In fact, it costs more than $100,000 to try to “make it” today, including $30,000 for “training,” $25,000 for gear, $1,000 to “pay a guy to send email blasts to databases of hip music blogs,”and $18,000 to live in New York City, because shaggy-haired rock guys are required by federal law to live in New York City. Man, were the Ramones actually Rockefellers or something?
We’re going to tread lightly here, because the level of delusion in this story could potentially suck us all into a bottomless vortex of self-entitlement from which no amount of whining to wealthy parents will ever free us.
Yeah. Sometimes you read something that’s so wrong you want to yell everything that is wrong about it all at once, so nothing has enough time to become a fully-formed sentence. This is one of those times.
Am I missing something? A guitar that doesn’t go out of tune so much that it embarrasses you in public often starts at $1,000 and you haven’t even bought any pedals that make indie rock possible. Also, if you gig regularly, you could go through $25-30 in strings a week times 52 per year. At this point you still don’t have an amp, a cable or a place to practice. None of these things will you have only one of that you will keep for your entire life. I don’t even know about the other instruments, other than bass strings are more expensive. Or are we saying that those sorts of costs don’t count, like I shouldn’t count my college tuition and books toward my job that I have now. Because cumulatively? Not that I cosign with the entitlement and whining, but playing music is expensive. Music is not writing, where you just need a moleskin and the truth. But even so, couldn’t you count your (assumed) BA and any workshops and books by the greats whose writing made you better? Music is definitely made out of expensive things (instruments). Let’s say you had sonic ambitions beyond lo-fi. That’s more gear. I think $100,000 is a lowish cumulative number for a four piece band and which obviously skips music conservatory. (Not required, but it’s where you learn stuff like how to breathe so you don’t embarrass yourself on SNL.)
So don’t ask “what did the Ramones do?” like they somehow spent less money on music(before inflation adjustments). They spent a bunch of money on their music and starved the rest of the time, I’m sure. They were just cool enough not to whine about it. I’m not an expert, but Johnny Ramone’s multiple Mosrites that he ran through a Marshall amp were not made of/bought with cuddles and dreams. Why do so many musician bios spend so much time talking about getting a hold of gear? Or bands who have stories where their line-up was partially determined by stuff like who had a PA?
