COMM 380:  Media Criticism

 

On November 7, 2014 pop-punk band Metro Station graced the audience of twenty somethings and teenagers at the Baltimore Soundstage located in the heart of the city, only a walk away from the harbor.  The Outsider’s Tour consists of headlining band The Ready Set, with Metro Station and Fairfax, Virginia natives The Downtown Fiction as supporting acts.  This is Metro Station’s first tour since their 2010 hiatus.   The Los Angeles band was formed in 2006 by Trace Cyrus and Mason Musso.  Cyrus comes from a famous musical family, including sister Miley and step-father Billy Ray.  Musso’s brother Mitchell was Miley Cyrus’s costar on Hannah Montana.  The band is best known for their 2007 single, “Shake It” which gained not only online fame during this Myspace era but also Billboard Top 10 fame.  Musso and Cyrus recently reconciled in the summer of 2014 and have released new music since their reconciliation.  Through extensive social media exposure, Metro Station has been able to burst back onto the music scene and revive their fan base after being gone for nearly half a decade while still having as much energy as if they were just stepping out onto the scene.

 

As soon as I saw the tour announcement I told anyone who had been interested in Metro Station about the tour and I put the date in my calendar immediately.  I never had a chance to see the band when I was younger and I had always wanted to.  This was a chance for me to relive my middle school and high school years.  There was another concert that night in Silver Spring, Maryland that I thought was as equally important to attend.  Another band I had grown up with, Anberlin was playing a farewell tour and this would have been my last chance to see them.  I chose Metro Station and although I like to think about what would have happened if I went to the other show I am 100% pleased with my decision.  I go to concerts a few times a month and I rarely miss an artist I love or even like, I even travel to Chicago yearly for a 3 day music festival called Riot Fest.  Out of the 30 or so concerts I had attended so far this year, the Metro Station performance was the best one I had seen. 

I worked my way towards the front and my sister and I arrived just in time.  We were able to see about half of The Downtown Fiction’s set and then we waited and sang along to the Fall Out Boy songs the venue was playing during the set change.  The lights dimmed mid song and Metro Station started their set to a sea of screaming girls.  I was so excited, I jumped and danced around (something I rarely do unless I’m really enjoying myself) and I screamed the lyrics at the top of my lungs.  The band played songs that I completely forgot about that I used to find on Limewire to put onto my iPod.  It was a flashback to sing alongs I would have in the car with my friends.  The vocals and the instruments sounded exactly like how they did on the album.  Cyrus and Musso were able to transfer the energy they both had to their audience.  I wore velvet pants and was sweating profusely but it was all worth it.  Getting water thrown onto me unexpectedly by Musso was worth it.

 

What made this show so amazing was how much fun I had during their newer songs I hadn’t listened to yet.  My most dreaded part of the night when I go to concerts is when the artist asks if he or she can play a new song.  I’ve been too busy to listen to any new music that isn’t by Fall Out Boy or All Time Low that I usually don’t know any artists’ new music.  Most of the crowd cheers but then honest concertgoers like myself openly object.  I was surprised to find myself singing along to the chorus by the end of “Love and War.”  I didn’t stop dancing.  If I didn’t have work the next day I was going to attempt to go to the same show again in Philadelphia.  This concert overall was exactly what I had needed.  It was the most fun I had all year.  I heard every song I had wanted to hear and then ones that I forgot about.  I didn’t spend a second of their set bored or checking my phone.  When speaking to Trace after their set he informed me that the band would be playing the Vans Warped Tour which has not been announced yet.  I was extremely excited.            

           

The easiest way to describe the genre of music Metro Station falls under is simply by stating that they are a Warped Tour band.  The Vans Warped Tour is the largest travelling music festival in the United States, taking place every summer since its creation in 1995.  The Vans Warped Tour is a place for alternative music, not necessarily what you would find on the Music Choice Alternative Channel or even DC’s rock station DC 101.  Warped Tour is the place for musicians and bands who you wouldn’t hear on most radio stations with exceptions of breakout artists like Blink-182, Fall Out Boy, Katy Perry, and Paramore.  They are the bands that you put on your mixtapes with your friends when you were in middle school.  These bands are the reason why you started liking guys with tattoos or gauges even though you grew up in the suburbs where everyone wore Abercrombie and Hollister. 

           

Warped Tour is nicknamed “punk rock summer camp.”  Warped Tour consists of close to 100 bands who come together each summer to play 30 minute sets nearly every day from June until mid August.  It is where fans can meet their idols and where you can get the tan or sunburn you have been waiting for.  Metro Station fits this label as a band that has a following yet they most likely will not be at next year’s Grammys.  Warped Tour bands are still accessible, they still meet their fans at the merchandise table after they perform, and most importantly most of these bands are still humble enough to say thank you after they meet their fans. 

           

The beloved punk rock genre that so many bands wish to fall under has developed and changed throughout the years.  Punk rock’s concrete origins take place in New York City in the 1970s with bands like the Ramones and Blondie, while in London the Sex Pistols began to emerge (punkmusic.about.com).  As the years have gone by the sound of punk rock has changed and has given us artists such as The Clash, Blink-182 and Greenday in the 1990s, and more recently the sub genres of punk pop and hardcore bands that can be found at Warped Tour or in your local Hot Topic store. 

           

The music industry is constantly adapting to current trends and new technologies to stay relevant.  The internet, specifically social media has been incredibly disruptive to the music business forcing record labels and artists to adapt (www.brandwatch.com).  Music as an art form is social (www.theorganicagency.com).  Music has been passed down as stories throughout primitive cultures; has been shared among friends through mixtapes they play in their cars or at their friends house; and we have seen millions of music lovers come together each year to share their appreciation.  Although the industry has been forced to adapt social media has been beneficial for the music business.

   

Metro Station’s revival is due to their social media presence.  The most important aspect to solidifying a band’s relationship with their audience is through identifying and engaging with fans (www.brandwatch.com).  According to Claire Lim, joint owner of the PR company Badge of Friendship, “From a band’s perspective, not having a presence on places like Twitter or Facebook can be almost damaging,” and also states that, “There have been times when an editor is keen on the music but then notes that the band in question has just a few hundred likes on Facebook or that their posting is sporadic” (www.theorganicagency.com).  Having a Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page has become crucial to surviving in the music industry.  In the 1990s this seemed close to impossible unless a fan had seats to MTV’s TRL taping, or if they won a radio contest.  Meeting and interacting with your favorite singer or band was a huge deal.  Fast forward a little over a decade later with social media mediums such as Twitter and Instagram this desired interaction can happen within seconds.  Musicians are able to both share news instantly as well as “like” the pictures fans have posted and tagged them in.  The reciprocal interaction between celebrity and fan creates a bond and a greater appreciation at least in the fan’s viewpoint.  The extra attention makes fans feel special.

   

Having a constant presence on social media is important while in the limelight but it is also important to remain present on social media during quieter times.  Although Trace Cyrus was no longer a member of Metro Station he remained prominent by updating his social media profiles where he could showcase his clothing line and musical endeavors.  Trace Cyrus was able to stay relevant amongst his fanbase through these forums.  When news of the Metro Station reunion was announced many former fans had access to the news immediately because they were already “following” Cyrus on Instagram or Twitter.

 

Social media in the music industry is not constricted to just Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.  Along with having an obvious social presence on these sites, musicians are also using music sharing forums such as Soundcloud, PledgeMusic, Twitmusic, Reverbnation, OurStage, OurWave, and Fanbridge.  These social media sites are not meant for the sole purpose of posting “selfies” or “tweeting” about what you just ate.  These sites are meant for artists to share music, communicate with fans and with other artists.  There has been a constant trend in the music industry in regards to record sales; sales have scarily declined in physical copies and not much can be said about digital sales either.  We are in an era where music is shared or streamed.  The internet presence of musicians is now more for promotional and gaining fanbase purposes than to increase record sales.  Through social media some artists are able to make their own music through “crowdfunding,” meaning that they no longer need major labels to back them up who sometimes restrict them (www.theorganicangency.com)             

 

Seeing Metro Station in concert was one of the best decisions I made all year.  I had more fun at this concert than the majority of concerts I had been to in the past year put together.  Trace Cyrus and Mason Musso vocally sound identical to how they did on their debut album.  One of the most important things to consider when evaluating their career now in 2014 is how important social media and the internet has been to their success.  Through Twitter and Instagram Metro Station was able to interact with fans and announce their reunion, new single, music video debut, and fall tour with The Ready Set and the Downtown Fiction.  The band used Instagram and Twitter as marketing tools for music video plays and to promote their first tour in half a decade.  Social media is becoming an important tool for the industry as a whole, social media presence can determine how likely a label will want to sign a musician.  Social media will continue to thrive in the music industry and it is now one of the few ways to stay relevant and successful in this music business.   

 

References

Cooper, B.  & Shepard, E.  (September 2013).  How social media has redefined the music industry.  (Weblog).  Retrieved from: http://www.theorganicagency.com/social-media-redefined-music-industry/

Cooper, R.  A brief history of punk.  (Weblog).  Retrieved from:    http://punkmusic.about.com/od/punk101/a/punkhistory2.htm

Franklin, K. (August 29, 2013).  Social media is revolutionising the music industry.  (Weblog).  Retrieved from: http://www.brandwatch.com/2013/08/social-media-the-music-industry/