Does the digital age ruin subcultures?

Depends on the subculture, I think.  Some want the spotlight, others don't.  Others will always find a way to hide in some form or another if they truly want to.  Until then, the digital age offers some people a way to get their voice out there that want to be seen!

Glad my photos could help with the story :) Thanks for the offer!

Chris

http://flickr.com/photos/xwatch_the_skyx/collections/72157604754838329/

Just one of dozens of venues offering live music in Austin, each with it's own different cultural flavor. The variances are often subtle, but all are very fascinating in their own regard.

MarkScottAustinTX has contributed a photo to this story.

drinking sessions with friends... a night spent with musicians, poets and intellectuals..

VanS3n has contributed a photo to this story.

I think that the underground exists in the nooks and crannies of the internet. MySpace and Facebook are just modern flyers and mix tapes. Check out GaragePunk.com and listen to the podcasts. Have you heard of half the bands on there? No? They are all out there playing their hearts out in their home towns and getting the word out via vinyl records and social networking sites.

There is also a huge underground hip hop scene. Kids burning music they created at home and selling the CDs in grocery store parking lots.

The Long Tail theory benefits the underground music scene. There is a niche for everyone and now there are ways to find the part of the world that speaks to you. A great example of this is the Octopus Project being invited to Cochella. They were a local band that handled their myspace well. They were for all intents and purposes "underground." One of their fans entered them into a contest on myspace for entry into the festival, and they spread the word and got in by a landslide. (http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/digest/mp3s/18_april_2006.php)

Just because you can't see the underground doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It just means you are not a part of it.

Nathan Black has contributed a photo to this story.

we are neorromantics

CAMO.GRAPHY has contributed a photo to this story.

Radio Days, italian Power-Pop band, shooting their first video "Don't Keep Me Waiting". Album will be out soon on Insubordination Records.

Andrea Tallone has contributed a photo to this story.

The fact that these once spurned graffiti artists (from my pictures) have been given prime artistic space in the centre of London certainly suggests that this subversive form of political comment is no longer underground.

By definition, once something goes mainstream, it will lose its effect and power on the subculture it belonged to.  Nevertheless, there will be always something else to take its place.

This is the English indie band "The Wombats" performing a storming set in Dublin's Academy Theatre. The band have a tradition of opening their live sets with an acapella piece called "We Are Marsupials". They have a great sound for a three-piece and have garnered a very loyal fan base in the British Isles, and further afield however, they are part of an increasingly mainstream indie scene. Indie and alternative bands tend to have fans that are more discerning and spend more on albums, live shows and merchandise. This is in contrast with the disposable nature of most pop and RnB acts who only tend to sell singles [a much less constant source of income for major labels].

hedonaut has contributed a photo to this story.

Tip Toe Topic, a great duo from Antwerp. Taken at Les Ateliers Claus, Brussels (Belgium).

Laura Rebreanu has contributed a photo to this story.

This photo has been taken at Milan Designweek in April 2008. Wikipedia tells me the “Free Hugs” campaign was started back in 2004 in Sydney but apparently it lives today.

Bart Claeys has contributed a photo to this story.

I am proud to say that I have been following each of these guys for ages now: they all are really good musicians and songwriters and come from different previous experiences with local rock bands.
My luck has it that they have recently got together and formed a new band called
"UH! - FOR EVERYONE"
I was asked to shoot their first photographic promo-session, and then was also able to shoot their debut gig, last may the 16th, as opening act for the Futureheads.
Check them out here if you please!
http://www.myspace.com/uhforeveryone

la Vic has contributed a photo to this story.

In my neighborhood there's a 300 foot wall tucked away behind the train tracks, which serves as the canvas for one of the most gorgeous, ever-changing street murals I've ever beheld. It's pretty much a secret, so there's not many people who even know of its existence.

The wall is in a constant state of flux. Every day new pieces are added, old paint crumbles or is intentionally destroyed, layers of tags and signs and full-blown pieces are layered on top of one another. It's an incredible riot of color and texture. It's also a testament to the creative subculture which created it, and to the ever evolving nature of art itself.

Does the digital age ruin subcultures? I think subcultures need to get over themselves : )

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In the Photos: Willy (lead guitar) and Paito (singer and 2nd guitar) from puertorrican ska band Negros Vivos in the Indie Music Rock Fest @ Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Saturday May 24, 2008. Orlando (guitar) and Fofe (singer) from puertorrican rock band Circo in the Indie Music Rock Fest @ Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Saturday May 24, 2008.

About the article, I used to haev my own webzine, which I used also as an independent label/distro. I got to sell cds from local bands and get to know them al around the world. Due to lack of time to make the updates as I used to do, I let go of the webzine.

Internet has taken music and subcultures out of under the rock, and placed it more accesible to people. The underground status is more to the music/subcultures that are not in the mainstream. If you search for "emo vs punk" in youtube.com, you will find lots of videos, even from news and music videos programs, from a huge fight of punks and emo's in Mexico. Also I have read articles in newspaper on the internet about skinheads. Are they out of the underground because of this?

No, they are not. As long as you are not featured in mainstream radio and TV regularly, you are still underground.

rude bwoy has contributed a photo to this story.

This is my favorite band and I upload a lot of their pictures. I also draw their pictures too. Hope you enjoy the picture.

ohiohorsecrazy1996 has contributed a photo to this story.

i love smoking people.

untalented_artvictim has contributed a photo to this story.

Many shows don't even allow camera's at all, so I believe it is possible to remain underground if desired.

Photo's were taken at 3mb studios in Smithtown, NY.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/catherinemariephotography/

Roman Rappak, lead vocals and guitar of music band "Bretton". He met Adam in 2005 and they decided to form the band. They usually play all around UK.
That night, they were in a pub in Notting Hill Gate, London, and I was there.

M.Orellana has contributed a photo to this story.

Autamary is a band from Bountiful, Utah. They have been working extremely hard on projecting themselves and their music outward to the fans in parts of nothern Utah. Heavy distortion is a key element in their sound.

They are some of the coolest guys i've come across, shooting photos for.

Check them out at myspace.com/autamary

Trent Davis Photography has contributed a photo to this story.

Jaguar Love at the Echo in Echo Park, Los Angeles, CA. Was a great show with lots of guitar changes.

transmitter333 has contributed a photo to this story.

Indy rock bands find their way through São Paulo's young night life.

Paulo Jose has contributed a photo to this story.

I dont see why cont subcultures exist. I see it all around, people meet thru the net, teach themselves new stuff, make music together, share art. The only thing is there will be allways new kinds of those cultures. 

Maybe it's harder for the underground to stay underground, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Either way, if they want their music heard badly enough, it will be heard. As an avid fan of punk and metal shows downtown, I've seen many fan bases grow because of sites just like MySpace and Facebook and other indie-music-hosting websites. Personally, I like being able to listen to my favourite bands whenever I want, without needing to turn on MuchMusic.