Music has long been considered an art form, as it should; but I believe many people have the idea that playing music leads to tons of money for the artist.

This is not the case for most bands. A band going on tour is successful if they break even, let alone make some money on the way. 

Sometimes this lack of money leads to the demise of bands (such as one of my favorite bands, Thursday), which is incredibly unfortunate. But this article isn’t about seeing bands break up due to money problems. 

This article is about the refreshing amount of bands who have decided that the music they play and the fans who love the music are more important than fattening their wallets. 

A great example of this is the rap-trio Death Grips. On Oct. 1, the trio (known for their outrageous, rebellious behavior) decided to defy the major record label they signed with earlier in this year (Epic/Columbia) and leak their album “No Love Deep Web.”

Death Grips said on Twitter on Sept. 30, “The label will be hearing the album for the first time with you.” If this isn’t choosing your fans and art over money, then it doesn’t exist in the world.

Another great tool that has increased the spread of the art is Bandcamp. Bandcamp is a website that allows bands to sell their music and merchandise for only a small fee. 

The best part of Bandcamp is their “name-your-price” option for bands. Artists can select the “name-your-price” option which allows fans to pay whatever they would like to for an artist’s music.

So not only can you get an artist’s music for free if you have no money, but if you want to support a band and pay a little extra for an album, you can do that. 
Bands want to share their music; that’s why they (most artists) make music. As much as they want to share their music, you should still support them. Support your local artists, supports your favorite artists. Buy merch and music at shows (that way the band sees the money and not the record label) and help keep artists making art.