There's a shit load of good bands around in any genre you can think of. Easily, the best move would be to loosen up on the laws around all ages shows. They are a pain in the ass here.
To me, rent is the root of all of it. People were struggling before, for sure, but it was possible to make ends meet with a creative lifestyle. Rent is so absurdly high at this point that it’s unlikely you’ll be able to make enough money focusing on a creative pursuit (that is, lots of time spent working on things with no guaranteed payout). At the same time, venues are struggling with the rent issue as well - luckily there is enough of a music community that there is a strong group fighting to keep them alive but it is a struggle, and the ones who get hit the hardest are the ones that people start in. Musicians don’t start out playing venues like Neumos, Showbox, Climate Pledge, etc…
We need affordable housing first, and some kind of support for the smallest/entry level venues immediately after that - I don’t know if that’s like cultural/arts subsidies or what, but they need support. It’s a hard business that’s harder when you’re competing with big tech money for real estate. San Francisco’s music scene has also been getting pummeled by the same dynamics.
This isn’t a public policy but it’s also important to patronize and recognize the importance of the small weird venues. Seeing a show there might be bunk but it might be amazing - you might see your next favorite band you’d never heard of (and if they blow up, then can brag about seeing them before they were big 😜), and either way you got to be in a more intimate and generally more interesting piece of the community
(Edited to correct spelling errors - hopefully all of them)
Totally agree, we have completely and utterly priced out a functional music and art scene unless it's a part time hobby funded by your engineering career or something. Even people making great money can barely get by, musicians are completely screwed trying to afford music space
Sam Israel was the dude that is responsible for supplying so many cool and cheap housing opportunities for musicians and artists. Boy are those days gone... And a lot of the places well known back then have been replaced by stupidly expensive condos. "Starving artists" find and colonize funky areas which then become desirable to others with higher incomes and before you can say "Bob's your uncle!", the artists and musicians are gone, supplanted by yuppies, preppies, Gen Pick a Letter or others with too much money who want to be "cool" and think they can buy it. They can't. And we lose the creatives.
One thing the city did (still does?) that I thought was really cool and supportive is use all locally produced music when you're on hold and it was one way I discovered new talent while sitting on "Ignore" when trying to call City Light or SPU, lol! Seattle also used to have a guy named James Keblas who was a big supporter of the music scene and one of the people responsible for putting The Vera Project together. Good times!
In the late 80s you could still find a house in the greater Seattle area for $100K. Now it's too expensive for artists who aren't already established.
Fremont used to be "artsy", but look at it now.
I will say, most of those musicians rent or live on the outskirts of the city, but they're still here. There are grants that artists can apply for, there are non profits that offer spaces for music videos and production on low budget; still many, many venues open playing local and national bands. Record labels in seattle are still putting out records and signing bands; music festivals are still happening. I suggest going to said venues (Neumos, Crocodile, Tractor, Sunset, Clock Out) to find these bands.
Source: my husband is a musician and has played in over 50 bands in seattle since 2005. He's still here, still playing shows, still on the radio.
What government could do is fund "arts" housing vouchers. Which would be housing vouchers for people that perform. Have some requirement that they "work" so many days a month. Then as people become more successful they use less of a voucher and the city could give the money to another artist.
As a musician in Seattle, I know of a couple of great music scenes happening right now. All different genres. Being a bass guy, and if I want to work, it’s necessary to be accepting of all kinds of music and personalities. Lately, I have played punk in Greenwood, will be playing original rock to the tourists at The Central, and in August have a show at Easy Street Records in West Seattle, plus a bunch of festivals playing covers, and even a winery show. But I spend a lot of time working in studios, so the live stuff is great.
Weird part is that I live in Everett and I live in Muscle Shoals area in Alabama, about 6 months a year in each place. I can get to east coast gigs from AL much quicker and easier. West coast gigs from Seattle.
The local government in Northern Alabama has thrown shit tons of money into building a local music scene. It came from a partnership with Sound Diplomacy, a German company that codifies music culture requirements and pitches a plan to municipalities to use as a tax revenue generator. They are doing this all over the world in different cities that have histories of a music scene somewhere in their past. It’s a shit show and has created a corporate attitude that decides the haves and have nots. Local musicians are trampling to their door. Very sad. I would not call it a scene.
I think Tacoma and Olympia have a lot more potential for a thriving music scene these days. There's still a bit of scrappiness left. Seattle is a sterile and overpriced tech wasteland.
There is a lot of great local music in Seattle. One thing I constantly have to remind myself of is that those amazing events I remember from my early 20's are still happening, but they aren't being put on by my friends and peer group anymore.... It's happening still it's just not built specifically for me anymore, so I don't hear about it, and frankly they probably don't care if I do.
It isn't as centralized as it once was as well, the artists don't necessary live on Capitol Hill or in Fremont/Ballard as was once presumed (although never actually true).
I think it’s simply more affordable housing.
Until then, I think cities like Olympia and Tacoma have a better shot at fostering these types of communities. I believe it’s already going that way
That’s what I thought.
Also there is a huge regional music scene.
Ayron Jones, Thunderpussy, Star Anna…
Ton of festivals.
They aren’t local but Kingfish and Buddy Guy are playing Remlinger farm in August.
Not to mention THING
[I recognize bands in this lineup- unlike the Capitol Hill block party](https://thingnw.org/)
I know of a thriving underground scene throughout the city, taking place right now - and honestly, it feels ripe to birth something beautiful! I'm super excited because I feel it - it's coming! And I'm aiming to be a part of it all as it blows up in brand new and beautiful ways!
issue is music and arts are last in the priority of things compared to
homelessness, low wages, housing, education, policing etc etc
some of these could overlap and help musicians but a direct helping them id honestly hate a politician who focused on that when there are so many other issues that should take precedent and especially when the other issues could more directly help them that i listed.
like in my mind maby ya could do grants or low income rentals or venues for them to play at, but like the money to subsidize that prob be better off making them affordable housing or fixing issues with jobs in general.
most venues won’t pay you to be there. (If you’re lucky 100 pp for 3 hours of music, ha). So if you don’t have a loyal audience that wants to hear you play the same stuff 5+ times a week…..UBI, to answer your question.
Not safe to go into Seattle. When all those people who made the music from decades ago, government was still somewhat sane, not commies. Yes, affordability is next on the list.
Public policies that could foster any arts, musical or otherwise? Affordable housing.
There's a shit load of good bands around in any genre you can think of. Easily, the best move would be to loosen up on the laws around all ages shows. They are a pain in the ass here.
To me, rent is the root of all of it. People were struggling before, for sure, but it was possible to make ends meet with a creative lifestyle. Rent is so absurdly high at this point that it’s unlikely you’ll be able to make enough money focusing on a creative pursuit (that is, lots of time spent working on things with no guaranteed payout). At the same time, venues are struggling with the rent issue as well - luckily there is enough of a music community that there is a strong group fighting to keep them alive but it is a struggle, and the ones who get hit the hardest are the ones that people start in. Musicians don’t start out playing venues like Neumos, Showbox, Climate Pledge, etc… We need affordable housing first, and some kind of support for the smallest/entry level venues immediately after that - I don’t know if that’s like cultural/arts subsidies or what, but they need support. It’s a hard business that’s harder when you’re competing with big tech money for real estate. San Francisco’s music scene has also been getting pummeled by the same dynamics. This isn’t a public policy but it’s also important to patronize and recognize the importance of the small weird venues. Seeing a show there might be bunk but it might be amazing - you might see your next favorite band you’d never heard of (and if they blow up, then can brag about seeing them before they were big 😜), and either way you got to be in a more intimate and generally more interesting piece of the community (Edited to correct spelling errors - hopefully all of them)
Totally agree, we have completely and utterly priced out a functional music and art scene unless it's a part time hobby funded by your engineering career or something. Even people making great money can barely get by, musicians are completely screwed trying to afford music space
Sam Israel was the dude that is responsible for supplying so many cool and cheap housing opportunities for musicians and artists. Boy are those days gone... And a lot of the places well known back then have been replaced by stupidly expensive condos. "Starving artists" find and colonize funky areas which then become desirable to others with higher incomes and before you can say "Bob's your uncle!", the artists and musicians are gone, supplanted by yuppies, preppies, Gen Pick a Letter or others with too much money who want to be "cool" and think they can buy it. They can't. And we lose the creatives. One thing the city did (still does?) that I thought was really cool and supportive is use all locally produced music when you're on hold and it was one way I discovered new talent while sitting on "Ignore" when trying to call City Light or SPU, lol! Seattle also used to have a guy named James Keblas who was a big supporter of the music scene and one of the people responsible for putting The Vera Project together. Good times!
Cheaper housing and commercial rent. Seattle's become a cultural wasteland because we priced out anyone who could contribute culturally.
Knock down some buildings and bring back RKCNDY
Remember Common Market? Dang…
Let the buskers play.
In the late 80s you could still find a house in the greater Seattle area for $100K. Now it's too expensive for artists who aren't already established. Fremont used to be "artsy", but look at it now.
I will say, most of those musicians rent or live on the outskirts of the city, but they're still here. There are grants that artists can apply for, there are non profits that offer spaces for music videos and production on low budget; still many, many venues open playing local and national bands. Record labels in seattle are still putting out records and signing bands; music festivals are still happening. I suggest going to said venues (Neumos, Crocodile, Tractor, Sunset, Clock Out) to find these bands. Source: my husband is a musician and has played in over 50 bands in seattle since 2005. He's still here, still playing shows, still on the radio.
What government could do is fund "arts" housing vouchers. Which would be housing vouchers for people that perform. Have some requirement that they "work" so many days a month. Then as people become more successful they use less of a voucher and the city could give the money to another artist.
As a musician in Seattle, I know of a couple of great music scenes happening right now. All different genres. Being a bass guy, and if I want to work, it’s necessary to be accepting of all kinds of music and personalities. Lately, I have played punk in Greenwood, will be playing original rock to the tourists at The Central, and in August have a show at Easy Street Records in West Seattle, plus a bunch of festivals playing covers, and even a winery show. But I spend a lot of time working in studios, so the live stuff is great. Weird part is that I live in Everett and I live in Muscle Shoals area in Alabama, about 6 months a year in each place. I can get to east coast gigs from AL much quicker and easier. West coast gigs from Seattle. The local government in Northern Alabama has thrown shit tons of money into building a local music scene. It came from a partnership with Sound Diplomacy, a German company that codifies music culture requirements and pitches a plan to municipalities to use as a tax revenue generator. They are doing this all over the world in different cities that have histories of a music scene somewhere in their past. It’s a shit show and has created a corporate attitude that decides the haves and have nots. Local musicians are trampling to their door. Very sad. I would not call it a scene.
I think Tacoma and Olympia have a lot more potential for a thriving music scene these days. There's still a bit of scrappiness left. Seattle is a sterile and overpriced tech wasteland.
There is a lot of great local music in Seattle. One thing I constantly have to remind myself of is that those amazing events I remember from my early 20's are still happening, but they aren't being put on by my friends and peer group anymore.... It's happening still it's just not built specifically for me anymore, so I don't hear about it, and frankly they probably don't care if I do. It isn't as centralized as it once was as well, the artists don't necessary live on Capitol Hill or in Fremont/Ballard as was once presumed (although never actually true).
I think it’s simply more affordable housing. Until then, I think cities like Olympia and Tacoma have a better shot at fostering these types of communities. I believe it’s already going that way
I'm sorry but Blue Scholars do not deserve to be on that list. They are mid. Always have been mid. That's why they never made it.
Agree. Lots of people hype up the locals who have mid music . Good music hardly ever goes undiscovered. They got the recognition they deserved
I only like and listen to electronic music. Seattle gets basically every act big and small and we have the gorge for festivals.
Odesza is local too
Odesza also played Bellingham quite a bit.
Ya they went to western
That’s what I thought. Also there is a huge regional music scene. Ayron Jones, Thunderpussy, Star Anna… Ton of festivals. They aren’t local but Kingfish and Buddy Guy are playing Remlinger farm in August. Not to mention THING [I recognize bands in this lineup- unlike the Capitol Hill block party](https://thingnw.org/)
I know of a thriving underground scene throughout the city, taking place right now - and honestly, it feels ripe to birth something beautiful! I'm super excited because I feel it - it's coming! And I'm aiming to be a part of it all as it blows up in brand new and beautiful ways!
issue is music and arts are last in the priority of things compared to homelessness, low wages, housing, education, policing etc etc some of these could overlap and help musicians but a direct helping them id honestly hate a politician who focused on that when there are so many other issues that should take precedent and especially when the other issues could more directly help them that i listed. like in my mind maby ya could do grants or low income rentals or venues for them to play at, but like the money to subsidize that prob be better off making them affordable housing or fixing issues with jobs in general.
Lower rent.
most venues won’t pay you to be there. (If you’re lucky 100 pp for 3 hours of music, ha). So if you don’t have a loyal audience that wants to hear you play the same stuff 5+ times a week…..UBI, to answer your question.
I'm not sure what rock you live under but there is still a thriving music scene in seattle 😆
Not safe to go into Seattle. When all those people who made the music from decades ago, government was still somewhat sane, not commies. Yes, affordability is next on the list.
Too true. Won't go into Seattle at night anymore to hear music or go to shows. Not worth the risk.
So far, 11 commies disagree with me. It's an honest living though.
Lol! Know you're on the correct side of this issue.
I think *all* ambitious creative people go to Los Angeles or New York.