Whats the chances of making it as a band from Aberdeen

[Cabbage]

i've had this discussion with heaps of folk and like abdy else has said it boils down to how much effort your going to put in to it. if you really want to "make it" as a musician then it really has to be your life, if it meant you had to relocate then you'd have already left by now!! if i wanted to make money at it i'd be down in that london trying out for every guitarist/kazooist position going but music is just one of my many distractions, id be bored if that was all i did!!

.......and if it was my main source of income it'd be temporarily fucked as i'm down to only two fretting fingers after a run in with an angle grinder........

[Old Gold]

MySpace is now almost 100% about new bands but if you haven't set one up already then...really...give up now!

Towering heap of bollocks.

[Richie]

Towering heap of bollocks.

Go on then. Why?

If you're a gigging band and you can't even be arsed to create a MySpace (or get someone to do one for you) then you can't possibly complain about not being able to get exposure.

[Guest Giles Walker]

Towering heap of bollocks.

Details.

Please go into them.

[The Milner]

myspace isnt near %100 new bands and also you can easily survive without one, silly comment.

[Guest treader.]

Can you!? Do 'Mixed Generation' have one!?

[RF Scott]

myspace isnt near %100 new bands and also you can easily survive without one, silly comment.

he said about new bands, not consisting of new bands - in the sense that most people will now use Facebook for personal profiles, while the lions share of people using Myspace will be doing so to either a)promote their band or b)check out bands. Despite it's shortcomings it's still the best option to collate gig info / media / other info. You obviously don't have to use myspace (don't need to point that out) but if you're in the least bit active as a band you'd be stupid not to use it, given how many people use it as a starting point in discovering things. The fact that I can't think of a single successful/active band who don't use it is surely testament to this.

[Richie]

RF Scott has just said what I was going to say.

It's free, it lets you get your music heard. If you don't use it then why the hell not?

Of course it's not all new bands - but I haven't been to myspace for any reason other than to hear a band for nearly three years. Facebook, now that's different.

[The Ghost Of Fudge]

if i was booking and the band didn't have a myspace site, i'd wonder why...

[The Milner]

he said about new bands, not consisting of new bands - in the sense that most people will now use Facebook for personal profiles, while the lions share of people using Myspace will be doing so to either a)promote their band or b)check out bands. Despite it's shortcomings it's still the best option to collate gig info / media / other info. You obviously don't have to use myspace (don't need to point that out) but if you're in the least bit active as a band you'd be stupid not to use it, given how many people use it as a starting point in discovering things. The fact that I can't think of a single successful/active band who don't use it is surely testament to this.

so you know almost every band who is "successful" in the world yes?

[The Milner]

Can you!? Do 'Mixed Generation' have one!?

im not sure if a cover band needs myspace to survive.......

good try tho

[The Milner]

if i was booking and the band didn't have a myspace site, i'd wonder why...

why, just out of interest?

[Guest treader.]

why, just out of interest?

Surely it's blindingly obvious?!

With such a HUGE networking website letting you upload music FOR FREE and let it be heard by anyone in the world, why wouldn't you take advantage of that?!

It's a lot easier for a promoter to access a myspace site these days than read a press release/play a demo.

Also, Myspace can (to a degree) determine how successful or not the shows would be with regard to booking.

[RF Scott]

so you know almost every band who is "successful" in the world yes?

gr8 response! Really adds a lot to the discussion. Note that I've already said that success is relative earlier in the thread, so no need to coin it in quotation marks in a smarmy manner.

I said that I couldn't think of a single band, not that I know of every musical based act with any shred of success (hey look, no quotation marks!). I'd confidently say that the VAST majority of people couldn't say otherwise, bar maybe a handful of acts...

[The Milner]

Surely it's blindingly obvious?!

With such a HUGE networking website letting you upload music FOR FREE and let it be heard by anyone in the world, why wouldn't you take advantage of that?!

It's a lot easier for a promoter to access a myspace site these days than read a press release/play a demo.

Also, Myspace can (to a degree) determine how successful or not the shows would be with regard to booking.

so what, so does purevolume and bebo, myspace isnt the be all and end all of the musical world. Yes its a good idea to have one, but its not to say you HAVE to have one. Myspace for me is a great example of bands thinking they are doing something good for themselves without actually making any effort. If people want their gigs to be busy then they should actually do some promoting and not just send out shitty bulletins every half an hour and think you've put in the effort.

The last sentence doesnt make any sense but i highly doubt myspace will make or break a gig. A show being successful depends on a lot more than advertising on myspace.

[The Milner]

gr8 response! Really adds a lot to the discussion. Note that I've already said that success is relative earlier in the thread, so no need to coin it in quotation marks in a smarmy manner.

I said that I couldn't think of a single band, not that I know of every musical based act with any shred of success (hey look, no quotation marks!). I'd confidently say that the VAST majority of people couldn't say otherwise, bar maybe a handful of acts...

i wasnt saying anything about what consitutes being sucessful i dont care about that argument, each to their own in that respect.

The point still stands tho, you have generised things far too much, there will be thousands of bands who consider them selves "successful" yet have never had a myspace page, they dont go hand in hand.

[Guest treader.]

No, I mean that if a promoter looks at the Myspace page of a band, and they clearly have a lot of people who are interested in the music (and it's easy to differentiate between those people and random 14 year kids saying "u r good lolzq!!") it's easier to decipher how many people are likely to show up at a gig.

Like I said though, 'to a degree'. I'm not saying Myspace is the be all and end all either, but it's certainly a VERY useful tool that has helped a lot of bands achieve various degrees of success

[The Milner]

No, I mean that if a promoter looks at the Myspace page of a band, and they clearly have a lot of people who are interested in the music (and it's easy to differentiate between those people and random 14 year kids saying "u r good lolzq!!") it's easier to decipher how many people are likely to show up at a gig.

rubbish. it is almost impossible to decipher how many people will turn up at any gig regardless of how many friends they have on myspace.

Like I said though, 'to a degree'. I'm not saying Myspace is the be all and end all either, but it's certainly a VERY useful tool that has helped a lot of bands achieve various degrees of success

Yes of course myspace is a usefull tool but i still believe that it makes people lazy in terms of promoting their band. How do people who are not a friend of the band find out about gigs if they only promote through their myspace. Things like the GCG have gone to waste because folk didnt take advantage thinking that putting out a bulletin every hour will do just as much good. Gigs and bands survived before myspace and will continue after it has been replaced.

[Guest treader.]

You're talking drivel. I dont mean "how many friends they have", I mean how many people are actively interested in the band.

Also, I don't believe it makes people lazy. Some people maybe only bother with bulletins and stuff. But then they only get back what they give that way. It's a sweeping generalisation to say that people who have a myspace page for their band don't bother.

[Dan G]

You're talking drivel. I dont mean "how many friends they have", I mean how many people are actively interested in the band.

Also, I don't believe it makes people lazy. Some people maybe only bother with bulletins and stuff. But then they only get back what they give that way. It's a sweeping generalisation to say that people who have a myspace page for their band don't bother.

This is all quite true.

Also I'm sure there are plenty of bands that put out lots of bulletins as well as doing other forms of promoting.

Myspace is a great promotional tool, and if there is ever a band I want to check out, I just search for them on myspace. Voila. Instant ability to hear what they're like.

[Guest]

You're talking drivel. I dont mean "how many friends they have", I mean how many people are actively interested in the band.

Also, I don't believe it makes people lazy. Some people maybe only bother with bulletins and stuff. But then they only get back what they give that way. It's a sweeping generalisation to say that people who have a myspace page for their band don't bother.

True story.

[Guest Giles Walker]

rubbish. it is almost impossible to decipher how many people will turn up at any gig regardless of how many friends they have on myspace.

Yes of course myspace is a usefull tool but i still believe that it makes people lazy in terms of promoting their band. How do people who are not a friend of the band find out about gigs if they only promote through their myspace. Things like the GCG have gone to waste because folk didnt take advantage thinking that putting out a bulletin every hour will do just as much good. Gigs and bands survived before myspace and will continue after it has been replaced.

You are not talking sense and i fear that you are arguing for the sake of it now, myspace is a handy tool for promoting your band and there is not a single bit of evidence that people become less likely to promote their bands through other means because of it. I regularly check bands out using myspace to hear what they sound like because it is very easy to type a band name followed by "myspace" into google.

See?

There is no reason to try to convince people that it is in any way a bad thing to have a myspace page to promote your band, you might as well tell them that there is no need to be on the radio because gigs and bands survived before that as well.

Face the fact that you made an error of judgement here and get on with your life, no one cares that you hate myspace.

This thread needs to be deaded asap, i feel we have learned all we can learn.

[Biz]

You can never learn enough .

If you want success you have to play the game - get advice from The Scottish Arts Council or somebody in the know and pay PRS and the like so you get royalties.

I widnae bother getting signed - you will end up in debt and lose control of your art.

Sell ye stuff online - nae need for expensive and world polluting plastic and CDs and sleeves and stuff .

Watch oot though - being famous is largely shite - mostly hinging aboot waiting .

[Dan G]

You can never learn enough .

If you want success you have to play the game - get advice from The Scottish Arts Council or somebody in the know and pay PRS and the like so you get royalties.

I widnae bother getting signed - you will end up in debt and lose control of your art.

Sell ye stuff online - nae need for expensive and world polluting plastic and CDs and sleeves and stuff .

Watch oot though - being famous is largely shite - mostly hinging aboot waiting .

I can't tell if you're being serious because you talk like Oor Wullie, but assuming you are:

That just isn't entirely true. It's a slight possibility, but only if you're really stupid or so desperate for success that you will do anything to get it.

We have a UK and a European label and have absolutely NO debt with either of them, and 100% control over our music. The biggest "demand" they have is for us to write and release another album in a 2 year time frame, which seems pretty generous to me - especially as it's something I'd want to do anyway.

And I don't buy into that "save the world by not creating CDs". If you want to do you bit get the bus, ride a bike and don't fill the kettle if you don't need to. (although I do agree with you when you say; "you can never learn enough". I have definitely found the more you know, the more you realise you don't know

[Biz]

Let's face it - I am an idiot and am very seldom serious.

I go through life pretending to be people I am not - but fortunately get paid for it .

Bagpiping in Aberdeen - A WINNER - even better than the rusty trombone.

There's this thing called bagpiping - it involves sticking you knob into a ladies armpit - and she plays it is a style nae unlike playing the bagpipes.

Another passtime is getting some dirty lady to play the rusty trombone - I winna even gae ye the sordid details - it's pretty durty.

Onyway...I digress... aye being rich and famous looks great fae the ootside - BUT - fit it's a aboot is haeing a laugh and making a din - onything else is a bonus - but watch oot - there's heaps o folk that will fleece ye.

Yesterday I watched Sharleen Spteroonie soundcheck for 3 hours - it was exceptionally braw, her band are ace, and - she has a surprisingly magnificent voice.

I rushed doon to Drummonds to see Peg and the bouffants - Peg is a bloke by the way...and HOLY MACKEREL - one of the tasty lady singers - the ane wi the higher than high heels and sexy red dress on, wheeked oot her pap - revealing her pierced nipple.

Steven oot o Stanley bought me a pint and I wrestled with Amy Sawers broken earring and challenged some skinny bloke oot o Lorenzo Snow Collective to a left armed wrestling match .

Status Quo and Elton John mak boring music but they are nice folk and aywis hae good catering.

The bass player oot o the Magic Numbers is afa nice - and hot as hell - AYE she is a bit o a bloater, but Phwoarrrr .

I have had considerable success in the music industry - FUCK ALL MONEY TO SPEAK OF - but to tell ye the truth - I'm nae very forthcoming aboot the hale thing, cos it's largely shite -and I have to play stuff even I winna listen to in the hoose -och ye ken fit like? there's aywis a button to change channels fan yer shitty song comes on the radio .

I wish folk would realise that the music industry is not an easy meal ticket -you have to do loads of shit -like learnig how to be an accountant - and REALLY - take control of you destiny - nae sweering on the radio or TV, maist folk gae up after 3 years - but I'm a rare exception to the norm - I have NO choice - I am driven - but nae by the need for fame and riches - doing what I do through rich and poor - is what I do - I'm the guy who turns up to see your shitty band time after time until you get good - then I'm off - searching for the next great band that will shine like the brightest star - and get destroyed by a the negative thinking arseholes who post shitty comments on message boards like this ,

I reiterate - mak a din and hae a laugh - if you are good - people will find you -people who nae doot ken the richt side o a shilling .

The best bands I saw last year were TOY ,pvh, Desalvo and Dananananaykroyd -and nae just because of the name -they have two drummers and are a fucking hoot -check them oot -they will bring a smile -or in my case - a microphone to you face - I gave a wee speech aboot coming from Aberdeen and the Weegie crowd loved it - AYE , say Aye to a pie - and nae jist the hairy kind - you will nae doot realise that meals are the high point of your day - no matter how rich and famous or obscure and skint - food rules .. but I prefer smoking and drinking ... as you micht have guessed, he he he, cheers Biz .