This is a topic I feel very strongly about, so pardon the extremely long post below. But I DO have actual things to say about this issue and I'm not just talking out of my ass, so if you're interested, read on...
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It depends on what your purpose as an artist is. How hard you are willing to work? And how much you are willing to change in terms of lifestyle, appearance, level of commitment, work ethics etc.?
Playing music just so you can become famous and have people ask for your signature/ give you recognition has always been a very poor excuse for wanting to be in a band, in my opinion. It's because of such flimsy ideals that the commercial rock, commercial metal, nu metal and pop punk industries are filled with shitloads of crappy bands that are high on image and marketability, and LOW on talent and originality. It's just the same old formula being regurgitated again and again and again.
I like music to be somewhat pure in that it is the result of passion and soul. I like music that has a genuine message that comes from the musician's heart, not something that was written to suit a particular target audience and to be a crowd-pleaser. If you have true talent and orginiality, you will shine no matter what, so long as you have the determination to get your music out there and heard. Even if you spend your whole life on independent record labels instead of majors that will control your image and the way you write, record and perform music, at least the music will be truly YOURS and that is a beautiful thing. Being signed to an independent rather than a major is not a bad thing. It just means you have to work a little harder to organise your tours, get the word out about your music and incorporate a more DIY ethic into your band's way of working. You'll have to live without an entourage but hey, I have more respect for musicians who do it themselves than sit around waiting to be babied. Yes, being on an independent label may also mean less commercial marketing but your fanbase will be the fans that are truly there for the music, not some annoying teenyboppers who just want to shag the drummer coz he's so damn good looking. Why is it so important to be mobbed on the street by kids who want your autograph?
I'd rather be like Poison The Well, Walls of Jericho or The Mars Volta, play sell-out concerts to true fans who sincerely appreciate our music from the bottom of their hearts, but respect you enough to give you your privacy and not mob you when they see you on the streets. Also, the typical shrieking Avril Lavigne-loving giggly pre-teen is unlikely to listen to your music or even recognise you, which in my opinion, is a GOOD thing. Do you really want to be shrieked at and asked to autograph napkins for their entire level at school while you're at Starbucks trying to have a frappucino?
I believe music is a 2 way street. Just like the band needs to work hard to get their music out there and heard, true music lovers should also have to work to seek out music they want to listen to. If they want to be lazy and just turn on MTV, then they'll have to be content to be spoonfed only commercial music. They're missing out on a whole world of other music available and shouldn't be allowed to call themselves a true music fan.
To me, there isn't much of a difference between these new commercial pop rock/ pop punk/ nu metal acts and the kids you see on American Idol/ Singapore Idol/ Australian Idol/ (Insert Random Country Here) Idol. There might as well be some Band Idol competition on TV, to look for the next Good Charlotte, Linkin Park, Incubus or whatever. It's all about fame and selling the most records, so let's forget about artistic integrity, creativity and actually having substance, hey? I "love" how Korn whines about being a struggling underground act while they're sitting on enormous piles of cash... probably 5 times the amount of money than artists with 10 times more talent will ever make in a lifetime. :roll:
But that is just my view. If fame is the main thing you're after, that's your call. Form a pop band, play catchy pop rock, pop punk, pop metal etc. LEARN TO MARKET YOURSELVES. That's one thing I've noticed Singaporean musicians lack alot. I won't generalise and say ALL, but alot of them just sit around waiting to be "discovered", waiting for the venues, their managers or promoters to market them to others, and then whine incessantly about how they're not getting enough recognition, gigs and publicity. There's really not enough aggression with which they promote themselves and go out there to seize the day and shit. Don't sit there dreaming about a regional tour. Go out there tomorrow and do something that will make it happen! Do research, get a good tour manager, start getting in touch with useful contacts around the region and around the world. If you have no useful contacts, then start making them! That's what the internet is for.
If you plan to tour internationally in the long run and visit western countries, then make sure your English is up to scratch and you don't have a super thick Singlish accent. If, unfortunately you do, work with a vocal coach or speech therapist so that you learn to neutralise it when singing. Even Westerners do this sometimes if they come from the countryside or some hick-like state/province where the accent is too much. You don't hear Britney Spears singing like a cowboy with a thick Southern twang even though she's from Louisiana. Either that or don't sing in English and develop your own exotic style, like those successful Japanese rock and metal bands. Man, those are huge in Western countries. So many American girls want in on Hyde's pants.
I'm not saying it's easy work, I'm just saying it can be done. And this goes for both commercial AND non-commercial bands. I've seen it done here in Australia where I live, and if you think they have it easy just coz they're a western country, you're wrong. Most of my friends here are from the music scene and lots of them are in bands, and they WORK THEIR ASS OFF to get their music heard, because there are loads more bands here than in Singapore and it takes alot to stand out.
The band members take on day jobs that allow them to take loads of time off for gigs or tours. They're constantly out there, playing shows almost every week. When they're not playing gigs, they're AT gigs watching other bands, learning from them, supporting others in the music scene. At every gig they play, (if they don't already have a CD or EP out), they'll give away free demos on burnt CDs. They sell t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, scarves, caps, pins and other band merch. They give out free stickers and flyers. A band's merch and stickers are like a form of advertising for your band, while allowing fans and friends to show support, so get that shit out there. Wear the shirts from other local bands... chances are they might return the favour and wear yours at their next gig. Show support for each other. The bands here in Australia are also constantly sending their demos and CDs to independent and commercial radio stations, pushing for airplay and getting their fans to help them ring in and request their songs.
Any band worth their salt will also have a website, and a GOOD one. Not some shitty geocities or angelfire thing with all the pop-ups and banners. Even non-commercial bands have the sense to make their website nice, because they are doing it for the fans and people who support them. Check out sites like:
www.shotpointblank.com
www.parkwaydriverock.com
www.ikilledthepromqueen.com
None of these bands are commercial bands, but all of them have got their act together. They do EVERYTHING themselves and they worked so hard to get where they are.
Shotpointblank is my friend's band and I can tell you, they're constantly on the road, having a good time but still keeping their purpose in mind. They work harder than almost any band I've seen, they're constantly in contact with people around the world, and it has paid off. Recently, when Most Precious Blood came to tour Australia, Shotpointblank scored the "supporting band" slot and toured nation-wide with Most Precious Blood. And they've also worked really hard and saved loads of money so that they can tour the USA in a month's time, where they'll be playing at the New Year 2005 Hardcore show in New York with some of the biggest hardcore legends in the USA such as Path of Resistance, The Promise, Bane, Champion, Most Precious Blood, A Perfect Murder, A18, Ensign, Outbreak, Love is Red etc. (I've noticed not alot of you listen to hardcore music so you may not have heard of these bands, but trust me, they're like the Mudvayne, Pantera, Megadeth, Slayer and Misfits of the Hardcore world, only less commercial than metal, obviously)
I Killed The Prom Queen (metalcore band) is another hardworking non-commercial Australian band and they've recently just gotten back from touring the USA where they played at Warped Tour and Hellfest, the two biggest punk/hardcore/metal festivals in America. Instead of resting from their American tour, they're on the road again, doing a nation-wide Australian tour.
Another hardworking band I have to mention, is the band that I do merch for, Behind Crimson Eyes (they're screamo/punk/emo). They haven't been around very long, they only formed at the beginning of this year, and played their first show in March. But because they work so hard at getting constant gigs, building up their fanbase and getting radio airplay, they've already played alongside many of the big-name bands in America. When MxPx, Unwritten Law and Midtown toured Australia, these dudes played with them. And they're playing with Alexisonfire in 2 weeks.
If all these non-commercial Australian bands (it's not just shitty stuff like Jet and new Silverchair) can do it while playing truly awesome music, I have faith that Singaporean bands can do the same... IF they start standing more united, making more of an effort to get their music out internationally AND nationally, touring (don't wait around, make it happen) and taking music alot more seriously as a career.
Get that music on
www.mp3.com,
www.purevolume.com and
www.hxcmp3.com. Get a MySpace band account, put up your mp3s and start adding people to the band's friend's list to get them to listen to your music. There's a whole international community out there... Make a good website. Start a union for bands. Campaign for more airplay of local music. If radio stations are forced to play 15% - 25% local content like many other countries, think about what it will do for the local scene. Keep pushing for airplay. Get your supporters and fans to call the radio stations and request your songs. Work on greater publicity for gigs. Campaign for greater awareness of local rock music (yes, the majority of Singaporeans would rather listen to crappy Taiwanese/Japanese pop, American hip hop, RnB or Britney... but education and awareness can do wonders). Get in touch with bands overseas who play similar music. Save money, work your butts off and go on tour.
This may sound like idealistic bullshit had I not already seen it happen before my very eyes. Bands in worse positions than alot of Singaporean ones and who've had to overcome much greater difficulties here in Australia have made it in both the commercial and non-commercial music scenes.
It just depends on how much work everyone is willing to put in.
Don't bitch about it.
Make it happen.
:lol: 8) 8O 
do you think we could be as big as those international bands stated? :wink:
