Urban Hat€monger ?

I'm not talking about past releases.Besides, even the most obscure releases whether they be on majors or independents had some promotion or column inches on release.

I'm talking about if thousands of bands release their music onto the internet.
None of it will have any promotion, there will be precious little to filter out the good from the bad and it'll just get lost in one great big dumping ground of freely available music.

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Ska Lagos Jew Sun Ra

Well, this opens the door to regionality. Not that it's happening, but the possibility of regions building unique subcultures of music. Gives people some reason to leave the door if they can get A quality bands in their backyard.

Screen13

Music fans will always find ways to get good music, pure and simple!

In the Internet age, there may be more chances of finding music that should have been just left unleashed, but the word of mouth about the better music has more outlets of being read than before. With that 1 out of 100 theory in mind, I can see the many discussion forums (like this...) helping out to point to that one. I may be far too much of an optimist, but there it is.

The Mainstream will always be that...hooked on fame and fortune. Still, with the focus more on visual/game/tech happenings that only use music as wallpaper (The way the masses always treated music, anyways), maybe it's best that music enters a time away from most of the mass media that hardly understood it anyways. Serious music listeners, even at it's most Pop, always were an underground into it's own, and at least it's getting to know what is happening around the world at the moment rather than five to ten years after the fact.

mr dave

THIS. this is also why there was such a huge boom of bands in the 60s. technology became affordable and it shows no signs of abating.

i don't see how regionalization is detrimental to the independent musician. perhaps detrimental to the independent who wants to live like they're the pop star du jour or dreaming they might become rock stars like it's still the 70s. if you're honestly playing because you honestly want to play then it won't matter. if you're playing because you want to do it for a living, shut the hell up, and sell the fock out. otherwise the reality is, you WILL be working a day job, and your 'tour' won't happen unless you and the other guys in the band can all get time off at the same time, and even then you'll be paying for everything. it's not because the mainstream sucks, it's not because your band isn't good, it's because your band isn't that good.

as for having to dig through crap to find gold, it's always been that way, sure the internet makes it exponentially more time consuming but we've already started establishing systems to cut through the rubbish. by the time it proliferates to the mainstream there will be plenty of other systems in place to help listeners sort through the trash to find what they like most.

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Dotoar

mr. Dave: Exactly, precisely and spot on! Although...

I'd say that the Internet has made it all the more efficient to cut through the crap, much more efficient since you don't have to rely just on what surfaces in the record store and vague recommendations. If you discovered one good band way-back-when, then you'll probably discover ten good bands today, and with a fraction of the effort.

Doesn't take away your main point though.

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Ska Lagos Jew Sun Ra

Exactly, the best way to discover music is to find band you love, and look into their influences, and what they influence. The Internet makes that discovery process oh so much easier.

Dr_Rez

Cough Cough last.fm

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Urban Hat€monger ?

I don't really see how you come to the conclusion that if there's more music available on the internet and it's easier to put your music up there how it becomes easier to find good music. Where exactly are these filters people speak of?
I reckon I must listen to at least 10 times more ****ty bands than I ever used to before I came online. And pretty much all those bands had record contracts with both majors & independents, Imagine how much more bad music they'll be if I add unsigned bands to that too.

As for finding out bands influences, I don't really see how that answers my point. I'm not talking about signed bands that have records out. I'm talking about people who are forced to put their own stuff out because no label will touch them.

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Dr_Rez

Well heres one example, Blogs. I visit a lot of blogs on a daily basis because the people running them review then post links to bands that are often unsigned and unknown. Now I have a much better chance at liking what I download because these people clearly have similar tastes and influences as myself.

Last FM/Pandora and lots of other music services have small self released stuff on there not just big label stuff. I see your point in listening to more ****ty stuff, but as you become better at navigating the Internets music resources I think your chances of finding something you like also grow exponentially.

And hell what about this website, I know the members that have certain tastes, so if they recommend something theirs a good chance I will like it.

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*nba > nfl crew*
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Urban Hat€monger ?

I see your point but I have to be honest & say that blogs are responsible for about 90% of all the ****ty music I hear, So I would say it works both ways really.

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