National Music is not Better than Local Music.
Let’s dispel the notion that national or international artists are inherently more talented and successful than their local counterparts.
Yes, there are amazing global talents — names that will echo for generations — but that’s a different category. Go ahead and say there was only one Otis Redding, or Nirvana, there’s only one Eminem. Of course those things are true. But not everything they’ve tried to sell us in the age of abundance has been top shelf product.
There were dozens of lab-grown hair metal bands sold in National Record Mart in 1989. After that came dozens of introspective, nationally promoted Pearl Jam copycats supporting the wave of new “alternative rock” stations across the country in 1999. The pattern has continued ever since. We may have moved to internet streaming in the new millennium, but we kicked it off with a raft of easily confused pop-punk bands, and I promise you that I am not hating when I say this.
I’m just wondering if, while enjoying the me-too bounty, we missed the real headline: the democratization of music techniques and technologies was a success, but it was being used to make variations on successful themes instead of celebrating the variety that was now possible.
We eventually got there, but somehow still managed to de-value our neighbors in favor of a wide variety of sub-genres from faraway places. Again, no hate. You have to respect the work that people have done. I just wonder if supporting your local scene wouldn’t have a similar effect, like Seattle incubating its own strain of rock or Brooklyn doing the same with hip-hop.
We are where we are though. Local bands have to hustle to find their audience. It’s easy to see how they could get discouraged.
Much of that audience seems to prefer music that is essentially bulk-mailed to them, and the job is even harder now that audiences have developed tastes for these diverse genres of sound. They’ve fallen in love with everything from lo-fi and vaporwave to hyperpop and indie rock, niche communities that each have their own heritage.
People are resilient though, and the techniques, processes and advancements in music production continue to become down in price and complexity. Platforms have been built to allow artists to create, collaborate and distribute more quickly and affordably than ever before, so there’s still room for us to figure it out:
National music is not inherently better than local music. It’s been clear to me since I started planning the launch of this site. Our local scene is producing some amazing quality art right now, and you really don’t want to take it for granted. If you don’t support it, it might disappear.
If you’re not sure where to start, check out the local music playlist we maintain on Spotify and Apple Music for use in our social media. Got your own stuff to submit? Share it here.
