Indie bands who can sell out 350 person venues should start releasing amateur DVDs of their performances for 10-20$ a pop off their websites.
Here's why:
(1) Short people on the floor who saw nothing but some dude's back can actually see what was going on;
(2) Good indie puts on hell of awesome live performances which tend to be unique, and that sort of thing should be captured for repeated enjoyment;
(3) People who couldn't make the concert can experience it second hand;
(4) This is going to make indie bands a ton of money (compared to the pitiful they make booking and selling out a 350 person venue, at ticket prices of about $15-30 a pop.) Since the money would be generated from the performance and going to straight to the band, this would make it easier for bands to retain control of their own music;
(5) Obsessive collectors with too much money/kleptomania could collect one DVD from every performance & have the bestest collection EVAR !
Sure, there are some problems, but I don't think they justify not doing this. I think it's just a new idea that hasn't been tried out enough yet, but it's the way of the future. I just wish the future would start already. Possible objections:
(1) Who wants to listen to flubbed lyrics & feedback? Not every concert is special. It's so cheap to make an amateur DVD recording, that if noone wants the Wyoming show, it's no loss. The bad shows will be more than offset by the good ones.
(2) One dude will buy the DVD. Then put it on a bittorrent. End of story. Naw, indie fans by and large will buy the DVDs legally even if they have other options, assuming they got the green. Anyway, the bootlegs are already out there. This way at least, the bands will get in on some of the market.
(3) It's going to cannibalize the CD sales. Maybe a little. But not too much, because bands can release a show's DVDs only after the latest album has been out on CD for a while. Also, since these would be amateur DVDs in concert conditions, there's going to be no comparison in quality of the sound.
So . . . why aren't my favorite bands releasing amateur DVDs of their shows yet?. I want them to start, NOW.
