Dave Allen's Gang of Ten

Welcome to the first installment of Dave Allen's Gang of Ten, a 10-question Q&A featuring some of today's most promising indie bands, by one of music's most influential figures, Dave Allen of Gang Of Four. First up is The May Fire, a San Francisco-based female-fronted quartet. Answers from the band are care of El Pipe, band's drummer and vocalist. Click the jump for the Q&A.

1. If you were to pursue a record deal would you prefer to sign to an indie label or a major? What's the difference?

I think at this time we would much rather sign with an indie label than a major. There is a big difference in many levels, starting with creative freedom.  We are a band that is used to doing everything on their own.  Therefore, label support would be nice, but we would always like to be involved in anything related to the band.  We also like to know where our money is being spent. It seems that in the state of the music industry it is imperative to make the right investments and not go absolutely crazy with recording budgets or video budgets. It's crazy to see how sometimes records and videos end up costing ridiculous amounts of money just because they were recorded in a name studio or using a name producer; In the end a studio is a room full of gear, and there are some really nice rooms full of gear out there that are not that expensive - plus, I would really like the recording of my music to have some character, sometimes the major label albums end up having the same sound.

2. Are record labels necessary and if so are they changing for better or for worse?

It is hard to say day by day how this whole thing pans out.  I believe labels are still necessary to take an artist to the next level because they have have the resources and connections that help promote your music.  They are not the only solution for a band, and if I could afford to be on tour all the time and be able to hire a publicist and promoter, then we wouldn't find the use for a label.  As technology changes and opportunities arise, labels end up being more like an investor.  I think this will eventually turn out in a change for the better, because the public is able to choose what they want to listen to and not just what "radio" or "MTV" tells them to.

3. Isn't it better to just self-release your own CDs and sell as many as possible through live shows, your web site, the Internet etc?

That is something we do already and if any band is serious about their career they should be doing it as well; The thing is, that in order to reach out larger masses you need some extra support.  In our case, we are musicians and what we do best is creating music. We also promote it and sell it, and it would a bit more effective if we could have people who are experienced at this to do it with us.

4. I believe that a blog is better than a web site for bands, do you agree?

Yes and no, I think both of them can be used effectively. A web log is great in the sense that it is easily updated and you can change things everyday keeping your fans interested and coming back for more. The website in the other hand, can show a bit more of what the image of the band is in a general way. In the end if we had to choose we would probably stick with a web log.

5. Do you believe there are way too many bands out there fighting for attention?

There are millions of bands out there and its very competitive. At the same time, it's great because its up to you to come out and have people notice you. It raises the bar for artists, and forces them to be the best they can.

6. What do you think of allowing your fans to download at least one song for free from your web site?

I think its a great idea. In the end what we want is for people to listen to our music. If they like it, hopefully they'll come to a show, spread the word to others and increase the fan base.

7. Are retail music stores going to disappear as music buying continues to surge online?

I think some stores will stick around for a long time, specially those that focus on vinyl and used. I believe the main problem with music sales is pricing, if people like the music and are able to afford it, they will buy it. There are still many collectors out there who want to have something they can hold in their hands.

8. Videos are very important these days especially when you can get them up on your site or YouTube. Have you found it easier these days to get a video made? Do you think they are important in spreading awareness of your band?

Thanks to the digital age recordings and videos have become easier to make, while still having a pro quality to them. They have also become very important as to spreading awareness on the band since there are a lot more opportunities on where to have them exposed to the public.

9. Do you film everything that you do and then post it for your fans to download?

We film a lot of what we do, and get to post some of it our blog.  There you can see some of the recording process, touring and what not.

10. Isn't the Internet great?

It's amazing, all of the sudden we have the ability to reach out to the whole world via the computer - not to say all of what we get exposed to by it.