BMI, ASCAP, etc. suing bars?

Might not be a completely popular position, but here it goes.
Cover bands suck anyways. Either make your own awesome music or get out of the way for people that do! I will straight leave a “music venue” that has a cover band playing. That’s fine when your learning to play as a kid, but grown ass men playing horrible renditions of another grown ass mans music is just sad and pathetic IMO. They’re one step down from tribute bands.

Although the sentiment quoted on cover bands is worded a little provocatively, I get and kind of agree with the idea. I'd also much rather watch original music live. Currently not in a band, and as a player, I am less interested in playing straight-up covers than I was starting out, and really trying to shift my focus to creating music. If I continue on this track, probably much less opportunity to perform, but at this moment seems like a more interesting path than doing covers.
 
Nobody wants to hear original music at restaurants and pubs these days. Music has become a commodity. I enjoy being hired.
I have played in original bands in the past. My experience was that most bars want cover bands. Ive booked WAY MORE gigs as a cover band than an original band. Not saying one is better than the other. Just my personal experience.
 
People that are most passionate about music, enough to spend time and money to learn and perform and give back seem hurt the most!? There's no where near the amount of venues that existed in previous decades, then tax the existing heavily? With insurance, utilities, maintenance and labor most all struggle at some level. If the remaining venues shut down and no one wants to learn or practice music because there's no chance to make it out of their bedroom? Well... the music industry could be digging itself a deeper hole than it's already in.
I'm all for artist' to make a living from their time and efforts, but music was made to be played or they wouldn't have recorded it? And most cover bands are far from creating accurate copies of someone else's work, and the people that hear know that.
 
And then your only options are give up music altogether, become a bedroom player (I'm not sure if that's any better then giving up music altogether, but hey, if you like it, go for it!) , or join a cover or tribute band.
Not...

My band plays only original music, and has done so since 1993. You don't have to be "trying to be a rock star" to play original music and enjoy doing it.

I started a family and a career at a very young age (20) and I'm a realist. I know the odds and the industry (and the fact that talent doesn't equal success!). I never had big dreams because I knew the likelyhood of getting that lucky was pretty slim.

We made a conscious decision about 15 years ago to mostly forego bar gigs. We didn't have a problem booking them, but there were long hours for little to no money (not our motivation, but it's nice to get paid) and the audience was just not all that interested. They were mostly there to try and "hook up" not to listen to music. And the bar owners do NO promotion... And when you're an adult, most of your friends are only going to make 1 or 2 gigs a year, even if you're only playing on the weekend.

So, we focus on fairs, civic events, etc that draw much larger audiences and we get people that are actively listening to us play. That is what we want as performers of original music - an engaged audience.

Of course, we are a fairly "family friendly" so that helps. If you're playing death core you might have a bigger challenge ;)

Anyway, my point is that there are always options.
 
I love to go out and hear live music, and almost all of it is bands playing originals (except maybe for jazz clubs). I rarely go to hear a cover band unless it's a tribute or one of my friends; then again I rarely spend any time in bars anymore (unless I'm playing ;-)

That being said, I've played in many original bands and many cover bands and at 58 playing covers is fine with me. Sure, I'd love to being playing my own music (or my bandmates') but I don't have the energy or desire to try to do all the work to create a following yada yada that would get gigs. If such a band showed up I'd love to join it but I accept that train left the station a long time ago. So I use some of my music for clients' videos, podcasts, etc (but that's generally not guitar music), and go out and have a great time playing killer cover songs that other people have fun listening or dancing to.

Remember, we're the minority in here - most people aren't musicians, don't understand or care about all that, and want to hear songs they know.
 
Not...

My band plays only original music, and has done so since 1993. You don't have to be "trying to be a rock star" to play original music and enjoy doing it.

I started a family and a career at a very young age (20) and I'm a realist. I know the odds and the industry (and the fact that talent doesn't equal success!). I never had big dreams because I knew the likelyhood of getting that lucky was pretty slim.

We made a conscious decision about 15 years ago to mostly forego bar gigs. We didn't have a problem booking them, but there were long hours for little to no money (not our motivation, but it's nice to get paid) and the audience was just not all that interested. They were mostly there to try and "hook up" not to listen to music. And the bar owners do NO promotion... And when you're an adult, most of your friends are only going to make 1 or 2 gigs a year, even if you're only playing on the weekend.

So, we focus on fairs, civic events, etc that draw much larger audiences and we get people that are actively listening to us play. That is what we want as performers of original music - an engaged audience.

Of course, we are a fairly "family friendly" so that helps. If you're playing death core you might have a bigger challenge ;)

Anyway, my point is that there are always options.

Congrats that you can make it work. You and your band are doing something right. Good for you and keep it up. But do keep in mind that your experiences are not the rule, but the exception.

Right now there is little market for original rock music. As Rick Beato said, rock has become the new jazz. Music for and by musicians, but not the mass public. EDM, pop and rap are king. Only classic rock still does well, because it has the power of recognition. There's a reason most musicians start out playing covers and end their careers in cover bands. It's easier to get gigs playing covers and its more lucrative to play covers. There are cover bands nowadays playing arenas, something 99.9% of original rock bands will never reach. It may not be to everyone's liking, but like I said, as you get older and older at some point in time one has to realize that that big break into rockstardom will not happen. And then its either sell your gear and focus on other things, become a bedroom player, or start playing covers. At least the last option is still the most fun of those three.

And before we diss cover bands for taking the easy road, the really good successful ones also work very hard to reach that kind of level.
 
I enjoy a cover band that plays a certain style, and does it well, on occasion. I typically like proper stage show, dress etc. if your going to do it, do it well.

What I don’t really enjoy is just a few regular looking dudes on stage, playing covers. Usually they don’t give a unique take on the songs, it doesn’t sound as good, and I’d probably be just as happy with a jukebox.

I jam on covers myself, at home, for fun, but don’t really see the point in most cases of being a cover band, or at least one that doesn’t try to do some original stuff.

All the bands that wrote the music the cover bands are doing only got to that level becasue they did original work.

Playing your own stuff always seems like the real point of being, creating, not just performing.

I’d rather hear a bad original that hear a good, yet by the book cover of some done to death pop or hard rock song for the 1000th time.

I love Floyd but don’t want to hear a bad bar cover of Comfortably Numb, or god forbid Sweet Home Albama etc

Brown eyed girl ? Sorry, I’m leaving lol
 
Congrats that you can make it work. You and your band are doing something right. Good for you and keep it up. But do keep in mind that your experiences are not the rule, but the exception.

Right now there is little market for original rock music. As Rick Beato said, rock has become the new jazz. Music for and by musicians, but not the mass public. EDM, pop and rap are king. Only classic rock still does well, because it has the power of recognition. There's a reason most musicians start out playing covers and end their careers in cover bands. It's easier to get gigs playing covers and its more lucrative to play covers. There are cover bands nowadays playing arenas, something 99.9% of original rock bands will never reach. It may not be to everyone's liking, but like I said, as you get older and older at some point in time one has to realize that that big break into rockstardom will not happen. And then its either sell your gear and focus on other things, become a bedroom player, or start playing covers. At least the last option is still the most fun of those three.

And before we diss cover bands for taking the easy road, the really good successful ones also work very hard to reach that kind of level.



Know what is interesting ? No one seems to do rap covers. Rap stuff always seems to be original.

No one says they are going to do a night of Tupac covers, NWA covers etc

I don’t know if it’s that fans would go for it or what, but if you want to rap, you seem to have to do your own stuff, BUT, if your a dude with guitar, you can say your going to play Jack Johnson, Sublime etc, solo gigs and get booked (likely for little money) at tons of places around town.

Just kind of strange when you think about it.
 
My gigs are cover gigs, and I try to pick songs that are obscure, yet familiar. If I’m playing brown eyed girl it’s because someone requested it.

It’s solo or duo guitar, so there’s no “full band sound” for the cover, so I’m forced to re-orchestrate almost every song anyway. I find it a nice challenge to keep the song full, put my own take on it, do it in my key, and keep it familiar.
 
Know what is interesting ? No one seems to do rap covers. Rap stuff always seems to be original.

No one says they are going to do a night of Tupac covers, NWA covers etc

I don’t know if it’s that fans would go for it or what, but if you want to rap, you seem to have to do your own stuff, BUT, if your a dude with guitar, you can say your going to play Jack Johnson, Sublime etc, solo gigs and get booked (likely for little money) at tons of places around town.

Just kind of strange when you think about it.
I’ve seen rap cover gigs, or at least rap songs in cover band sets. I think it just depends on the specific venue and audience more than the band. Those things determine what the band can get away with. That’s how I approach it anyway. I always scan the audience and change my sets in real time depending on who arrives and leaves.
 
Know what is interesting ? No one seems to do rap covers. Rap stuff always seems to be original.

No one says they are going to do a night of Tupac covers, NWA covers etc

I don’t know if it’s that fans would go for it or what, but if you want to rap, you seem to have to do your own stuff, BUT, if your a dude with guitar, you can say your going to play Jack Johnson, Sublime etc, solo gigs and get booked (likely for little money) at tons of places around town.

Just kind of strange when you think about it.
I do plenty of rap stuff (Tupac, Dre, Eminem, House of Pain, Kanye, Flo Rida, Chris Brown, etc.).
In Boston, if you want to play the younger gen clubs, you need some of that.
Not all Rap....but some.
I do agree it's interesting that there are no 'full rap' cover bands.
 
Might not be a completely popular position, but here it goes.
Cover bands suck anyways. Either make your own awesome music or get out of the way for people that do! I will straight leave a “music venue” that has a cover band playing. That’s fine when your learning to play as a kid, but grown ass men playing horrible renditions of another grown ass mans music is just sad and pathetic IMO. They’re one step down from tribute bands.

I totally agree!

I saw the Boston Symphony Orchestra recently and was like - Hey, that's Beethoven?! You all suck! Write your own stuff!

Hey, I've been in an original band that has done better than I ever imagined I would. And I play in a cover band as well.
Both are enjoyable. Both are creative. Both allow we the freedom to play guitar and sing.
That's all I need.
 
I enjoy a cover band that plays a certain style, and does it well, on occasion. I typically like proper stage show, dress etc. if your going to do it, do it well.

What I don’t really enjoy is just a few regular looking dudes on stage, playing covers. Usually they don’t give a unique take on the songs, it doesn’t sound as good, and I’d probably be just as happy with a jukebox.

I jam on covers myself, at home, for fun, but don’t really see the point in most cases of being a cover band, or at least one that doesn’t try to do some original stuff.

All the bands that wrote the music the cover bands are doing only got to that level becasue they did original work.

Playing your own stuff always seems like the real point of being, creating, not just performing.

I’d rather hear a bad original that hear a good, yet by the book cover of some done to death pop or hard rock song for the 1000th time.

I love Floyd but don’t want to hear a bad bar cover of Comfortably Numb, or god forbid Sweet Home Albama etc

Brown eyed girl ? Sorry, I’m leaving lol

Writing original music is truly where its at, I agree. But when given the choice between a jukebox, or a dude playing music from his iPod and a some regular looking dudes playing covers I always chose the latter. Because live music is always magical. That is...., when its being played well. At best at least decently. Although when played badly magic also happens. Black magic?

As for being tired of the classics, they're called the classics for a reason. For better or for worse, those are the songs most people want to hear.

Know what is interesting ? No one seems to do rap covers. Rap stuff always seems to be original.

No one says they are going to do a night of Tupac covers, NWA covers etc

I don’t know if it’s that fans would go for it or what, but if you want to rap, you seem to have to do your own stuff, BUT, if your a dude with guitar, you can say your going to play Jack Johnson, Sublime etc, solo gigs and get booked (likely for little money) at tons of places around town.

Just kind of strange when you think about it.

Maybe its because most rappers rap along to backing tracks anyway? And they put guys who play music from their iPods on a pedestal, so listening to a glorified jukebox is basically what they are used too already?
 
I will never understand why there has to be a separation between being a cover band or an original band. I've always done both. There is an endless list of well know original bands that did both as well. Van Halen, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, started by playing covers with only a few originals. Yes, the originals made them household names, but they weren't playing all original gigs until after they had record contracts. Even then some still did covers. Sticky Fingers is one of my favorite albums, and it has a cover of "You Gotta Move". Even Bob Dylan's first album only has 2 songs written by him. Cheap Trick covered "Ain't That A Shame" at Budakan.

Songs are just songs. Originals aren't any better than covers, and vice versa. Live music is the key. How well you perform music and the emotion you put into it is what people respond to, real musicians playing together making great music that people enjoy. The audience could care less who wrote the songs.
 
Last edited:
As for being tired of the classics, they're called the classics for a reason. For better or for worse, those are the songs most people want to hear.
Yep! I almost never listen to anything resembling classic rock radio, and rarely listen any more to most of what I would call "my favorite bands" - Zep, The Who, Yes, Genesis, U2, Beatles, Stones, Floyd, the Dead, etc - even though I have all their tunes, I rarely spin them unless they happen to show up on shuffle. That way when I do hear them somewhere I'm like "cool!" instead of burnt out on it. And when I play some of them in a band I can still enjoy it a lot more.

And yea, screw all the classical musicians (and most of the jazz players too)... they're all just cover artists. ;-)
 
Back
Top Bottom