In A Relationship

Advertising is the cost of being boring. Andy Sernovitz's now famous grab is often cited by former PiL drummer (now author, label owner and educator) Martin Atkins. Indeed, attendees at Atkins' keynote Face The Music address later this month will almost certainly hear him say it again.

The reason why is now abundantly clear to all but the most self-regarding bedroom artistes; namely, that music is a business and bands are brands. As someone who has spent more than 30 years working in and around the industry, Atkins knows this inside out. His definitive book Tour Smart: And Break The Band encapsulates his urbane and pragmatic take on the art and commerce of making music and playing live in the post-gatekeeper universe.

For the budding musical genius besotted by their own visions, Atkins' blunt messaging should have the stimulating effect of a sharp slap. “It's not good enough to be a great guitarist anymore,” he states provocatively. “You could be a fantastic guitarist and I might want to go and see you but if you're not on top of your game, you might be playing the wrong venue. Y'know, security might not let me in the mosh pit, the beers might be too expensive, the parking too expensive, the toilets disgusting; and I won't want to see your band again.”

Much of Atkins' advice boils down to nuts and bolts, attention to detail (boring stuff like that). He is fond of saying that getting your band/brand from basement to big time is a five-to-seven year prospect. Furthermore, as labels retreat and internet indie proliferates, finding points of difference and creating “unique stories” for fans is essential.

According to Atkins, “An artist now needs to understand marketing, social media and being social in person. Most of the artists who are big now, five-to-seven years ago were the ones who would stay at a venue until every single person had left with something signed, a handshake, a signed boob, or a story to tell.”

If it all sounds like an MBA course, no apology is made. Martin Atkins is adamant that forming relationships is the key to growing a band's profile. “If you want the feedback of an audience, that drug of their response, then you have to work on that relationship. Otherwise, the five people that like you will be shivering in a room that should be holding 200 and the silence of nobody being there will drown out the genius of your guitar playing.”

Suffice to say, part of that relationship build revolves around social media and the internet more broadly. When Atkins first joined John Lydon's post-Pistols band PiL back in 1979, things were a lot simpler but also a whole lot more centralised, and whereas the net and other digital innovations have democratised the industry, they have also unleashed an ocean of dubious content.

“Only about 20% of the music that gets uploaded to iTunes ever gets downloaded,” Atkins says by way of warning. “Some bands can't deal with it. They retreat to 'I'm going to practise my guitar because I'm all about my art'. Y'know, I call people on that because that's just fear.”

Meanwhile, networking events like Face The Music serve not only to sharpen the focus on the business of doing music but give people like Atkins the chance to drive home their message. As a label owner and music entrepreneur, he is not only still inspired by what young bands are doing, but also looking for talent. “The only thing limiting a band is their ideas,” he declares. “Y'know, it's very much like, 'go on, amuse me, set my head on fire'.”

With a CV that also includes Killing Joke, Pigface and Ministry, Atkins will doubtless use his keynote address at FTM to start a few industrial-strength burn-offs of his own. The question is: are you ready to be scorched?

Thursday 22 November - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 24 November - Factory Theatre, Sydney NSW