These days, if a musician wants to consider themselves anything more than a hobbyist, the hats that they need to wear are many. Michigan’s own Joe Hertler is no exception. As recorded music continues to devolve into a loss leader, Hertler has found himself producing and teaching about recording software in addition to songwriting.
“This year in particular has been tough for a lot of working musicians,” said Hertler. “A lot of people like myself who’ve made careers as blue collar musicians, or whatever you want to call it develop enough revenue streams to make it work.”
Unfortunately, streaming services like Spotify have begun offering AI bands on their platform, diminishing recorded music’s value more than they already have.
“You know, every day feels like a bit of an existential crisis,” Hertler said about AI bands.
In many ways, streaming services like Spotify have brought the idea of the musician full circle, back to the era before Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, when music was something you experienced, not owned. Now, according to Hertler, the last major lifeline for working musicians is falling victim to the slowing economy.
RELATED: The Extrusions Turn Deep Cuts into Communal Celebrations
“People aren’t buying as many tickets as they were in 2019 and 2020,” said Hertler. “Even post-pandemic there was this big festival boom. In the Midwest in particular, with weed legalization, there was all this cash that needed to be accounted for. There were all of these, mid-size festivals that were popping up from marijuana companies looking for places to put their money. That stuff kind of dried up.”
So how does a musician like Joe Hertler stay afloat?
“I’ve written a couple jingles in my day,” he laughs. “I’ve written for some other artists, too. I will continue doing this as long as I keep finding songs. As long as the gods of songwriting are still choosing me from time to time to work on their songs, I will continue in some capacity.”
One way that Hertler is continuing is by writing new songs with his band, many of which will be played when Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers play The Blind Pig on Friday, February 27.
“We’re actually going to be playing five or six new songs,” Hertler reveals. “We’re excited to try out some of this stuff, because it’s been very fun to play. We want a night to test stuff out. We will obviously be playing a lot of our classic music and stuff that we typically play, too.”
About the new songs, Hertler said that they came easy to the band.
“We went to my aunt’s cottage maybe two months ago,” he says. “We were jamming this stuff out, and it was just easy. I guess that’s the best way to put it. Sometimes there’s a lot of resistance. Sometimes it can be really clunky to bring music into the band. It doesn’t always feel natural. It always seems that it requires getting on stage and from in front of a crowd. But this most recent batch was super easy.”
Tickets to see Joe Hertler and the Rainbow seekers play these songs at the Blind Pig are $25 and are available to purchase here.
