Is there a market for Propaganda Indie Rock?

[rlm297]

I recently YouTubed a song my friend Jon Wiltrout did back in 2004.

Thought it applied to the economic crisis today, so I uploaded it.

 

The song sounds like a tool that would be used to brainwash people.

Take a seat, it's an upward of 8 mins long...

 

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[blue2blue]

I didn't listen to the song -- since a particular song wouldn't help answer or discuss the question, not to mention that 8 minutes is a pretty long time to listen to a song and we try to reserve our time here for songs that are actively being worked on -- but I think there's a market for songs that people find compelling on some level.

 

Not, maybe a commercial market, however. Commercial markets tend to focus on pop music (it may also be worth noting in the case of your example song that in recent decades there's been precious little market for songs over about 4 minutes or so).

 

People tend to be put off by politics, except for the true believers. Of course, sometimes the politics of a song is too subtle for most listeners to pick up on.

 

But if it's not maybe one can niche market to them, and might be able to sell some agitprop product. But then you have to look at which of those political niche markets is going to be inclined to purchase what we might almost think of as souvenir product for a political movement of the moment. So, from that point of view, I'd suggest that an overtly radical anarchist song might have very little chance of commercial success -- while a song marketed to the trained consumers in the Tea Party movement might offer some commercial possibilities.

 

 

You know, we've discussed political agitprop songs before here, but I don't think we've ever discussed the economic/commercial side. It's kind of interesting, actually.

 

 

NOTE: for future reference, when starting a thread on a topic like this, it's best to include several example songs so that people don't feel you're doing guerrilla marketing, which really annoys people in this forum, including the moderator, who is a rather disagreeable and narrow-minded chap who likes people to stick to the rules to keep his job easier. (That disagreeable chap would be me.) With the exception of the Share Your Songs sticky and the Monthly Showcase threads, this is a strictly promo-free zone.

[DukeOfBoom]

since it only has 34 views, I would say there is NOT a market for headache-inducing indie propaganda rock.

 

sorry bro. but first law of evolution: adapt or die.

[KJI105]

What do you mean by market?

 

Sure, depending on skill and the type or song people might like it, though it would be harder to get mainstream appeal. However, I don't think the song you linked it by the next Gil Scott-Heron.