Some words about how we approach our music - please feel free to share :
We ditched Spotify in 2020 for three reasons; Old mate was investing in weapons of war, they have never contributed anything back into the industry they exploit, and the payouts for streams were shithouse. Trendsetters we are not but it’s great to see more people doing this recently.
These were the outcomes for us:
- Our digital sales increased dramatically, covering any streaming losses tenfold.
- Some promoters would not work with us due to not being able to see our stats. In each case we booked a different show in a DIY space and made more money than they were ever gonna offer us. And we avoided working with a promoter with no ability to think outside the norms.
- A bunch of people continued to insist to us that being on there was absolutely necessary – it isn’t. Sorry but this bootlicking of the worst players of the industry has become tiring after 25+ years of playing music. You don’t have to do anything. It’s your band, do whatever the fuck you want.
The deal they offer to musicians started off shithouse and has (predictably) gotten worse from there. Some of the big players called that out at the beginning, would not put their music on there, then cut personal deals with them and left the rest of us to go fuck ourselves.
We’ve had long enough of this experiment now to confirm the bad outweighs the good. Recently we were asked to be a part of an online campaign to increase exposure of Australian music. While we wish them well we declined ‘cos we can’t see how the solution can ever lie in encouraging the use of these platforms – they are ethically bereft, let’s stop pretending otherwise.
An argument is often put forward that touring and merch is where to make up the difference; touring and postage have never been more expensive than they are now.
People keep asking us what the ethical alternatives are to Spotify. The alternative is to buy the music you love. I don’t think there is an ethical version of a company offering you all that “content” for a small fee, whose sole motive is to maximise profits and who don’t invest back into music making. There are some ethical streaming options in the works and they will look pretty different.
Recently I used someone’s Spotify account. Yes, it is very user friendly and convenient - I don’t think this convenience is worth it. Nor is it better than investing in music; that’s how more great music gets made.
We are musicians but we are also rabid music fans – utterly obsessed with it. We’ve never had streaming accounts and it has not impinged on our ability to enjoy the music we love. I’d say we have a better experience as fans because of it. There is a value to, as a listener, being invested in a band or a recording. It’s a commitment to listen to it with intent. Not all great albums grab you immediately. Some require a bit of work on the part of the listener – and it’s worth it.
It’s true that it’s now possible to make a great record on a laptop in a bedroom. No engineers, costly studio time or expensive gear. Yep you can do that. You can also make great recordings in well built music studios, with engineers who have dedicated their lives to honing their craft, with musicians who can afford the time to do the same. And there is no substitute for that. You cannot make those kind of recordings any other way.
We do a lot of stuff ourselves (artwork, printing, record label, booking etc) but being a part of a community is what we love. We aim to make records in collaboration with people as passionate as ourselves and try to pay them fairly. In truth most of them undercharge; a knock on effect of an industry in which musicians are severely undervalued.
For our last album Memory Jar we had the privilege to work with multiple such people; Alex at Sound Recordings has a passion for and understanding of 100% analogue recording that is unmatched. Adam Dempsey approaches Mastering with such respect for the source material and has a deep knowledge of the craft that no plugin can ever come close to replacing.
Kassian at Dub Plates took the time to understand what we wanted before cutting the Lacquers and Program Records commitment to high quality vinyl pressing is evident in the final product.
As an album it probably asks more from the listener than any before. But you can be assured we laboured over every detail of it, we loved making it, and the corporate scumbags had as little involvement in its creation as possible. Everyone who bought it invested in the album and supported music industry trades which are under threat. These trades are worth supporting.
You can stream our releases for free on Bandcamp (and Ampwall soon) and it’s on our terms with no one ripping us off. If moving from one app to another is too much work then…it’s not that important to us to have the extra listeners. We’re here to make music, not please people.
So it’s a massive thanks from us to all the people out there who have stuck with our band for 15 years now – we don’t take it for granted in this day and age when people throw down monetary support to musicians. We will continue to operate on our terms. We welcome everyone else who wants to tell the streaming giants to shove it.
Also……..
We don’t push Club DEAD too much either but via that you can stoke the fires and get a bunch of recordings available nowhere else. It has meant we can release more music, more often. Next Full length LP should be out early next year.
Thanks.
