Cover Bands

A Limelight For Cover Bands

As a musician, the most rewarding aspect of the job is writing music. Some may argue that it is more rewarding to make money while doing it, but that is far from the truth. Being a musician myself, and playing in many bands in many cities across the United States, I can attest that there is no greater feeling than that of a crowd going wild for your own musical creations. However, if a local musician were to set his goal to making a living playing music, it is highly unlikely that an original project would successfully supplement any lifestyle financially. In order to make any decent money in music on the local level, a musician must play covers. Consider the pervasive nature of popular music in the United States. There are so many more media sources advertising popular music than good music. Sure, the term “good music” is relative, but the basis for this media is to turn a profit, not to enhance the musical experiences of its users. If it happens that the premier band on iTunes this week is a band that worked its way up through local scenes playing hundreds of shows and writing thoughtful music, it is purely coincidence. The fact is many more people are exposed to what’s being played on the radio and on Television and on the
internet than to what’s happening in their own local scenes. Unless, of course, you count the cover bands. “These days, you can't toss a fried eggplant strip at a street festival without hitting a cover band,” says Molly Snyder, writer for onmilwaukee.com. It’s a harsh truth that can be witnessed in countless music scenes across the nation. In many cities (not including ones where original music is big) cover bands outnumber original bands. Many nightclubs have weekend shows in which the opening act is a local original band, followed by a cover band closer. Some shows are restricted to a single band playing “Welcome to the Jungle” and the like for four hours. Anyone who will disagree that cover music is as ubiquitous in local music as hippies are on the disc golf course obviously hasn’t taken the time to observe. People enjoy getting drunk and singing along to their favorite songs from their youth. Clever musicians realize this and capitalize on it. In my experience, a cover band makes two to three times the cash that any original band makes per show or more. They bring in droves of people who don’t care what is being played as long as they know it. Original music drowns in the shadow of prominent cover bands because there is such little support for it. The original bands becoming successful on a local level go through hell to do it.
The internet has made their job easier by providing a means to develop a global fan base. However, if an original band wants to “make it”, they have to promote themselves through every possible avenue and stay on it all the time. Not only do they have to give away their merchandise or sell it for dirt cheap, they have to play shows for free. Some clubs require unknown acts to contact an already successful band and plead for an opening slot on a bill that pays nothing. The biggest venues in some cities actually require the band to pay the venue to play and only guarantee payment based on how many people come in the
door. As long as club owners and their patrons are making it so difficult for original bands to get ahead, cover bands will always be inflating the music scene with never-ending renditions of “Hey, Jude” and “Brown Eyed Girl”. Club owners obviously decide which acts will play their club based on their patrons, which leads me to believe and hope that the cover band trend can change. If it’s a choice between a cover band and an original band on a Friday night, perhaps the right thing to do is pay five bucks to see the cover band. Maybe even buy their album. How are tomorrow’s cover bands going to make any money if today’s new music isn’t supported?