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Music
1. How long have you been making music?
Individually, I believe some of us have been at it for different times. Amarionette originally formed with a nearly completely different lineup (Quin is the only original member of that lineup still in the band) in 2008. The current lineup has been around for about a year, with myself (Brandon) recently joining last June to replace Paul (who was the only other original member besides Quin until that point.) So the Amarionette name has been around for a while now, just with different incarnations.
2. Do you find it easier to get your music out there with the introduction of the Internet? Do you think it’s more successful to post your music free on the Internet or to try to sign with a record label?
It is absolutely easier to promote music over the internet. We are able to reach well over a thousand people at the click of a mouse, and that's a powerful tool considering all the outlets that are available for promotion online (web forums, facebook, blogs, twitter, etc.). That doesn't go to say that all promotion should be on the internet. Personal time with fans and potential is vital, if not more important, as it shows the fan you care about what they think and appreciate the fact that they are allowing you to continue the path you want with their support. I find grassroots promotion does reach less people in sheer volume compared to the internet, but the value of getting personal time with the band reinforces a good image in the fans' minds and those people are also more hyped to tell their friends about the band, so there's merit in both approaches.
Second part of this question. It depends on what you define as success. If you seek validation and validation only, then offering a free album is a great way to do that and to share your music as well as start getting your name out there. There are plenty of people who get a great level of contentment from simply sharing their music with others, regardless of the monetary gain. However, if you wish to make a career out of this, that does mean at some point you are going to want to get in contact with labels. These organizations have more promotion power than any of us individually, and even if most of our work is done at home, you are going to want to get a disc available on as many online outlets and in as many stores as possible, and the minimum of doing that would be a distribution deal. We are looking to get attention at the national stage, so something like this would be critical for us, that we are in contact with the right labels who are going to help us, but also respect the integrity of our music to a degree. It does start to get a bit sticky there, since we are all new at approaching the industry part of being in this band, but we are learning as we go with this.
3. How do you feel about illegal downloading?
Illegal downloading is going to happen, regardless if we like it or not. Unfortunately, strict legislation meant to protect the rights of musicians has gone a bit too far overboard and left a bitter taste in everyone's mouths, and now we are left clueless as to how we approach this. Due to pirating, it is no longer viable to make a living (even a very modest one at that) off of record sales. We've heard many anecdotes from bands that on tour, they pretty much have to be a clothing company, that the music takes a near back seat to the merchandise. That being said, you can't take a hard stance on pirating because it can be a valuable tool to help music go viral. Obviously, if our music is in demand that much, it will be pirated, I don't doubt that. However, we appreciate every purchase because it shows that you want us to keep going. I guess the short answer would be, we can't stop you, but please purchase our music if you like it in order to help us continue making music.
4. How do you feel about giving out free music?
I think it is a great tool to give out a small release or single for free. We have done it before and have found that it helps build excitement when you are a little charitable in that sense. It's kind of saying to the listener, "Here is a song off the new album for free, have it! If you like it, the buy the rest too!" It encourages a reciprocal action back to the band. Of course this isn't sustainable in the long run, so I would definitely use discretion when considering giving out a piece of hard work for free.
5. Do you think sharing music is wrong? (hulkshare, mediafire, zippy)
Not necessarily. Like I said before, it is helpful when something goes viral, it focuses a lot of attention on the band. When friends share music with friends, that's how a true following gets built up. However, we just ask if you like the music, that you consider purchasing the music, come out and see and support us at a show, or buy a shirt (or all of them). People have to understand that although these actions help us get the word out faster, they also are not reasonable if they want us to keep making music, we'd all be broke if we just endlessly threw money into the band without earning some back for how much we do to make this band function on even the very basic levels.
6. What websites do you use?
Facebook is a huge tool social media wise, as well as twitter. We tend to like bandcamp as well, since it gives the buyer a bit more say in the quality of the file they're pulling from the internet. It's of course an advantage to have available on iTunes as well as Amazon, so we got our stuff up there too. I personally use soundcloud to showcase my own recordings and songs, just to keep people interested in new material while the band has down time between shows and releases. Basically, you want to use as many websites as possible to have your EP available as well as to promote the disc. Web forums are also a great way to get the word out there.
7. Do you think it’s easier now or ten years ago to make it in the music business?
It's easier now to gain recognition in the industry due to the plain fact that websites like YouTube exist. The idea of something going viral is astounding when you think of what promotional tools bands had even ten years ago. To make it in the music industry is a completely different topic. Labels are more focused on what is guaranteed going to make them money due to pirating, and are less willing to take risks on bands that fall out of that paradigm. I would say unless you already have a strong following that's been built up over years, that it would be more difficult to access the same luxury that bands of the past did. It is easier now to make an excellent home recording, but people still need to rely on many different types of promotion to make it. Some are free, such as posting things all over the internet, others, such as touring and selling merch and putting stickers everywhere, cost a lot of personal dollars, sometimes which in order to grow, is not feasible for one person or even five people to finance.
8. What do you think the Internet’s impact on the music industry is?
The best thing that ever happened and detrimental all at the same time. The self made star is on the rise due to the internet, but any hope of earning a decent living without being a super star like Katy Perry have basically been destroyed. Luckily we love what we do, and will do anything to do it for the rest of our lives. Unfortunately, that is also taken for granted, and the devaluing of musicians has been on the rise just because kids want to get out and play, which people like a certain promoter in town (note that he is the exception in this town, most if not all the other promoters are great people) continually profit from and take advantage of. Essentially, a level of respect in the industry for the musicians needs to be built back up, because it can be great to you if you know and meet the right people. The hard part is just making people give a shit in the first place, so bands need to be insanely good salesmen as well.
--Interview by Trenton
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