Perseverance in an Unforgiving Industry

An essay about a band struggling to make it in an unforgiving music industry. I actually got an interview with the band--Divided by Friday (check 'em out).

“I’ve been reaching for your hand/ but you’re never there to help me/ you’ll never understand/ nothing’s what it seems…” The first lyrics ring out of Jose Villanueva’s mouth as he moves along to the chugging guitars of Matt Morgan and Daniel Ross.  Drew Howard, the bassist, and Al German, the drummer, keep the rhythm in check with their hard strumming and precise drumming skills.

            Divided by Friday, a small band from Greensboro, NC, had just begun playing one of their newer songs called “Disappoint:  Surprise.”  Cornerstone, Illinois was turning out to be a good place to visit because the tent was filled to capacity with loyal fans, even though there was almost no time to promote the show.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying the music coming from the Christian, Pop-Punk quintet.  

While this night had gone well, and the nights following became progressively better, the mishaps from the earlier tour dates had left the group with a poor morale and a negative outlook on their time on the road.  Their booking agent had waited until the last moment to confirm shows, so promotion and crowds were minimal, if non-existent.   No money was being earned from the tour.  As a result of this, the band slept in their crowded SUV at various truck-stops throughout the east coast and parts of the Midwest for most of the duration of their summer touring.  

            This scenario is fairly common for bands without proper support.  Many bands just like Divided by Friday find themselves on the road, night after night, barely scraping by in order to pursue their dreams.  Absolute dedication to the craft and willingness to sacrifice everything for almost nothing is one of many qualities needed to be in a touring band.   One has to be very willing to sacrifice the cleanliness and comforts of home for a life spent traveling in an SUV; days can go by without real meals or showers.

            It takes a lot to break into the music industry.  In order to make some impact, even in a small way, a band needs to make itself known.  Divided by Friday has spent the last four years self-promoting.  During their time in high-school, the band recorded two EP’s (Extended Plays), Maybe in a Memory and Too Legit.  Since their graduation a year ago (Drew is still in school), the band has released a Christmas-themed CD called Holy Nights and Snowball Fights, and a self-titled EP.  Around the time of their newest EP, the band also made a professionally produced music video to their song “Disappoint:  Surprise.”  According to their Facebook page, a new EP is in the works.

Small successes, like the Cornerstone, IL show and any show that gains new fans are what keep Divided by Friday alive; the same is likely true for most local, self-promoting bands.   The fortune of finding local venues to play their music has allowed them to make a name for themselves on a local level.  On a slightly larger scale, with the help of music promoting and distribution websites like PureVolume, Last.fm, and I-Tunes, the band has garnered fans from around the country.   Extensive money saving has allowed the group to do several tours around parts of the United States. 

Some bands want to get noticed by major record labels from the get-go, and others don’t really like how the music recording industry works.  When I asked if Divided by Friday was looking to be signed, guitarist Matt Morgan said, “Not really, we’ve never been a fan of how labels work.” The band has decided that at their current size (they don’t have a large enough fanbase); they are not seeking to be signed.   They are comfortable defining themselves as independent musicians, with music that they feel is unique sounding, and not confinable to a particular genre.  It is likely that they don’t want to make the kind of music that most labels want to sell.  My guess is that they are a little to “hard-rock” or “alternative” to be a success on to those labels.

One of the reasons that some bands do not want involved with labels is because of how recording labels work.  Hypothetically speaking, if a band is ‘lucky’ enough to get signed, they must hire a manager, an agent, and a lawyer.  From the start, the manager expects 15% of the total net income that will be earned; this will require a contract with the label, usually for a period of two to three album releases. A lawyer who has his own fees should be hired to deal with any legal issues that may arise.  Once a deal is set in place, the band must find someone to professionally produce their music, if they are unable to do it on their own.  Finding a producer is a very expensive task, especially for bands that haven’t made any money.  They can run the gamut between $10,000 to about $100,000, depending on whether or not the producer is well known.  Thankfully, the label will advance money, a hundred thousand or more, to cover the costs of getting the band going.

Before the band has even produced and sold music, they are already out upwards of $30,000 or more.  Once the band has found a producer, chances are their current instruments are nowhere near the quality needed to produce a solid-sounding album; instrument and equipment rentals will set the band back another couple thousand dollars.  After all of this is deducted from the recording budget, the band is ready to begin making music. 

Once the album is finally recorded, the band is ready to start the touring process.  The band will first need to find a rig, usually an SUV with a trailer for the equipment.  This will be the living space of the band, and any addition crew they hire (if a band can afford them), until they are able to afford a touring bus. 

Any merchandise (t-shirts, key chains, hoodies, EP’s, albums, etc.) that a band buys comes from a merchandising advance.  Selling merchandise after show is an excellent method of self-promotion.  The chance to interact with band members will convince fans to buy something.   At every show, a band promotes their album.  It is at these shows that most of the albums are sold.   The money generated from merchandise also helps to keep the band, somewhat, afloat in the sea of red ink known as the recording industry.  If a band is fortunate enough to sell in excess of 200,000 albums, there is a high likelihood that they will still suffer a net royalty loss.   All of the fees that accumulate throughout the recording process usually take away from the band’s earning potential.

Once a band is locked into a contract, they are obliged to carry out the process to the end.  In some ways it is terrible for them because the record label will become richer, and so will the manager, the recording studio, the agent, and the lawyer.  The band members, however, will earn less money than if they just found a position in a fast-food restaurant.  Bands live with almost no money year after year-including the ones that enjoy success in the industry.  A good side to being signed is that bands will usually get a larger fan-base.

Even though it is much harder to get started as an independent band, it is still possible to be successful on a smaller level.  Divided by Friday continues to produce EP’s, they can’t afford a full-length album, and they continued to do tours.  Fans attend shows, when the band is able to promote, and they buy the songs and merchandise.  That is a small measure of success.

Divided by Friday’s goal as young musicians is to become the best that they can possibly be.  Matt Morgan, a guitarist and vocalist, believes that as a band, the goal should be to get as good as possible.  With hard work and great song writing, a band can go places.  Even though they are not looking to be signed, they still want to obtain a larger fan base. 

Matt Morgan says that “if even one fan is gained during a show, then we [Divided by Friday] call it a success.”   It may not be a success in the terms of the big music industry where millions of albums are sold over the course of a year, but it is a success to them if any merchandise or CD’s are sold.  Small bands will often give their music away for free, just to get their name heard.  It may seem counterintuitive to give merchandise away, but small bands see it as a move that will potentially earn new fans.  People are more likely to take a freebie than to pay full price for music that they have never heard before.  It is possible that new fans will be won over by the music on the demo and they may continue following a band until they become bigger. 

As of right now, Divided by Friday is giving away their self-titled EP for free; it is currently being advertised at Abolutepunk.net.  Downloads are available at indievisionmusic.net.  This is one of a number of aggressive self-promotional techniques that the band has deployed.  Other examples include creating a Youtube channel, dividedbyfriday, and several podcasts to tide fans over until their new music is released.  They also have a Myspace page, a group Twitter account, a Facebook page, and music on I-Tunes, PureVolume, and Last.FM.

Trying to make a career in a field that is only lucrative to those who get labels is what separates musicians from serious musicians.  Passion drives all of their efforts; it is what keeps them playing shows, even when the venues are not filled.  It takes passion and dedication to sleep in an SUV with five people because there is not enough money for a hotel, it takes passion to selflessly pour all extra spending money to better the band. 

Matt responded when I asked how the band pays for all of its expenses. “We’ve been completely self-funded for five years…we save up money, and use birthdays and Christmases to get nicer gear.  It’s basically a full time job for us [the band]…occasionally we’ll work some jobs here and there to make some money on the side.”  Music is an expensive industry to get involved in.  I find it inspiring that a group of teenagers is doing what they can to continually produce music year after year. 

Matt Morgan says that “the band draws inspiration for lyrics through all the situations that the band has been through.” Matt also briefly mentioned how the band draws inspiration for the music from bands like Reliant K and Anberlin, or whatever they are listening to at the time.  A band’s influences are often a factor in how the band sounds instrumentally. 

“Tell me does it hurt when you think of me, / do your memories sting when you’re remembering? / Yeah you took my world and tore it in two / I’m so disappointed but I’m not surprised and I sing, / I hope your happy.”

The final lyrics of “Disappoint: Surprise” are delivered to the cheering crowd.  The final seconds of crashing drums and heavy hitting guitar signify the end of the song; the amps grow silent as the crowd claps.  It’s nights like these that make all the shortcomings worthwhile for the Greensboro quintet.  While Divided by Friday may not have the makings of stardom, at least not yet, they have earned a few new fans that will hopefully follow them as the years go on.  

“These nights, they won’t stay this way forever…”  Could this mean that the band is possibly hoping to make it big in the future?  I’m taking these lyrics, from their song “Make it Out,” away from their original context, but the band may be aiming to target a wider fan base with their next EP. 

 

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Approximately a month ago, Divided by Friday was signed to Hopeless Records.  Before they revealed it to the public, they leaked that they had a surprise for fans, and if they had five-hundred followers on twitter, they would reveal it.  On November 16^th, they revealed this information, and confirmed that new material was in the works.  To hold fans over, they re-issued their self-titled EP with a new name, The Constant.