Katie  Robinette

Professor  Dally

English  5-­‐02

23  October  2015

 

     Lyrics  of  Business  Discourse

                       The  classic  rock  band  Led  Zeppelin  is  not  usually  used  as  an  example  of  a  primary  

example  for  business  discourse.  A  rock  band  at  the  height  of  the  classic  rock  renaissance-­‐-­‐  

weren’t  they  drinking,  smoking,  and  partying?  How  do  they  relate  in  any  sense  to  a  modern  

day  business  discourse  community?  The  fact  is,  knowledgeable  musicians  cite  Led  Zeppelin  

as  one  of  the  Nirst  modern  bands  to  take  business  matters  into  their  own  hands.  They  

created  contracts  on  their  own  terms,  discussed  recording  and  touring  deals,  and  released  

music  on  their  time—they  were  signed  to  a  record  label  without  ever  having  played  live,  a  

feat  unheard  of  by  bands  of  their  time  and  ours.  They  were  the  forefathers  of  professional  

business  discourse  in  music.  Bands  are  commonly  glanced  over  discourse  communities,  

perhaps  for  a  perceived  lack  of  supposed  professionalism  and  intellect.  However,  a  musical  

group,  no  matter  the  genre,  is  an  example  of  a  discourse  community  where  the  members  

should  be  constantly  working  towards  the  same  goal  of  creating  and  distributing  music,  

along  with  the  marketing  their  brand  and  doing  it  all  in  a  fast  paced  music  business  

environment—they  must  Nind  ways  to  communicate  with  each  other  in  order  to  align  more  

than  one  viewpoint  and  opinion  and  use  musician  speciNied  tools  to  accomplish  their  

objectives.

                       Discourse  communities,  according  to  linguist  John  Swales,  are  deNined  as  “groups  

that  have  goals  or  purpose,  and  use  communication  to  achieve  these  goals”.  They  are  found  

everywhere  from  the  classroom  to  the  workplace,  and  can  range  in  their  goals.  To  achieve  

these  goals  of  propelling  a  band  toward  musical  and  Ninancial  success,  the  group  of  

! Robinette 1

musicians  must  do  a  few  things  general  discourse  communities  commonly  do.  The  most  

important  aspect  of  any  discourse  community  is  the  intercommunication.  In  the  case  of  a  

band,  if  the  intercommunication  is  lacking,  the  band  does  not  exist.  Music  does  not  work  

without  instruments  working  in  harmony,  and  the  same  is  true  for  the  people  and  business  

involved  in  a  band.  While  other  discourse  communities  base  more  on  the  unspoken  rules  

that  they  are  governed  by,  a  small  group  of  musicians  relies  heavily  on  being  outspoken  

and  communicating  freely.  Rules  of  a  game  of  golf,  one  student  pointed  out  amidst  class  

conversation,  are  usually  not  commonly  discussed  and  argued  over  in  a  discourse  

community  of  seasoned  golfers.  However,  musical  “rules”  are  much  more  Nluid,  and  band  

members  can  come  from  many  different  music  backgrounds  that  impact  their  language  and  

the  way  they  produce,  play,  and  distribute  music.  In  the  very  beginning  stages  of  a  band,  

members  must  establish  their  separate  (musical  and  business)  knowledge  and  experience,  

otherwise  known  as  discoursal  expertise,  and  use  this  to  play  off  of  each  other.  For  

speciNicity,  each  member  of  my  band,  A  Mile  Til  Dawn,  had  to  give  a  brief  overview  of  their  

experience  in  the  industry.  Through  that  discoursal  knowledge,  we  were  able  to  establish  a  

base  level  that  all  of  us  could  meet  on  and  not  feel  inferior  to  another  member  or  vice  versa.  

It  was  important  not  only  to  keeping  the  band  running  smoothly,  but  to  keeping  our  

relationship  with  each  other  strong.

   Erik  Borg  states  in  his  Discourse  Community  essay  that  a  prime  function  of  discourse  

communities  is  that  members,  “actively  share  goals  and  communicate  with  other  members  

to  pursue  those  goals”  (398).  As  soon  as  my  band  had  completed  a  few  shows  successfully  

and  realized  we  worked  well  together,  we  sat  down  to  do  just  that-­‐-­‐  discuss  our  goals.  Our  

drummer  wanted  to  be  touring  within  two  years,  while  our  bassist  wanted  a  full  length  

album  recorded  by  the  end  of  the  year.  We  each  had  a  different  speciNic  goal,  and  when  

combined,  we  were  able  to  have  a  series  of  common  objectives  that  didn’t  overwhelm,  but  

allowed  for  a  strong  push  to  get  business  and  relations  moving  forward.  Agreeing  on  a  

! Robinette 2

common  goal  is  another  argued  factor  of  a  discourse  community,  and  bands  must  

communicate  their  own  goals  to  create  that  common  goal.  Most  of  the  time,  what  is  found  

in  music  groups  is  that  each  member  has  a  strong  point  or  expertise  in  a  certain  area,  and  

these  people  can  take  the  lead  in  related  discussion  about  band  matters.  Then  they  must  

put  these  separate  experiences  and  bits  of  knowledge  together  to  reNine  the  goals  of  the  

band.  While  they  are  Niguring  out  those  end  results,  they  can  both  be  writing  and  

composing  music,  building  their  brand  name,  and  practicing  as  they  see  Nit,  as  these  are  all  

integral  to  the  success  of  a  musical  group,  regardless  of  the  genre  being  played.  These  

activities  themselves  center  in  the  communication  of  all  parties.

                   Bands  needs  to  be  completely  open  through  all  steps  and  take  care  to  remain  as  open  

through  difNicult  times  and  success.  Especially  in  this  group  where  things  are  taken  

personally,  friendships  occur  freely  and  are  fostered—all  parties  want  to  take  care  not  to  

offend  or  sacriNice  band  matters  for  personal  matters.  This  communication  is  not  only  in  

person  but  is  consistent  in  the  presence  of  long  distance.  In  a  single  day,  I  use  text  

messaging,  Facebook  group  messaging,  phone  calls,  and  in  person  communication  with  

each  band  member  and  our  manager  to  keep  up  to  date  on  what  happens  hour  to  hour.  

Arranging  practice  schedules,  organizing  sales  of  merchandise,  tickets,  and  physical  means  

for  music;  there  is  a  large  business  communication  that  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  music  

the  musicians  create,  but  everything  to  do  with  the  Ninancial  and  business  relations  and  

intercommunication  that  we  must  keep  pace  with.  Without  those  systems,  everything  gets  

out  of  hand.  This  is  a  universal  band  practice,  that  everyone  from  regional  bands  like  mine  

to  international  stars  like  Taylor  Swift  use.

  Tools  a  band  uses  are  not  limited  to  just  the  physical  (instruments,  gear,  

merchandise,  recording  equipment,  etc.).  Bands  not  only  are  open,  honest,  and  freely  

communicating  with  each  other,  but  in  order  to  establish  both  reputation  and  further  

business,  bands  must  be  open  to  communication  with  other  musical  peers  and  groups.  

! Robinette 3

Other  bands,  band  managers,  music  teachers  and  tutors,  record  executives,  producers,  etc.,  

all  speak  the  music  business  language.  These  outside  people,  simpliNied,  are  all  tools  a  band  

needs  to  jump  start  a  career  in  the  music  industry  and  be  a  successful  group.  Being  in  a  

band  is  a  full  time  job  that  requires  a  constant  group  messaging  plan  with  the  band  

members  as  well  as  those  outside  the  main  community  of  4  or  5  musicians;  if  everyone  is  

not  fully  engaged  when  a  message  from  management  is  delivered,  the  band’s  

communication  circle  is  compromised.    This  message  from  management,  asking  about  the  

ticket  sales  for  an  upcoming  show,  or  providing  feedback  on  a  past  performance  to  the  

band,  could  spark  conversation  and  positive  changes.  Mentoring  or  tips  from  another  band  

entirely  or  something  as  simple  as  catching  up  to  keep  relationships  steady  and  healthy  are  

all  part  of  a  healthy  business  relationship.  A  club  or  promoter  may  call  the  band  or  the  

band’s  management  to  proposition  a  show  or  tour  dates.  The  tools  available  to  each  band  

vary  greatly  for  the  type  of  band.  For  instance,  a  group  like  Papa  Roach,  a  modern  

international  rock  back  fostered  over  many  years,  would  communicate  business  and  music  

with  different  people  than  Taylor  Swift.  The  two  bands  also  require  and  have  different  

means  of  acquiring  different  instruments,  show  additives  like  lights  and  sound  equipment,  

due  to  their  different  music  and  fan  bases.  In  addition,  the  people  helping  them  outside  of  

their  immediate  community  vary  greatly-­‐-­‐  Papa  Roach  has  a  more  artist-­‐driven  approach  

with  their  smaller  record  company  where  they  take  a  lot  of  control  of  their  means  of  tour,  

release,  etc.  Taylor  Swift,  being  on  a  larger  scale  record  company  and  appealing  and  

capitalizing  more  to  younger  girls,  would  be  less  in  control  of  what  and  when  she  releases,  

tours,  and  what  she  can  afford  to  do.    The  size  of  the  immediate  community  and  community  

members  available  is  different,  as  well  as  the  preferences  and  needs  of  each  artist.

  Another  famous  and  successful  musician,  Kenny  Rogers,  is  quoted  as  saying  that  

“the  music  business  is  strictly  business”.  It  is  ever  changing,  and  the  way  bands  decide  to  

run  their  courses  are  just  as  Nluid,  however  all  bands  and  music  groups  are  their  own  

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brands,  companies,  and  communities.  Musicians  and  music  groups  are  a  prime  discourse  

community  based  on  their  needs,  common  goals,  as  well  as  their  reliance  on  tools  of  all  

sorts  and  their  vast  levels  of  communication.  Without  the  communication  involved,  bands  

simply  would  not  be—it’s  when  you  add  both  the  tools  and  discourse  to  the  group  that  a  

community  of  musical  peers  is  formed  and  fostered.  

! Robinette 5