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Originally Posted by Far-L
Granted, the Dead may not have had albums that were commercial, or music you didn't like, but so what? That isn't the point. The point is they figured out how to make money in spite of it and outside the control of what the labels did. They owned their music. They worked community. They made money. It was not just working because of "the times".
Tim Armstrong from Rancid told me himself how he admired their biz model and sought to emulate it, and he explained how Fat records drew inspiration from the Dead biz model. He said a lot of old school American punks liked the Dead for their "fuck you" approach to the record industry.
Perry Farrell and Eddie Vetter both drew upon it and acknowledged the biz model as a source of inspiration. Pearl Jam hasn't done a hit song in years but they continue to sell out shows and thrive on selling their live stuff. Phish - don't even get me started. I don't like any of the tunes they write yet they figured it out. Vampire Weekend... and the list goes on...
Can you go to a Tool show and walk out with a live recording of it?
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In any industry there are always those that survive and thrive outside of the industry standard. They do things differently and are successful at it. The Dead struck a chord with certain people and were able to create a counterculture movement around themselves. Other bands have followed that idea with varying degrees of success. An example would be Blues Traveler. They built a fan base touring and putting out records on an indie label for years before they ever had a hit song.
You could make the argument that Pearl Jam doesn't really fall into the same category. They didn't build slowly from the ground up, they did it in reverse. They exploded on the scene and went from being an unknown band to the biggest band in the world almost overnight. They then worked hard to develop a grass roots fan base and treat those fans well. They used the less is more tactic. Instead of inundating their fans with products to buy they offered next to nothing. Instead of trying to sell fan club members a dozen different things they gave them free music and the ability to get concert tickets early and at reduced prices. When the huge fame disappeared those core fans stuck around. It also doesn't hurt that they are one of the best live bands you will ever see.
What I am getting at is that for every Grateful Dead, Phish, Blues Traveler etc out there there are dozens, if not hundreds of bands who have tried to do the same thing and failed. Large scale success in the music business is something that is nearly impossible. Just because a marketing tactic worked for one band does not mean it will work for all of them. Think of it like this. McDonald's is one of the biggest companies in the world. They got there by selling burgers and serving the food to you quickly. Does this mean if I open a place that sells burgers and I serve them to you quickly that I will have success? Not at all. Often times it is as simple as being in the right place at the right time with the right song.