Something bands are doing to ruin their career before it begins.

[@gregoryh9442]

I feel I need to qualify first. Had my first paid show at 14(I am 58 now). I have my BA in Music Theory. Toured the world playing between 200-250 shows a year with DH Peligro, Pete Anderson, and The Dickies. My bass playing can be heard on Sons Of Anarchy, Blue Mountain State, Kick Ass, Too Tough To Die, and a ton of other TV shows/films. So bands starting out sometimes ask “how did you do it?” I might or might not have a couple of answers. -Do not be disingenuous. Be yourself. -Never accept Pay To Play shows. Never. Never ever. -Practice. Daily by yourself and daily with your band. -If you are not filling out venues within a 100 mile radius of your town, you certainly won’t anywhere else. Stay home. -Merch. Merch. Merch. -There is no such thing as a record deal. Hasn’t been for twenty years. Do it yourself and keep 100% of the money. -Start your own publishing company, register with a performing rights organization, and keep 100% of your publishing. Or ignore all this. Because what the fuck does this old man know?😂

[@Cyclonus12]

I certainly agree, but I have a feeling that the bands who need this advice the most are the least likely to heed it. 😆

[@Gregbaltzer]

Metal has just gone to shit for me as a whole. The artists have become entitled and want instant gratification. It feels like the soul, and spirit, has gone from metal. It's just a soulless, over processed, product now. There's just nothing to romanticise about metal anymore. Gone are the days when a band like Twisted Sister would play 300 shows a year, and gig for 10 years trying to build a fan base to get that first contact. Or bands like Metallica road dogging everywhere they could. Bands used to do whatever it took to get big. Now when you hear a new metal band I don't even trust that it's a real band anymore, or is it just some guy sitting in his room making generic, over produced laptop metal on his computer, with AI. He may not have ever played a single show, or may not even own an instrument. He just sits at home counting his streaming views wondering why Metal Injection hasn't called him yet. I know that's an over generalization, but that's how I perceive things now.