bay area or L.A.? which one is better for a musician

[Sir Punk]

I am looking into moving to one of the two. I know L.A. has an amazing music scene and I am closer to OC as well, but on the other hand the Bay area is, IMO, a better place to live and still offers a decent music scene. SF has more tech jobs that are closer to my work experience.

 

I am looking into networking with other musicians, starting a band or joining one. I am into punk-rock, post-punk, alt. rock. Most punk bands seem to be from LA: NoFx, Social D, Bad Religion and so on, just to name a few.

 

thoughts, suggestions, comments, personal experiences?

[daddymack]

The LA music scene is not as amazing as one would assume, at least as far as playing clubs and making any kind of $, especially for non-established bands. Those days are gone, at least for now. Cost of living here is still way too high, and public transportation is sketchy.

I generally discourage people from relocating here because the lure is all a facade...well, the palm trees are real, but not native...

[Karma1]

I'm not tuned into the punk scene, but it seems like there is a lot happening on that front in Berkeley, as I'm sure there is in other parts of the Bay area. I've really enjoyed living here, although I wish it were less expensive - but you can always find affordable housing, especially if you are willing to share a place. It might be worth it to visit both areas and get a feel for them first hand before making a major move.

[Sir Punk]

I have visited both, even though a week is really nothing to get a feeling for a place. I generally liked the Bay area a lot more, even if I have to admit LA near the coast is awesome, the inland part is just like any other city.

[Ronan Murphy]

LA is a pretty odd place to be a musician. There really is not as much of a scene as people think (as the previous poster mentioned). It really makes sense for me (as a full time producer-mixer) to have my biz here, but if I was still trying to make it as a guy in a band, I do not think LA is were I would choose to be based.

[Sir Punk]

 

LA is a pretty odd place to be a musician. There really is not as much of a scene as people think (as the previous poster mentioned). It really makes sense for me (as a full time producer-mixer) to have my biz here, but if I was still trying to make it as a guy in a band, I do not think LA is were I would choose to be based.

 

 

 

now that's almost a contradiction to me. If the music scene is so and so why did you decide to have your biz in LA and not where the bands are?

[slight-return]

now that's almost a contradiction to me. If the music scene is so and so why did you decide to have your biz in LA and not where the bands are?

 

Can't speak to Mr Murphy's situation specifically - but I can dig how there can be differences that wouldn't make it contradictory

 

If you're working with very established [inter]national acts, working synergistically with other sectors of the entertainment industry (doing work supporting TV, movies, etc), I can see how having access to a dense dense talent (hell, population) and resource pool would be beneficial.

 

If, though, you are looking for live music performance opportunities, esp as an aspiring act - I can dig how saturation of talent pool, extremely dense population (cost of living, transport, difficulty in getting attention/"mindshare" -- all that stuff) can work in one's disfavor.

Sort of the "well, I'm really an actor" says the waiter type riff

 

 

[used to live in the Bay Area myself - first in Rockridge, then behind the Parkway theatre. funny, when we left - I found my wife's phone and she had Yoshi's on a lower speed dial number than she had my cell number ]

[WoodenDuckMaker]

L.A. is good if you're playing more pop/mainstream styles of music. SF is better for more progressive, experimental, unusual, creative styles of music.

 

Aside from music, I think SF is a nicer place to live. Cleaner, safer, better public transportation. Most people can't afford to live there though.

 

Though you may like L.A. more if you like to party, go clubbing, and like glamor.

[daddymack]

 

now that's almost a contradiction to me. If the music scene is so and so why did you decide to have your biz in LA and not where the bands are?

 

Because this is still the hub of the recording universe. Most major label acts don't go to Duluth to lay their tracks...the gear and the knowhow are deeply nested in LA...the club scene right now is almost at its nadir. It will come back, it is part of a cycle...but as I mentioned, this is not the place to come to to 'make it', this is where you come after you've 'made it'.

[Ronan Murphy]

 

now that's almost a contradiction to me. If the music scene is so and so why did you decide to have your biz in LA and not where the bands are?

 

 

Quite a few reasons.

 

1) the support network for recording pros is really deep here (gear rental, techs, etc) and also the network of session musicians here is amazing . Its pretty great to be able to have an artist tell you how much they love an album and then for me to be able to say "cool, I'll get that bass player for your album"

 

2) A pretty large portion of my business is international, and there is a bit of excitement for a lot of artists to get to go to LA to record, or have a producer from LA come to work on their album. Sort of like hearing that a chef is from Paris. It does not mean they are a great chef, but there is some built in cache.

 

3) Its good for business to be able to run into label owners, managers etc, at a club or coffee shop to stay on their radar.

 

4) Even if LA is a less than ideal place to play gigs, tons of artist migrate here and even if they have no place to play in town, they still need to get an album made.

[Sir Punk]

ok it makes sense now, too bad LA expanded with little urban planning.

[daddymack]

LA was planned by the Big Oil companies and Detroit...

[Nijyo]

 

Because this is still the hub of the recording universe. Most major label acts don't go to Duluth to lay their tracks...the gear and the knowhow are deeply nested in LA...the club scene right now is almost at its nadir. It will come back, it is part of a cycle...but as I mentioned, this is not the place to come to to 'make it', this is where you come after you've 'made it'.

 

 

You didn't specify whether you mean Duluth, GA or Duluth, MN.

 

At least in Duluth, MN you have a strip club across the street from the icecream shoppe (literally).

[bostonwal]

Go where you can find a great vocalist (assuming you're not the vox). Or put out a nationwide Craigslist search for a vocalist and go wherever he/she is and then find a city to go to. (I'd do the beaches of LA myself for a year then go to SF for a year.) If you've got the songs and the vocalist then people will come to you, not vice versa.

[Forbidden-Donut]

 

LA is a pretty odd place to be a musician. There really is not as much of a scene as people think (as the previous poster mentioned). It really makes sense for me (as a full time producer-mixer) to have my biz here, but if I was still trying to make it as a guy in a band, I do not think LA is were I would choose to be based.

 

 

If you were still trying to make it, what cities would you choose?

[daddymack]

Generally we advise people to get as much done where they already are, and branch out from there. If you can't get enough gigs where you are due to lack of venues, then obviously yo uneed to look at options.

 

If you really want to relocate, then find a smaller city with a viable club scene...I just returned from Tulsa, OK, and was amazed how many clubs there are in that place. You need the clubs to build a following and get merch sales going. Also generate some press and build a reutation. Then work up to regional road trips, regional festivals, etc. and eventually tour.

 

Do a search on clubs for a specific city that book your genre of music. When you find a town that has 10-60 clubs that you'd fit in, you might be able to make it pay off if you are good enough, but keep in mind, there will be established competition where ever you relocate.

[elsongs]

Hi, I'm a Los Angeles native, I know more about this city than any of you do, or even care to know.

 

First off, ask yourself why would you want to relocate anywhere.

Are you relocating because you're a big fish in a little pond?

Are you relocating because you have some special skills or talents that you can actually contribute?

Are you relocating because you had a {censored}ed-up childhood and are trying to escape it?

Are you relocating because you had a {censored}ed-up relationship and are trying to escape it?

 

If you're trying to "escape" anything, do us all a favor and work out your issues yourself before relocating ANYWHERE. Because you'll just be like everyone else: You're gonna blame your new city on ALL your problems, not take any responsibility for yourself, and not get anywhere, but feel like {censored}.

 

Second, don't feel you're entitled to anything. A lot of talent-deficient east coast/midwest mother{censored}ers come here fresh off the Greyhound thinking they're the {censored}, expecting their Grammy/Oscar/Emmy to be handed to them as they get off the bus. They suddenly realize that they're not the center of the universe that they thought they would become, that they have to actually (gasp) work with and perhaps compromise with other people's needs, and come to grips that they're not gonna be the BIG STAR they thought they would be. Welcome to reality. You are not entitled to anything in Los Angeles, or New York, or Nashville, or anywhere else. You got to work it, network, have patience, be creative, etc. etc.

 

 

Three, have an open mind. I crack up when transplants whip out their generalisms: "LA people are all flakes..." You know why they're all flakes? Because all the "LA people" you meet ARE JUST LIKE YOU! And if people "flaking out" on you bothers you so much, that just means you think everything revolves around YOU. Surprise! You're just as self-centered as the people you deride!

 

Why not try to meet people who AREN'T wannabe musicians/actors/screenwriters? Because those are the people who will likely give you the most support, and care about you (you have to care about them as well to make it work).

 

Oops, I'm giving away too much secrets here. Better stop now.

[PitDaemon]

I live in the SF bay area. I'm actually relatively new to the local music scene, so I can't give you much advice there. But as far as living cost goes, you can find some decently priced places out in the east bay. There are some cheap places, too, but it's likely in a shady part of town.

[elsongs]

 

I live in the SF bay area. I'm actually relatively new to the local music scene, so I can't give you much advice there. But as far as living cost goes, you can find some decently priced places out in the east bay. There are some cheap places, too, but it's likely in a shady part of town.

 

 

That's the biggest irony of the Bay Area. The city of SF proper is small, dense and has a great quality of life, it's just not very affordable. So the only places you can live in the Bay in is out in the 'burbs -- which pretty much defeats the whole purpose of living in the Bay Area in the first place, since outside of SF proper, it's just as sprawling and spread out as any other metropolitan area's outskirts!