“I was a music fan. Then I heard a band playing on campus… My god they were horrible.
Jess Hamilton, 2/20/20
If you want to know about the Seattle music scene, you have to interview a musician. Preferably multiple; as every person has a unique story and musicians have plenty of stories to tell. Seattle has a music scene that has lasted for decades. Musicians large and small have dedicated years of their lives to improve their craft and entertain the masses. Where do these people come from, and how do they stay so passionate about their craft? Talk to any musician and they could speak for hours about the pros and cons of the music industry. Jess Hamilton has been working as a musician for over two decades now; and he has more than enough stories to tell.
Jess Hamilton will be turning 55 in just a few months. He has blonde hair, though he won’t admit it’s mostly grey now. In many ways he is still a young man; from the way he carries himself to his affinity for bracelets. Coming from poverty, he has worked for decades to work himself up and raise a family. He prides himself on his work effort and is generally amicable to everyone he meets. This effort and dedication resulted in him working in the music industry for years. He has become a well-known vocalist for a variety of bands and knows the ins and outs the industry.
Singing isn’t a full-time profession for Jess, he works for a shipping company most of the time. But if he has a free weekend expect him on stage entertaining people. It turns out he joined a band in the first place because out of pity. He was listening to a band at a bar with his friends, and this band was terrible. It was so bad my dad thought he could do better. As it turns out he could, with 3 months of extra practice. From there he just kept doing it and better at with every gig. From disgusting bars to The Bite of Seattle, he has worked every type of gig. He knows every musician worth knowing and continues to cultivate relationships. Experience has given him insights as to how the music industry works, and where it might be going in the future.
Jess believes that the next few years will be like every other decade in music. Someone with talent will believe that current popular music sucks; and they will want to do something different in retaliation. This new music will be fresh and in direct opposition of current trends; borrowing more from the late past than they would rather admit. Jess believes the music industry has been cyclical like this for decades. Music is all about expression, and generally people enjoy expressing what they dislike. This isn’t a negative outlook on the industry; in fact he believes it is an intentional expression of joy for the past. People will always want to try something different, and they look to the past for inspiration.
This experienced musician also believes that live material and performances will grow in value. This due to how current streaming platforms pay artists. A few million listens on Spotify are great for exposure, but most artists don’t make money from that. So now they have to put in the extra effort for concerts which becomes their main income. This is will happen to studio artists and groups, regardless of genre or popularity.
People will always argue about which decades or styles of music are superior, but those arguments don’t hold water. Music will always borrow from itself to create new expressions and experiences. There are no bad genres of music, just poor musicians. Even the bad musicians are worth listening to now and then; they have plenty of stories to tell.
Exposure 