Bands Don’t Die

Bands don’t die anymore, they just break up.

Even just a few years ago, news of your favorite band’s demise could have sent you into a whirlwind of endless repeat of track 2, but now, not so much. Whether through wall posts, blog updates or just 140 characters at a time, bands keep marching on long after the music stops.

There are dozens of examples of bands living on long after they’ve set their instruments down, but why? Because it’s hard to let go of 20,000+ followers, or even just 1000 followers. What if the band decides to pull a Brett Favre and come back from retirement time and time again? What if individual members want to explore new options? This “social media” time we currently find ourselves in demands that no matter how many followers, or how you got them, you don’t let them go. Keeping a band’s social media going could once have been seen as an altruistic thing, letting fans know of any lingering news or merch updates. But with the rise of a Kickstarter generation, successes are built on the backs not of a few people, but thousands. Reissued vinyls don’t press themselves and reunion tours still need someone to plan them so keeping as many fans and followers within a few keystrokes as you can is more of a necessity than an egotistical move.

Whether musicians use the words “indefinite hiatus” or just call it quits, you can be pretty sure that those updates will still be coming in. Slower of course, but still there to remind you of when the music played on.