hey! leaving the punk sharing space for this question cause i don't wanna deal with them ngl
i'm curious about your take that (just about) the only way diy matters in punk is throwing shows. what would the other assumedly less important ways be? also how would you try to define the concept of diy? i saw you put the term in quotes and i very much appreciate people being critical of the concept in that way, but i wanna know where you personally come from with that critique and where you take it
i spent a lot of time thinking about these questions when i was interviewing folks in the scene in santiago, chile. those people described their scene primarily as "punk autogestionado" ("self-organized punk" would be the best translation?) to distinguish it from the less political more cover-band heavy scenes of gigs in bars and whatever. a bunch of them, especially older members of the scene, were very questioning of the idea of diy cause like, to paraphrase: the money you need for all this comes from your job in the global economy, all the basic materials for the show and whatever else were made by people whose labor was being exploited, nobody is doing this stuff all on their own, etc. as one guy said, the dude who was the organizer for a huge stadium concert trying to make himself a ton of money could say he "self organized" it just as much as any of them could, which is kinda valid to me on a basic level cause ive been to legit shows with bartenders and security guards who check your ticket from an app that were run and planned by fewer people than it took to put on an informally organized "diy" punk show. and yet despite all of that, there was always a very clear difference between the nature of the shows in santiago's "diy" scene and shows put on to make money. so i was reading and writing a lot trying to figure out that incongruence and theorize a useful actual definition of diy or "autogestión".
and so, i guess from that experience and my understanding of the history of punk, i wanna know especially what you think about punk bands recording, releasing, distributing, and "promoting" (not with promoters but like flyers and graffiti and such) their own shit, and what you think of "diy" merch production/fashion (i know fashion is the touchiest of these subjects, but i don't just mean kids making their own patches with paintbrushes and putting studs on their jackets and shit, i mean bands producing their own stuff to sell for a pittance, like making batches of patches and shirts with screen printing presses for example).
i ask cause i feel like all that stuff has been quite important to distinguishing punk from other music based subcultures, but i'd love to hear your thoughts cause i know you care a ton about this stuff
to me, “diy” means organizing a music community outside of the traditional music industry channels by any means necessary, AND ensuring ease of access to all who might be compelled to participate. nobody is completely economically divorced from “the system,” and i don’t even think there ought to be this massive stress placed on “diy” as anti-capitalism (though in many cases “diy” methodologies, for lack of a better word, might serve as effective anti-capitalist tools). the goals of a “diy” music community in my view are to protect the art and the artist being corrupted by the industry, which often stifles, pigeonholes, or otherwise manipulates the art produced, where it’s played, how loud it’s played, what it can be about, et cetera. even what an artist looks like.
bands recording, producing, duplicating, releasing, distributing, and promoting their music is DIY. no matter how a band chooses to get it done, making a record yourself is making a record yourself.
booking, promoting, and throwing a show, no matter how many people it takes, no matter where it is, whether it’s locals only or for a touring band, whether it’s a packed house or just two of your friends, is DIY.
utilizing social media as a means of “expanding your follower base” or treating those who enjoy your art as “fans” is thoroughly NOT DIY. this kikd of behavior recreates and reifies the structures of the music industry in ostensibly DIY communities, opening the door for the industry’s men to come banging down the doors in the worst case, or in the best case creating egos which lead to rockstar behaviors that harm members of the community who are there for rock and roll.
merch is not diy. no matter how you cut it. listen to fugazi. no one should NEED to own a shirt to signify to you as an artist or other members of the community their interest in your art. that said, band merch has become its own kimd of art form, and one that even i can kind of respect. it’s culturally important and often one of the best ways to make money that allows, for example, a DIY venue to continue operations during hard times economically (i am thinking of my city’s 27-year-old DIY venue collective, the Mr. Roboto Project, who just worked with an anarchist org to print a run of t-shirts to preserve their financials).
and last but not least: your shows should be broadly accessible. sometimes this isn’t always entirely feasible in the physical sense, as some show spaces are either extremely guerrilla and therefore sketchy as hell or they’re just not ideal as show venues (but you have to make do), but there are loads of things you *can* control. if your shows cost more than $15, are for one reason or another 21+, 18+, 16+ or whatever, if you don’t have a PA and a decent backline of gear, if you don’t have hearing protection onhand for those who might want it, if you have prohibitive rules around dancing or security at your shows, you’re not DIY.
hope this helps. i would love to hear more about your experiences in santiago’s punk scene. south american punk is very interesting to me, and i would love to know more about the history of the scene in Chile.
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