RIP Steve Albini
I feel broken-hearted… there’s a void you’ve left behind. 🖤
When the world needs truth-tellers and people like you more than ever before, you’re gone.
Thank you for what you made, what you helped make, and everyone you’ve inspired and continue to inspire.
I’m drinking fluffy coffee now, listening to my favorite records you played a role in, remembering touring
@electricalaudio when last in Chicago w
@spacemoth__ and
@speedyortiz .
Some things you said, really helped me including this:
“The number one mistake that bands make is to think that they can outsmart a system. They think, ‘Well, if we get involved in this professional way of doing things, this mainstream way of doing things, if we get an account, a manager, a booking agent, a record label, promotions person, a public relations person, and we pay all these people to facilitate different aspects of our career, somehow we can outsmart the pure mathematics of that and keep our heads above water.’ And that system exists to support itself. It doesn’t exist to support the bands […] The way to avoid that is to do as much of the administration and as much of the support for your band, doing as much of that yourself as possible. Because then, you’re keeping all of the money and you’re keeping control of all of the decisions. You won’t ever be in a position of having someone make a decision based on [their] self-interest rather than your interest […] The other obvious examples are things like: Trying to get more attention for your band by having publicity people trumpet your band and try to get attention from other people. Doing that costs money and it doesn’t generate any money. It generates publicity which does not necessarily translate into money. So you’re spending money for the sake of having yourself thrust under people’s noses. As a consumer of music, as a fan, when a band is sort of thrust at me, in this fashion, and wiggled in front of me like a severed head, then it makes me hate them. It makes me less sympathetic to whatever they’re trying to do.”
- Steve Albini (1962-2024)
![RIP Steve AlbiniI feel broken-hearted… there’s a void you’ve left behind. When the world needs truth-tellers and people like you more than ever before, you’re gone.Thank you for what you made, what you helped make, and everyone you’ve inspired and continue to inspire.I’m drinking fluffy coffee now, listening to my favorite records you played a role in, remembering touring @electricalaudio when last in Chicago w @spacemoth__ and @speedyortiz.Some things you said, really helped me including this:“The number one mistake that bands make is to think that they can outsmart a system. They think, ‘Well, if we get involved in this professional way of doing things, this mainstream way of doing things, if we get an account, a manager, a booking agent, a record label, promotions person, a public relations person, and we pay all these people to facilitate different aspects of our career, somehow we can outsmart the pure mathematics of that and keep our heads above water.’ And that system exists to support itself. It doesn’t exist to support the bands […] The way to avoid that is to do as much of the administration and as much of the support for your band, doing as much of that yourself as possible. Because then, you’re keeping all of the money and you’re keeping control of all of the decisions. You won’t ever be in a position of having someone make a decision based on [their] self-interest rather than your interest […] The other obvious examples are things like: Trying to get more attention for your band by having publicity people trumpet your band and try to get attention from other people. Doing that costs money and it doesn’t generate any money. It generates publicity which does not necessarily translate into money. So you’re spending money for the sake of having yourself thrust under people’s noses. As a consumer of music, as a fan, when a band is sort of thrust at me, in this fashion, and wiggled in front of me like a severed head, then it makes me hate them. It makes me less sympathetic to whatever they’re trying to do.”- Steve Albini (1962-2024)](https://sp1.pixwox.com/p/pt_6825431818186662352445_0_c6269255db73be4525222bddb3d80c3a.jpg?v/t51.29350-15/442408282_2186849218330958_4839931974241420661_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com&_nc_cat=102&_nc_ohc=sLtNQ43v5MUQ7kNvgEt2tc7&edm=AOQ1c0wBAAAA&ccb=7-5&ig_cache_key=MzM2MzYyNTk2MzQ2NTY2MTg3NA%3D%3D.2-ccb7-5&oh=00_AYCACvBouthXDtFuS3dA8dFlE9wG14-_V3uVRXF-b5hs9Q&oe=668BB1BF&_nc_sid=8b3546)
