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Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger
But they weren't local though, that's the point.
They were highly organised with a proper distribution centre (Rough Trade) where anybody from a independent label could come along and get their bands distributed nationally and because of the success of this distribution lots of this stuff got mainstream airplay & media coverage.
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Be that as it may, but as a fan you still had to be dedicated, probably much more than today, to grasp what was going on in the scene. And besides, you cannot deny that the distribution is simpler today than ever, as well as the means of gaining knowledge about all kinds of bands.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger
There might be an independent scene but it's much more fractured, disorganised & small time, with everybody trying to get stuff heard good or bad. You can only do so much on the internet with no money. You can't promote or tour and that's what you really need to do to get a proper fanbase. Not just have someone download your album, listen to it once or twice and then forget about it because they have another 100 albums to listen to.
Like I said before, it makes everything more disposable & rarely gives people time to develop or build.
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Your choice of words reflects your attitude on this issue. I'd say diverse and niched rather than fractured. Isn't it great that I have 100 different albums to listen to rather than about a dozen? And from a musician's point of view, isn't it great that I can record my compositions with the aid of a computer, mixer, microphones and certain hardware all cheapened by technical development, something that only 20 years ago was simply impossible for me to achieve? And in addition, upload it on dedicated websites for distribution and share it with friends and potential listeners? Sure I won't make many bucks on it but then again, that's not what I primarily try to achieve either and since the cost of making the music is so low over time I don't really have to make any money on it.
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Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger
Yes but are they unsigned bands or bands who are signed & have records out?
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Both.
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Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger
If the latter is the case the only way it's easier is that you don't have to pay for it if you don't want to. You could probably find most of your online discoveries in a large record store just as easily.
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But I still have to acquaint the bands/artists I'm going out to buy one way or another. I don't go to a record store and randomly pick a few records to see if they're any good, especially not regarding the pricetag.