Music, touring, and the future

Many years ago, this article had me wondering about these things -

http://radio3.cbc.ca/#/blogs/2010/7/Extended-Play-16-Is-Touring-Sustainable

It led me to revisit some serious aspects about what I would prefer to do in this life; and it made me re-think some of my approaches.

• Do people really care about live music - especially heavy rock?

I guess the answer to that is really less important than is it something I enjoy creating and performing. I used to think I had to work really hard and be successful financially in order to be creatively happy. Time and life has changed that view - in that now I figure it's best to really approach and make music that I like, and let financial success be a by-product of that. I figure at the very least, it's honest.

• Can one really make a living at it - knowing that things are already very competitive? 

The fact is, if I really want to make a living at it, my life would've been set up in that direction already. I figure on some level I'd grow to hate all aspects of that after some time. While I enjoy playing music and like the idea of performing in front of crowds, the of being a touring musician doesn't otherwise appeal to me. Yes it'd be great to visit various parts of the world and all that, but in a sense, would I really be visiting? I figured I'd be spending most of my time traveling, in hotels, backstage, etc., such that I'd rarely ever get to actually venture. One the other hand, perhaps touring isn't the only way to get live music out there, especially in this digital day and age.

• What does a band really mean in this day and age - is it a group of people, or a money-making corporation?

I've read all the horror stories of many of the bands I've listened to - inevitably one or more people end up really driving things in terms of writing or being the front person. Everyone else ends up on some level being really side-musicians. And even if you break things up and split things along a certain line financially (i.e. like creating a corporation and so forth), doesn't that mean one is literally treating making music as nothing more than a business? Isn't there really a better way?

• Can one really deliver the sonic fidelity one seeks in every medium, and with each new one that comes along?

I've heard all the arguments - analog vs. digital, compressed vs. as-is, brick walling, etc. The fact is, one's music is never going to be heard in this day and age in just one medium. Phone devices and the Internet make it possible really for one to hear their music pretty much anywhere. But, because much of that means the music is being heard electronically, it will mean some for of sonic compromise. That is, the levels will be off, there will be some distortion, it can get sonic-ally tiring for one's ears, and so forth. I think the trick there is to recognize what one's master sound for each song or release should be like, and ensure one's audience knows where that is to be found.