_Kyleigh Polston is a freshman journalism major at MU. She is an opinion columnist who writes about student life for The Maneater._
In the world of music, you never know who or what will be the next big thing. There are probably more bands than jobs out there on the market today, but this doesn’t mean that they should be overlooked.
I personally grew up around more original music than you could imagine. My best friend’s family was, and still is, extremely musically talented.
Their band, which consisted of five older siblings and a few family friends, would play gigs at local bars and fundraisers every chance they got. Several of them have since gone on to record their own original tracks and perform with a multitude of different bands.
After years of immersing myself in their world, I have come to learn the utter importance of support from the local community and what that means for musicians.
The key to making your way in the music industry is plain and simple: numbers.
Putting your efforts into going out and supporting a band or musician might be one of the only ways they’ll get invited back to that particular venue or get gigs elsewhere.
Just look at the music industry today; the amount of fan-voted awards continues to grow and the only way to win is through the dedication of fans and supporters just like us.
For example, the Billboard’s American Music Awards have two award categories that are solely determined by fan-voting. Last year, the Top Social Artist Award received more than 300 million votes worldwide for just one artist. Imagine that multiplied by two, three, four more artists and you’re are talking about some real dedication from fans worldwide.
On top of that, most of the time tickets or entry fees for local bands tend to be extraordinarily cheap. At The Blue Note right here in downtown Columbia, they have tickets that start at $10 in the upcoming weeks for a variety of different local and upcoming bands.
Previous musicians that have performed at The Blue Note, such as The Pixies and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, have since made it big. So, who’s to say your $10 ticket won’t buy you a experience of a lifetime?
Bands such as Nirvana and Car Seat Headrest are just two examples who have made it big. When Nirvana was first formed by Kurt Cobain in 1987, the band’s success began on a local college radio station where they gained local popularity before they were ever recognized nationally.
Car Seat Headrest began as a solo project for Will Toledo, who recorded songs in his parent’s car and posted them to an online streaming website called Bandcamp. Eventually, the rest of the band was formed, and as popularity grew they were signed to a record deal with Matador.
Even if none of the musicians or bands that you take the time to go out and see make it big, you will always have the experience to look back on. Instead of making your way home after a long day of classes and lounging around in your room, you could instead be going out to local venues and discovering new music you love.
For most musicians struggling to make it big, music is quite literally their life. Music may be how they pay bills and put food on the table each week. Although it’s not guaranteed that their efforts will result in a full career, going out and supporting musicians is essentially supporting their dream, and that knowledge will always make the dedication worth it.
Here in Columbia, there is definitely a larger population of aspiring musicians than I ever experienced in my small hometown of Montgomery City, Missouri. So, if you’re looking from something to do on a weekend, just make your way downtown and you may discover your new favorite band.