Last week we had a meeting with someone about SydneyMusic.net - nothing special, just a pretty regular 45-minute coffee introduction meeting. Something about it must have stirred up a whole bunch of feelings because within about 30 seconds of standing up after it had ended, I was suddenly posting a Bluesky thread (mirrored on Instagram) with some loose thoughts about the industry's relative lack of involvement in the underground.
I knew I'd touched a nerve because my DMs suddenly started blowing up, so I went back and revised my thoughts. And then posted them on LinkedIn, for no good reason. The post did OK, and there was actually some great discussion which I appreciated. A rare positive moment for a binfire of a platform.
Anyway, the short piece is included here for posterity. Love to hear your thoughts.
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I reckon I still think at least once a week about the senior live music booker at SXSW Sydney 2024 that said her primary way of gauging demand for international tours was to trawl Reddit and watch the post metrics.
I'm old enough that I remember when the industry used to immerse themselves in the scene and be present at the gigs. Use their ears. See where real connections are being made with audiences. Listen to tastemakers and curators. Be tastemakers and curators themselves!
Now they're watching dashboards.
Overwhelmingly, every artist I speak to in the underground agrees that the music industry at all levels is nowhere to be seen in the most vital parts of where music is incubating: they're in their ivory towers waiting for artists to self-develop until they can swoop in and "launch" their careers.
By the way, I'm not talking about claiming your free door spots for shows at the Enmore, Oxford Art Factory or even the Lansdowne - if a show can afford to give you door spots in this day and age, you're not looking in the right places.
An insider remarked to me this morning: "Not a single person should be working in A&R unless they’re out at least 1-2 shows per week. They need to make an effort to see new acts good and bad."
Another musician and label operator commented to me: "If they’re just relying on data rather than putting actual work in, they’ll be the first to get replaced by a bot"
If you want to help build culture that will capture the public's attention, go get amongst where it's actually happening: hit the pavement, see music you're unfamiliar with, in spaces that you're unfamiliar with, that has no buzz, that is completely unheard. Away from industry showcases, in the environments that actually support and give life to these subcommunities.
We are here to witness the emergence of culture and then support it. So live with the uncomfortableness of a developing artist that hasn't cracked the code, and then be thrilled at the breakthrough of someone beginning to master their craft.
