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The Internet is slowly killing Metal


LiakosVikernes666

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I use youtube to sample a couple of songs from a record. If I like them I will buy the record. I am very impatient and since there's no record store close by that carries a wide selection of metal I do tend to make most of my buys on iTunes. What isn't on there I'll buy from Amazon or eBay or go direct through the band (in the cases of Nevertanezra and Black Harvest). I could download most if not all of it for free but those bands worked damn hard to put out quality work and I would be remiss if I didn't pay for it (even if that is merely a token gesture). The internet, as BAN said, has been both a blessing and a curse for the music industry (and many other industries for that matter). You have to take the good with the bad in this life I've learned the hard way.

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How much money did bands EVER make from album sales? And unless you're a top-tier artist like the Rolling Stones or Jay-Z, or have another way into the music biz (like a producer) then music has never been a viable career. Why do think Slayer are still going so long after their music stopped being any good? After over a decade of gaining no job skills or work experience beyond maybe pumping gas inbetween tours, the only option besides recording another shitty album and going on another tour is to go flip burgers. I mean what kind of work do you honestly think Kerry King is qualified for? Any band that's smart will release a few albums and then call it quits while they still have time to get some kind of job that doesn't require wearing a nametag. Or be like Darkthrone and just never tour.

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Still they should at least get something for their efforts right?
Well, yeah, but to what purpose? Their royalties are gonna be shit regardless. Like, shit shit. It's the touring that keeps them eating food. You can make yourself feel better by buying their albums (I try to at least), but the probable truth is that when a lot of these long-term bands that you love so much break up and finally go back home, in all likelihood they're living in poverty. Like boxers who retire and can't remember their own name cause they have so much brain damage, or football players who die in their forties from heart failure cause the strain of playing football at that level for years literally killed them.
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Well' date=' yeah, but to what purpose? Their royalties are gonna be shit regardless. Like, [i']shit shit. It's the touring that keeps them eating food. You can make yourself feel better by buying their albums (I try to at least), but the probable truth is that when a lot of these long-term bands that you love so much break up and finally go back home, in all likelihood they're living in poverty. Like boxers who retire and can't remember their own name cause they have so much brain damage, or football players who die in their forties from heart failure cause the strain of playing football at that level for years literally killed them.
I have a friend who worked in A & R at a label for a little while, and explained that hard copy album sales can net the artist between $.25-1.00 each, depending on the artist and the contract. The difference is that with downloads, despite hard costs being smaller, hosting sites like iTunes and Amazon take a bigger cut that brick and mortar shops, and artists are lucky to see pennies on album downloads. Factor in the cost of recording an album (my band probably spent about $5000, so I would bet bigger name artists that spend more time in the studio can rack up 4-8 times that amount), and then the fact that many who download do so without paying anything, and you really don't have shit to show for your efforts. I'm realistic, I knew we wouldn't make our whole cost back, but being able to cover some of them is nice and can help keep you moving forward, whereas if you recorded on a label advance and don't sell much, you're in the hole. Merchandise actually has a profit margin to it, so if you can send some of that out and at least have a break even tour, you might be able to sink another few thousand dollars into another album. It's a sad reality, but that's how it is. It's not hard to see why so many are discouraged by the situation, and why they would at least want to make something off of album sales, so why not buy it? If you like it, and can realize how much work goes into it, I don't see how you could justify not doing so. It stands to reason that if you want more, you should do what you can to support it and keep it going, regardless of what industry it is.
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Speaking of which excited for the NTNR demo. Let's hear this new sound you've been teasing us with eh.
Yeah, me too, we keep hitting all of these road blocks and I'm getting sick of losing momentum. It sounds like we may have another one on the horizon, but it's not as big as the previous few, so hopefully it won't be a problem.
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I agree with the "take the good with the bad" mentality when it comes to the Internet and music. YouTube, Bandcamp, and MySpace (back in the day) have made it way easier for me to check out new bands as well as exploring influential artists from the past whose physical albums are hard to find. On the other hand, it's also a lot easier to listen to 20 seconds of a song and get bored. When i blind-purchase an album, i feel more inclined to be patient with it and actually listen to the whole thing a few times before really judging it.

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*Slowly killing music It's one in a thousand for a band to make it big nowdays, and by big I mean big only to the genre's audience. In order to become mainstream, you either need to fuck the right guys, or be a pawn of your manager/promoting companies, meaning they will make you look how they want you to look, and give you already written songs to "sing". In other words, you will be much closer to a model than a singer..

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  • 2 years later...

I buy CDs and likely always will for many reasons. I think downloading and streaming are great tools for sampling and exploration but it does bother me when people have terabyte hard drives full of mp3s and never pay for anything. 

The issue is a very complex one but generally, I dislike what has happened to the music industry. I miss music shops, quality music videos, great album artwork, hype and promotion, and that general feeling of excitement in the air. I don't think that the labels are as villainous and they were made out to be and I think a lot of music fans are naive and ignorant to the inner workings of a business.  

 

 

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I miss the music shops, too. There was nothing like browsing the small obscure metal/goth music shops like Millenium in Copenhagen, checking out the new CD/VHS/magazine releases while trying not to stare at the hot guy in the next row :D I have found some real jewels in these places that I would never had found online...and I am of course refering to CD's and DVD's in case anyone was wondering :D

The first CD that I ever bought online was Doomed Dark Years by Astarte. I liked the cover and was curious: first all girl black metal band that I had ever heard of at the time. Going to the post office to fetch it was just as boring as fetching any other package, it lacked the magic and atmosphere of a music shop...the only shops I ever liked going too. The CD however was fantastic, so was the interview and review writing that follow and which lead to so much more...R.I.P Tristessa!

I still buy CD's...the artists may not get much in royalty per purchase, but they got more than if I just ripped it off online! Besides sometime, quite often in fact, I like listening to music while in a low tech mood...nothing on except the hi-fi and lit candles or a dim lamp!

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100%. My wife can't understand why I still buy CDs and it's hard to explain it to someone who just doesn't get it. 

Its like a drug though in that the high isn't the same. Buying a CD in the 90s when I had to save up for three weeks, without having heard a single track from it, then worshipping it. There's really nothing comparable these days for me as the albums now come in packages of three or four... 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 8/18/2017 at 2:50 AM, Requiem said:

100%. My wife can't understand why I still buy CDs and it's hard to explain it to someone who just doesn't get it. 

Its like a drug though in that the high isn't the same. Buying a CD in the 90s when I had to save up for three weeks, without having heard a single track from it, then worshipping it. There's really nothing comparable these days for me as the albums now come in packages of three or four... 

I totally agree. Even if the album was terrible on first listen you wanted to keep listening to it because there just had to be something there to unlock, some magic that you just weren't comprehending. You'd just invested some good money into it and the idea of buying a really expensive plastic coaster didn't fly. Plus, you'd already listened to your favourites 500 times over so this new one was temporarily the most exciting thing around since sliced bread. It was like being married to the album. You'd wake up the next morning and realize the commitment you'd made! 

Now I buy tons of CDs online, listen to each album once or twice, shelve it and buy a few more and then repeat. I'm trying to revert back to the old ways but it's tough. 

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6 hours ago, Vampyrique said:

I totally agree. Even if the album was terrible on first listen you wanted to keep listening to it because there just had to be something there to unlock, some magic that you just weren't comprehending. You'd just invested some good money into it and the idea of buying a really expensive plastic coaster didn't fly. Plus, you'd already listened to your favourites 500 times over so this new one was temporarily the most exciting thing around since sliced bread. It was like being married to the album. You'd wake up the next morning and realize the commitment you'd made! 

Now I buy tons of CDs online, listen to each album once or twice, shelve it and buy a few more and then repeat. I'm trying to revert back to the old ways but it's tough. 

THIS IS WHAT I DO!

I probably mentioned it earlier in the thread, but the true yardstick of this is that for every album I bought between 1992 and 2003 I know every single lyric. This is due to sitting on my bed and reading the lyrics over and over again with the album. There was no internet to jump onto to watch interviews of the band, listen to the tracks in advance, type on forums, update social media etc. There was just me, my bedroom, a couple of magazines if I was lucky and a few CDs that each took a month to save up for. 

 

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5 hours ago, Requiem said:

THIS IS WHAT I DO!

I probably mentioned it earlier in the thread, but the true yardstick of this is that for every album I bought between 1992 and 2003 I know every single lyric. This is due to sitting on my bed and reading the lyrics over and over again with the album. There was no internet to jump onto to watch interviews of the band, listen to the tracks in advance, type on forums, update social media etc. There was just me, my bedroom, a couple of magazines if I was lucky and a few CDs that each took a month to save up for. 

 

I got into music later than you but (thankfully) having a mediocre computer, dial-up (initially), and the fear of trojans and spyware meant no downloading for me until a few years later. Plus online info was sparse anyways and I had no credit card to buy anything even if I wanted to. Thus the 'experience' was preserved. 

I used to spend a lot of time reading lyrics too. Now I have to work myself up to reading lyrics (unless they're the kind that are easy to discern). And speaking of perusing through the album booklets... How about discovering new bands through a bands' thank you list? Or how about taping music videos off the TV?  

I can vividly remember walking into shops and buying every one of my first 100 cds or so and the feeling behind each purchase, time of year and so on. Everything since then is a relatively uninteresting blur, only some of which I fondly recall. Clicking a mouse a few times and waiting weeks for a yellow parcel to arrive hardly compares, never mind downloading.    

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While I do use the internet, because living in Utah only provides you with so much selection, I still prefer to hunt the old-fashioned way. In the information age, it's impossible to make truly blind buys, but I have friends and sources that I trust and will take a leap on something if it's suggested, or if it has other factors that make it appealing to me. Artwork may play a minor role, but I do tend to trust things like bands with members with whom I'm acquainted from other bands, how often the label that released the album syncs up with my interests, and/or if it has a certain "it factor" that I'm in the mood for at the time based on the whole presentation of the package and subject matter. You can usually look at a CD and glean a decent amount of information about what you're going to get, and learning how to do that has become crucial for me. I already have a shitload of music and not a ton of time to listen, between the gym, work, two bands, and raising two kids, so gone are the days of listening to recommendations on YouTube just due to time constraints. Now I use the factors above, plus the opinions of those with whom I tend to agree on various topics to discern whether something would be to my liking or not. Doing much of my hunting in person also means that availability and opportunity plays a factor as well, and I always take the time to visit the local record stores whenever I go out of town because the selections and opportunities are always so different. For online, I mostly stick to eBay and buy rare/OOP items or ones that I can't find domestically, because while eBay can provide a bit of satisfaction with the auction format and waging those bid wars with other users at the last second, it's not quite as good as that feeling when you pull that killer album out of the rack that you've been after for years. You open it up and inspect it, maybe check the internet on your phone while you're there to make sure it's legit and not a bootleg, and then start shaking in excitement when you realize that the store is only asking a fraction of what it's worth, clearly having no idea about the album's value. Fuck, now I want to go to the record store and feed my addiction...

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56 minutes ago, BlutAusNerd said:

While I do use the internet, because living in Utah only provides you with so much selection, I still prefer to hunt the old-fashioned way. In the information age, it's impossible to make truly blind buys, but I have friends and sources that I trust and will take a leap on something if it's suggested, or if it has other factors that make it appealing to me. Artwork may play a minor role, but I do tend to trust things like bands with members with whom I'm acquainted from other bands, how often the label that released the album syncs up with my interests, and/or if it has a certain "it factor" that I'm in the mood for at the time based on the whole presentation of the package and subject matter. You can usually look at a CD and glean a decent amount of information about what you're going to get, and learning how to do that has become crucial for me. I already have a shitload of music and not a ton of time to listen, between the gym, work, two bands, and raising two kids, so gone are the days of listening to recommendations on YouTube just due to time constraints. Now I use the factors above, plus the opinions of those with whom I tend to agree on various topics to discern whether something would be to my liking or not. Doing much of my hunting in person also means that availability and opportunity plays a factor as well, and I always take the time to visit the local record stores whenever I go out of town because the selections and opportunities are always so different. For online, I mostly stick to eBay and buy rare/OOP items or ones that I can't find domestically, because while eBay can provide a bit of satisfaction with the auction format and waging those bid wars with other users at the last second, it's not quite as good as that feeling when you pull that killer album out of the rack that you've been after for years. You open it up and inspect it, maybe check the internet on your phone while you're there to make sure it's legit and not a bootleg, and then start shaking in excitement when you realize that the store is only asking a fraction of what it's worth, clearly having no idea about the album's value. Fuck, now I want to go to the record store and feed my addiction...

I agree with everything you said. Those eBay bidding wars were just terrible but I'm thankful I endured them because I got a lot of rare CDs and essentials when they were a lot cheaper than now and with increased shipping prices, I'd hate to have to do that again. I'm certain there's a lot of shill bidding that occurs or at best idiots who foolishly drive up the prices a week before the auction ends. I think I'd rather pay a bit more and just avoid the auction format.  

I don't think anyone really likes bootlegs and this may sound strange but I'd rather have a bootleg that looks near identical to the original than some "remastered" (we all know this usually means hyper-compressed audio) reissue with cheesy new artwork, random live tracks and rough demos thrown on for no reason, tacky badge and all. Thankfully I haven't had too really worry much about bootlegs but the music industry seems to encourage diehard music lovers to buy used...    

 

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1 hour ago, Vampyrique said:

I agree with everything you said. Those eBay bidding wars were just terrible but I'm thankful I endured them because I got a lot of rare CDs and essentials when they were a lot cheaper than now and with increased shipping prices, I'd hate to have to do that again. I'm certain there's a lot of shill bidding that occurs or at best idiots who foolishly drive up the prices a week before the auction ends. I think I'd rather pay a bit more and just avoid the auction format.  

I don't think anyone really likes bootlegs and this may sound strange but I'd rather have a bootleg that looks near identical to the original than some "remastered" (we all know this usually means hyper-compressed audio) reissue with cheesy new artwork, random live tracks and rough demos thrown on for no reason, tacky badge and all. Thankfully I haven't had too really worry much about bootlegs but the music industry seems to encourage diehard music lovers to buy used...    

 

There is a lot of eBay idiocy to contend with, but it's worth it for the benefits of the format. I prefer auctions to "buy it now" because that feels every bit as hollow as regular online shopping. It's nice when you can coast through the bidding and get a good deal, but those last minute wars when it comes down to who wants it more are fun too, even when you don't win. 

Used buying avoids a lot of the price scalping bullshit that goes on with eBay, and I would much rather have an original than a reissue. In some cases though, like when an original can only be found for an arm and a leg, reissues are nice. They drive the price down on originals because demand drops, and I like it when they include demo versions and live cuts. Most remaster jobs on the albums I'm after aren't too bad, and some include the original mix and master to give you the option, which is nice. I will grab a bootleg when necessary though, since some albums will just never be reissued for whatever reason. If there is a legit version that's available within reason, that's what I go with, remaster or not, but bootlegs are better than nothing at all.

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I prefere buying CD's directly from a band's shops: I might be naive, but I have got a feeling that the bands get more money for their hard work that way, then if the purchase has to go through a middle man.

But when purchasing directly from a band is not an option, then it is either eBay and always " Buy now"...I just never understood the thrill of bidding and besides, I want the CD as fast as possible or a Swedish online music shop called Bengans.

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I've got many CDs in my collection that I simply can't recall ever having purchased. In fact, I'd say most of them fit that category. I look at them and go, when the hell did I buy this? And from where? I wonder what other CDs I got with it at the time. It would actually be interesting keeping a CD diary where I record the circumstances of each album I get. 

For instance, I used to buy a tonne of black metal from redstream.org but I haven't been there in years. I just checked then and yep, it's still there. Such cheap prices, especially if you live in the US. So online stores like that I really like. But 90% of my purchases these days is done on ebay which is kind of disappointing but at least you end up with cheap prices. I hate the way that reads, but I have to accept that as much as I romanticise the old days I'm as much responsible as anyone for their end. 

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I used to keep receipts, still have many. I do keep track of the date of each CD acquired in a database and its corresponding chronological number pertaining to my collection. So I can tell you the exact date of when I bought a CD with perhaps a dozen unfortunate exceptions mainly due to computer issues.

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On 17/09/2017 at 8:36 PM, Vampyrique said:

My spreadsheet goes into nowhere near this level of detail but neat idea.

I used to record the band, title and genre on a Word doc and had every single CD on there until I abandoned the project about ten years ago when I moved overseas. It's a pity really, because it would be great to have a full catalogue. A project for a rainy week perhaps. 

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