Yard Sale Bluegrass!

I Once heard a band break-up referred to as “something like a bad divorce.”

At the time, I thought of that as a very interesting analogy. But after more reflection and investigation, it's not so strange after all.

Perhaps BAND BREAKUPS are like a bad divorce but during their lifetime, bands are more like a business than a marriage. So it is unfortunate indeed that the breakup probably does resemble a marriage breakup more than a business closure.

Bluegrass bands, like everything else in life, were never meant to last forever. So when the breakup of a band happens, why is it that both the band members and the fans seem shocked and then subsequently react in the strangest ways – sometimes going well beyond the bounds of decency. Tongue-Lashings, accusations and bad feelings are surrounding the band and everything associated with them in the most recent case I'm aware of.

It's because we, as people, are creatures of habit and we resist change no matter how it comes to us.

It's because most bands start out wrong. Instead of using a tried-and-true business model where there are clear lines of direction, authority and responsibilities, independent bands try to exist on hope, luck and good will. All fine as long as the ship is on smooth water, but hope, luck and good will won't keep your boat afloat in a storm and it won't keep you band or your business running when times are tough.

Bands are a business - there's no doubt. There's an investment of money that happens from before the band formation begins. Most individual members of any band bring with them a small fortune in equipment and instruments that become necessary for the band to function. And over time they maintain, improve and upgrade that equipment.

There is also the cost of traveling and accommodations for out-of-town performances and the cost of recording, manufacturing and distributing any CDs. Today we even have band websites that sometimes are just left to the one guy who has the ability, knowledge and time to initiate and maintain it. These too have a cost and a value to the band. It's hard to say just what it costs to develop a band's image.

What happens in a normal business closure is a lot different than what happens in a band breakup. Band breakups usually result in some sort of division of the property depending upon who brought what into the band or who financed what project and sometimes just an equal division of the leftover CDs. None of this is (or just exactly how it is executed) is really evident to the fans so it's obvious how the rumors, accusations and bad feelings can begin to flourish.

So when a band has a thousand CDs leftover and each of the members gets 250 in the split...what happens next is that we start to see these CDs popping up at yard-sales for literally pennies on the dollar because there is really no other way to market old product from a non-existent group.

That's why this time around on this particular band breakup, I was very excited to see that one member is maintaining the old band website and continuing to make the product available to the fans. There in lies the trouble though. To some of the fans it appears as if he may be capturing all of the profits from any sales. We don't know that he actually is. We, and most of the fans, have no actual knowledge of the terms of the band's separation. But at least he's trying.

It's going to be a hard sell since the band is no longer performing and making a presence in the industry, but I believe it's going to be a lot better than seeing boxes of old CD's stacked up in someone's garage because there was no outlet to disperse them.

Of course, band breakups are not unique to bluegrass and of those we've heard about in the bluegrass genre, none can compare to some of the messiest in Rock and Roll. The Eagles actually threatened each other on stage and Phil Everly smashed a guitar over brother Don's head then stormed out of the show.

Perhaps the difference between a band and any other business when it comes to the dissolution is the amount of personal passion involved. And in that sense it is easier to see how band breakups and marriage or relationship breakups can be similar.