This is something that will have many positives and negatives on either side, but regardless of what is said, this is an ongoing battle.
We'll start with Live Music, and the positives and negatives associated with it.
A lot of us will have gone to see our favourite bands live, probably at the cost of a week's groceries plus travel to get there. Now ask yourself; what did that band do to stand out? Make a lasting impression? Something that's so different from an album or recording that you need to see it again and again.
The same number of us, if not more, will have seen a band that's just starting out at the local pub/bar/club, or at a charity festival or event going on locally.
This is a great way to be introduced to a band, as you see what they are actually like when they perform, as opposed to the product of a studio. Granted, it's not always possible to see a band live, or they may not sound as good as their recording, but the pressure is definitely on for bands to perform, and not just 'perform'.
I've seen many bands in concert, and there are plenty more I want to see or would see again, but the ones I wouldn't go and see are the ones that sound exactly as they do in their album, and don't do anything that 'stands out' on stage. If a band looks like they're enjoying themselves, get the crowd involved (even if it's a small crowd), and interact well with each other, that ticks the boxes for me. Whether it's a band with 100,000 fans, or 10.
Onto everything else. There are obvious positives about recordings, online streaming, and all of the like. Accessible 24/7, can listen to pretty much any band you feel like, and with many platforms these days, they will suggest like-for-like artists for you to listen to, so you can discover 100s of bands from your desktop!
The main negative I can think of from that is 'over-exposure'. By this I mean you might hear so many different bands that you forget which ones are good, or may even take for granted the work that went into each recording. This is particularly true with Spotify, as it will set up a playlist of related artists, and although you're listening to that small band's music, you won't remember who they are, or are very unlikely to.
Another negative I would have to mention is how accurate the recording is/isn't to that artist. We all know the auto-tune button exists, and a lot of artists in the charts use that these days. The right producer could make a 3 year-old sound like Jimi Hendrix, so when you hear a killer track online, be a little reserved until you see the live show. Of course, there are millions of artists that do just recordings, and don't perform live. This is absolutely fine, as long as list themselves as 'producers' or 'DJs'. To call themselves a 'band' and not do live shows (in my opinion), dilutes the meaning of the word.
As with everything, let me know your thoughts on the matter, it would be great to hear what you think!
Until the next post, Adios!
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