Adding Etiquette to Underground Music Biz

You’d think that third party booking companies would look out for music in general, wouldn’t you?

I just got an email from one of our third party contacts who I let have the remaining slots on a night that had two bands already on the bill.

That means there are 3 slots left.

So he’s bringing six.

And not only that, but he’s bumping the two originally booked acts to the bookends of the night, which are the crappiest slots of any given night, thereby screwing them over hardcore and cutting their sets short.

Yeah. WTF, right?

The thing is, this booking company has been good to us before so I don’t understand why they’re feeling entitled to screw acts that we’ve booked ourselves.

Moreover, you’d think that when a booking company focuses on helping to bring underground artists some attention, that they would have some respect in letting the other acts who are just as independent do the same thing; or at least leave them be and not tread on their toes to get their own acts some attention.

As it turns out, no, there is no etiquette in the music business wherever I look. There is saving face, pointing fingers, and there are numbers; but there is no ethic. The more I deal with the business of music, the more I want to take down the entire institution that is hell-bent on promulgating its respective artists who, ultimately, will matter very little. Maybe something to do on a weekend night at most.

I realize that this is a rather dismal view of how the underground scene works, but from what I’ve experienced of it–being in control of the calendar, being on stage, being at the soundboard, being on the phone with venues, being on the road–I see little hope, and especially when I am first-hand victim to these aggressive and relentless sharks that call themselves managers.

What a disaster. Damage control is the worst part about this job.

Expect me to be a real jerk in days to come.

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