Music for Nothing, Shows for Free

It started with the cassette tape. Suddenly, it was no longer necessary to pay for recorded music. If your friend owned a copy of Fat Boys Crushin’ or Kool Moe Dee’s How Ya Like Me Now? (two of my favorites in the 80s, you could purchase a cassette tape for a couple bucks and dub the whole album for free. Dubbing cassette tapes wasn’t enough to send the recorded music industry spiraling into the pits of Rock Purgatory, but with the introduction of CD-Rs, mp3 format, Napster and now BitTorrents, music pirates are pillaging record labels’ and bands’ treasure chests like never before. I’ll not offer my opinion on whether or not I think that it’s right or wrong; good or bad; or a curse or a blessing. The truth is that free music is all of the above.

Lately, the idea of “free music” has spilled over into Athens’ live music scene. From 40 Watt to Go Bar to The Farm, nearly every local venue is now offering free shows.Instrumental in planning and promoting many of these free shows is local indie rock dignitary and musician Mercer West and his DIY venture “Party Party Partners” aka “Hey Guys.” Throughout April, West put together 30 free shows at Athens venues.

As a musician, performer and music lover, I think that the wave of free shows is a great way to get people excited about the Athens music scene again. In any good music town, there are periods of waxing and waning. The last 2 or 3 years have felt a little slow in Athens, but with R.E.M. and the B-52s releasing new albums this year, Of Montreal taking over the world, and newer bands like The Whigs, Dead Confederate and The Modern Skirts receiving plenty of national spotlight, I think we’re in an upswing. And it’s not like there were too many Athens bands getting rich from playing non-free shows prior to this new trend.

There’s something inherently “communal” about free shows. I’d encourage anyone to take in a free show and see what you think.If you’re not into the bands, then you’re not out any cash. But if you find the music catchy, cool, fun or otherwise interesting, I urge you to offer a donation or buy a CD or two. None of the bands I know are playing music for the money (there isn’t much to go around), but most serious bands spend dozens of hours every week writing, recording, practicing, booking shows, promoting their shows, etc.--all in an attempt to put on a good performance for you, the listener. Many bands want to take their music to audiences outside of their home town, but touring isn’t free (or even cheap). If you went to a free art opening and really liked the paintings, you’d probably pay to take one home if you could afford it. If you really like the music, you should do the same.