MSI210 - Creative Research and Writing in Virtual Music Cultures:

Liveness, the Like Bias & saving the band

Beren Matthews

Popular Music

15th of December 2017

My band Grip-Like Vice has weathered many shifts of line-up and ideology since its inception in 2011 - name
changes, attitude changes and chord changes, to name but a few. Though challenging, none of these
represent such high stakes as those the band currently faces. To assess the gravity of the situation, one
must first understand the time and effort which went into assembling the current personnel: Although your
music is critically important, it is often the people in the band that will have a greater impact on the level of
success, fun and stress you will have. (Staropoli, n.d.) This has proved particularly apt in my own search for
the ideal lineup, which has seen five different rhythm sections come and go over the course of as many
years.
While I would rate the current quartet as the strongest yet, a recent turn of events has brought the
considerations of Liveness into play. Due to availability issues, John Logan (guitar/synth) has declared
himself unable to appear live with us next year. His suggested compromise: increase our virtual output by
becoming more prolific online. As interesting a concept as this may be, having no gigs in the book comes at
a massive cost to any serious band. Johns utopian plan may excite those musicians who enjoy studio work
above all else. However, for the average performance-orientated player, it would not stand. It becomes clear
that the importance of live performance in 2018 is up for debate...

Literary Review

Regarding the metrics surrounding Likes vs Liveness, I found it tricky to find current information. Most of
the interesting documentation was written between 2012 and 2015 - Perhaps this is because what was once
a hot topic has now stabilised as weve learnt how new technology augments old practices.
Ironically, it seems that YouTube is the primary platform furthering research in these fields, especially
when it comes to launching a viable channel in 2017. This is somewhat exemplified on my accompanying
website (see appendix). Though not as statistically intense as their literary counterparts, this boots on the
ground reporting comes straight from the content creators and thus, from the front line. Theres also a
difference in tone, with some written work seeming a little perfunctory: A viral video can arguably do more
for you than any tour (Robley, 2012) Arguable indeed yet the writer never ventures to argue the point,
instead presenting step-by-step guides to success as click bait, which often turn out to be simple
regurgitations of processes with no meaningful facts.
Meanwhile, the opposing camp is quick to remind us of statistics: 100 hours of video are uploaded to
YouTube every minute. (Johnston, 2014) Rather than speculating on ideals, the facts speak for themselves.
Though YouTube videos often place charismatic presentation above metrics, thats really an accepted
expectation of the medium. The literary works in this field need to catch up and perhaps co-opt some of the
cutting edge thinking found in this YouTube Life Hack culture.

The Debate

Grip-Like Vices drummer Sam Downing (a studious players player) feels that live performance is 95% of the
point of being in a band. For him, the prospect of not gigging is unacceptable. On the other hand, John
Logan, a talented jack-of-all-tradesman with an aptitude for studio production, feels that online productivity is
the key to success. For me, this poses the question: What is live performance and what can it mean to us
now? (Auslander, 2011) Can a lesser-known band stand any chance of breaking through in purely virtual
form? Can the band be saved, and in what format will it continue to exist?
 For Sam: Liveness

Regarding Liveness, In an age of backing tracks, miming and Autotune is live really live, and when does a
performance stop being live? Live Performance has to be able to go wrong, has to be able to go off the rails
and you have to keep in it the potential for error. (Willgoose, 2016) Whilst we could explore YouTube and
uncover many examples of popstars being propped up by backing tracks, a real insight would be to discover
how much of an impact this has had on rock music, a style famed for its raw, guitar-driven attitude. Could
backing tracks provide a plausible solution for Grip-Like Vice? And at what cost?

Augmentation vs Replication

J. Willgoose Esq. (sic) of electro-rock band Public Service Broadcasting reveals a few interesting truths
about the use of live backing tracks:

Ive seen bands turn up to some pretty big gigs with the whole set pre-loaded onto a laptop as a one-hour-
long stereo file, then play a few notes on a synth or guitar while the laptop does the hard work, or the
frontman sings along to 18 perfectly tuned vocal harmonies coming off a computer...Isnt that a bit of a
con? (Willgoose, 2013)

Despite being a backing track user himself, he makes a good point. However, The perceived credibility of
different musical styles greatly affects our perception of what is, or is not acceptable. In the pop world,
Britney lip syncs, we know that Kanye loves Autotune, and live backing tracks are an accepted part of most
pop shows. Generally, there can be a case made for live augmentation via backing tracks, allowing the song
to dictate the parts and arrangement rather than being limited by the abilities of band members. A synth pad
here, an electronic drum sample there, these seem defensible. The real source of contention is replication -
for example, where the backing track makes up the majority of the performance, or when a key element is
propped up or completely replaced. This is aggravated when the part should arguably be playable by the
lineup in question, the lead vocal being the most potentially insulting instance. As humans we really want to
connect with and believe in a vocal performance. We all have a voice, we are born with a voice...we are a
voice. (Eken, 2014) In her book The Human Voice, Eken elaborates on this connection:

The voice is inseparably tied up with our emotional life and our contact with the world around us. Starting
at birth, the voice is conditioned by our circumstances as human beings. Through his voice, the small
child may express sorrow and joy, anger and fear. His needs may be met through the use of his voice.
(Eken, 2014)

This may be why the lead vocal is often considered the most vital component of a song. Our connection with
the voice is deeply ingrained and ultimately, no one leaves a show humming the snare drum.

The great artist can, through artistic talent, communicate feelings and moods in such a way as to remove
attention from a perhaps imperfect voice...Inversely, a brilliant voice may to some extent compensate for
a lesser ability to communicate as an artist. (Eken, 2014)

Enter Paul McCartney: rock n roll royalty, classic British songwriter, national treasure. His infamous use of a
backing track at the 2012 London Olympics caused much controversy when a missed cue threw the
performance into chaos. Not only did the out-of-sync backing shine a harsh light on its own existence, it also
included a pre-recorded lead vocal, thus betraying the essence of what we look for in a vocal performance -
Authenticity.
It's also worth considering how quiet the live performance was mixed in comparison to the backing.
Before the backing starts, McCartneys vocal seems distant, unclear and definitely not intended to be heard
in isolation. The fact that the sync issue left two Paul McCartneys audibly singing across each other is bad
enough, but the fact that the recorded vocal drowns out the live performance suggests that this was no mere
augmenting prop, but instead a masking of the true performance. Though McCartney went on to Justify the
backing track as an insurance policy in case of emergency, the fact that they used it from the off makes this
argument null and void. The question is, would we prefer to hear Paul's honest warts-n-all performance? Or
have the expectations of live performance become unrealistic, with people expecting a replication of the
album rather than a bespoke experience? Consider also whether the person in question changes our
judgement of the crime. Does it cut deeper knowing its Paul McCartney?
To flip the coin, styles such as EDM are dominated by so-called button pressers. Deadmau5 wastes
no time throwing himself and his peers under the bus: I just roll up with a laptop and hit a spacebarno
beatmatching skill required. (Deadmau5 cited in Golden, 2012) He clarifies:

We all hit play. its no secret. when it comes to live performance of EDM Its not about performance
art, its not about talent either...Given about one hour of instruction, anyone with minimal knowledge of
music software Ableton and music tech in general could DO what I'm doing. (Deadmau5 cited in Golden,
2012)

So for backing tracks, the mantra is: out of sight, out of mind. For the listener, ignorance is bliss.
Despite the undeniable value of backing tracks as augmentation, given the rowdy nature of Grip-Like
Vices live performance, it might feel a little cheap. This may be more excusable on a national level, but
locally, you could become known as that band who uses backing tracks. But does my decision to avoid
backing tracks come from a desire for wanting whats best for the band? Or does my ego and my perception
of listeners play a bigger role? Its worth remembering that the most worthy and challenging instrument of all
to master is the inner experience of the listeners themselves: of all the tools in the composers arsenal, the
audience is the most important instrument. (Visconti, 2014)

For John: The Like Bias

When launching an exclusively online campaign the game becomes one of perceived success or popularity,
with no measure more paramount than the Facebooks Like statistic. Promoters, labels, listeners, even
fellow musicians allow this number to influence perceived quality, often before weve listened to a note of
music. Let us know when youve got at least 1000 likes. A sentence uttered to me by promoters on more
than one occasion.
In his Digital Music News article, Ari Herstans attempts to further quantify Likes: Less than 1,000:
Not worth paying attention to. They dont care enough to even get their friends to Like their Page (or
probably come to their concerts). Their only goal is to be discovered. By whom? They dont know.
(Herstand, 2014). In fact, 1,000 isnt even close to the threshold at which Herstand considers a band to be
worth listening to: 5,000-10,000: Theyve toured. Either very successfully regionally or done a few national
tours. They have multiple albums out, probably a music video or two and are moving forward. A listen is in
order. (Herstand, 2014) For the record, Grip-Like Vice has 781 Facebook Likes, one EP, two singles and
three music videos, and therefor clearly doesnt warrant a listen. This is news to me...
Herstands assessment of how Likes equate to releases hinges on gigging being the primary method
of gaining fans. Assuming the primary focus is gigging, then a band would acquire fans on the road at the
cost of allowing less time for writing and recording. Studio acts can also attract an impressive amount of
likes, though that approach is less predictable and direct. Many artists put the creation of art above gigging.
But unless they have a pre-existing fan base before committing to becoming a studio act, Herstands
equations may well be proven correct.
Herstand concludes that those beneath the 1,000 Likes threshold ...think the music is enough.
Sadly, they are lost in the last century (Herstand, 2014.)
So what is considered this century? YouTube? Or is that essentially the same thing with a different
metric? Despite the focus on video, its still a social network and still has Likes albeit under the guise of
subscribers. YouTube is defined by its content framing. The media is always front and centre, inviting and
encouraging you to view more. The YouTube revolution has taught us one thing more than any other
platform: Content is king. In fact: The world of viral video and sync licensing knows no prejudice when it
comes to your bands road miles or performance schedule. (Robley, 2012)

The DIY Musicians Blog editor expands:

A viral video can arguably do more for you than any tour. And the better your videos, the better chance
you have of them going viral; the more time you spend on videos (time you mightve spent rehearsing
and performing), the better your videos will be. (Robley, 2012)

There is hope then for those shunning the gigging circuit in a multimedia driven world. But what are the odds
of success? Not surprisingly, meaningful success is a feat that only a very small percentage of YouTubers
ever accomplish. (Johnston, 2014) Johnston continues:

Unfortunately, youre not the only person out there whos had the idea of starting up a YouTube
channel
100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
More than 1 million content creators have become YouTube partners since the program was
created in 2007
Were at the point where there is nearly an hour of YouTube video watched for each person on earth...But
its spread out over a massive number of videos, meaning that there is intense competition for those
viewing hours. (Johnston, 2014)

To further twist the knife, for some the classic formula of hitting the tarmac is still the most effective route:

Playing live often is, for obvious reasons, a vital component of being visible and building a fanbase. The
bands I was in that have generated the most consistent buzz were gigging on a weekly or bi-weekly basis
in the beginning. (Welsh, 2014)

Perhaps this too is a consideration of augmentation vs replication. Though it may sometimes feel that this
future-proofed world of social networks allows us to craft illustrious careers from our armchairs, the truth is
that for most of us its usefulness is in augmenting our physical campaigns rather than replicating them on a
new platform.

Conclusion

What then does this mean for Grip-Like Vice? While there may be a chance of viral success with an internet
campaign, its chances of reaching the right audience pales in significance when compared to physically
reaching out to the audience member stood in front of you. One must only look at the wider business world
to see how this challenge is contextualised:

The strength of a business is tied directly to the strength of the relationship between the business and its
customers. The good news is companies today can connect with customers in more ways and with more
frequency than ever before. The challenge for businesses is to create a consistent, high-level, customized
experience, no matter how the customer is touching the brand. (Trice, 2015)

The only meaningful conclusion that can be drawn is that for any serious artist, both live performance and
digital creativity are essential. The two approaches need not be mutually exclusive. Additionally, when
considering Liveness or online promotion, augmentation will always beat replication.

Sorry John...
 Bibliography

Auslander, P. (2011). Liveness : performance in a mediatized Culture. London [etc.]: Routledge.

Staropoli, A. (n.d.). How To Find The Right Musicians For Your Band. [online] Tomhess.net. Available at:
https://tomhess.net/HowToFindTheRightMusiciansForYourBand.aspx [Accessed 2 Nov. 2017].

Sherwin, A. (2013). Musician calls for big bands to come clean on secret backing tracks. [online] The
Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/musician-calls-for-
big-bands-to-come-clean-on-secret-backing-tracks-8773412.html [Accessed 5 Nov. 2017].

Willgoose Esq, J. (2013). Guest Column - Are backing tracks killing live music by Public Service
Broadcasting. [online] Q Magazine. Available at: https://www.qthemusic.com/articles/column/guest-column-
backing-tracks-killing-live-music-public-service-broadcasting [Accessed 5 Nov. 2017].

Golden, E. (2012). Is Deadmau5 Right? The "We All Hit Play" Debate - DJ TechTools. [online] DJ TechTools.
Available at: http://djtechtools.com/2012/07/02/is-deadmau5-right-the-we-all-hit-play-debate/ [Accessed 5
Nov. 2017].

Willgoose Esq, J. (2016). Live music should go wrong | J. Willgoose, Esq. | TEDxLondon. [video] Available
at: https://youtu.be/vSx0YA-ulsw [Accessed 5 Dec. 2017].

Eken, S. (2014). The Human Voice: Psyche, Soma, Function, Communication. 2nd ed. [ebook] Copenhagen:
The Royal Danish Academy Of Music. Available at: https://www.dkdm.dk/~/media/Files/Kunst%20og
%20udvikling/Udgivelser/08102014%20Susanna%20Eken_UK.ashx [Accessed 5 Dec. 2017].

Visconti, D. (2014). The Audience is the Most Important Instrument. [online] NewMusicBox. Available at:
https://nmbx.newmusicusa.org/the-audience-is-the-most-important-instrument/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

Herstand, A. (2014). What The Number Of Facebook Likes Says About Musicians - Digital Music News.
[online] Digital Music News. Available at: https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2014/07/10/number-facebook-
likes-says-musicians/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

Robley, C. (2012). Top 3 Ways to Promote Your Music If You Don't Perform Live - DIY Musician Blog. [online]
DIY Musician Blog. Available at: http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/music-promotion/top-3-ways-to-promote-
your-music-if-you-dont-perform-live/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].
Welsh, D. (2014). How a New Band With No Fanbase Can Start Building Local Buzz. [online]
Blog.sonicbids.com. Available at: http://blog.sonicbids.com/how-a-new-band-with-no-fanbase-can-start-
building-local-buzz [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017].

Johnston, M. (2014). Why You Probably Won't Get Rich & Famous on YouTube. [online] MonetizePros.
Available at: https://monetizepros.com/video-monetization/why-you-probably-wont-get-rich-famous-on-
youtube/ [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017].

Trice, D. (2015). Putting Your Customer First: The Connection Of Virtual And Physical Worlds - Retail
TouchPoints. [online] Retailtouchpoints.com. Available at:
https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/features/executive-viewpoints/putting-your-customer-first-the-connection-
of-virtual-and-physical-worlds [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017].

Reynolds, S. (2011). Keen On... Why The Internet Has Been Bad for Musical Artists. [video] Available at:
https://youtu.be/cCR7zXqY0-I [Accessed 14 Dec. 2017].

Patel, N. (2015). Do You Really Need More Facebook Likes? The Data Driven Answer. [online] Kissmetrics.
Available at: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/facebook-likes-data-driven-answer/ [Accessed 12 Dec. 2017].

Houseman, D. (2013). The Lead - Tapes And Tapes: Are bands going overboard with backing tracks? -
Features - Alternative Press. [online] Alternative Press. Available at:
https://www.altpress.com/features/entry/the_lead_tapes_and_tapes_are_bands_going_overboard_with_back
ing_tracks [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017].
 Appendix

www.web-folio.weebly.com - Please view my supporting Compendium and Portfolio.

Here you will find useful links and further content to contextualise both the essay and the accompanying
website. Considerations on design philosophy are also explored in the context of website creation.