Racism in metal, venue merch cuts & more | Tank The Tech interview | The Punk Rock MBA Podcast
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- Опубліковано 16 чер 2024
- Tank The Tech joins to talk about racism in metal, venue merch cuts, his UA-cam channel, getting sober, touring with metal and country artists and more. Tank The Tech (Ian Roberts) interview.
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00:00:00 - The Reality of Merch Fees for Bands
00:02:42 - The Issue of Merch Fees in Band Contracts
00:05:30 - The Merch Fee Debate: Why Bands Can't Just Say No
00:08:13 - The Importance of Merchandise for Bands and the Difference between Merchandising in Clubs and Arenas
00:10:55 - The Band vs Venue Merchandise and Bar Sales Debate
00:13:39 - The Importance of Negotiating Merch Fees and A Musician's Touring Experience
00:16:20 - From Christian Bands to Nickelback: My Journey in Tour Merchandise
00:18:55 - Lessons Learned from Touring and Overcoming Alcoholism
00:21:44 - The Danger and Consequences of Drinking on the Job
00:24:21 - Quitting Alcohol and Feeling Supported by Employers
00:26:58 - Enjoying Working with Someone vs Enjoying their Music
00:29:43 - Touring with Gospel Chops and Breaking Preconceived Notions in Music Scenes
00:32:30 - The Difference Between Metal and Pop/Country Musicians
00:35:10 - Lizzo's All-Female Band and Tolerance in the Metal Community
00:38:02 - The Metal Community's Lack of Inclusivity
00:40:50 - Backward Beliefs in Music Communities
00:43:51 - The Problem of fascism in the Metal Community
00:46:48 - Addressing racist actions by beloved musicians
00:49:42 - The Stress and Anxiety of Being a UA-camr
00:52:14 - The Toll of Content Creation on Mental Health and Finances
00:54:44 - The Dehumanization of Content Creators and Social Media Attacks
00:57:20 - The Authenticity of UA-cam Reactions and Surrounding Yourself with the Right Crowd
01:00:00 - Dealing with Criticism as a Content Creator
01:02:40 - Dealing with Internet Negativity and Misinterpretation
01:05:19 - Personal Connection to Music and Favorite Bands - Розваги
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I'm waiting for your OF to subscribe to that
You goin to the cradle of filth and devildriver concert on Tuesday ?
How do you not know Red! You always promote music I don't listen to. Yet a band that was very famous on the Christian scene you never heard of.
@@erikedgerton1669 cause Finn needs to know every obscure band in existence
That's what he claims! Red was just as big as fireflight. Both Christian bands crossed over in to the mainstream. From Christian metal POV it was a big deal. They came to Columbus Ohio and played a 14,000 seat Arena. A Christian band! Many mainstream bands couldn't do that.
Thank you for having me on, Finn!
This a nice convo... More please 🙏
This was great brother. Love your channel
We need more of this!!
Tank, your health thing can be part of "new dad syndrome". You want to be there for as long as possible for your girl. And you hear a lot of stories about guys about your age getting sick or dying and it gets in your head.
Well done gentlemen. This was a great discussion. Love both your content. I really appreciate the frank discussion on mental health. Life is hard. We are all dealing with the suck daily. I’m old enough to remember the days where guys were expected to push any feelings deep down inside. Suck it up. Rub some dirt on it and get back in the game. That approach is so damaging. Thank you for both being so open about mental health issues.
This is my personal favorite guest that you've had. It was really fascinating to hear about the underbelly of the music industry instead of somebody who is on stage every night. He was also a great guest which really helped, he was articulate, had good stories, and didn't ramble on and overstay is welcome on some of his thoughts.
Agreed
As a venue operator, I agree with all of this.
If you're selling yourself at a table, I don't expect anything from that.
If you want my staff to sell, use my credit / debit machine, etc. then I'm taking a percentage to pay for my staff and my fees.
Totally fair!
Sounds pretty reasonable to me
More than reasonable, and I feel like this is how it should be at every single venue.
@@TankTheTech absolutely! and for smaller punk bands like the one I was in back in '96-'01, making merch is not cheap. Our whole merch table consisted of a badly recorded EP ($4). stickers were free with a purchase of our demo and on certain nights, we had the stickers for 100% free. We also sold cloth patches 4x6" ($3), and pins ($1). We did the pins on our own with a pin press. ahhhh now I am just reminiscing. such fun times back then! we would play a show and after the show, we would skateboard (poorly) with the fans and just hung out with everyone who came to the show afterward. Smoked brickweed with em. All that fun shit. when we were the opening act, we would get right in to the moshpit for the headliner with all the fans after our set. Always a good time. 👍 DAMN. I miss it.
That’s definitely reasonable that should be the only time the venue gets the cut.
How you got so good at interviewing ppl is beyond me. You are a natural at this. You actually let the guest finish their thoughts, and you don’t ask the cliche questions most ask. They always seem like a genuine conversation between friends, and I’m here for it!!
Thank you! I’ve done hundreds of interviews, it’s just practice.
He really is ridiculously good. I finished recording this with him and told my wife "Finn is a way better podcast host than me". 😂😂
Totally agree. I think Finn is the GOAT. I love how mature and respectful he is with his takes. I literally don't agree with half the stuff he says (especially regarding melodeath) but his points and whole unbiased character is absolutely what we need in this community. Its all subjective nonetheless! 🐐
I agree. Finn let's them talk. He's a very good interviewer.
Finn, Alex Hefner and Elizabeth from The Charismatic Voice are the best interviewers in my opinion
As an accountant I found it super fascinating to hear about the merch fees and venue contracts and the power dynamics that go into that sort of thing.
I'll never forget the first time I saw Killswitch Engage in 2004 Adam D gets on the mic and says "this next song is about the first time Howard went ice skating. This is When Darkness Falls"
I heard him start the song once saying it was about Howard slipping in the shower, lol.
Man I absolutely love hearing about how things work behind the scenes in the industry.
I worked theatres and clubs and concert festivals for 10 years and a lot of what goes into productions is interesting and amazing, a lot of it is outright disgusting and appauling like the amount of food waste and cutthroat wages for many employees, and people's attitudes.
Too bad these guys are pushing dumb leftist values. These values guarantee that metal/rock will die, and left wants it to die because it's white. I will laugh when they both eventually get canceled anyway, which all people will no matter how well they behave 99% of the time. Thanks for your contributions in ruining white music, guys..
Thanks for being so up front about your struggles with anxiety. I’ve suffered from anxiety a few times in my life, and it is nearly always because I’m pushing myself too hard. You two seem to me to be the kinds of persons who would do that too.
You've done a lot of great interviews, Finn, but this was one of my favorite conversations I've seen you have with any other creator! Keep doing these! They're so much fun to watch!
I went into this thinking I was just going to skip around and see if you guys talked about anything I found interesting, next thing I knew the whole hour went by. Great interview.
I'm a Metalhead but I don't identify at all with the community
As far as I’m concerned yours is the truest metal attitude.
This was a great convo. Tank, so sorry to hear about the panic and anxiety. I’ve had this for years due to trauma/suicide loss. I wish access to mental health pros was easier. Hope you can get all the help you need bro! 🖤🙏
I really love Tank, I think he brings so much nice guy energy to "music UA-cam", he's knowledgeable and honest and has a great beard. Wonderful interview, as always, Finn.
You guys are two of my favorite UA-camrs, and seeing you have this conversation (and the content OF the conversation) absolutely made my day.
Love both of you guys! Take care of your mental (and physical) health.
If you guys wanted to do a weekly "just sit around and chat" thing, I would 100% watch it every week.
Thank you, Finn and Tank, for your dialog! These are very important subjects you’ve been talking about!
My 2 favorite UA-camrs are talking to each other. Don't know how I missed this video 9 months ago, but I'm glad I just watched it.
Thanks guys!
How you described the metal community is exactly what the hippy community is like.
Claim to be kind and accepting but are actually the most judgmental!
Off subject but just throwing it out there. 😎
Literally every subculture ever. I just go where the least drama is at this point.
The first time ive seen when you have interviewed someone; incredible interview. You actually let the person talk, and asked the right question at the right time and let them fully express their thought. Excellent active listening skills. Well done!
Man, I feel like interviews and podcasting is your calling. You're a natural at speaking to others and providing the right questions to get them to open up. Really loving this channel. It's a nice addition to the Punk Rock MBA. Thanks Finn!
I’ve listened to this twice now. Amazing conversation. Thanks for all you do Finn!
Finn you're a really good interviewer, you seem to manage to get guests to be really open and vulnerable with you so casually by just being nonchalant
Came across Finn and Tank 3 months ago and instantly loved both channels content. The first thing I thought after going through both channels was "wow I bet if Finn and Tank did a video together it would have so much good content and make my day" thank you both and thank you UA-cam algorithm.
I didn’t know who tank the tech was but this interview was an amazing introduction, one of my favorite interviews yet
@tankthetech is a good dude. Got to help RED out with merch at a winterjam fest in Ohio, and it was some of the most fun I’ve had. Was only the third, or fourth time I had done merch for bands, but definitely was a high level moment being at a huge venue. Wish I could of got to know Tank more, but from the time I got to spend around him, dudes awesome. He knows his stuff about the industry. This was a great episode. Glad to see Tank still doing the damn thing.
I was in a punk band back in the mid-late 90's and we never had to give the venues we played at anything from our merch sales (which was how we made our money, mostly). I didn't even know that this was a thing until i heard Finn talking about it. Another great podcast 😎
Same here. When I was touring in a small hardcore band, even in our larger shows with bigger bands, venues did not touch the merch money. But this was also 20 years ago 😅
@@andydotorg TRUE. i'm fixin to turn 40, myself. 😂
This isn’t something that happened in the hardcore scene. If these bands vowed to go back down to much smaller venues for awhile this is something that would end .
Me and friend booked shows for a couple yrs the venue never took a cut .
First time I check out one of your interviews and I loved it. The title pulled me in and the conversation kept me hooked. Great job from both of you. Thanks for the content!
Great honest discussion between two of my favourite UA-camrs. All the best to you both, lads
GREAT PODCAST!! it was a pleasure to hear every bit of it
The way that certain metal people get so defensive and downplay that there is any racism in metal is kinda the reason it persists. It gives it more room to breathe. People just can’t be honest because they are taking it personally. If you’re not racist then you shouldn’t feel the need to be defensive or take it personally, but maybe there is some lack of introspection there.
I remember when that singer/guitarist from machine head called out Phil Anselmo’s racism, and then people were calling him a SJW. That was embarrassing made me ashamed of being part of this community
Ya, it's weird the you see a band and there's a black guy, like why is that the first thing you go to?
My much older brother sold out, turned mormon and what not. I shared a Turnstile live performance with him. His first response was "the bass player gives them street cred." Like gag and cringe to say the least. Who cares what skin color, sex, or even identity of the band members on stage. If they're good musicians and kill it in stage, what does any of that matter?
I do have my biases myself. Like if the singers doing salutes WW2 era Germans did, it would probably turn me off and not be so stoked to be there.
There's racist people in every scene though. There isn't any more racism in metal than there is in hip hop, for example.
@@SpiralDream I mean that is some people’s first instinct, to go “but what about this other thing?” You can talk about Hitler and they’ll go “but what about Stalin?” Again, a little introspection can go a long way. People could take a sec to ask themselves Why when x subject is brought up, their knee jerk reaction is deflect, downplay, and get defensive?
@@slashismyhommie8182 yeah their bass player is a person not a novelty
I need to thank both of you. For what you covered on being a content creator. I am a considerably smaller creator on UA-cam than the both of you. But I am going through the same things. I see so many people jump into this UA-cam thing. Thinking that this is an "Easy Job". Many do not last. You HAVE TO be passionate about what you are doing. I am one of the longest-running and popular creators in my genre of UA-cam. Unfortunately I picked the most unpopular subject on the planet. That just adds more stress to it. It makes it harder every day. It helps me a lot to have heard what you guys said about this. Thank you.
Also, I’d like to say this video is awesome. It has two of my favorite people in it. Great to see you guys working together.
Amazing conversation. Thanks Finn and Tank
I am new to this podcast, I have to admit Idk who Finn and Tank are. However, I could not stop watching, and is so interesting and insightful.
On the anxiety attacks part, as I have them myself, Idk who would read this, but I dare to recommend trying looking for online therapists, due to being more affordable and get treated faster. Love people that are open to talk about things that matter! Thank you.
What a great interview. Non biased as always and hard hitting. Kudos
Great interview! Being a 57 yr old drummer I've played with Punk bands, metal,pop ,hip hop,neo soul , drum and bass, country ECT.
Thankfully I'm not famous and can just play what I want and feel without being called " TRENDY OR SELLING OUT". I love music from The COMMODORES to Cannibal Corpse . If it moves me I will give it props. And if I'm sitting behind my kit making music from the heart with whoever, I'm living the most beautiful pure moments you can't understand unless you... fuckin know.
Peace and love y'all
since your a drummer would you say the late obby chouinard is one of the most underrated drummers in rock history?
Really enjoyed the dialogue. Thanks to both of you!
I think this is a good time to say that there are a lot of people who really appreciate what you guys are doing. You put a smile on the faces of so many people every day. Just remember that :)
I love both of you guys' content and although I don't know you guys personally, I wouldn't hesitate inviting you over for a BBQ ;)
I thoroughly enjoyed this interview. Going back to the discussion about working for artists in other genres, one of my favorite bands to work with was Pop Evil. Their music def not in my q zone, but they were the nicest people, and valued other peoples thoughts and opinions on things. I would hands down work with them again and wish them the best.
Aaaaaah - two people that just talk sense! Thx, guys, you're wonderful,
The insane drinking on country tours doesn't surprise me at all, coming from a rural background myself. Plus from the country shows I've been to I can say the attendees have often been way more drunk & generally wild than all the rock/metal shows I've been to... So cool to see y'all together. Also, I totally agree that too many people, especially in metal, base their entire personality/identity around that. And it's not healthy or cool. And the comments on racism/tolerance in metal are so damn true, sadly.... Great chat!!
This was fantastic. I actually did merch for Life Of Agony in 94 on the tour they did with Carcass. All venues took a percentage from sales at the end of the night.
My favourite UA-camrs! Love, seeing you guys together!
What a wonderful piece of talk this is.
Thank you guys for giving me enjoyment for an hour today.
so many great points covered here. absolutely top notch interview.
This was a great interview 👐 I've been watching Tank for a while and always enjoyed his cobtent as he seems like a great, self reflective guy, willing to share his experiences in the industry 👍
Please don’t ever let the idiocy that occurs on social media affect your happiness. Especially Reddit. Dear lord that place is toxic.
I love your work. It provides relaxation and enjoyment of music after getting my ass kicked all week at work. You also seem like a decent and kind human being. We all have our issues, even those who blindly judge others through anonymous online posts. Nobody is perfect.
Keep on keeping on man ❤️🤘
Really enjoyed this interview from both of you and loved the topics you covered!!
I have never heard of Tank the Tech before and I honestly just started watching your videos a couple weeks ago, but I gotta say I love your videos, especially on metal as well as the things you grew up with, because they're the same things I grew up with. It's great to see similar & different pov's & opinions.
I don't normally watch these types of channels; Usually just music and game videos.
This was a fantastic and fascinating interview. You both are top notch creators.
So much love to both of you!
I am so ignorant. I had no idea bands pay venues for selling their merch, thank you for enlightening me.
Love going through your older videos to see what I've missed. Tank is awesome and i learn SO MUCH about how the industry actually works.
This is one I have been waiting for. You and Tank are two of my favorite music commentators on UA-cam.
37:51 Preach! If Jesse Leach from Killswitch Engage feels compelled to say, "Howard Jones wasn't just 'the black guy' and that's my friend" or something like that after hearing his fans diss Howard for taking over after he left the band in '00 and came back that's huge to me. Metal fans pretend racism isn't a problem and I hate it.
Jesse used to be married to a black women so I bet it is extra annoying when assholes say crap like that to him.
Just wanna say salute to you two and thank you. Respect. 💯
fantastic conversation, loved the topics and agree with your perspectives on the several important issues concerning the metal community/subculture . please take good care of yourselves,we need people like you!!!!
I'll get in here with a compliment for you before you get bombarded with "not racist" actually very racist comments. "Why does it always have to be about race? Black people are racist too. They are the reason there aren't more black people in metal. They don't buy their own black metal artists records. They shun black metal listeners in their own communities. (Which isn't true btw) Maybe if they picked up more instruments instead of guns? Blah blah blah."(gradual descent into even more overt racism)
You two are my favorite music adjacent youtubers. Love your stuff, it was great to see you talking together. I genuinely hope you link up again in the future. I would love to see it!
Really enjoyed this conversation. While I don’t always agree with you guys on every take on your respective channels, I truly enjoy both (regularly). And for the record, that’s true amongst my very best of friends. You both bring thoughtful opinions to all of your various content, so even if I’m feeling contrarian, I’m never mad, but rather excitedly engaged. Kudos, love, continued success, and respect at both of ya. Today and every. 👊
Great interview and a lot of relatable stuff for me, thanks for sharing your struggels both of you
Great Convo ! Thanks Finn
Duuuude no way! Love that Tank got on the show this is awesome
This was such a cool interview, I love hearing about the behind the scenes!
For 15 years, I was a Concessions Manager for major league stadiums & arenas across the US. I was the guy setting alcohol prices in concessions. Fun fact: within one hour of gates being open in an 18,000-person soccer stadium for Motley Crue to play made us over $400k. By the end of the night, Concessions cracked $1.5mil.
Unfortunately, most of these arenas are run by NBA & NHL teams (or MLS), so the idea of giving away money instead of just not collecting commission on retail just wouldn’t fly. They’d probably more likely create a policy that forces a markup on merch prices that the arena could take.
Awesome interview. 🤘🏻
The specific topic on dime at NAMM was something I’ve always wanted to see how others responded. Thank for sharing that Finn, that shit is a real tough pill to swallow.
Well, to outweight any possible negative comments, I just wanna say that I really enjoy both of you and your channels and this was a great and insightful talk. It kinda boggles me how people act on the internet (and real life) and I have only ever experienced it as a "witness", not someone who was actually being attacked... people are just weird. Best of luck!
Still some of the most insightful, relevant, and relatable insight on the music industry and scene.
There’s an electronic artist “moog” who also runs the yt channel MIGHTY CAR MODS.
He’s had some incredibly on point with his insight into musician compensation, a chat with you two live would he fascinating.
a Moog X over with Tank and or Finn... I'd lose my mind and it would be such a good chat!
Love this one, Tank is a cool guy
Great interview and conversation ! nice job ! Happy to hear a bit more about Tank also :)
So crazy! I was just watching his channel! What a great crossover!
I'm a rock and metal musician. I've played with different bands in my region for over a decade. I recently took a country gig for the last couple of months, and I am HERE TO TELL YOU: country artists party WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY harder than any rock or metal musicians ever. He speaks the facts, man.
WRT the whole separate the art from the artist thing, as a Jewish metal fan I feel like thats such a cop-out. There are too many times that I've wanted to get into a band only to read a headline about how so-and-so from the band is friends with a guy who wants me and everyone like me dead. It's always easy for the people who aren't targets of the bigotry in certain metal scenes to scoff at it and just ignore the crazies but it's so uncomfortable and alienating for people who are targeted by it.
👏👏👏 thank you, really appreciated.
Great talk. Two of the best in the youtube-universe. Thanks.
I generally loved this interview!! Great job keeping it real guys!!!!
I liked Tank's videos before, but this is frigging awesome and I really will be making more of an effort to watch more of his stuff too. Great interview.
What a great conversation, cheers!
2 of my favorite guys on UA-cam.
Nice! Love that you got this interview
Such an awesome chat and experiences and thoughts
I really appreciate what you do, Finn. I watch all the videos all the way through whether I like the subject matter or not. I thumbs up the videos. Not just for you but all my favorite youtubers. I want to see yall succeed. Which ensures I get to keep enjoying the content. So I don't understand all the hate and constant complaints in the comments. Anyways, thanks Finn.
Thank you!
man this a great episode just like the "why I make fun of metalheads" episode, especially when he talked about the musician ship with the country/pop crowd and how versatile they needed to be. I heard a comment about it once but didn't know it was a full blown thing. i've lately been trying to find more non heavy music shows to check out because i've been going to shows for 10 years now and only 1 of those shows was non heavy and that was the devil makes three and that band CRUSHED it! they put on a more energetic show than some metal bands i've seen live and the crowd interaction/ music was so infectious! i'm going to have to check out tank's content as well.
You've only listened to metal?
@@djmc8505 nope ive always listened to other types of music, just never ended up finding non rock/metal/hardcore shows to check out. Besides the devil makes three that was it. However times change and I've been searching ever since
This was a great interview! Thanks for doing it.
This was totally engaging. Kudos to you both.
I was a merch guy for years and have negotiated a lot of contracts. Some bands kept a hundred percent of merch it was non-negotiable and other bands 20 + percent depending on the venue.
If you're doing huge tours stadiums etc more than likely you're going to have a merchandising manager through Global.
Such a good interview. Thank you for doing this guys. Basically everything that you guys talked about was something that the metal community needs to hear.
Also, Finn, your call if you want to take this as a compliment or not: I disagree with about 80% of your takes, but you’re great and I am compelled to watch almost everything that you make. The personality and the polish override my own silly opinions.
1st time listener here. Thank you so much for touching on these topics! I think they're swept under the rug all too often. I'm a female who has been in this industry for almost a decade and a half, doing management and merch, etc. In the last 5 years I've also been on the performance side of things. I've worked with, seen and played genres ranging from metal to classic rock and everywhere in between. I appreciate that ya'll brought up and spoke to the lack of female representation in the music industry as a whole. I know you mentioned pop and country female fronted bands as being more "accepted" or basically once you're big enough to hire and fire whoever you want while on tour you can have the luxury of employing an all female band. I just wanted to add that people don't always "like" Ginger just because she's a chick vocalist. As a female singer I can say without a doubt that we NEED more female influences in this industry and specifically within the hard rock and metal Genres. Yes, sure there have been those who paved the path along the way...... but it's important to note that not only are there basically 1 o 2 females to every 100 males to aspire to...... but also the few females within this space tend to face a lot of hate. You brought up Otep...... but this is a great example of a female fronted band within the industry that has a pretty bad reputation. (At least amongst other local and national bands, and some venues and management as well). Is she actually a bitch who treats everyone like she's better than them, has a roster that demands ridiculous things, insists that supporting bands are not allowed to sell any merch, use any green rooms, or park anywhere near their touring busses? Who knows got sure.... it could all be speculation, one off situations, or it could be that she's held to a higher standard. 🤷♀️ What I do know is that we women DO have to work harder and be conscious of how we're coming off because there are a LOT of stereotypes that we have to actively try to disprove. When all we really want to do is play music and live our life and our dream just like everyone else around us. We tend to either be shoved into a scene where we present on stage as a 1 person act (AKA, sex object who lip syncs and dances, back up dancing, etc
......basically pop singers) or we resist the and take a risk that we'll never be taken seriously. I could list probably 5-10 pretty current and VERY popular female pop artists who not only write all their own music, but play MULTIPLE instruments, play instruments on their own records, appear on other hit records, and also ghost write and sell their original musical to other artists who subsequently got a hit out of said song. If we're talking pop, I think we all know that Edd Sheeran, Charlie Pueth, and countless full bands write and play their own music. But does the general public know that Lady Gaga doesn't just dance and sing, but writes all her own songs on piano within about a 5 min span each? Do they know that Adele writes her music, can play multiple instruments, and actually plays the drums on at least one of her albums? Do they know that Sia was a pretty silent "pop" artist for years, also can play a few instruments, and has been writing behind the scenes for other artists and still writes for pop stars all the time? Seriously, several songs on the radio the last 10ish years have had her writing influence in them. And if you've listened to her previous work, she was not really pop to begin with. Like many women, she fell into pop because it becomes the easiest thing to do since it's marketable. So more bookers, labels, managers, etc are available for you when you play the thing that's most marketable for them. Anyhow, it's also important to add that female pop artists (although sexualized and still NOT considered musicians in my personal experience) tend to have THE hardest vocals for female singers to emulate. They are recording artists, and typically lip sync or at least have a lot of backing tracks due to the intensity of their live shows. So over the years they vocals just keep getting more and more technical, intricate, and complicated. Way harder to duplicate, even for themselves......lol. On the contrary, rock an metal music doesn't really cater to female vocals. So it's touch to find vocals to strive for within a female range while also challenging oneself vocally. Basically, if us female vocalists want to do metal or hard rock or prog rock/metal covers.... we most likely have to transpose cords into higher tunings, but that kind of defeats the purpose and makes it not really metal. 🤣🤣🤣 So basically, not only do we have to put up with the bull shit of proving our worth in the scene, but if we want in on the actual music and performance part of it all, we have a challenge ahead that has several nuances that you probably wouldn't think of unless you're a female in this space. Not saying there aren't any pioneers at all, or any women to look up to..... just that it's a lot less comparatively. So like you mentioned how you think some people may say they like bands with females or people of color in them just to seem more likeable or "PC"..... it's also totally possible that some of us are just looking for some representation, inspiration, and just down right a sign from above that is even possible, period. 😉
P.S....... if ya'll don't love Spirit Box, you're not my friend!!! 🤣🤣🤣 Easily blew away my expectations live this last year as well. Definitely out did Avatar who headlined on the same stage later that night..... and I'm not the only one to say so. Courtney fucking kills it!!! 🤘🤘🤘
Is there really lack of female representation in Music as a whole assuming your talking about artists? For decades many of the most influential singers/artists have been women, from Aretha Franklin to Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson to Mariah Carey right up to Amy Lee, Beyonce, Gaga, Adele etc. You can see this in charting hits & awards, what not.
Popular music, in America in particular is governed by whatever the trend is. Social media changed the way music charts & is consumed. Culturally America is just trash to be honest.
One thing I will say one of my favorite singers of all time is Floor Jansen, lead singer of Nightwish not because I want to be trendy or it's PC but because she's one of the most incredible singers I've ever heard. Europe is a treasure trove of female fronted metal bands. When of first heard these bands, I was blown away by how they merge classical music, operatic vocals, sometimes dramatic tones in voices to tell stories and weave it into metal, the fact that Epica recorded their entire album live with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, complete male, female & children's live choirs & not a single instrument was electronic is insane, or when I saw Nightwish - Ghost Love Score Live At The Wacken 2013 with Floor delivering a siren esc performance for the ages, I was stunned at my age I had discovered a new style of music because I thought I had just about heard it all. I felt like a teenager again.
The only barricades you have are the ones you put up for yourself. Stop giving a shit about what you perceive other people will think about you & make the music you love, aggressively with no regrets. This a common thing now, to almost talk your way out pursuing a dream because of a few critical people who may not get it at first or your own insecurities about how you're perceived.
Just be you, work hard, enjoy the music, don't afraid to experiment, sometimes fail & everything will come to you.
@Winnie Blue Very valid points and thank you for your input and feedback! I think you're totally right about not worrying about it and just going out and doing what you love. I do think there are fewer female singers and musicians under the umbrella of Rock and Metal Genres as a whole, but that doesn't mean there aren't great examples and some great representation. Females looking to start out very early on by mimicking their favorite singers may just have to dig harder to find female vocals that sound similar enough to their own vocals that they can reproduce those sounds (or at least know that it's possible). It's out there though, and it's only getting better and better.
To clarify my original comment a bit, I should have highlighted the general lack of women within the rock and metal space..... not just the musicians/performers. So band management, stage management, roadies, instrument techs, sound techs, promoters, marketing agencies, bookers, labels, sound and studio engineers, producers, photographers, venue owners, festival owners, show coordinators, bouncers, merchandise art and production, etc etc etc. In my personal experience, most of these people happen to be men. Sometimes that's great, but sometimes it can breed a certain type of hostile environment when you're basically one of or the only woman in the room. Every time. For every event. It can sometimes be an overall atmosphere that ends up being pretty anti woman. It can be more than just not welcoming. I've seen some people be downright exclusive, toxic, rude, even violent. I've had band mates have to stick up for me several times. Could just be drunk patrons getting lippy. Or it may be actual professional/business partners that we end up parting ways with because they can't understand why men would willingly choose to have a woman around working in or for their band. So as much as I'd love to chalk it all up to the fact that there are some female musicians out there to look up to....I just know that they've likely all had to put up with a lot of shit to get where they are. And I'd love to see a day where we ALL have to put up with a ton of shit because it's a hard business, and we are being pushed to be our best, and not because we have a certain anatomy between our legs or are presumed to be incapable based on nothing at all to do with our talent or credentials.
Hope that makes sense. 😉 End of the day, it is all what we make it. I just simply appreciate some guys bringing a bit of awareness to things that don't necessarily effect them directly. I think it's cool they're acknowledging that these issues do exist.
@@MrsBoogie002 Broadly speaking, I think young girls tend to gravitate towards whatever is popular as fans or artists. The music charts tend to be reflection of there tastes in music. Whereas metal/rock for whatever reason, seems to attract boys both as fans & artists. That's not to say there aren't outliers but for the sake of the conservation it's easier to speak more broadly.
The one commonality both genders share is the brutality of the industry as a whole on everyone who is trying to do what they love, whether it's Floor Jansen or Korn. I'm not saying there aren't unique issues for women, I guess I'm saying is you have careful in a sense that you don't become your own worst enemy & start to think It's hopeless because of male fans or just men in general. The current culture kind of builds extra mental barriers that can hinder you.
I'm a song-writer who has been looking for a female singer for quite a while, I've briefly worked with a few & I always say to anyone I work with you can have the talent but you also have to have a beast mentally, work hard & practice hard like an athlete, think of Ronaldo who didn't become one of the greatest purely because he was handed his position he trained nonstop & worked his ass off at his craft to be the best against all challengers. Fuck all excuses & imaginary boogie men in your mind. Create what you want with love and passion, it will draw people in your orbit because they will feel it. Of course not long after I say that, they decide they don't want to work with me, lol.
Sorry if I'm annoying or preachy. Just keep your head up and do you, make whatever music you want even if you think "it's not popular" who cares? Set yourself apart from everyone else and I believe anything is possible.
Cant believe I actually read almost that entire novel.. Holy shit youre verbose, but I aint hatin'.. I, too, suffer from the same affliction in a vast majority of my posts that are littered throughout this medium and therefore Im gonna stay concise here for a change. Cheers!
Seven months late to this post, but I fully agree. Female rock bands tend to get pigeonholed into feminist/lesbian/rock chick categories, and there are loads in the fandoms who seem deeply concerned that women will 'water down' their scene, or even outright refuse to believe - especially with foreign bands, that women could start bands themselves without being industry plants. In contrast, I get a lot of my contemporary music from East Asia, where female bands in the underground scenes are so common that nobody even gives it a second thought. Part of that, in Japan in particular, is because girls at school are encouraged to play musical instruments, whereas in the west, they tend to only get pushed towards singing and dancing, because being in a touring band isn't seen as something women do. Interestingly, I had a brief online discussion with a female band from England, and they said the women in the scene were even less supportive than the men, as if they want to protect the niche they've carved out for themselves.
Appreciate content like this, very educational!
Alright this was an awsome conversation and definitely learned a lot from a content creators point of view. I mean a saw it from beginning to end and still wanted more. This is legit good content thanks man
AWESOME! Great Interview. 2 knowledgeable guys talking shop💯🔥🔥
Really appreciate the merch talk. It is so crazy what go into deals with different venues, festivals, bookers, labels, managers, etc.
Totally understand that it is a business deal between the band and whom ever.
Unfortunately a lot of venues etc, have the upper hand on bands.
About 10-15 years ago In Flames refused to sell merch at a show I was at because the label set the price and it was insanely expensive.
They showed that they didn’t want fans to be fucked over.
Was cool seeing a band at the top of their game caring more about fans then money.
(sure their deal might have been shit for merch but still a good stance)
"The metal community likes to act like it's all loving and inclusive. People need to stop pretending that it's like that, and call it out when it's not"
Hear hear!!!
“We can’t be racist because Sevendust exists!” 😩😩😩😩😩😩AYYYOOOOOOO😂😂😂😂😂
Thanks for putting out good quality content Finn.
Great interview Finn. I appreciate your frankness as ever on racism. Awareness of the sad truths that exist can hopefully be a step towards changing things. Your positive stance against it gives me hope, though I often despair of the human race.
Really interesting conversation..Enjoyed it a lot.
Yooooo heck yea! Literally, my 2 favorites?!
Thank you both for talking about the mental health toll of producing content. I’m sorry to hear it’s impact on you but I left the newspaper industry after 28 years because the focus on page views and subscription starts related to my stories not only drained the joy from the work but sent me into a high functioning depression. I tried everything to battle it but was living a joyless life. Therapy helped to an extent but ultimately I had to quit and go on an antidepressant to unlock the person I was years ago. I feel for you both and sincerely hope you both find ways to effectively heal the anxiety and mental symptoms.
I feel your pain, man. MATG is an acronym for my defunct metal webzine. It got too big, too fast, and became a stressful chore than fun. Even talking with my favorite bands became a task.
Great interview guys. Love the peek behind the curtain 👍🏻
Great interview with Tank! 👍