by Michael LelloWeekender Editor
If your friend won the lottery, would you expect that you’d also to win if you played the same number and bought your ticket at the same place he bought his?
That’s insane, right?
Then why do so many local bands think that if they follow the Breaking Benjamin formula they’ll get signed to a major label, sell millions of records and push their music onto radio stations all over the world?
Breaking Benjamin’s story has been told over and over, but some people seem to be missing the point: The band was signed on the back of local radio airplay by a major station. The station that played the first single, 97.9 X, for the most part does not play local music. Didn’t then, doesn’t now. Breaking Ben’s “Polyamorous” was a big exception. So if you write a song that sounds just like Breaking Benjamin, 97.9 X will not play it. If you write a song that sounds nothing like Breaking Benjamin, 97.9 X will also not play it. 97.9 X is a business. It does not exist to “support” your band, it exists, like all for-profit companies, to make money. And there is nothing wrong with any of that. Is this frustrating to many NEPA bands and fans that there are local musicians that play a style of music that is perfect for 97.9 X’s format? I bet. But there’s nothing you can do about it.
Similarly, you might think it sucks that you can’t play at Nightcaps anymore because it’s closed. Or the Voodoo Lounge or the Staircase or Jimmy’s or Market Street Square. Well, unless you buy a radio station or buy a club, you’re not going to change any of this. So why use an outdated business plan that was smart in 2000 but can’t possibly work today? Breaking Benjamin had songs and talent and a strong work ethic, but it also had local radio support and clubs to play in. That era in NEPA is over. And even then, with radio and packed local rooms, the band’s success was the exception, not the rule.
So what’s the point of all this? There are a lot of bands around here that sound a lot like Breaking Benjamin. If that is the style of music young bands have a passion for playing, then by all means, they should go for it. But if you are waiting for the world to stop in its tracks and bow at your feet, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Understand that if you are aiming for widespread success beyond our market, you’re not going to get there by imitating the music and the business plan of a band that signed its record deal nearly 10 years ago. No record label is looking to sign the next Breaking Benjamin. And if they were, they wouldn’t come to Wilkes-Barre or Scranton to do it. When’s the last time you saw Clive Davis’ private jet at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport?
No matter what style of music you play, once you accept that you are not going to launch a national career by simply playing in NEPA, you can take the next step. And that’s when it will get very, very difficult and you’ll realize if you want music to be a hobby or a lifestyle. Play in other markets. College towns like State College. Cultural meccas like Philadelphia and New York City. You might have to play for free, you might have to open for a band you think sucks and you might have to play for five people. But maybe one of those five people likes your music and tells their friends, and the next time you come to their town, there are 10 people there to see you. Then 50. Then 200. That’s how you build a brand and build an audience. You can’t do that with Facebook, no matter how valuable a promotional tool it might be, and you can’t do it by playing locally and waiting for A&R reps to come check you out. Again, there are exceptions, but why bank on the exception happening?
The economy is a mess, and the music industry is on life support. Unless you win “American Idol,” you’re probably not going to get much of deal these days anyway. Instead of pursuing an outdated model based on a local success story that was a one-in-a-million shot, why not make music that you are honest and passionate about? Your listeners will connect to that more than any attempt to chase a trend, especially a trend that peaked years ago.
You might not win a Grammy or earn a platinum record, but if that’s the only reason you are playing music, you might want to reevaluate why you got into it in the first place.
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