More stuff for no one to read

On the way home from the show tonight, Ron and I were just kind of making conversation, but I was deep in thought. I think music is at a good place right now, honestly. I think that it has gotten to the point where it doesn't need us anymore. Promoters. What do we do besides give bands our money? Record labels too. What's the point? Good music finds the ears of the people that it needs to get to. People that need to hear Forgive Durden, or La Dispute, or Audrye Sessions, they hear it. But here's the thing. In every city, every state, every country, there is enough great bands to go around.

I don't find myself wishing that there were more great bands. I have enough to make a favorites list a mile long. I find myself often saying "I've heard that band is great, but I just haven't had time to get into them." That is translated to "I have enough great bands to listen to".

The thing I find that needs to change is that there needs to be less shitty bands. Less Breathe Carolina's, Brokencyde's, etc. The only reason that these shitty bands exist is because people like myself are here to "promote" them, make money off of them.

I'm starting to think that music was not created to make money off of. It should be entertainment. If you WANT to pay for it, by all means, please do. But the way we shove it down people's throats, it makes the music somehow less important. The stuff that sticks with us is the stuff we discover, on our own, for the most part. The stuff that we probably would have found in a natural manner. A friend says "hey, you have to see this band".

With that being said, something needs to change. I don't want to feel the way I did tonight, anymore. I felt cheap. I felt like I was using the fact that kids hate their parents to exploit them, take their money, and give $1000 of it to a band that doesn't deserve it.

I want to reward those bands that are doing it right. Forgive Durden. Your Best Friend. Empty Orchestra. The Hard Lessons. mewithoutYou. Four Year Strong. Tiger! Tiger! Apathetic Critic. Jimmy Eat World. They all write good, positive, catchy, thoughtful music. It's not posturing. It's not telling us how "cool" it is to like their music. It's simply that people like their music, and them as people, because they are real.

It's almost like I want to run a club, an exclusive club, where only good bands would be allowed in. It's weird, I don't know how else to say it. No bullshit here. Every night you come to my club, there will be great bands playing great music. While there's obviously a place for bands that are just starting off, there shouldn't be a place for bands that even if they were good, would suck due to the content and direction their music has taken.

I don't know if I'm making any sense, but while the music industry is forever doomed, I think music, as a whole, is alive and well. Where I fit in, I don't know. I don't know that I do anymore. I'm starting to think I never did.