I think we may be confusing having a music "scene" with just having live music a bit. That is, Tulsa doesn't have much more of a "scene" from I have seen. Cain's is obviously the premier venue, but that has more to do with touring acts, that is, bands from other scenes. In my experience I have not noticed greater support for or quality of bands in Tulsa over OKC. Both are lacking a lot and both are very cyclical, and sometimes one is up and the other is down. However, D-Fest is a great event for all Oklahoma music lovers and musicians and it would benefit both scenes if OKC had something similar that complimented it. There would be room for one in each town for sure.

But I think the issue here is can Oklahoma City be a place where bands are incubated, that is, can they live and work here off their music and manage their careers from here. The answer to that is definitely-maybe. It depends on what you are trying to do with your music. If you want to write, record, and distribute music, you can do that anywhere today. However, having a "scene" usually means active support of a well stocked and varied talent pool. This means going to clubs and paying covers.

Personally, I think you can do anything you want, incentive wise, and it won't get people in the clubs more. I am kind of amazed actually that so many are complaining about cover bands. I have been in bands and I go see bands at clubs and I don't see many strictly cover bands and I have never been given or heard of anyone being given a cover quota. Of course, I don't always see a lot of people at the shows either, but sometimes I do.

I think the real problem is that, right now, we lack a critical mass of people who are willing to take chances and go see bands every weekend. I'm not saying that there aren't people who do this, it's just not enough people to support a full blown scene. We have musicians for sure, but who do they play to... it seems everyone is going to bars that want covers and not the places that book original bands. Of course, this changes all the time. Sometimes it seems it is hip to follow local bands and other times it seems like it's about dressing up and being seen, rather than be a part of the "scene".

All that being said, I have been to plenty of large cities with "scenes" who have empty rooms several nights a month. We also have to keep it all in perspective and make sure we're chasing a reality.