Thursday, June 23, 2011

This Is A True Story

~ Well, here it is directly from a horses mouth. This is a true story.
Article source HERE


“Isn’t it such a shame that the music industry is no longer about music? I started playing instruments when I was 10. 16 years later, I find myself leaving a career that I strived over half of my life to accomplish. I gave up almost everything to live in a basement in another country and make music with my bandmates in search of a record deal. We did the impossible and got signed to Roadrunner Records. It was my childhood dream and I had everything I ever wanted. Or so I thought.

“My love for singing and performing soon started to diminish as time and time again we got screwed over by the industry in some way or another. I love being in a band because I love singing and i’ve just found that everything i’m doing is for the wrong reasons. There’s no passion or drive to wake up in the morning and make music with the guys, so i’m not going to do that anymore. Maybe a new venture will come my way and it will restart the fire that I once had.

“We live in an age where labels don’t just take money from music sales, but from almost every form of a bands income. This isn’t the labels fault. They front money to let the bands make their music and put it out. They’re businesses and want to make a profit. But what happens when a band is given money to record an album, puts it out, and then doesn’t sell enough records…? They are evaluated and either dropped or given a second chance with a strict budget… We were dropped. We didn’t even hit 10,000 legal album sales in the USA. Yet looking at torrent sites around the internet, you can easily find 60,000+ illegal downloads. Our music was stolen, the label didn’t make enough money, and now there will be no more music. Why am I saying this? Because this happens to so many other bands and they stay quiet about it.

“After 4 years of working almost every day with the band, the reality is i’ve earned $100 in all that time. I simply cannot afford to continue on. Visa costs, living costs…people seem to think i’m rich because i’m a musician but many of you will know the reality of the industry. I don’t know the future of Mutiny Within, I wish them the best if they decide to continue without me, but i’m moving on and I hope that I find that drive and love for music that I once had.

“I’d like to thank our fans for being awesome and so loyal to us. You’ve been there for us on the road more times than I can remember and it’s you guys that have kept me going through all the bad times because standing on that stage and hearing you sing along is the best feeling I could ever have. We’ve had plenty of haters and i’d like to thank them too for entertaining me over the past few years. I play metal because I love metal. Some people seem to rip anything apart which isn’t their favourite band, yet if I sounded like your favourite band you’d hate me for copying them.

“I’m still on good terms with the band and there’s no bad feelings, so thanks again to the fans, the band, and everybody who has supported me along the way.

9 comments:

  1. You're an amazing guy Rob, not only a talented musician but a wonderful soul as well!! God Bless you, and know that you have alot of fans that love and admire you from around the world!! \m/ \m/ hugs xo

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  2. This is really disheartening. I'm not familiar with the band, but I'm familiar with this story. If they could have turned those 60,000 illegal downloads into 60,000 free downloads in exchange for emails, I bet the story would be different.

    Unfortunately, at 99cents a download, the only way to survive and have money for touring, lawyers, and future studio recordings would be to sell in the 500,000 to 1 million range. (Factoring in the label cut which is probably an astronomical percentage.)

    Personally, I think it's more important for a musician to find independent success (read that as financially sustainable) before approaching a label.

    Honestly, it sounds like they were lucky to have their record released. Sometimes labels will just sit on an album and force the artists to purchase their own music back to get out of their contract.

    I hope Chris takes some time off and regroups. It sounds like he helped build a great fan base that he can reconnect with.

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  3. Seth, this is one of those unfortunate situations where a band gets signed prematurely. I do commend this label for signing this band because they sincerely loved their music. That is rare to see, and we will see much less of it in the coming years.

    I think bands need to define and engage their fanbase through networking and gigging before they sign a record deal. A label can only help a band when they have built their own foundation first, otherwise stories like the above will continue to happen.

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  4. To me this sounds like the: "cliche/very logic" sort of story;... "the band does not sell records, the label pushes em', and the band gets poor" but i think this is kind of the old industry model of putting bands out in the market! nowdays we all know selling records is maybe, the last thing a band will do! so: The music is gotten for free, The band sells the live shows, The artists get money from shows.

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  5. Great post by the way!, it does make us think about it all!

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  6. Erick, yes... It would seem to be that this band fell into more a traditional old school model of a record deal. When a band does not take early control of their fan base and career they are more victim to the 360 predators.

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  7. wow... it seems then, that the record deal made some damage instead!... but how bands'd control a fan base!? interesting'

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  8. well... it is interesting since none of these things are an exact science!

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