It takes a bestselling band to launch a music scene nationally

One reason for my interest in local music scenes is that I am in the midst of seeing one develop here in Colorado -- or more specifically in Denver. (Boulder has its own music scene -- mostly connected to jambands, jamgrass, and the like.)

We've been waiting for our breakthrough for a long time, and it seems to have finally happened.

According to Matt Fecher (executive director/founder of the South Park Music Festival who featured many of the up-and-coming Denver indie bands at his festival a few weeks ago) there was lots of buzz about Denver at the last week's Americana Music Association convention in Nashville.

"[The Fray] are #1 on the iTunes bestsellers this week and they've pretty much single-handedly changed the way major labels look at Denver. i.e. labels actually care about Denver bands now. This week in Nashville, everyone was talking about finding the next 'Fray'.

"They are the new gold standard for rock/pop nationwide. it's pretty much as good as it gets in that arena, saleswise."

The Fray didn't create the Denver music. It wasn't like they were developing in a vacuum. We have a wealth of talented bands right now. But what they did do, and I think this is essential to becoming a recognized scene, is to break through at a national level. A scene can have tens or even hundreds of talented bands creating great music, but until at least one of them generates national press, the scene remains a localized entity.

By definition, if at least one band doesn't break away and attract fans across the country, there is no sense that ANY band within that scene is good enough to become national. The question in everyone's mind is, "If your scene is so good, why haven't we heard more about your bands? Sure, everyone loves those bands at the local level, but do any of them have what it takes to break out? If the best of the best is still local, that's all that you have."

But once a Nirvana or Bright Eyes happens, then labels, critics, and fans start looking for more talent. One band's success can legitimize the scene. Of course, then more bands have to enter the pipeline to show that there is depth to the scene and it's not a fluke that one band made it out.

Essentially, there is more power in having one very successful national band followed by lots of bands in the next wave, than to have hundreds of great bands at the same level, but none of them having a big breakthrough.

If bands were like cyclists, they would join together as a team, and pick their strongest band to lead the charge to grab the win and then find ways to pull everyone else along.

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