Voices of Masada, et.al

[Brian J. Parker]

On 9/19/05, Sc'Eric (aka darkFIN) <darkfin6012 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> So, does anyone have any serious thoughts on the attendance 
> problem???

Speaking for myself, it's generally a matter of economy.  It's not
that I'm significantly poorer than I used to be (my salary has at
least kept pace with inflation, I'm one of the lucky ones).  But I
credit "Arcane" Matt with pointing out somethign I hadn't realized:
there's much better competition for my entertainment dollars now.

For the cost of two Voices of Masada tickets, we can get a month of
indie films from Netflix; for twice that, a video game that will give
me forty to a hundred hours of visceral entertainment.

Of course, I could be getting older; the primary audience for
subculture shows is aged 18-25.  Shows aimed at that age range are
suffering across the board, it is NOT just a goth thing; so if it's a
cultural shift, maybe somebody that age can talk about what's more
appealing to them.  I suspect that the social aspect of shows has been
greatly dimminished in the communications age; and that it is now
very, very, very easy to discover new music online.  But what do I
know?

I suspect Philly does better partially due to a MUCH larger population
base, partly because they have a very dedicated promoter who "gets"
large-scale events, and partly for cultural reasons (the scene has
been cultivated for many years, in much the way Ceremony has been, on
a smaller scale, cultivated here).

Brian (aka DJ Badtz)

P.S. - Comparing Voices of Masada to a noise show might not have been
a good comparison.  Very, very different music.  I wouldn't go to a
noise show simply because I wouldn't enjoy it.