Untitled

Sometimes supporting a band financially is more difficult than it should be. There are three, traditional, ways I can think of supporting a band I love: buy their music, buy their merch, see their show. I listen to virtually all of my music in some digital form. I subscribe to Rdio and I buy quite a few digital releases as well (using a combination of Amazon and iTunes). Now, it’s not really a secret that even this method of (legal) music consumption is not putting much money in the hands of the artists or labels I’m enjoying. When it comes to physical media - I’ve basically given up on CDs (also not a great way of getting money into the hands of the bands I love), but I just don’t have the room to store them anymore. I spend quite a bit of money on vinyl each year; however, I’m usually only buying the albums I absolutely love, not everything I listen to. And even when I buy vinyl, I’ve got to make sure I get in on a purchase early so that the band gets the money. This isn’t always possible. Either the official pre-order doesn’t come with a “just vinyl option” - and I have to go through a different retailer (which I’m assuming takes a cut from the band) - or it sells out early and I end up paying a little more to get it from a re-seller (and the band sees nothing from me). So, while I feel I’m doing more than some (by actually paying for literally everything) when it comes to supporting the music I listen to - I know, deep down, I’m not really supporting my favorite bands and labels with my music listening habits in all that meaningful of a way.

Now we look at merch. I’m going to be honest: I don’t need more band shirts. They’re great for lounging around the house in, but I just don’t need more t-shirts at this point in my life. I buy some merch, usually sweatshirts or something, every once in a while. And more often than not the merch I buy ends up being for gifts. In all honesty: I would rather just give a band I love $20 and they can keep the shirt. However, it seems that any kind of “online donation” system is shunned by most bands. We’ve seen the backlash that just starting a Kickstarter can cause, and I’ve seen even more outspoken criticism of any band that accepts “donations.” The cries of “taking advantage of your fans” seem to get louder every time anyone tries anything like this. Fine, I guess I get some part of that argument - however, the more I think about it — I wish there was an easier way to donate to a band I love. I wish there was a simple way to donate money to a band’s tour/gas fund. Or to a “record tour EP” fund. Or a “buy some taco bell in some crappy city” fund.

And lastly, we have paying to go to a show. I love going to shows, and some of my best memories are sweaty and smelly in the middle of 50 kids screaming lyrics no one in a 20 block radius has ever heard. Yet, I’m getting older - no way to deny it - and I just can’t make it out to as many shows as I would like. Life gets in the way. Work gets in the way. It’s just not possible to go to every show I wish I could. And hey, usually if I do - I can drop some money into the tip jar by the merch table. But without every show coming near me, my own ridiculous schedule, and just the logistics in general —it’s not very reasonable.

Well, this rant is getting a little long now - but my main point is this: everyone keeps saying “support the bands you love” — and I support that sentiment completely. I’m trying. But it’s not as easy as it should be … and if I, someone actively involved in the music scene that pays for music, can’t find a dead simple way to financially support a band I love, then we’re all sort of fucked, right? I get why bands are struggling. I get why labels are struggling. The internet is doing a great job of making it easier to listen to music - and the internet is doing a great job of bringing us closer to the artists we love. We can get all kinds of information about them, follow them on social networks, all of that — yet we’re not quite there yet when it comes to putting our money where our mouths are. And at the end of all of this, if we want musicians to continue making music for a living … we are going to have to figure out a better way for them to be financially supported.