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    • Interview: Mike Riddick of Metalhit.com

    This site pioneered metal journalism using dial-up and later online means for one simple reason: no wasted paper. It was apparent by 1984 that computers would soon become household and business appliances, as indispensible as copy machines and perhaps more numerous. The logic went this way: if we're going to have them anyway, distributing information through computer networks means no dead trees, no additional waste, and possibly a more efficient distribution method.

    Twenty years later, one of the debates still under mainstream radar is that of MP3 piracy. It touches all aspects of our government and society: is it theft to copy MP3s? If it is, do we want the Nanny State peering over our shoulders to see what we're copying? Should we trust people to buy what they download, or try copy protection, just as we did with software and eventually abandoned? Who should watch for violations? Who watches the watchers? And finally: can artists get paid in an age beyond material scarcity, when a CD can be downloaded in minutes?

    Mike Riddick, a pioneer in metal artistry in his own right, has tried the dangerous new waters of this controversial issue by launching Metalhit.com, a promotional firm/label that will send reviewers MP3s of CDs. Since promotional CDs arrive in bunches and most commonly go to the trash the same way, this is a green and metal way of forging past barriers to see the potential of this new form. We got in a few words with Mike about the future of digital media and metal.

    1. When did you start metalhit.com, and what realization guided you toward the idea of doing an mp3-based promotion service/label?
    I launched Metalhit.com in January 2008. The idea was born from a suggestion my wife made while discussing with her the status of my other (traditional) label, The Fossil Dungeon. I had always wanted to operate a metal label, publishing bands I enjoy, and this was an innovative way to do it.
    metalhit records logo by mike riddick
    2. Why an mp3-based promotion firm, and did you know about/use mp3s before starting the firm?
    My other label, The Fossil Dungeon, had been publishing CDs while coincidentally publishing our releases in the digital market for a while so it was something I was acquainted with. While I still personally prefer CDs and Vinyls for my own entertainment, I do use Mp3s as well. One primary reason I opted to go exclusively digital with both of my labels was the fact that consumer markets are driven by convenience. Purchasing music online is far more convenient for the fan than going to the store, especially when dealing with music that's not readily accessible in stores to begin with! Another primary reason I decided to go with Mp3s was the expense factor. I and the bands only make money when their music sells so we do not need to be concerned about throwing lots of money down upfront to create inventory and then hope that inventory sells. People profit when product moves and that business concept attracted me. Furthermore, the money I would usually invest in manufacturing can now go to marketing and promoting our artists in a better way. Overall, it's a win-win situation and that makes for a good business. Operating my traditional CD/Vinyl-based label was a financial struggle and caused me to suffer losses for 5 years straight. As a digital label and distributor, the business model is more sound and more effective overall.
    3. It seems several well-known labels have been receptive, and the metal press has been positive. Is this so, and what has helped you become accepted?
    I am aware that digital sales are increasing rather rapidly on a year-to-year basis. I believe the statistic runs around 15% whilst CD sales are diminishing about 5% each year. The numbers tell me that people are getting comfortable with the digital format and I trust that within 10 years the industry will be 100% digital. I'm pleased the metal scene is embracing this change.
    4. Major labels argue that allowing mp3s at all encourages theft and copying, but others point out that those who download mp3s are generally those without the money or inclination to buy the product anyway. How do you think mp3s can be used to promote music, and can it be done so without losing money for artists?
    I don't think artists will see too dramatic of a shift in the bootlegging of their work than in previous periods of music. Granted, it is easier to move music illegally these days by sharing files versus dubbing a cassette tape or ripping and burning a CD. However, overall I think that if a fan values a band's music enough, they'll pay for it, especially with the knowledge that they're directly supporting the artists they appreciate. Even if music moves freely among music fans, it still serves as good promotion. If a music fan didn't pay for an album they own, but they like the band, they'll probably go see them at a show or perhaps order some merchandise online. The band will profit this way, whereas if their music hadn't been freely shared, they would've lost out on this fan. While a band and label would prefer for the fan to pay for music legitimately, I don't think the random occasions of this happening will ultimately cripple the industry. Consider libraries, for example. Did borrowing books freely ever put the book publishing industry out of business? Nope.
    "Democracy is cancerous, and bureaus are its cancer. A bureau takes root anywhere in the state, turns malignant like the Narcotic Bureau, and grows and grows, always reproducing more of its own kind, until it chokes the host if not controlled or excised. Bureaus cannot live without a host, being true parasitic organisms. (A cooperative on the other hand CAN live without the state. That is the road to follow. The building up of independent units to meet the needs of people who participate in the functioning of the unit. A bureau operates on the opposite principle of inventing needs to justify the existence.) Bureaucracy is wrong as cancer, a turning away from the human evolutionary direction of infinite potentials and differentiation and independent spontaneous action, to the complete parasitism of a virus." -- William S. Burroughs, Naked Lunch
    5. If mp3s are accepted as a means of sending promos, or as a way of selling music, it may force restructuring upon the industry. What do you think the music industry of the future will look like?
    Labels are already jumping on the convenience of digital music. Apart from my label submitting promos digitally, I'm aware many of the majors are doing this as well. I think the industry will be much different in the future than its current state. For example, music stores will be a thing of the past. For example, indie shops situated around college campuses are already disappearing because the younger generation has gone completely digital. Music will be entirely digital, purchased from people's home computers and portable devices. The technology for this is already in place and is growing more popular each day. I think labels will market bands in traditional ways, though leaning more toward multi-media avenues on the web. For example, I don't think print magazines dealing with music will be around much longer though I do think they will outlast CDs.
    6. Have you encountered resistance from labels and bands in your plan to send out mp3s to reviewers and, if so, what were the common objections? How did you resolve them?
    Yes, I have encountered music reviewers and radio show DJs that have chosen not to accept digital promos. For most it is simply a matter of comfort. They aren't yet comfortable with this medium and they still prefer things the traditional way. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this and many of the labels still cater to these individuals by providing them with promo CDs, etc. For a lot of music journalists, their primary incentive for writing reviews is the fact they get to have tangible CDs as a perk for their work. While my music is still "free" to them, the reward factor isn't present because there is nothing entirely tangible given to them. Some people prefer to hold something rather than have it as a file on their computer. This is perhaps the only factor slowing the transition into the digital age of music, but as technology increases and the devices used to play CDs become obsolete, the transition will be inevitable. While this can hamper my marketing efforts, I contrarily have marketing partners that love digital music and embrace it happily. There are enough promoters out there to still run an effective marketing campaign, exclusively digital!
    7. Some argue that digital rights management (DRM), which is any of a number of encryption schemes to prevent unauthorized copying or uploading of those mp3s, should be applied to any mp3s made of original works. Do you believe this is an effective strategy?
    DRM serves nothing but an inconvenience to the fan. It limits the product a fan is purchasing and that is just bad business. Who wants to buy music that will work only on one device when there are presently multiple devices to play music on in the marketplace? People will always find a way bootleg music and DRM is no exception so I find it to be a waste of time on the industry's part. A lot of online music retailers, like eMusic, for example, offer downloads DRM-free. Likewise, the Metalhit.com Mp3 store is DRM-free!
    8. Your work acknowledges a shift, through iTunes and other vectors, in the music industry toward accepting digital technology, including its ability to make a copy of anything already digitized. Some see the market as moving from selling a product, in which the physical form and information it contained were bonded inextricably, to selling a license to an abstract service, which is the ability to play or view a work, regardless of form. How will this affect how musicians, labels and promoters get paid?
    It's interesting how you describe this shift and it's quite accurate. I believe labels and musicians will have to simply accept this transition and recognize that the future of media will be much more amorphous, not simply an individual unit. One thing I think we will see a rise in is the advent of the single. Previously, singles were used to leverage the sale of a full album. However, now fans have the ability to cherry-pick the songs they want and not have to purchase the filler that used to occupy full length albums. In fact, the idea of a full length album will become vague as this medium becomes more popular. It used to be that 45 minutes of music made up an album when that was all you could squeeze onto a record. CDs increased this expectation to a full hour. With digital music, timing is not an issue and people will simply purchase what they enjoy, song-by-song. As for musicians and labels being paid.I think it will still be the same, using a royalty system. What I do anticipate, however, is that artists will potentially make more money from their music, either handling it independently without a label, or through labels that pay better royalties because when labels go exclusively digital they won't have many of the same middle men and manufacturing expenses that swamp the traditional industry.
    mike riddick of metalhit records
    9. Has metalhit.com helped you promote and/or sell any of your own works? Were the results comparable to conventional music industry models? (N.B. I recognize that you, like many other underground musicians, may not be in this field "for the profit," but I think we should recognize that for an artist to keep existing, the band must at least not lose money, and it needs to make money for those in the support infrastructure of labels, distros, venues, magazines, etc. -- "selling out" is a different story, because even if Metallica's black album had only sold six copies, it would still be a sell-out; this is not a question about the ethics of profit, in other words, although feel free to throw in any ideas you have there)
    I have not yet published any of my own music through Metalhit yet, though I have been publishing my bands in the digital market through my other label for a while now. While those albums were published on CD as well, I have been able to see how digital sales compare to CD sales. CDs sales are definitely more prevalent in the marketplace today, though when you compare the expenses involved in each of these avenues, I find the digital medium more appealing, even if it only makes up a small sales margin right now. However, I see this increasing each year so it only seems logical to pursue digital in its entirety.
    10. The idea of metalhit.com appeals to many in black metal because, as people who believe in an integral, parallel bond between spirituality, intelligence, nature and the organization of matter, they see unnecessary production of physical waste (in the form of physical promos that generally get thrown out) as destructive to nature. Was this part of your motivation behind metalhit.com, and have you any idea how effective you have been toward reducing waste?
    I hadn't considered this proponent of the psychology behind some black metal fans. If this is the case, then my label should prove favorable. In contrast, I would've assumed fans of black metal to be the most resistant to embracing a new medium since black metal carries with it a loyalty to older metal traditions and vinyl. In any case, the amount of physical waste reduced by this change in my operation has been dramatic. It's largely a paperless business. The only paper used is for contracts, filed work and reproduced fliers.
    11. How has the presence of mp3s changed the underground? Is it better to fight change that seems contrary, or to accept it and try to alter it to support original objectives?
    Mp3s have significantly changed the underground. With the advent of the Internet, the connectivity between fans of music all across the world has increased tremendously. In the early 90's and prior, the worldwide network of the underground metal scene was facilitated by postal mail and it would take weeks to communicate with others around the world. Now that the Internet is here, not only has it made underground more accessible, but it's also given leverage to smaller bands and labels in the sense that they can now more readily compete with larger labels because both the independents and majors have access to resources only previously reserved for major labels.
    12. What kind of journalistic outlets does metalhit.com service, and have you seen a rise in digital-format outlets, like blogs and twitter streams and the like?
    We spread our bands as well as those from our partner labels as intensely as possible. We'll go for traditional magazines and radio shows to online programs, blogs, webzines and the like. I think there is a definite rise in digital-format outlets for promotion, particularly among the younger generation of extreme metal fans.
    13. If you were an up-and-coming death metal or black metal band today, how would you use digital media to promote your band?
    Take advantage of it! Setting up a MySpace page, has been a relatively effective method for unknown artists to start marketing their work. Online advertising is another avenue for bands with more money to promote with and simply networking with labels, fans and distributors over the Internet is an excellent way to start making your work more known. The benefit of the Internet is that you can achieve a pretty decent amount of exposure with little expense involved. However, as with any successful artists, whether mainstream or underground, originality, hard work and persistent effort will yield results.

    Thanks to Metalhit.com for this inspiring interview.

    If we ask a man who is exploiting a commons to desist "in the name of conscience," what are we saying to him? What does he hear?--not only at the moment but also in the wee small hours of the night when, half asleep, he remembers not merely the words we used but also the nonverbal communication cues we gave him unawares? Sooner or later, consciously or subconsciously, he senses that he has received two communications, and that they are contradictory: (i) (intended communication) "If you don't do as we ask, we will openly condemn you for not acting like a responsible citizen"; (ii) (the unintended communication) "If you do behave as we ask, we will secretly condemn you for a simpleton who can be shamed into standing aside while the rest of us exploit the commons." -- Garrett Hardin, The Tragedy of the Commons
    return to death/black metal interviews section Return to Metal Interviews
    Death Metal and Black Metal Search Engine

    The Metal Basement

    30 07 12 - 14:32

    New radio program DJ'd in part by one of our users:

    The Metal Basement with Maniacal Michael & the Basement Bunch.

    It airs every Tuesday night from 10-12 PM PST.

     

    przk | | underground metal |

    Metal Rising Worldwide

    30 06 12 - 08:34

     

    przk | | underground metal | 359 comments

    Beherit - "Celebrate the Dead"

    18 06 12 - 19:34

    Black metal + dubstep



    Numen - intention = essence
     

    przk | | underground metal | 134 comments

    Why this blog has been silent

    31 03 12 - 05:58

    We've moved it.

     

    przk | | underground metal | 573 comments

    Impiety - Ravage and Conquer

    03 03 12 - 06:07

    Impiety - Ravage and Conquer



    This album is thoroughly enjoyable energetic and simple death metal which incorporates enough hints of melody and harmony to give the songs memorability. However, on the whole it belongs to that category of bands which are guilty pleasure bands by design. They do not aim for profundity, but rather intensity. We might list Vader and Angelcorpse as well, or maybe early Grave, because they have a similar low-tech approach. There is not much that is musical about this release. It is pure rhythm, with the aforementioned musical elements tacked on to keep your interest. But as rhythm, it has the intensity of later Angelcorpse and the raging power of broad basic statements that propelled early Grave. Its songs are not as memorably constructed as those on Exterminate or Into the Grave, have more the intensity of mid-period Vader, but in a time of feeble self-pitying rock bands trying to be hipster "metal," it's gratifying to find something with heart. You will tap your feet to these energetic, propulsive tunes and appreciate the sheer violence out of which they are created. Unlike many recent albums which drag you along for the ride, Ravage and Conquer drops you into the middle of it and makes you fight your way out.

     

    przk | | underground metal | 262 comments

    Imprecation - Angel of Salvation's Doom (2012)

    29 02 12 - 19:08



    From their new blasphemous album. Sounds good, with a few nods to 1980s mainstream technical metal, pissing all over 2010s technical metal.
     

    przk | | underground metal | 21 comments

    DEAD CAN DANCE tour dates announced

    29 02 12 - 05:21

    SEPTEMBER

    19th - HCTAT, Istanbul, Turkey
    21st - Earth Theatre, Thessaloniki, Greece
    23rd - Lycabetus Theatre, Athens, Greece
    25th - MCV, Utrecht, Holland
    27th - Grand Rex, Paris, France
    29th - Cirque Royal, Brussels, Belgium

    OCTOBER

    1st - Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany
    3rd - Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
    5th - CCH, Hamburg, Germany
    7th - Philharmonie, Munich, Germany
    8th - Philharmonie, Cologne, Germany
    10th - KCP, Prague, Czech Republic
    12th - Bkz Oktyabrsky, St. Petersburg, Russia
    13th - Crocus City Hall, Moscow, Russia
    15th - Sala Kongresowa, Warsaw, Poland
    17th - Papp Laszlo Arena, Budapest, Hungary
    19th - Teatro Degli Arcimboldi, Milan, Italy
    20th - Batiment Des Forces Motrices, Geneva, Switzerland
    22nd - Auditori, Barcelona, Spain
    24th - Casa Da Musica, Porto, Portugal
    26th - Royal Albert Hall, London, England
    28th - Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin, Ireland

    Dates for the North American, South American and Asian legs of the tour will be announced shortly, along with ticket sales information

    www.deadcandance.com
     

    przk | | underground metal | Five comments

    IMPRECATION update

    22 02 12 - 17:48

    New Imprecation tracks will be unleashed next week, the release should be ready by the end of March. The songs to come are entitled "Hosanna Ex Inferis" and "Angel of Salvation's Doom". - David Herrera
     

    przk | | underground metal | 22 comments

    SUMMONING working on new materail

    19 02 12 - 19:00


    19.02.2012
    After a longer winter-sleep summoning is back again and ow works constantly for a new release. We promise that in the near future we will regularly update the homepage again, so it will we worth the costs to check the page in regular intervals.

    The present situation of Summoning:

    In the past years we have worked on new material just very rarely because of different reasons (partly personal, partly being not motivated enough) but since the last months ,we intensified the work for new material and realised, that the old spirit is back again and we are very motivated for a cool new release and we are very committed in every terms of composing.

    Meanwhile there are two songs which are fix starters for the album. 4 or 5 songs are in a more advance state and we composed riffs for at least 10 or 15 songs in a very early state. Btw. we still have one finished song from the last oath bound session which also will be in one or another way. so probably this time we are in the luck situation that we have more songs left, so maybe there will be some special limited fan releases beside the normal release, but this is of course just a wish right now.

    We hope that until the end of this year most of the material for the new album can be finished. In the moment we have no concrete conception about the lyrical concept. All we can say right now is, that Summoning is still alive and middle earth will awake again. - SUMMONING official web presence


    This is encouraging.

    It does not sound like it will be soon, but so long as quality is high, it will be massively anticipated.
     

    przk | | underground metal | Eleven comments

    THRASH is not SPEED METAL

    18 02 12 - 16:52



    Mix together the early CIRCLE JERKS, early BLACK FLAG, MDC, MINOR THREAT, SSD, TERVEET K�DET, and GANG GREEN, and you have something approximating these DIRTY ROTTEN IMBECILES (so-called by their parents). What can I say--this is manic, intense, tight thrash with great lyrics, and I can't wait till these Houston boys unleash themselves upon the rest of us deprived people. 22 songs.
    -Tim Yohannan (from Maximum Rocknroll #5, March/April 1983)

     

    przk | | underground metal | 31 comments

    PROFANATICA - Sickened By Holy Host / The Grand Masters Session

    18 02 12 - 16:51



    This oddity features an all new 39 minute mini-album plus the "The Grand Masters Session" Box Set on CD for the very first time. Nearly 80 minutes of true blasphemy & perversion.

    PART #1 features 5 new songs plus 2 old classics written and recorded by Ledney with a session member. The performance on this work is much like their primitive NECROVORE-ous atrocities committed in the early '90s and allows for safe assumption of what could have been heard on their long-lost album, "The Raping of the Virgin Mary."

    Meanwhile, PART #2 features the same titles but written and recorded by Gelso alongside the same drums & vocals performed on part #1. The execution of this session continues in the more musical direction showcased on their first 2 albums and incorporates soundscapes sonically compiled by the late Aragon Amori. The end result is nothing short of devastating, and the vast contrast between these two sessions takes on the form of an album in itself that is sure to appeal to both old & new devotees of the black cult.

    Finally, "The Grand Masters Session" previously available as a vinyl-only 8" Box Set, is a raging 2008 "live in the studio" recording showcasing many of the classics, a few newer hits and an exclusive medley (a conglomerate of 5 songs).

     

    przk | | underground metal | Ten comments

    SUPURATION retrospective CD release

    17 02 12 - 10:10



    Yes, the mighty french legend SUPURATION (aka SUP) are back from the crematory in form of a retrospective collection CD which includes all the earliest and most brutal stuff of the band from '89 /'90 when they were in their most Death Metal shape right before they started to experiment with clean vocals and more varied sounds.

    "Back from the Crematory" is the generic title of this cult release which is planned for an imminent release on September 16th. The CD includes the awesome band's debut self-financed mini CD "Sultry Obsession" ('90), their only demo "Official Rehearsal" ('90) as well as the impossible-to-find demo of the band's very 1st studio recording "Haunted" under their previous monicker ETSICROXE as well as a 9-song live show, both from '89.

    This masterpiece comes with remastered sound and packed in a total old-fashioned layout in contrat to their latter weird & sophisticated designs. Includes killer 12-pages booklet featuring an exclusive retro-interview, liner notes, cover and tons of old photos & flyers. This definitely a must-have release not only for every SUPURATION fan, but for every lover of the good old Death Metal from late 80's and early 90's!!

    http://www.xtreemmusic.com/
     

    przk | | underground metal | Six comments

    Lord Wind - Ales Stenar

    12 02 12 - 07:36

    New Lord Wind: not metal per se, but metal in spirit, and it will be hard to beat this impressive CD that I'm already calling as "album of the year."



    Note new URL.
     

    przk | | underground metal | Sixteen comments

    New SAMMATH

    11 02 12 - 12:07

     

    przk | | underground metal | Two comments

    YADENU (Yet Another DEMONCY "Enthroned is the Night" Update)

    11 02 12 - 12:06

    Demoncy (CD) jackets are in production and on their way to completion. No release date has been given yet but we are expecting them roughly around the 22nd of February. - Forever Plagued Records

    Can't fucking wait!
     

    przk | | underground metal | No comments

    BLASPHERIAN update

    09 02 12 - 17:24

    BLASPHERIAN UPDATE:
    NEW SONG FOR SPLIT 7" WITH IMPRECATION......FINISHED
    2 NEW SONGS,REWORKED VERSION OF 'TO WALK THE PATH...'.... FINISHED
    AND NOW WE BEGIN WRITING FOR THE UPCOMING SPLIT WITH CRUCIFIER 'THE POISONERS OF YAHWASTE'...
    AND THEN WE RECORD THIS UNHOLY MADNESS....HOPEFULLY SOMETIME IN MARCH/APRIL 2012 ANNO SATANAS...
     

    przk | | underground metal | Ten comments

    New footage of Quorthon

    09 02 12 - 16:42

    Part 1:



    Part 2:



    Part 3:


    See also our interview with Quorthon, one of the smartest men in metal.
     

    przk | | underground metal | Two comments

    VARG VIKERNES converting to Christianity?

    06 02 12 - 20:09

    A textual comparison:

    A Burzum Story: Part VIII - On Overgrown Paths

    'Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat.

    Bible

    How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!' Matthew 7: 13-14

    All I can say is... oy gevalt. Ripped shamelessly from Faceplant
     

    przk | | underground metal | Four comments

    Another DEMONCY update

    06 02 12 - 19:55

    Okay FPR confirmed the updated jacket design. I'm waiting to hear back that everything is accepted and in production. Remember everything is done but the jacket so once the jacket is done everything gets packaged and sent to us. I'll confirm once the jacket is in production and then I'll confirm once they give us an exact shipping date. I'll feel so much better once these are in the hands of all who preordered as I know we are at fault for accepting these pre's so damn early, considering the time its taking to get this finished.- FPR
     

    przk | | underground metal | No comments

    Typical Gojira Fan

    03 02 12 - 01:34



    This from fans of the band who penned this lyrical turd:


    I hold my inner child within
    And tell him not to cry
    "don't fear the living"
    One day you will stand as a king
    And no fear can erase
    This light below us
    Each one of us is now engaged
    This secret we all have
    This truth is growing
    And as a warrior I have to fight
    I can already feel
    The love I'll discover


    Is it fair to point out that anyone who thinks this is "poetry" or "profound" is of the level of stupidity found mainly in Twilight fans?
     

    przk | | underground metal | Seven comments

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