music scene in LA questions - pay to play?

[Big-Bucks]

One reason to move to LA is to find other like-minded musicians. If you can't put a band together where you're at then I guess you gotta move. Death rock? Cow punk? Search the Music Connection Magazine classifieds and Craigs List.

It helps to be independently wealthy because LA is expensive! A lot of people burn out. Very few have any success making music. Things were much different during the 80's when there was a label feeding frenzy for metal bands and people actually paid money to buy albums. Imagine that! Nowadays people want it for free on YouTube. If you have enough of a following that you can tour, that's how you make money in music. Back when I moved to LA in the late 80's I saw the tail end of that label feeding frenzy. Then the music scene moved to Seattle. Then it kind of splintered everywhere. LA is still a music hub -- just nowhere near what it used to be.

[direstraights]

LA is a VERY overcrowded scene and has been for years. Your chances of anyone even noticing you among the uncountable bands out here is akin to winning the super lotto at best. Whether you want to play covers just to play and make a few bucks or be seen, smaller towns are the way to go because if you are good you'll get noticed. Even if there are much fewer people to notice you, they'll be paying attention. In LA you may as well be invisible. Imagine being an actor going to an audition with 500 others for a major role in a blockckbuster movie. What are your chances? Thats LA.

[bobsnow]

Damn near everyone who was in the music industry out here, packed up & went to Nashville & Vegas YEARS ago. The Sunset Strip as we all know it, will be gone within 5 years. That entire scene has been dying a slow death for years.

[Big-Bucks]

Originally Posted by bobsnow

Damn near everyone who was in the music industry out here, packed up & went to Nashville & Vegas YEARS ago. The Sunset Strip as we all know it, will be gone within 5 years. That entire scene has been dying a slow death for years.

The Sunset Strip club scene has actually had a little bit of resurgence. New clubs (not music clubs) have opened up (the Pearl, Rock & Reiley's) and are drawing more spillover crowds to the Whiskey and Roxy. A hotel is being built at Sunset and Doheny which will probably lead to more foot traffic to the scene. They have that Sunset Strip Music Festival.