 "Photo: MCT Campus")
We are living in a precarious time in entertainment. In the midst of discounted music pay sites such as Napster, pirating music engines such as Limewire, and the simplicity of sharing music via the iPod Empire a revolution is going on in music. A reshuffling of how the industry must perceive financial success has caused many artists to lash out against their fans due to the decline of CD sales. The classic Metallica debacle is a case in point. While this burden has not sent the music moguls into bedlam yet, it is obvious that, to be able to generate the millions they have grown accustomed to, alternative means need to be met.
Musicians consistently doing what they are meant to do can augment these means; that is tour on a regular basis. Somewhere along the path to stardom many bands forgot what it meant to be a musical act. Give the fans what they want, not what they think they want. To their disappointment this is beginning to mean doing more than turning out a lackluster album that costs 20 bucks every few years and appearing on the cover of a tabloid magazine for dating some anorexic actress that would not look at them twice in the real world.
So what we are beginning to see is a change. Some artists such as Dave Matthews Band (despite what you think of their music) have been consistently touring for the better part of each year for over a decade. Granted the ticket prices are high, but they still continue to produce albums and maintain a loyal fan base. What they are even doing now is sponsoring a contest in which text messaging a given number will put your school in the running for DMB to come to your school. That is great, but what about everybody else you want to see live?
Eventful.com has taken the simplicity of a Craigslist format and took the creepy qualities out of MySpace to create a site where fans of all types of entertainment can "demand" their favorite acts to come to their area. Based on the concept that tours will be structured around a large base of fans, Eventful.com hopes to bring performances to you by using a simple neo grassroots method of getting the average sycophant the chance to vote for their favorite band. Navigation is very easy and music is not the only option. Authors, politicians, and many other underpaid pseudo celebrities can have their services requested.
On the side of the music consumer, the site allows interaction beyond simply "demanding" by starting your own demand. For example, I started a demand for Bright Eyes to come to Loyola. This is about as likely as reinstituting free water cups on campus (because I am sure our $45,000 a year couldn't possibly afford some plastic cups) but hey, it is worth a shot. One of the features I liked most about signing up is that I did not have to fill out a vast amount of inane information. Also (this is critical for me) it is idiot-proof. You really cannot mess up creating your own demand. Like MySpace, there is also a way for bands to get themselves on the site and noticed, which is essential for local acts. The bright side is that you also will not get bizarre messages from lackeys in your hometown asking for a good time.
Eventful.com still is a new occurrence. In what is being referred to as a new age of information technology, sites such as Facebook, Craigslist and countless blogs for all facets of life are more popular than ever. The benefit that Eventful has is that it is a proactive page, which in today's electronic social networks is essential. Granted it may not catch on (though I highly recommend at least checking it out), but it reveals something that is coming to the foreground of an ever changing and erratic music industry. People are no longer allowing bands to set their own schedules, which brings about a role reversal that will hopefully increase not only tours but cheaper albums and tickets. Well, maybe we will not get too far ahead of ourselves and just hope for the touring part.
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