Various economic challenges, from lack of financial return to the costs of putting on a show, discourage young people from attempting a career in music.
The history of popular music is built on collaboration. Bands have always been the main vehicle of rock. However, this has changed over the years – and Steve Morse sees a very clear reason for this.
In an interview with the channel Boomerocity (via Ultimate Guitar), the former guitarist of Deep purple discussed the difficulties inherent to the profession. He further highlighted how limited earning prospects keep young people away from music.
He said:
“Few young people choose this path after realizing that if they worked as gardeners mowing lawns, they would make five to six times as much money. But there are always people who defy the odds. Just like when you buy a lottery ticket, they don’t think, ‘Well, my chances are… that the money will go straight into the coffers of whoever runs the lottery.’ They think, “I can be the one.” I can be the winner. A lifelong career will find a way to sustain itself. That’s my definition of success. When you are able to do what you want, what you prefer to do, and let that be your job. »
Besides the challenge of making money through music, Morse also highlighted the issue of costs associated with performing. Since the pandemic, several artists from different levels of the industry have highlighted how it has become almost prohibitive to go on tour, so high are the expenses.
The guitarist commented:
“One curious thing that has evolved – and maybe it’s because the costs of touring and putting on a show and security and parking and all those things are so expensive – is that it’s hard to find big-name bands who can afford the costs of playing these places.”
Morse even pointed out a phenomenon he had noticed. Music venues in the United States are increasingly filling their calendars with tribute bands to famous artists, whose income is more stable for them than for a new artist.
Having bandwidth is expensive
The former Deep Purple guitarist’s comments are somewhat reminiscent of the words of a Brazilian rock legend. In an interview given in October to Rolling stone BrazilPaulo Ricardo spoke about the lack of financial incentive to play instruments.
He said:
“I was reading an interview with Adam Levine (Brown 5) on the reduction in the number of bands; One of the explanations is very simple: a group is expensive. A good guitar like a Fender or Gibson costs between $2,000 and $5,000. There are amplifiers, pedals… if we’re talking about keyboards and drums, then… Everyone has their own instruments, there’s the cost of renting a studio to rehearse, a van for shows, a roadie. All of this is very expensive. Meanwhile, a creative kid picks up a laptop, does everything, and sells millions.”
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