Some tangential thoughts related to Robert's recent "Prog fans eating their own young discussion", but going in a somewhat different direction...
It occurred to me that the perception of live Prog having poor support from fans in live show scenarios, is that there is somewhat of an illusion of popularity, thanks to the internet. To explain:
1. We can thank the combination of internet and home recording technology for the apparent popularity of prog that we enjoy in this community. Literally anyone can produce something and have it available for worldwide distribution within minutes, and fans can find anything they want to hear. So, maybe artists who would otherwise have no outlet manage to find a few thousand fans across the world.
But none of those fans share geography or have any other significant cultural commonalities. Cultural relevance tied to a musical genre and a shared geographic zone have always been necessary for the existence of any "scene". (Hence the much-touted demise of prog at the hands of punk rock in the U.K. in the 70's)
2. The choice of music is so vast - people can afford to be particular about their tastes because there is just so much to choose from. We can scour the internet until we find music that sounds precisely like music we want to hear. It's like the designer drugs of the 90's. As artists, we are no longer creating content for the masses, but for individuals.
In summary, technology has enabled somewhat of an illusion of popularity, so we drop our jaws when we hear that what seems to be a popular band is only drawing 30 people to shows. The truth, i think, is simply that technology has permitted a community that would be otherwise impossible, but technology simply does not apply on "the ground"...Until we can freely teleport as easily as we can download an mp3, the odds of an indie prog band drawing a big audience to a show is the same as what it was before the internet...
Thoughts? Feelings?
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