Peanuts are responsible for making bands!

[Ryan.]

I just thought that since a thread about a negative aspect of the music scene was so popular that maybe we could make one about the positives...

 

In your long music career (mine is 8 years) name something about the music industry that has improved over time:

 

For me one thing is the ease of making your music available. If you would've told me 8 years ago that one day I would have a CD available for download that is accessible to the entire world... and not only that, but people would ACTUALLY pay for it, I never would've believed it. The longest distance from me to consumer was a purchase from Japan. If you ask me... thats pretty damn cool. (Especially since I don't know anyone from Japan.)

 

Any positives from you guys?

[Vito Corleone]

I love the new technology in almost all forms. The sounds that are available from modern keyboards, modern effects units and the ease of digital recording is nothing short of miraculous.

 

As a keyboard player, when I started out in the late 70s, a "good" keyboard rig consisted of a Fender Rhodes, a B-3 with a Leslie, and a Mini-Moog. A 'great' setup included some sort of acoustic piano and some sort of poly-synth. You were looking at THOUSANDS of dollars and THOUSANDS of pounds of gear.

 

Today you can get all that, plus a sample, plus a sequencer, and a gazillion more sounds on a workstation that costs what is probably about $500 in 1978 dollars.

[Kramerguy]

ummm hmmm.

 

I dunno..

 

PA's can be smaller and power the same sized room?

 

Not that it has much to do with the industry.. I honestly can't think of many 'industry' improvements lately-

[Vito Corleone]

The chick singers are generally better looking?

[BATCAT]

I've been playing music about 15 years. A few things that have improved: (I guess some are not strictly "industry" but more "tech"

 

-Being able to do booking through email, especially in the case of touring and playing out of town

-Affordable on-demand CD duping (like Kunaki)

-Being able to use online social networking to promote albums and shows

-Being able to email demo MP3s to collaborators

-Affordable high quality buttons, stickers, and t-shirts

-Being able to use texting to coordinate band activities like load-ins, everyone having a cell phone on them

[Ryan.]

No industry inprovements?

 

What about gear sponsorships? Seems like companies are way more willing to get their name on the gear of successful bands by providing amps, drum heads, strings, and so on...

 

Did they do that in 60s 70s 80s as much as they do now?

 

There is an all girl band in my area that is sponsered by MAC Cosmetics... they get free make up!

[MartinC]

 

The chick singers are generally better looking?

 

 

Naw, your just older so your standards have slipped:lol:

[Vito Corleone]

 

Naw, your just older so your standards have slipped:lol:

 

 

There IS that!

[Vito Corleone]

Ooo! ooo!!! I thought of one!

 

We get a good portion of our gigs through Gigmasters. Not only do I find it to be a more effective service than a standard booking agent, since we get to talk to the clients directly, but the % we pay them is far less than an agent would charge.

[rhat]

 

I love the new technology in almost all forms. The sounds that are available from modern keyboards, modern effects units and the ease of digital recording is nothing short of miraculous. As a keyboard player, when I started out in the late 70s, a "good" keyboard rig consisted of a Fender Rhodes, a B-3 with a Leslie, and a Mini-Moog. A 'great' setup included some sort of acoustic piano and some sort of poly-synth. You were looking at THOUSANDS of dollars and THOUSANDS of pounds of gear. Today you can get all that, plus a sample, plus a sequencer, and a gazillion more sounds on a workstation that costs what is probably about $500 in 1978 dollars.

 

 

 

Yup modern keyboards kick ass on the old heavy stuff, Modern amps are real good too and OMG , powered speakers rock. I question if the anyone can cut a CD thing is all that great. Its great for the bands , but it really makes alot of crap to weed through looking for somthing good. The old top 40 format from back in the day was pretty nice. real easy to put a set list that worked together.... just learn a few out of top 20 a month and you were gold with the peeps.

[jeff42]

Roland V Drums

[twostone]

Autotune takes a {censored}ty singer and turns them into a kick ass singer.

I suck at singing, but not any more with autotune I can sing with the best of them.

[Vito Corleone]

Autotune takes a {censored}ty singer and turns them into a kick ass singer. I suck at singing, but not any more with autotune I can sing with the best of them.

 

:eek::eek:

[Ryan.]

Autotune takes a {censored}ty singer and turns them into a kick ass singer. I suck at singing, but not any more with autotune I can sing with the best of them.

 

LIES, ALL LIES!

[twostone]

Lies how so?

Half the stuff on the radio is autotuned

[MDLMUSIC]

The biggest change for me, personally, is the ease with which I can learn how to play cover songs.

 

In the old days (1970's), the only way to learn a song was to buy the record or cassette tape and keep playing it over and over again for hours on end trying to figure out what chord the guitarist was playing or what the heck that mealy-mouthed lead singer was singing, then laboriously writing it all out by hand in a notebook.

 

Nowadays, I just type "{Song Title} lyrics and chords" into a search engine and I get a couple of dozen sites with all the lyrics and chords all laid out for me. I just cut and paste them into word, manipulate the fonts, and VOILA! instant chord charts for every member in the band.

 

Heck, I can even print out the tab for a guitar lead if I'm really that interested in doing it just like the original guy did it (which I rarely am).

[wades_keys]

Lies how so? Half the stuff on the radio is autotuned

Radio?

 

What's that?

 

Is that like Pandora, or Itunes?

 

I'm confused....

[wades_keys]

 

In your long music career (mine is 8 years) name something about the music industry that has improved over time:

 

Stringed instruments are better quality and cheaper than they were in the 80's.

 

I paid 300+ bucks for a used Ibanez Blazer in 1982.

 

That same 300 bucks today can get me a better playing, better made, and better sounding instrument.

[SpaceNorman]

Naw, your just older so your standards have slipped:lol:

 

Slipped?

 

I prefer to think of them as having been refined to focus on what's really important.

[flemtone]

Well, this was an early inspiration for me...

 

[rocket888]

Hammond B3 clones, especially the Nord electros.

 

Riff grabbers, which let you slow down and even stop on a note.

 

Better guitar/instrument cables. When I started playing in 1973, cables were

weak, prone to give out after a short while. Now they seem to last forever...don't know what changed, but it is dramatic.

[StratGuy22]

No industry inprovements? What about gear sponsorships? Seems like companies are way more willing to get their name on the gear of successful bands by providing amps, drum heads, strings, and so on... Did they do that in 60s 70s 80s as much as they do now? There is an all girl band in my area that is sponsered by MAC Cosmetics... they get free make up!

 

 

I remember reading...

 

"KISS uses Gibson guitars, and Pearl drums, because they want the best!!!"

 

 

[Dancebass]

The internet kicks ass at obtaining exactly the gear you need for a decent price. Craigslist save's my ass once a week at least.

[Ryan.]

Craigslist is definitely a game changer. Its nice not having to take your amp to a music store and get nothing for it, when you can sell it directly to the guy that needs it.

[SeniorBlues]

 

The biggest change for me, personally, is the ease with which I can learn how to play cover songs. In the old days (1970's), the only way to learn a song was to buy the record or cassette tape and keep playing it over and over again for hours on end trying to figure out what chord the guitarist was playing or what the heck that mealy-mouthed lead singer was singing, then laboriously writing it all out by hand in a notebook. Nowadays, I just type "{Song Title} lyrics and chords" into a search engine and I get a couple of dozen sites with all the lyrics and chords all laid out for me. I just cut and paste them into word, manipulate the fonts, and VOILA! instant chord charts for every member in the band. Heck, I can even print out the tab for a guitar lead if I'm really that interested in doing it just like the original guy did it (which I rarely am).

 

 

This is a mixed bag. In the long run, I think you're better off learning a song by ear. (not to mention that many of the changes to songs on chordie and others are overly simplified, and sometimes just plain wrong.

 

What IS really cool is the ability to use a program like "The Amazing Slowdowner" to play back a difficult section of a song as a loop, and at a slower speed, until you get it right.