How many of you have had the "Let's go out to LA" conversation?

[BATCAT]

Originally posted by 50calexplorer I just wanted to chime in with a different perspective. I'm 26, a bass player, and a good friend and I are moving to Austin, TX. We're moving form Wisconsin for several reasons. 1. Austin seems friendlier than LA, New York, or Nashville. 2. There aren't musicians here in Wisconsin, there are some but not many. 3.We need in change in all our lives, music aside. 4. Austin seems like a good music town. I know I may not make it, in fact I know the odds are WAY against me, but at least I'll have some stories to tell, and I can look at anyone and say I tried my dream. How about you?

 

I don't think the point is that it's dumb for a band to relocate to a city they percieve as having more opportunities...

 

I think the point was- it's dumb if the city in question is LA.

 

...unless you're super well-connected there already.

[Frank Prince]

Being a middle aged dude and reasonably decent guitar player who has settled into a day job career with a couple of different church gigs on the side, I would never consider moving to LA to "make it" in music professionally.

 

I have, however, frequently longed to move there because of the kind of talent you can see at local clubs on a Thursday night.

 

Scott Henderson, Lukather, Michael Thompson, Gambale, Holdsworth, etc, etc., all playing at places like LaVeeLee and the Baked Potato.

 

I would LOVE to be able to pop down the street or across town to hear folks like that.

 

I would also imagine that my talent level would shoot way up just by attending open jams and playing with the "amateur" talent, some of which I imagine is just awesome in the jazz and fusion genres.

[ChetAtkinsDiet]

I've seen bands do really well by touring small midwest & southern towns.

 

You want exposure? Build a fan base by playing in small towns, where a cool band is like a gift from God to their Saturday night.

 

Then, visit places like LA, Austin, or Nashville on weekends and network with the local scenesters and industry folks.

 

At least, that seems much more feasible to me. And I've seen bands do quite well that way.

[Lee Flier]

Originally posted by ChetAtkinsDiet I've seen bands do really well by touring small midwest & southern towns. You want exposure? Build a fan base by playing in small towns, where a cool band is like a gift from God to their Saturday night. Then, visit places like LA, Austin, or Nashville on weekends and network with the local scenesters and industry folks. At least, that seems much more feasible to me. And I've seen bands do quite well that way.

 

IMO, this is exactly the way to do it.

[gtrbass]

I think the whole point of relocating to any other city is that it's a long term proposition. I've been in LA 20 years and I have never once regretted the decision. I didn't come here with a band. I came here to live my life and work professionally in the music industry.

 

What a larger music center does offer you:

A larger talent pool. You'll find more players with similar interests and more highly skilled players in many genres in LA, NYC, London, etc, than you might in a smaller city. Though never doubt that there are many awesome players everywhere.

 

A solid infrastructure. There are many more well equipped studios to choose from in LA than there are in say Omaha, Ne. If you're running a project room, you have access to several reputable rental companies in So Cal that offer a significant inventory of hi end mic's, pre's, compressors, etc at a decent price. Try renting a Neumann U47 and a Neve 1073 in Little Rock, Ark sometime.

 

Industry related jobs - There are many jobs in a place like NYC or LA that aren't common in other cities. Many musical instrument mfg's are headquartered in So Cal. There are numerous music stores. There are tons of sound companies, rehearsal studios (SA, SIR, Leeds, 3rd Encore), that are thriving in spite of the tough times in the business.

 

As far as making money as a player in Southern California, it's supply and demand. The region probably has 100,000 (no, I'm not kidding) bands competing for the attention of the live entertainment audience. To make any money at all, you've got to be pretty much a world class act that can draw, or a really good cover band. On any night of the week there are 5 - 10 known national acts playing at venues in So Cal. The live clubgoer has many great choices.

[Lee Flier]

 

Originally posted by Frank Prince I have, however, frequently longed to move there because of the kind of talent you can see at local clubs on a Thursday night.

 

 

Yes, there is that. That'll spoil ya real quick too. I AM glad for at least a few of the years I spent in L.A. for that reason alone.

 

After awhile though, it wasn't worth all the downsides. I still go out there to visit (as well as Nashville, NY and Austin on occasion, which similarly have tons of fantastic musicians) and get my fix of hanging out with amazing talent.

[Eye_Of_The_Liger]

Originally posted by Actionsquid I don't think the point is that it's dumb for a band to relocate to a city they percieve as having more opportunities... I think the point was- it's dumb if the city in question is LA. ...unless you're super well-connected there already.

 

Exactly. TX is a cheaper place to live than California, so it won't be near as hard for you and your friend to split rent on a decent apartment and still make enough money to live decently, regardless of why you're moving there. Plus I hear Austin's a fun place to be anyway, though I hear that the local music scene is starting to get a little blown out.

[ChetAtkinsDiet]

Originally posted by 50calexplorer I just wanted to chime in with a different perspective. I'm 26, a bass player, and a good friend and I are moving to Austin, TX. We're moving form Wisconsin for several reasons. 1. Austin seems friendlier than LA, New York, or Nashville. 2. There aren't musicians here in Wisconsin, there are some but not many. 3.We need in change in all our lives, music aside. 4. Austin seems like a good music town. I know I may not make it, in fact I know the odds are WAY against me, but at least I'll have some stories to tell, and I can look at anyone and say I tried my dream. How about you?

 

You're leaving Wisconsin?

 

 

I understand... Austin does seem like a great place. It's booming right now, a very smart place to buy real estate.

[BlueStrat]

 

Originally posted by Eye_Of_The_Liger Exactly. TX is a cheaper place to live than California, so it won't be near as hard for you and your friend to split rent on a decent apartment and still make enough money to live decently, regardless of why you're moving there. Plus I hear Austin's a fun place to be anyway, though I hear that the local music scene is starting to get a little blown out.

 

 

I'd PM Mr. knobs (Terry D From "Telling Stories") before making a move like that. I have a good buddy living in Austin and he says living there is not much if at all cheaper than LA. And the music scene is glutted with people looking to make it.

 

And from what Terry says, Austin isn't any easier on bands than LA or Nashville.

[Outkaster]

Originally posted by Lee Flier Yep. If you have that, why, you could even be from some depressed podunk town like Liverpool, England and somehow the word will get to the right people. That said: gtrbass, if I was from Buffalo I'd get the hell out, too. I still don't think I'd go to L.A., but I can see why the weather there alone appeals to a lotta folks from that neck of the woods.

 

Lee I was in Buffalo trying to book some gigs in March, it is an hour from here and not really a bad city. It got a bad rap when the Steel Mills shut down as a blue-coller scummy city and it is too bad. It is more about ecomonics than just a bad music scene. It is tough all over.

[Eye_Of_The_Liger]

Originally posted by BlueStrat I'd PM Mr. knobs (Terry D From "Telling Stories") before making a move like that. I have a good buddy living in Austin and he says living there is not much if at all cheaper than LA. And the music scene is glutted with people looking to make it. And from what Terry says, Austin isn't any easier on bands than LA or Nashville.

 

Right! Houston it is!

[50calexplorer]

I just wanted to check back in here.

 

 

I've already tlked to alot of people in Austin, TX. I have some connections already and understand there are a lot of bands there, but again I don't think that is a bad thing.

 

Just as an example I ran a teaser add as a bass player in an ad in Austin Chronicle just saying I was a bass player, my age, and that I had pro gear, and all I left was an e-mail to get ahold of me. I got responses from around 20 some odd bands looking for bassists and they ranged form heavy metal bands to jazz bands to rockabilly and country. And I don't think that is all bad. I want to be around different musicians, I think competition gets rid of medicrioty, and I'm not mediocre.

 

Apartments ran in the neighborhood I thought, I've called on several got pics and locations and all and I have guys on the ground there checking them out for me. To be honest they aren't all that much more expensive than where I live.

 

This isn't just something on a whim I've considered.

[BlueStrat]

Originally posted by 50calexplorer I just wanted to check back in here. I've already tlked to alot of people in Austin, TX. I have some connections already and understand there are a lot of bands there, but again I don't think that is a bad thing. Just as an example I ran a teaser add as a bass player in an ad in Austin Chronicle just saying I was a bass player, my age, and that I had pro gear, and all I left was an e-mail to get ahold of me. I got responses from around 20 some odd bands looking for bassists and they ranged form heavy metal bands to jazz bands to rockabilly and country. And I don't think that is all bad. I want to be around different musicians, I think competition gets rid of medicrioty, and I'm not mediocre. Apartments ran in the neighborhood I thought, I've called on several got pics and locations and all and I have guys on the ground there checking them out for me. To be honest they aren't all that much more expensive than where I live. This isn't just something on a whim I've considered.

 

Did alll those bands tell you that they can't keep players because they can't get a gig?

 

 

Seriously, though, you sound just like I did when I moved to LA. I even had a guy I was moving in with who was in a band with record company connections that I was going to play with (until two other guys in the band hired a guitar player while I literally was en route, after selling all my non-music related stuff, renting a u-haul to move what was left, and hitting the road for 3 days).

 

If you're young, meh, why not? I hope it works out for you. Me, I found much more success in the biz and built a bigger following playing in smaller towns around the Northwest than in the cities. But you never know until you try. My experience isn't necessarily going to be yours. I hope it isn't.

 

All the best.

[germs]

i personally fell prey to this scheme. I had a childhood friend and former bandmate who moved there a few years back. He would call me at least once a month to come out and audition for some band or other he was putting together. Most often it was some touring pop act one hit wonder and I would end up getting smoked by someone playing a little more in the pocket. imagine some dude from the west coast telling ME how to play blues scales...but anyway... he really helped me land some cool gigs and get fantastic opportunities i wouldn't have otherwise had. and I usually had enough for the flight home.

 

until that fateful trip when i left for two weeks on a flight for LA and got home 8 months later in a uhaul van...you know, the grass is always greener...

[germs]

dear gtrbass,

 

God does your story ever sound familiar...it's almost like you were there...it really brings home a whole new meaning to the term "starving musician".

[cooterbrown]

Originally posted by Actionsquid That's hilarious. Of anywhere I've played (in my admittedly limited experience) LA is the hardest to book, the hardest to draw crowds in. And it's crowded with bands. And traffic is horrific. I can see saying "let's move to LA to try to 'make it'! " maybe 20 YEARS AGO but NOW??!!? Things have changed. Even I know that!

 

Actually...nothing has changed...I was there, twenty two years ago, and it sucked then, as well.

[Tribute2Johnny]

 

Originally posted by Eye_Of_The_Liger This is obviously directed at bands that play original stuff. [RANT] I was in a band and we actually talked about it. I thought it was stupid, and I said so, though in much nicer terms. To begin with, we hadn't been playing for long, plus the drummer at the time had no skills whatsoever, which is funny 'cause he was the one who brought it up. Not to mention that I had started an engineering career, and I have and ASSLOAD of loan debt. And this idiot thinks he can ask me to consider dropping all that? And that's without considering the scene out in LA. With all these bands coming from all over the place trying to do whatever it takes, or suck on whatever they have to suck, just to "get signed." Such bull{censored}, IMHO at least. [/RANT]

 

 

Sounds EXACTLY like my drummer...

[geekgurl]

 

Originally posted by gtrbass What a larger music center does offer you: A larger talent pool . You'll find more players with similar interests and more highly skilled players in many genres in LA, NYC, London, etc, than you might in a smaller city. Though never doubt that there are many awesome players everywhere. A solid infrastructure . There are many more well equipped studios to choose from in LA than there are in say Omaha, Ne. If you're running a project room, you have access to several reputable rental companies in So Cal that offer a significant inventory of hi end mic's, pre's, compressors, etc at a decent price. Try renting a Neumann U47 and a Neve 1073 in Little Rock, Ark sometime. Industry related jobs - There are many jobs in a place like NYC or LA that aren't common in other cities. Many musical instrument mfg's are headquartered in So Cal. There are numerous music stores. There are tons of sound companies, rehearsal studios (SA, SIR, Leeds, 3rd Encore), that are thriving in spite of the tough times in the business. As far as making money as a player in Southern California, it's supply and demand. The region probably has 100,000 (no, I'm not kidding) bands competing for the attention of the live entertainment audience. To make any money at all, you've got to be pretty much a world class act that can draw, or a really good cover band. On any night of the week there are 5 - 10 known national acts playing at venues in So Cal. The live clubgoer has many great choices.

 

 

It's funny, even though San Francisco and surrounding Bay Area is not really a music-industry town, this is EXACTLY the case here. Great studios, great, world-class musicians, LOTs of opportunities for the average Joe to go out and hear music ... and way more excellent musicians available to work, than work available. I know a few side musicians who've come out here to set up shop and have done OK, but I can't fathom why a band would do it. Pay is crap, so much competition.

[geekgurl]

Originally posted by Psychotronic I had just joined my buddy's band as second guitarist and did 2 shows with them. We were breaking down the gear after the second show when my buddy says, "We're moving to San Francisco, you should come with us!"....Having just started a semester of college, I said no. They were back within a year, and had already broken up.

 

Not too surprising. You can pay to play (tickets, or shows that only promoters you pay can get you in) or play for $20 and beers at some rock clubs with 4 other bands on the bill ... there are other gigs that pay, but not much and lots of competition for those. And this has got to be one of the most expensive areas you can possibly try to eke out a living in.

 

Anyone live in what they think is a DECENT town for musicans (meaning, there are gigs that pay)? We heard about Houston, any others? Don't worry, we're not all going to join a U-Haul convoy and head to your town!

[BlueStrat]

My experience is that smaller towns in tourist-type areas pay far more than city gigs. I live in the inland northwest and there are small towns of less than 10,000 people that will pay 1000-1500 a night for a decent band, and make an event out of it. Everyone turns out, if you have a good reputation and they schedule it on the right weekend.

[Facejackets]

At the rehearsal studio I work at, there are alot of bands from LA. They keep moving here to Vegas, cause they think this is the next hot spot to get signed.