[atlantaprog] Re: Atlantis

Wade, I've been to some of the Atlantis-sponsored shows over the years and
saw the same thing-- the crowds were no bigger than normal.  But wasn't 1997
the first year of Atlantis?  I'd imagine it's gotten more competitive over
the years as they've gotten a national reputation.  In any case, it'd be
good band resume fodder even if no one was there.

Brian



> >>>Atlantis is a very commercial, record label-oriented event--
>
> >>>Supply and demand tells me that if a band or rapper or
singer/songwriter
> >>>is not at that proven level yet, their chances in something like this
are
> >>>kind of thin, no matter how much talent or potential or originality
they
> >>>have.
>
> I played at Atlantis in 1997 at the Variety Playhouse opening for the
> Marvelous Three (who were signed to Electra shortly after).  Although I
> agree that it's a very commercial event, you don't need to be at a proven
> level to get in.  The band that I played with was put together because the
> singer had sent in an demo and was accepted - even though he didn't have a
> band and had never played a show.  The cassette 4-track demo that he sent
in
> was not at all professional quality, he had a terrible image and he had no
> fan base or history playing his songs live.  Atlantis was already
receiving
> hundreds of applications in 1997.  I knew lots of bands who weren't
accepted
> even though they were much further along - good size followings,
> professional demos and lots of experience playing live.  The only thing
this
> guy had over them was very, very commercial songs.
>
> Another thing about Atlantis that a lot of people don't know is just
because
> you play doesn't mean that anyone will be there to see you.  A lot of
bands
> play to no one - no record label executives, no huge crowds, no one.  I
saw
> several bands that year who were very surprised to find that there wasn't
a
> single person from a record label or from the industry at the show.  One
of
> the bands who played before us was a full time touring band playing well
> over 100 shows a year to pretty large crowds (several hundred people every
> night all up the East Coast).  They even had a song on 99x during the
> morning drive, but no one from any record label was there to see them.  I
> thought that maybe the record label guys were just standing in the shadows
> or something, but the more I talked with people, the more I realized that
> just wasn't the case.  They make it sound like if you get to play, SOMEONE
> will see you, but the truth is unless you have a pretty big buzz going
> around within the industry, no one bothers to check you out.
>
> -Wade
>
> http://www.cobwebstrange.com
>
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