Is it just me or are bands breaking up left and right? It's not the successful bands selling hundreds of thousands of records that are breaking up (mostly), it's the smaller (up-and-coming) bands who haven't even had a chance to stick their baby toe into the pool of success. The question is: If you've barely even grown as a band, how do you know it's time to break up?
Whenever I check a 'gossip' site now there's a post about a band breaking up! It's become a joke now, a 'who's next' type of thing because they're dropping like flies. The bands post their goodbye letters via MySpace blogs (P.S. does anyone still use MySpace?) and they say everything but the TRUE reason they're breaking up. They always list things that probably wouldn't break-up more established bands and it's always so vague that at the end of even a pretty lengthy/wordy blog, you're still asking yourself at the end "BUT WHY DID YOU BREAK UP?" I call it the 'Irreconcilable Differences' clause. [Whenever that's cited as the grounds for a celebrity divorce, you're left making things up on your own like 'she was obviously cheating' or 'he was obviously wearing her undergarments when she wasn't around and perhaps when she was because now they're getting divorced'.] What's the true reason, bands? Maybe that's need-to-know information but clearly, I NEED TO KNOW!
Let's take a closer look at the bands who have been breaking up:
My Favorite Highway, Sing it Loud, The Friday Night Boys... to name a few.
I look at these bands who have been together probably a little over three years and I hear they're breaking up. I can't help but think "Oh really?"
What gets me thinking is this: Why would a band who has been together for such a short amount of time decide to break up without even carrying out their 'dream' to the fullest extent. The answer for me then clearly becomes 'They can't."
Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a hit song and to sell more than a few thousand records these days? Well, these bands..the ones listed up there...probably do. In fact, I know they do and there's no doubt that it's the majority of the reason they are no more.
But, you may be asking yourself "What about Fall Out Boy...they were successful and they broke up." and I am ready with an answer to that one lol. Clearly they didn't break up because of a lack of success, however with them I got an 'irreconcilable differences' clause feeling and I'm sure they'll never tell what truly broke them up (maybe a few years from now for Behind the Music or whatever) but there was definitely something. Pete went directly from FOB to some new band and Patrick is doing his solo thing ....clearly they didn't want to stop making music, they just didn't want to make music TOGETHER! And there's a reason (aside from money perhaps) that we may or may not ever find out! (I know, I know...things change, people change etc...vague, vague, vague)
It's as simple as this: If you love making music, the people you're making music with and the people you're making music FOR (even if it's just for yourself) then it would take something big to break that up. Not just 'I woke up one morning and didn't want to be near you...' because if something like that actually does break you guys up then the world is a better place for it because that is a group of individuals who didn't love music like they thought so don't ruin it for people who actually do.
Money: Money is the NUMBER ONE reason (in my head) that breaks a (smaller) band up...especially now when it's terribly hard to sell records....why stick around over 3 years at a job where there's a chance you may NEVER see the fruits of your labor! There's a difference between wanting to be successful and being a sell-out btw, and that's a whole different blog. I can't get upset over a band who breaks up for monetary reasons.. If your band hasn't hit it big in the 3, 4 or 5 years you've been together, why not try to move in a different direction?! Of course, if everyone in the band doesn't agree, then you get irreconcilable differences. Lol. It's beautiful to want to stay with the band you've come to know and love, it's beautiful to worry about the reactions of the fans because that means you care, it's beautiful that you have so much integrity...however, it's pretty STUPID not to know when to walk away.
I guess there are bands out there who couldn't care less about making money, who couldn't care less about getting a hit song, who couldn't care less about getting a record deal (who even needs that anymore though lol) and those are the bands who will probably be together for a really long time doing something that they love. Therein lies the difference... how many bands out there love each other very much but couldn't care less about being successful or getting their music to as many appreciative fans as possible? Not many... That's called having a HOBBY, not a career. Learn the difference my friends.
Of course, people DO just grow apart. Your favorite band broke up, they got along swimmingly and they're semi successful...so what happened? If they say 'we just grew apart', I'm inclined to believe it. Of course, I'm naturally skeptical and love to know the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so I'll have doubts but I know it's not impossible. Bands like Envy on the Coast who have had some success (maybe not as much as the Fall Out Boys of the world...) I read their good-bye blog and it was truly one of the most honest ones out there. They don't try to trick their fans with fancy wording and insanely vague phrasing, it's just pure honesty and I'm sure everyone appreciated that.
There are aspiring bands/musicians out there who have watched these bands drop and are worried about heading toward the music industry for fear of facing a fate similar to the aforementioned bands, but the finger of fate is often fickle so don't be afraid to take a chance! The music industry needs something new, something incredible.... No one knows what but if you're out there and you can read this: HELP!
P.S. There may be a PART 2 on this soon because there's SO much more I want to get into here, including topics I've discussed in previous blogs that pertain to this particular post and I just didn't want to make one HUGE post. But, there is PLENTY more to be said. Feel free to say something in the comments. Agree, disagree? Let me know! Tell me I'm wrong. I would love to hear your own thoughts on it! Are you IN one of the bands who have broken up this year? Are you willing to say something honestly in the comments? Cmon, do it! Insight is key.
"Trying and failing is one thing...never trying at all is another." :)
-Erica O.
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