The Saxon co-founder and singer Biff Byford said in an interview with Metal Global (Transcribed by Blabbermouth) that to have success in the music business is as hard as winning the lottery. The musician reflected on how bands can measure the possibility of touring with the number of followers they have on social networks and streaming platforms like Spotify.
Saxon’s Biff Byford says success in music is as hard as winning the lottery
“I don’t think it’s ever been easy. It’s like winning the lottery. I think there are a lot of super-talented bands out there, new bands, but whether they are lucky enough to be noticed by enough people…”
“The problem is you can have two hundred thousand followers, but they’re all over the world. So if you play in one city, they might be a hundred people of those two hundred thousand people in that city that know you. That’s one of the problems.”
“The thing is when you do a tour, or when you build up a following from [performing] live, those are the people, the next time you go, that turn into three hundred people, and then that turns… and people support you.”
Byford continued:
“So it’s very difficult. It’s very difficult for bands to tour. The club circuit is really bad at the moment. A lot of clubs have closed down, and there’s a lot of tribute bands playing clubs all the time. So it’s very hard for new bands to get in with new material. I would advise people to maybe play and do cover versions and do their own material as well, try and get your foot through the door.
“You need a lot of followers on social media — whether it be Spotify people or whether it be Facebook or TikTok or Instagram — you need a lot of people to be able to play in, say, some place in England — Oxford. There has to be five, six hundred people in Oxford to come and see you that perhaps only know you from social media.”
“It’s very difficult, very difficult for bands to have a live following. And from the live following comes the reviews in the magazines. You can record and make a live album quite cheap. You can sell merchandise. A lot of things come from [performing] live that helps bands to survive,” Biff Byford said.
Saxon 2023 tour dates
March
- 3 – Dublin, Ireland – 3Olympia Theatre
- 4 – Belfast, UK – Ulster Hall
- 8 – Luxembourg – Den Atelier
9 – Mannheim, Germany – Capitol
10 – Koln, Germany – Essigfabrik
11 – Markneukirchen, Germany – Musikhalle
- 12 – Hamburg, Germany – Grosse Freiheit 36
14 – Warsaw, Poland – Progresja
- 16 – Rostock, Germany – Moya
17 – Dresden, Germany – Alter Schlachthof
18 – Linz, Austria – Posthof
19 – Ulm, Germany – Roxy
April
- 16 – Bogotá, Colombia – Monsters of Rock festival
- 20 – Santiago, Chile
- 22 – São Paulo, Brazil – Monsters of Rock festival
- 23 – Buenos Aires, Argentina
- 25 – Monterrey – Mexico
- 26 – Mexico City, Mexico
- 29 – Cape Canaveral, FL, US – Monsters of Rock Cruise
- https://youtu.be/4b-lvkuJmTY
Saxon was formed in 1975 in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and became one of the most famous bands of the so called New Wave Of The British Heavy Metal. Since their debut album in 1979, they have released 23 studio records and 11 live albums. Some of the most famous ones are: “Wheels of Steel” (1980), “Strong Arm of the Law” (1980), “Denim and Leather” (1981) and “Destiny” (1988).
