I Can’t Believe My Favorite Band Whose Music I Never Bought Is Breaking Up

So that’s it then, after all these years. This band has given so much to me, and I’ve given nothing to them, and for some reason they don’t want to continue. It doesn’t make any sense.

After a decade of not giving them a dime for any of their creative output, I just don’t understand why they would call it quits. This music means so much to me. Well, not enough for me to drop twenty bucks on an album, let’s not get crazy, but it still means a lot.

Don’t get it twisted, I’m a super fan. I stream their music, I follow them on social media, and I can’t begin to tell you how many of their concerts I’ve seen.

On YouTube, that is. There’s always at least one fan who can get a decent enough video recording of a show. Sometimes it’s only audio though and honestly that’s such bullshit. It’s really the least the band can do to allow fan recordings, and it shouldn’t be that hard for someone to edit and upload the footage so I can watch it all for free on my phone. Sometimes I question if other fans love this band the way I do.

Paying for a concert ticket is out of the question, what with Ticketmaster and LiveNation and their price gouging. Sure, this band mostly played small capacity clubs with five or ten-dollar cover charges, but those add up quickly. I’m not Nelson Rockefeller.

It’s honestly too much money when you think about it. Twenty-five dollars for a t-shirt? Thirty with shipping? Let’s be reasonable. That’s money I could use to purchase three, maybe four beers on a night out. Good music will last a lifetime, but that buzz will last over two hours if I time my drinks right.

The system is broken. Obviously I deserve unlimited access to all music in perpetuity while giving nothing to the people who create that music. The middlemen, like Spotify and Apple, deserve a little something for their trouble, but that’s as far as my generosity can stretch.

You don’t understand. I love this band. This music speaks to me. I’ve played these records morning, noon, and night. Not physical records, of course. I mean metaphorical records that don’t cost any real money on my end.

Blame it on the labels, those greedy corporate tycoons. They’re the reason we can’t have nice things. This band is independent and all their albums are self-released, but you never know where your dollars are actually going.

Now that the band is giving up, I worry they’ll send the wrong message to young people. We’re supposed to follow our dreams, put in the work, and then give that work away for free.

It’s tragic, when you think about it. This band is one of a kind, every member is a master of their craft. And now they have to quit music for some soul-crushing nine-to-five jobs. I would do anything to get them back on stage and in the studio.

Except give them money, obviously.

But, man, I’ll be so sad. I’m already torn up about it. This is really worse for me than it is for them. At least their music is still online. Even after they hang up their guitars, they’ll still bring yours truly some joy. I’m sure that would cheer them up. In a spiritual sense, that’s worth more than an album sale or a concert ticket. Me, happy. That’s what music is all about. That’s what makes this funky world go round.