Reports of the collapsing music industry have been rife. Apparently, as a musician, you no longer survive on the basis of record sales (alone). In niche genres, however, it is easy to survive. So proves the band Current 93, which performed in Stadtgarten, Cologne last week.
Playing live a lot and selling merchandise seems to be the golden rule for those who want to survive in a music industry that no longer relies on record sales. Or: do as much as possible yourself. That proves Einstürzende Neubauten for example. This Berlin-based industrial band allows fans to pre-subscribe to its yet-to-be-released record, which allows the group to collect the funds to make that record. This is possible even with a relatively small circle of a few thousand 'believers'. A post-release tour then provides - with the gages and additional merchandise - the necessary extra finances, and this is how the Berliners have been holding out for a while now.
Playing a lot is out of the question for David Tibet and his apocalyptic folk band Current 93. Five shows in a row and then home again: the 'gentlemen's tour' is what Tibet calls it. On 24 March, the new album 'Honeysuckle Aeons' was released and five days later Current 93 was at Cologne's Stadtgarten.
Tibet does not need to rely on touring revenues. He performs very little and Stadtgarten doesn't even fit five hundred people, with tickets costing only twenty euros. However, Tibet does have his records pre-financed and puts special material on the market in small editions. Especially for the Cologne fans, he made two silkscreens that were only for sale at the show and were in great demand.
Tibet manages to stay out of the downfall of the music industry because he does everything he does with love and an eye for quality. Whether he is performing live, recording a record or writing a book of lyrics. A new release from Current 93 is invariably immaculately recorded, sticks in the most beautiful sleeves and has no 'fillers'. A Current 93 concert is a rarity (although the group plays surprisingly often this year, compared to just two London concerts in 2010) and at the same time an experience that many will tell friends and acquaintances about. The intensity of the shows leads to true cathartic experiences: spectators feel connected to the music, the creator and each other.
Devotion is fans of Current 93's own. So they will most likely pre-finance the next record with all their love. They will also fall for the sophisticated merchandise. They are steeped in the rarity of the concerts, so they will definitely sign up to attend. They are generally so full of the records and concerts that they tell and (try to) convert others about them. A loyal fan base that also works as a living advertising column and propaganda machine: what more could an artist wish for? Current 93 has been surviving the ubiquitous apocalypse in the music industry with flying colours for years. While in the mainstream of pop and rock people complain bitterly, niches like industrial and apocalyptic folk are alive and kicking.
Seen: Current 93, Stadtgarten, Cologne, Germany, Tuesday 29 March 2011
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