If you're into music, and I mean more than Limp Bizkit, chances are you've heard of the whole "DIY ethic". Simply put, anyone can make music, be a band, run a venue, or start a record label. If you want to get involved, there are plenty of resources to make things much simpler than in the 80s and early 90s. This is at once a blessing and a curse. Why? Allow me to explain with my list, which includes ten reasons for DIY Music sucking and ruling. I say "at the same time" in the title because each category given below can either suck or rule, so really it's two lists in one. Let's find out why DIY is a spreading plague and ambrosia. I'll be starting in each section with the aspect of ruleage, and then promptly explain the suck.
10. Zines
Why they rule.
I'm not really sure why I put this at the bottom, but it feels like it holds the least amount of importance. Mainly because it's not important anymore. You've seen them, you've read them, you may have even started them. DIY Music magazines, commonly referred to as "zines", were once the bread and butter of the scene, and a major factor in growth early on. Metal Blade, in fact, was basically started by a guy who ran a zine. Long ago, zines were the primary way to learn about the underground. In the world of death metal, for example, they had a function similar to Myspace. Inside, along with cool interviews and reviews, you could find information on bands you wouldn't have access to otherwise. Keep in mind that before the internet, learning something about a band like Nocturnus would be nearly impossible, and zines helped fill this gap.
Why they suck.
Unfortunately, they aren't really zines anymore. eZines would be more accurate in most cases. There are a number still in print, and though production may be cheaper, most people avoid hard copies. Would you buy something with a beer bottle next to an upside-down cross made out of popsicle sticks on the cover? If you want to find information about obscure bands all you have to do is plug that shit into a search. Why in the hell would you need to buy this anymore? The only zines that try to keep it going are usually of the 'anarchist' variety, which means tons of shitty syntax and philosophical articles that reiterate things said for years that are never done. Since most of these "zines" function online, what's the point of printing? Lots of sites still carry the title of "zine", but this is mainly a superficial tradition, an attachment to what they once were. Nothing wrong with saying you're an eZine, but when it comes down to it, you're really nothing more than what we call a website.
9. Resources
Why they rule.
A long time ago, to really go anywhere in music, you pretty much had to have a label backing your work. Making it on your own was not an easy task. Getting the proper print shop or contact for distribution was aggravating to say the least. Most people were using what was popular at the time, the cassette. Self-made CD-Rs weren't very accessible and making your own LPs was pretty much out of the question unless you knew how to find a company to do it. Today, all of this easy. As CDs have grown to replace LPs and cassettes in terms of popularity, if you still want to release your stuff on the latter two it's incredibly cheap, and you don't need a label. Plus CD-Rs help struggling, god-awful bands to feel like they have "CDs" to sell. Do a couple of searches on the internet and you have quick access to a number of companies who can print all of these for you in low runs for cheap prices. If you're looking to go DIY, it won't take as much work as it used to. That's good, but not all the time.
Why they suck.
This one is a little tricky. Resources today are cheap and easy to access in most cases. Problem? Problem is anyone can do it. That includes people that shouldn't be doing it in the first place and bands who are best left sucking themselves off instead of making the rest of the world engage in fellating their pointlessness. Make things cheaper and easier to access, and you're gauranteed to have a diarrheal load of people who lack professionalism, take your money, forget to send shit, make crappy cassettes they throw around at festivals, and otherwise gum up the world of music. That up there is a common sight, a box of sinister disease ready to plug your colon for a burst of blood and shit when you least expect it. With cheapness in materials comes cheapness in creativity, and this is a big problem for music today. Hell, this isn't just in underground music either, you find the same thing with indie bands. Easy resource access is pretty much the black death to music. Well, maybe not that, let's call it dysentery for now since I'm on a shit kick. What did they call that back in the day, something like the flux.
8. CD-Rs
Why they rule.
Who hasn't seen them and used them? I was in a band in my early college days, and you better believe we put out a self-packaged CD-R. The great thing about them is they're so damn cheap. Anyone can make their own, and it doesn't matter how terrible the content is; just get the proper files, burn that crap, and sell it how you want. CD-Rs have made it easy for bands to spread their material. Plus, it's a little more professional than LPs and cassettes in appearance, or at least it seems that way. If you get your CD-Rs made by an actual factory, sometimes they look so close to a real CD it's hard to tell the difference. Cassettes and LPs are fine, don't get me wrong, but the majority of my music is on CD. Rarely do I say to myself, "I think I'll pull out that Boredoms LP". Nah, that stuff is for CD, blasted in the car as you drive around near a crowd of people outside of a mall. Thankfully, lots of great bands can be found at incredibly low prices on CD-R for your car-blasting pleasure. Why worry about getting signed when you can do it yourself and retain 100% of the profit?
Why they suck.
Unfortunately, let me reiterate, anyone can make them. CD-Rs are everywhere in DIY Music. Many smaller and middle-range bands, in fact, only carry CD-Rs. Problem with CD-Rs is there's no quality control and nothing to stop the flow of shit. It's not like your computer will say "No, this cannot be burned, this horrible bullshit must be removed from my drive." And factories don't really care what you're sending to print so long as you're paying for it. This isn't to say every real CD is good, but underground labels generally won't release anything too shitty because of the money involved in CD production. A label generally thinks something is worthy of print if it's on a real CD, if it's a CD-R, hmmm, well, it's pretty much up in the air and usually falls to the floor after I put it in. And please, bands out there, can you please stop saying "we have CDs for sale" when it's a CD-R. There's a huge fucking difference. They're not CDs, just call them what they are, and don't fucking argue it's easier to say CD. You're not signed. You suck. Get over the pretension and maybe someone will buy one. Cut the stupid hipster artwork too, it looks fucking stupid.
7. Going Digital
Why it rules.
We all know it, we all do it, we all pretend to hate it. Digital downloading is leading us into some future we'll probably regret. Like most of what you've already read, it's much cheaper and easier. Why pay for an actual release when you can just sell a bunch of MP3s through your own profile on iTunes? We all know the problem with modern music; labels keep releasing bands who are well past their prime, and there's nothing worse than paying full price for an album with only one good fucking song on it. There's a reason why Behemoth's album was named "Slaves Shall Serve". It's a natural evolution due to the public only being so stupid for so long. Why would I pay full price for an album when I can purchase the single, best song on it for about a quarter? This shit is like penny candy back in the day. Going digital makes it easy for bands to spread their music, send them to sites or magazines for review, you name it. Nothing is cheaper than free, and digital makes a good case for itself.
Why it sucks.
Sure, digital is cool because it's cheap and you can do it with little knowledge of the music industry. However, it greatly reduces quality. Anyone can create a 'net label', and we all know what that omnious term means; tons of shitty bands with no real business obligation to give a shit about them. It's just a mass of fucking annoying emails, Myspace events, and all the other crap that gets on our nerves. In addition, everyone knows the impact it has on the industry, DIY or otherwise. Bands can really only make money now from shows and merchandise. Since, like usual, everyone waited too long to jump on the digital bandwagon, it was impossible to deal with illegal activity by the time they tried. Everyone keeps it going, sending MP3s to friends, swapping CD-Rs, it's never going to end. Plus, digital releases are destroying the aristry of the album. I don't know about you, but nothing really puts the package together for me more than good artwork, layout, information, liner notes, etc. With digital, you don't need much of this. If they're just downloading the song(s), there's no reason to put any effort into the artwork, if you even bother. For shame. I wasn't sure what to have that girl say up there, but I probably shouldn't have given free advertising to those losers. Oh well, there it goes, promotion and a short review all in one.
6. Facebook
Why it rules.
You might be wondering why I put this here and didn't couple it with Myspace. It's simple, it's not as big of a problem. With Facebook, bands or individuals can create 'fan pages' where you can post pictures, learn about upcoming shows, check out vidoes, pretty much whatever the band/musician can supply. It basically works like the friend system on Facebook other than the fact that bands can't add friends; instead they have to be 'liked' by people who use the site. This helps to reduce vanity friend lists and keep the pages more honest (or at least revealing). Most bands use them to spread info about upcoming shows, and it works well, though getting mass emails from French techno showcases is annoying. There's no denying it, when you can post events for free so tons of people all over the world can see it, Facebook makes a great site to use for spreading music.
Why it sucks.
Facebook sucks for several reasons. First off, most bands only have a chance at getting their friends to add them, so it doesn't really provide much exposure if you're a new group. Unless you're well-known, you can't use it to find more fans or get people attracted to your music, unless, that is, you want to pay several hundred dollars for a shitty ad. You can technically suggest a page to friends, but they still have to decide to 'like' it in the first place. Second, anyone who's tried to make a fan page knows the absolute horror of Facebook. There is very little you can do with a page other than adding basic information and pictures like a personal profile. You can't customize it to look cooler, can't add annoying/funny GIFs, you can't do much of anything when it comes down to it. It's kind of like a personal profile being put under house arrest, if that makes any sense. Let me reword it, if you try to use Facebook for a 'fan page', it operates like a personal profile that restricts you to furiously jacking yourself off and hoping other people watch from time to time.
5. Collectives
Why they rule.
If you haven't been to a show run by a collective, make it a point to do it. Collectives are groups that share the DIY ethic. Usually, it's volunteer or they use their own money or acquired funds to put on shows in old warehouses, art spaces, and even homes. Awesome. There's nothing cooler than seeing an insane noise act like Two Dead Sluts One Good Fuck in some guy's basement. If the people running a collective know how to keep it like a business with an almost anarchist attitude, trust me, check out a show. I don't file this under 'venue' because collectives normally have shows at various locations and tend to run more events and special gatherings than shows, though they usually do have a central location. Events usually incorporate art with music, food, you name it. Collectives know how to scrap together the smallest amount of funds to make some of the coolest shows you'll ever see. Who hasn't heard of the glory of organizations like MassArt?
Why they suck.
Collectives can be kind of similar to venues, but there are some differences in suckage. First thing to mention is that sometimes the people running them don't have a fucking clue what they're doing. Poor promotion, no promotion, poor website control, you know the drill. When they get it together, they really get things going, but if you've ever seen a collective that doesn't have direction you know what I'm getting at. There's nothing worse than arriving at a show where two of the six bands show up, one plays for a minute minus three members, and the other plays in their underwear doing random shit while staring at each other and then promptly leaves after playing since there's nothing else to do because the hot dogs sold out before anyone got there when the one artist present trying to sell his Jasper Johns-wannabe junk ate the lot of it in a stupor of depression. That pretty much sums up a bad collective experience.
4. Venues
Why they rule.
Collectives kind of go along with this one since they often run a number of them. However, I did this separately because there are a number of DIY venues run by individuals. DIY venues are often one word, awesome. With generally smaller, more personal crowds, lots of support, and cool locations, some of the best shows occur under the surface in warehouses, basements, and places you wouldn't expect to hear live music. Plus, they're usually quite easy to book. Send an email, tell them what you want, and you can set up shows all across the country. There are sweet resources out there as well, such as dodiy.org, which provides updated listings of DIY venues with contact information and/or website links. These places tend to be great for experimental music, noise, and generally weird stuff. Metal and punk do well too, but the whole indie rock thing doesn't seem to fly, so if that's the kind of thing you do just stay home because no one wants you anyway.
Why they suck.
So yeah, sure, these places can be the shit, but they can also be plain shit. DIY venues are notorious for being owned by people with no idea how to run a business. That might seem kind of against the ethic, but remember, people want to have fun, but they also expect things to be run in a fairly efficient manner. I've heard horror stories from bands about places they book, only to find out when they get there the show wasn't happening after they arrive. Some DIY venue owners are horrible at answering emails, hardly ever have any sort of professional-looking site where you can get a clue what they do, and promote so horribly that if you're a local band even your closest friends won't know you're playing. Keep in mind, DIY venues have no real obligation to go out of their way. If they're cool people and dedicated to music, yeah, but lots of them don't put in the time and energy they need to, thus why these places are often flashes-in-the-pan; here one day and gone as soon as the same day begins. The big problem is the lack of professionalism in many cases and the tendency to be incredibly unstable.
3. Bands
Why they rule.
This one is kind of strange, mainly because most bands don't refer to what they're doing as 'DIY', other than considering themselves part of the movement or are in it by default. Cool thing is you have lots of people getting involved in music that was pretty strange a decade or so ago. Generally any type of genre is covered in the DIY world. Noise rock, a general annoyance to most people in the 80s and 90s, is now headed by bands who pretty much started out playing in their friends' houses. Big names today like Lightning Bolt, Cock ESP and plenty of others are a part of this phenomenon, and today you have tons of people trying to do the same thing. End result? Lots of cool bands playing in awesome locations where small groups of people get together to just enjoy music.
Why they suck.
Unfortunately, with the spreading of stores like Guitar Center, websites like Craigslist and other resources, a "band" is easy to create. That is, in the sense that you can put together a few people and pretend to make music. That's the problem, as the whole 'I can start a band' thing spreads around, there's a lot of filth along for the ride. For every cool band there are usually fifty or so that can suck a dick and do so willingly if you buy their CD-R. And they keep getting lamer. Recently I noticed a metal band who posted on their Myspace status "DIY METAL TIl DEATH!!!!!!!11" That sums it up, lower-case L, ones and all. Not to mention some of these bands think they're a lot cooler than they are, sending their stupid CD-Rs and DIY bullshit colored cassettes to friends so they can "review" them on their blog and get "press", which they promptly post on their Myspace page so you can know how awesome they are until you realize none of it is legit. Unfortunately, lots of bands in the DIY era are all about putting up a front and acting like they're professional or going somewhere. Be honest, please. And can we stop calling the table you use to pile up your unpurchased shit the 'merch table'? Fuck, it makes you sound like a bunch of dorks at GenCon throwing D & D terms around to get dates. Must everything have its own form of geek?
2. Labels
Why they rule.
Along with the bands out there doing the DIY Thing are the labels behind them. It's easy to make your own record label. Most states don't require you to officially register your business unless you gross a couple thousand, and if you're really into being DIY, you keep it under the surface anyway (I'm not telling you to, though). The ease in spreading music through downloads, cassettes, LPs (especially the classic 7"), and CD-Rs has enabled a number of bands to be represented by some pretty cool labels. Some of the most well-known today, in fact, started out as what would be considered a 'DIY label'. Relapse, for example, was started in the Jacobson's parents' basement. Over the years the list of labels has skyrocketed, leading to a proliferation of tons of bands from places you've probably never heard of. With the internet powering their releases and exposure, DIY labels can spread cool stuff fast.
Why they suck.
That's a real fucking label up there, I swear, do as the ad says. Alright, so yeah, DIY labels have it going on, sometimes. You have here pretty much the same problem noted before; the ease in creation. Since anyone can make their own label and release whatever the hell they want, unless you do some hardcore research (and at times that won't even help), you won't know what kind of shit is out there until you waste your time listening to it, and maybe even money. CD-Rs are one thing, you have to put out money to have them made, but even worse are 'Netlabels' that only release their material via download. Now, this can be a good thing, but when you have a thousand of these shitty "labels" to look through carrying awesome material like Danny Tanner and Sperm Swamp, you start to get pretty pissed at the whole thing. It's another issue of sludging up the works with bullshit. Everyone wants to make their mark, and it's possible to do it, but not everyone should be trying. I've noticed this is particularly rampant among all of these newer 'cyber metal' bands. Want to purchase the newest full-length from Cemtery Rapist on his label Fuck the Ass Records? Didn't think so.
1. Myspace
Why it rules.
And here we have the big one, Myspace. Out of anything, Myspace best represents everything the DIY movement stands for, not to mention it encapsulates everything in the list above. Myspace is a totally open resource where you have easy access to free advertising, thousands of bands with music to scan through, videos, labels all over the world, you name it, it's on there if it involves music. Who hasn't used Myspace to listen to a band before purchasing a song or album or before hitting a show? What band hasn't used Myspace to book a venue several states away in areas they're not even familiar with? What label hasn't used Myspace to plaster thousands of pages with blinking, annoying GIF ads that link to their stuff? Simply put, Myspace is probably the single most important mechanism behind DIY music today. It gives countless people access to a lifestyle that a was mostly underground once. Out of anything, Myspace is the single greatest tool in the DIY world and the most expansive method for spreading it.
Why it sucks.
Do I really need to go into detail? Myspace has been a great boon to musicians. However, you've probably noticed the pattern by now. As things get easier for everyone, everyone wants to get involved. Myspace is flooded with thousands of shitty bands, horrible labels, annoying musicians, and so much sub-par bile it nearly negates all the good. Ever get a show notification from a fucking band in South Africa you don't remember friending? Ever see a band stick a track player in the comments that automatically plays their shitty song, covering over what you came to listen to until you wade through the list so you can shut it off? Myspace might enable people to learn about bands quickly and easily, but it's not so easy to do in the end whenever you have to spend half of your time waiting for tons of unnecessarily large images to load, only to find you're listening to a shitty black metal band from Ohio with some piss-ass name derived from Lord of the Rings who claims to be from Antarctica. So, as a great resource, Myspace is not without problems. It's the singlest greatest reason why underground music has spread so rapidily, but it's also caused tons of charlatans to get involved in it who have no business in the first place. There are so many venues, collectives, labels, bands, etc. with pages, many of which are visited and updated once a year or never checked so an email you sent two years ago gets answered like it was yesterday when you don't have an interest anymore. It's kind of like the interenet in general and the annoyance of free, DIY sites and blogs. Before, when people had to work hard to get things done in any field, it tended to keep most of the fucking morons at bay, but the easier it gets to 'make it on your own' (totally in theory, mind you), the more fucking dick sucks that continue to come out of piles of human waste, pretending they have something important to contribute. Stop.
So that's it, that's all you need to know. The DIY ethic will likely be a permanent part of the industry, until perhaps bands realize that it's pretty much all been done. Maybe then they'll lose interest in being part of the movement, filter away, and leave room for musicians that really matter. I can't help but enjoy being alive during this time in music, but at the same time I remember and experimenced enough of what came before to be saddened by the whole thing. I don't think I'm getting old either and it's one of those 'gold ole' days' phases. Maybe in general the human race has just reached a point where it doesn't really know what to do with itself, so the only thing we can do is, as a friend once said to me, "entertain ourselves until we die" and get involved in it in the process. Let this list serve as my epitaph.
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