to the same thing, in my humble opinion…good song, good attitude, and hard (smart) work is what leads to success.  And if it doesn’t lead to success, who cares, you have a good song and feel good about it!

Success shouldn’t be measured in radio spins and video adds.  When you’re successful, you’ll know.

Miscellany

The Edge before The Edge!

I realized this morning that, back in high school…when I was but 14 years old…I told a friend that ‘CFNY used to be a lot better.’  I’m referring to a local station, now known better as The Edge, which plays modern rock and alternative music.  I should also note…it’s the station I listen to most…so clearly I wasn’t that turned off by the station’s musical choices.

It begs the question…has anything ‘ever’ been good?  It always seems to have once been better!  I love 80s movies, and 80s music, yet I’m constantly told that the 80s were a dead period in entertainment.  I love 90s rock, and am also often informed that nothing good came from the 90s.  CFNY is just one in a long stream of ‘once beens’ in the entertainment industry.

I’m sure when the Beatles broke, the majority of people were lamenting the days of Nat King Cole.

What I ‘missed’ was a show I remember listening to (but can’t even remember the name of) that played truly ‘Alternative’ music, including the Jazz Butcher, Tom Waits, and other crazy artists I listened to as a child when everyone else was buying Hi Tek 3 and Young MC albums. (substitute GnR, Randy Travis, or the soundtrack to Cats if you must!)

I now wonder if that show even existed!  I remember listening to it, but it seems so out of sorts for CFNY that I can’t even picture it being aired.

Which begs the question I pose to you: how much of our ‘It used to be much better!’ is wholly imagined and, really, just a comparison to the modern state of entertainment?  CFNY was great in high school…and I still like it now…so why do I feel so compelled every few years to say that a few years ago it was superior to now?!

PODCAST SUGGESTION:

Remember when I said it pays to listen to podcasts and read blogs that aren’t necessarily ‘music based’ to get a whole picture?  Here’s an example why!

Planet Money discusses ‘The Song of the Summer’ and all that goes into creating a pop hit!  Worth a listen!

There you have it!  …I should really divide these kinds of blogs up and spread them out over days, but sometimes…I just want to give you two cherries on your sundae!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Triple J for Canada!

Waitasec...is that Dallas Green on Triple J!? We can go there, why can't they come to us?!?

Why can’t there be a Triple J for Canada?

Quick explanation for those not in the know: Triple J is an Australian radio station (and, apparently, magazine) that focuses on what can only be described as ‘good’ music as well as being very dedicated to the Australian music scene.  Sorry, dedicated isn’t a good enough word…DEVOTED more like it.

Since 2007 I’ve been enamoured by their Triple J Hottest 100 list, an annual list of the 100 best songs the station has played in the year as voted on by fans.  Before the US found Kings of Leon, they were topping the list.  Before Mumford and Sons ever blipped on Canadian radio, they topped the list.  My favourite discoveries come from the list.

They also run a series of events showcasing international and local artists, touring not just to major cities but to smaller venues as well.

They have a site called Unearthed…it’s exactly what you think it is: indie bands upload their songs, and the show and podcast plays the best of the songs.  The ULTIMATE in independent exposure for young, unique, and unsigned artists.

Triple J has contests to find new artists.  They reward great music.  They aren’t afraid to push the limits of their listeners.

…so, what’s up with Canada?

The closest thing we have is CBC Radio 2.  In discussion with folks in the business, Radio 2 has a very clear ‘sonic’ idea of what they will play.  They have darlings.  It’s like a ‘hipster star system’ that allows certain kinds of inventiveness but…generally only after an artist is established.  When I listen to them I like what I hear but…I don’t get the same newness I feel when I hear Triple J.

Maybe it’s because CBC is the national broadcaster. They are spending Canadian taxpayer dollars.  Maybe that’s why they’re so limited.

…oh, wait, Triple J runs under ABC, the Australian CBC counterpart…they spend taxpayer dollars too…

…and they do it better.  They even have a contest to reward HIGH SCHOOL BANDS!!!

Guys.  We gotta get it together.  Sure, radio may be ‘dying’ but Canada has crap loads of musical talent and talent that we don’t have the opportunity to hear.  It’s like we’re pretending to be the US, and as a result only US bands eek through and make their way to the airwaves.  Trust me, I hear it every day at work and every time I go to a show of independent music.  CBC Radio 2…we aren’t all Sarah Harmer and Caribou and Timber Timbre…those are the tip of the iceberg!!

In my opinion, either CBC Radio 2 needs to shift it’s gears (though…they probably feel just fine where they are) or we need to fly Richard Kingsmill and his crew up to give an impassioned speech to some patrons of the arts or some investors.  Get a Triple J – Canada in the works!

Wanna know my opinion on why the Canadian music industry is in trouble?   It’s because there’s no central way to get music…at least, there’s nothing that isn’t so out of date that I’m shocked we don’t hear more Backstreet Boys or Menudo!

Triple J is ‘music now’ even though it’s twenty years old.  Someone needs to take a serious look at the station and shift Down Under to the Great White North.  Just my thought.

Do you want to hear more unsigned, or independent, or international talent?  Are you an active music listener who likes multiple genres so long as the music is good or inventive?  Let me know!  Maybe we can start a revolution

The Music of the Summer!

I was shocked (initially) to learn that, according to radio and most broadcast mediums…it’s summer.  And has ‘been’ summer for awhile now.  Didn’t spring just start?!?

Regardless of the actual seasons, or the temperature outside, the system is set up that if you want a summer hit, you start seeding the fields now.

Some things are certain.  Lady Gaga’s Born This Way will be blasted at every Pride celebration across North America this summer.  That is a fact.  I am psychic…if I’m wrong, I will send you a giant alien egg.

Speaking of aliens, I expect Katy Parry’s ET…or her next single…to be a song of summer.  Why?  Because she’s kind of figured out how radio works better than many counterparts.  She has singles…lots of them.  Even her songs I disliked at the start I eventually grew to love: see ‘Teenage Dreams.’

Also…it’s everywhere.  I’m not talking radio…I’m talking chit chat.  Unless you’re in a bubble where your circle of friends only talk about the music they’ve discovered themselves (“…have you heard Kevin Ayers, it’s NUTSOID!”) someone has probably mentioned the song, the video, or at very least you heard it playing in your peripheral.  I knew about the song before I actually heard it, or saw the vid.

I’m talking a lot of pop here…well, that’s generally the sound of summer, right?  Pop has changed over the years…in the 80s ‘Honeymoon Suite‘ could easily be a sound of summer…the 90s in my circles Beck, the Pumpkins, even Alanis were the sound of summer.  For much of the 00s you had boybands, you had hip hop, occasionally a rock band would sneak in. Or a fake rock band…*cough* COLDPLAY *cough*

…*duck*

For 2011, I see a lot of collabs…pop stars with hip hop touches, even MORE pop with dubstep breakdowns, and I expect a band like AWOLNation to come out of the woodwork and capture our attentions, whether it’s in the mainstream or among hipster circles.  Rock ‘staying’ rock but incorporating deep bass…yah, I see that fo’ sho’.

...nice...

I’m actually excited for this summer.  Specifically…who’s going to come out of nowhere with a song that everyone will hear, and everyone will know, and we can all battle over loving or hating it.  There’s gotta be someone.  It happens every summer.  Bruno Mars, anyone?  Ke$ha?  Hell, Gaga?

Even if they had songs out the previous fall, or a number one in spring, I always associate the breakout pop star with summer.  Maybe it’s just me.  My brain isn’t exactly screwed in right!

The main thing is…summer is when fun music takes over. It always lifts my spirits, regardless how vapid it is.  Some music commentators may be declaring the death of radio but…I suggest you give it a shot this summer.  Flip through, give the new songs a listen.  You might find something you like!

One Song, One Blog, One Thought: Monday, April 18th

Surprise! Remember Jordy?!? ...random...

Here’s today’s simple entry to start the week!

Song: Sebadoh – Soul and Fire

A band I missed when they were around…there was no internet and I was at the whim of my friends to discover new bands, and ‘what was cool’ was Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, and other grungy acts.  I had discovered Frank Black, Gandharvas, and a few awesome bands by myself…but somehow Sebadoh never hit my radar.  This morning, they hit my radar hard with this song…precursor to emo perhaps?

Blog: Sound In My Memory

With a love for music, and good music at that, and great writing to keep me interested, Sound in my Memory was the first blog that really connected with me.  Like last week’s blog o’ the week, Rob seems to have his finger on a similar pulse as I do, but is different enough that I don’t feel like we’re writing about the same things.  His ‘Five for Friday’ and ‘Song of the Week’ entries are always awesome!  Don’t miss out!

Thought:

People aren’t as pigeon-holed as we think they are.  I’ve said this before, but it can stand to be repeated: very few people are dedicated to only one genre of music.  Hip hop fans will listen to punk, metal fans will listen to country, electronic fans will listen to folk.  At a show this weekend an acoustic solo artist opened for a 12 year old white rapper who opened for a pop punk act…in Brantford, Ontario.  I wouldn’t say the place was packed, but it worked.  The pop punk band and fans were enraptured by the rapper, the opening act brought the rapper on stage to do a song together…everyone enjoyed what they saw.

I’m curious to see how the mega concerts will do this summer.  I’m a firm believer that people are keen to see Eminem and Mumford and Sons in the same weekend, and that fans will be satisfied.  It would be even better if this led to a new approach to broadcasting music…that execs would recognize that a radio station can be more diverse than ‘Top 40 Pop’ or ‘Active Rock.’  Or that a band that blends genres can be as popular as one who sticks to the script.

More often than not I’m unsurprised by what big studios (music, film, television) have to offer.  It’s time for a studio to surprise us…sign that ‘folk-hop’ act and push for airplay.  Let’s shake things up!

It’s Springy, as is my music!

Music has seasons.  A song came in yesterday at work that was VERY much a summer song, and my first thought upon hearing it was “Summer anthem.”  In my brain, it’s almost spring so I figured the artist was a little early trying to release it.  Of course, to radio stations, it’s pretty much summer…the amount of time it’ll take for this song to build up to public consciousness means summer will be here when it’s a hit.

So…this summer song has had positive reviews in all the major cities.  I don’t vouch for the song as a piece of great songwriting…I vouch for it as a piece of great season-association.

In school, one of the great stories we heard was about the band Honeymoon Suite and how a re-write might have helped break the band.  You see, the album was set to be released in the summer, but one of their songs was very much a winter song (lyrics about snow and cold and all that stuff.)  It was suggested that they alter the song and make it suitable to a summer release…which they did…

Music moves with the seasons.  It’s subjective ‘and’ objective, in that some songs just scream ‘SPRING’ or ‘FALL’ or (very commonly) ‘SUMMER.’  If that song had remained cold…they wouldn’t have had such a hit!

Subjectively, songs are bound to you by the season for one reason or another.  For instance, this song means the end of winter, and the start of spring for me:

This is because I was heavy into Sunny Day Real Estate, and this song, around the melting time in Guelph early 2003.  I would go for long walks with my mp3 player…which could hold about 6 or 7 songs…and hear this song over and over and over.

For road trips, I always think of Sparklehorse and the Lightning Seeds…because I had a tape with ‘Vivadixie…’ on one side, and ‘Jollification’ on the other…and a road trip back from St. Mary’s City, MD in 1997 had me listening to those albums about 8 times each.

This morning…I turned to Aimee Mann, who has always been a year-round thing for me but most certainly springy, especially this song:

During a rainy spring I used to go running in Guelph while trying to quit smoking and simultaneously lose weight.  Sidenote: I quit smoking in 2010 (7 years later) and am quite fit but in all those years have never managed to reach that ‘goal’ I set for myself a decade ago.

Soooooo much is tied to music, and seasons, and memories.  It’s not just the songs on the radio and what the ‘machine’ has decided we’ll like year after year, but that album you put on to listen to during a hot thunderstorm one summer when you were 19, or the song playing over the speakers at a bar the first time you took a drink.

Think about it!  What songs are ‘your’ spring songs right now?  Comment, let me know, I’m curious!

A little bit of this…a little bit of that…

There is a strange phenomenon (do dooooo do-do-do) in the music industry where artists are being WAY too creative.  I mean, it’s sickening.  They aren’t fitting the strict guidelines being set forth by radio stations, record stores, and blogs.  They are too pop for rock, too rock for pop, indie but not indie, fitting one rule but not another.  In essence…they’re being all…artistic AND commercially. Gross!

How can you make it in this world if you don’t fit the dropdown-menu settings being offered by the quick-get-to-it culture of the internet??!

Two things are clashing in my brain right now. One is that an artist I work with (full disclosure there…yes, I’m working with her) is very talented, has a great song, and everyone I’ve played it for loves it…but she’s having the hardest time getting exposure from anything other than Canada’s music video network (…GAH, you think that’d be enough!)

Now, there are a few complications: she has no shows lined up right now, plus her album won’t be out until spring.  But in today’s culture, having a single and a video should be enough to get kick started.  It works for pop musicians, who may not even compile an album (of previously released singles) for a year and not tour until summer.

Pop radio says she’s too rock.  Rock radio says she’s too pop (…or too female…which is a whole other issue in itself)  Despite the fact that we can draw connections to artists like Avril Lavigne…who’s new single is having NO trouble on radio…radio is uninterested.

The other brain thought is inspired by Jaron Lanier’s book You Are Not A Gadget, which among many other subjects talks about the impersonalization of the net and how bad web design influences social behaviour.  Long and short for my purposes: I see this happening in music, not just economically (music is free, right??) but in how it is consumed and how it is broadcast.

Think of Facebook, or many other social networking sites.  You are a complex being…yet many ‘options’ for how you present yourself to the world are a selection of generalized terms: I am single…I am married…I am employed…I am angry…

There’s so much more going on, especially in creative expression (and how could you consider your life anything more than a creative expression) than the general.  Now I totally agree that there’s a need for some sort of order…for instance, imagine going to a record store where very genre possible has it’s own section.  The arguments that would ensue from fans to disagree with a store’s classification??  Rock/Pop, Urban, Country…it does alright as a ‘header.’

But if all radio is so focused that rock and pop can’t mix…or that a country song with a beat is too dance for country…or heaven forbid…some country leaks into our rock (yah…Elvis and Buddy Holly NEVER sounded like country) the artist is penalized.

“YOU CAN’T PLAY HERE!”

This is a problem.  How can you be introduced to new music, new concepts, if all you’re being presented is a narrowed-down experience.  I want someone to slam the square peg into a round hole (…stop with your sick thoughts…) and give me the chance to hear something I haven’t heard before.

I’m not talking about ‘cross-over.’  Cross-over is when a rock band writes a ballad that suits adult contemporary so someone plays Hedley or All-American Rejects on the ‘older person station.’  I’m talking about not being locked-in to a genre and closed minded to everything else.

Execs seem to feel that their fans don’t want diversity.  If that’s true…why do Bonaroo and Coachella sell so well.  Do you honestly think all those people are ONLY interested in the one or two bands playing?  That anything that differs from their ‘genre’ is automatically rejected.  Screw that!

I believe that YOU are like ME…I want to see Eminem AND Mumford and Sons, I’m as excited about Gary Numan as I am about Neil Young.

Why can’t a new, talented rock-pop artist find a place to play?