M3 – First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself and what it is that you do?
Tony – I am Tony Lathouwers. I play the drums in Radar Men From The Moon and besides that I follow a study in Tilburg called “International event, music & entertainment studies”. I also manage all the bookings and PR for the band.

What inspired you to start Radar Men from the Moon? What are your own musical backgrounds?
There wasn’t really anything that inspired us to start Radar men from the Moon, it just kind of happened. Strangely enough, when we started jamming it just worked itself out and songs came rolling down the press. But I guess the three of us do have different musical backgrounds. Glenn (guitar), used to play in different hardcore punk, crust and even grindcore bands back in the day. We (Titus and me) asked him to play with our old stoner rock band “Boners inc”, and after that when our singer left, we started Radar men from the Moon.

Personally we love to listen to bands like Captain Beefheart, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, Sonic Youth, Motorpsycho, Can, Neu!, the Melvins, 35007, The Heads etc. This list just goes on and on since we “geek out” on music too! A lot of these bands do kind of form an inspiration for our sound, but not directly.

What was the reasoning behind making your music available for free of ‘pay-as-you-please’ download?
We simply want to share our music with everybody who has an interest in our band. And if there are people out there that are willing to pay for it and therefore support us, then that’s cool as well. So far we found out that people will support our music if it is good enough for them, and we totally dig that. We even sold more digital downloads then CDs at the moment, which is not that strange considering we are in a digital age right now. I personally see this as the perfect promo for a new released album. If we didn’t do this, I know for sure that a lot of people wouldn’t even know Radar men from the Moon existed.

What benefits and/or disadvantages have arisen from this distribution method?
I’d like to think there is no disadvantage to this digital distribution method. Bandcamp really is a great platform for underground artists. People who download the album without paying are welcome to do that, if we hadn’t used Bandcamp they would have ripped it off the internet elsewhere, it’s better they get good sound quality directly from us. Obviously the benefits are great. We can raise money for the album and eventually put it out on vinyl, which is something we really want to do given we are collectors of vinyl ourselves and are constantly getting questions about ‘Echo Forever’ on vinyl.

On average, how many people would you say still pay for a release when given the option to download for free?
I don’t really have the numbers right here, but I’d say it is about 50/50.

Personally I think there are people out there that just want to support good music. Digitally or physically. If I see a band playing a good show and I dig the music, then I am off to the merchandise table to fetch me some records. This probably applies to online distribution as well. Some customers pay much for a download, some pay little. It really depends on the customer, and we like it that way, though we do have a fixed price for physical media haha.

Would you say this method is a realistic possibility for the future of music distribution?
Yes, we can see that business models are drastically changing in the music industry, and also in the gaming industry. We haven’t figured out a stable one yet, but I do believe that digital music distribution is the future for artists. If you take a closer look to platforms as Kickstarter and Indie GoGo, you can see that a lot of artists are making use of crowd funding/crowd sourcing. Bands should use that too and explore the possibilities of the internet!

What would be your preferred medium to listen to music (eg. Vinyl, CD, tape, MP3 etc.), and why?
Vinyl, hands down. It’s not something I can pinpoint, I also own some CD’s. But vinyl just has this romantic feeling all over it. It just feels nice to put on a record and listen to music and have this huge record with great artwork from the artist.

Do you feel the idea of an album, as a piece of art that people will listen to from start to finish, has been undermined or forgotten about in the digital age?
That is a good question. We definitely think that an album is a piece of art and should be listened to in its entity. But then again, with the digital age it is so easy to skip songs. Or just shuffle songs on Spotify, iTunes or whatever. We understand that, and it really is no big deal as long as people keep listening. I usually listen to a whole album myself.

What is your take on the current SOPA/ACTA controversy?
I don’t really know how to say it. But heck I am a rabid digital pirate myself. And I like to share my own works on the internet. So yeah, basically I don’t like the way the government is going with this. Even how big entertainment corporations used to promote downloading via Napster, Kazaa, Download.com etc, and now they are trying to sue them all and scrape in all the money, that’s just not fair and I think this whole SOPA thing is bigger than people think it is (Lobbyists etc.).

But luckily, we still live in the Netherlands and not the USA, so to hell with them. The internet is free and should stay free, there is no way governments can hold a censure over it. It just won’t happen (pirateproxy anyone? :D).

Finally, what does the future have in store for Radar Men From The Moon?
Well we just released our new album called “Echo Forever” you should check it out on our Bandcamp. It is also available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and on All That Is Heavy, Ozium Records and Sulatron Records. Or directly via our mail: jantitusverkuijlen@gmail.com

We are currently working out some shows in the near future. Expect us to go more internationally, we really like to play abroad. Tune in at our Facebook or Twitter for news updates!

Well, you heard the man! Head on over to the band’s social media sites for more information, and drop whatever you’re doing and go listen to ‘Echo Forever’ now. Right now!

M3: First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself, and what it is that you do?
Freddy: I’ve DJ’d on the industrial/electro scene for a number of years and finally decided no one was producing the music l wanted to hear. I taught myself music production with very basic equipment which I recently expanded to create Needle Fac†ory as it is today. I think of myself more of a song writer these days and the music must come from the words rather than the other way around. I find that a lot of the lyrics in Dance/EBM are a bit of an after-thought which I think is something worth changing.

Johna: I have been involved in the underground goth scene for about 15 years, I have always been interested in macarbe art and makeup. I have worked on the performance art circuit for a number of years and create a lot of art, be it with makeup, words or paint.

What inspired you to form Needle Fac†ory? What are your own musical backgrounds?
Freddy: Needle Fac†ory was the culmination of a few other projects and ideas I’d been working on. I started making music for computer games in the early nineties, for the Amiga mostly. I still use the same technology now but it has been developed to work on PC which makes things a lot easier. lf I had to point to a single band that inspired me more than any other I’d have to say Skinny Puppy but generally speaking it isn’t other bands or artists that made us start Needle Fac†ory. Sometimes you have to love and hate music in equal measure to create music. If you enjoy the process of making music you’re doing it wrong.

Johna: My musical inspiration is quite varied in that I have such a wide taste, I am influenced by the likes of early Madonna, The Cure, Placebo, Manic Street Preachers, Danny Elfman and also Marilyn Manson and I am also inspired by 90s metal and some more extreme death metal bands

Many people have claimed that there is no longer any money in record sales, and that touring is the most efficient way to earn an income as a band. How much truth do you think there is in this sentiment?
Freddy: Personally l don’t know where the promoter/label set up is at right now and l don’t think anyone feels secure about the future. The music will always exist and people will always enjoy live music but the spiraling cost of tickets/booking fees is alienating a lot of people.

Johna: I think there is a lot of truth in this sentiment as I have noticed over the past few years the decline in good bands and I don’t think it’s because there is no talent anymore, it is most probably because not many can make enough money doing it for a living unless you get recognized by major labels.

Much has been made of the supposed death of the record store in recent years. Do you believe the digital age has killed the record store, and if so, do you think that this is a necessary part of progression, or a tragic loss?
Freddy: You could say the same for a lot of stores and outlets regarding the impact of the WWW on retail. l’m not nostalgic about shopping. When l think about it now l don’t know how it went on so long with shops over charging. When you buy music physically you’re not buying music at all you’re buying an artifact of the music, simply a format that carries it.

Johna: Personally I think it is tragic, I used to absolutely love going through old record stores and finding something that I have been looking out for for years, its a real shame that you are so freely exposed to anything you want with the internet , it completely devalues the amount of work
and passion that goes in to the audio art.

What would be your preferred medium to listen to music (eg.Vinyl, CD, tape, MP3 etc.), and why?
Freddy: Sound Cloud is my main medium at the moment because of its simple layout and format. Anything that makes the ‘share’ option easy
is a winning formula and its like a community on there, you get to know people doing similar things. YouTube is another medium l like because we are a very visual band. l think making a video is just as important as the music in some cases.

Johna: Mp3 is the most convenient way of listing to music I will admit, but I much prefer getting out the CD and playing the album how it was originally meant to be heard.

Do you feel the idea of an album, as a piece of art that people will listen to from start to finish, has been undermined or forgotten about in the digital age?
Freddy: For now l think it has, sadly. When l was writing our ‘Geotia’ album l didn’t want it to play like 10 tracks stuck together with no narrative. I wanted it to be something people could spend time getting to know. Inevitably those 10 tracks will be split and shared individually which will take a lot of  feeling away, l think. Some of my favorite albums only have two tracks, 30 mins each. Hard to image that happening now. Someone should defiantly revive that just as a protest.

Johna: I think that has been completely forgotten about for a lot of people, the culture we are living in at the moment is pretty fickle and always looking out for the next big thing, its a shame (unless Justin Bieber gets dropped, now that would be great haha!)

Recently, there seem to be a large number of bands offering their releases for free via sites like Bandcamp. What do you think of this distribution method, do you think it is a realistic solution to the problem of illegal downloading?
Freddy: I think Bandcamp offer a great service for small labels. It’s more or less instant, you upload the tracks and share the link. The downside with that of course is there will be 100′s of links sent in a day. Reminds me of the old Myspace a bit when they used to promote themselves with the line ‘reach 10 million fans a day’. What they should have said is ‘be ignored by 10 million people a day’. No one wants to be bombarded with links. Music is something you have to discover for yourself. Word of mouth is the only way really.

Johna: Not really, no, but it gets the attention of more people offering it for free, but then it also devalues it and so many people are offering free downloads these days its hard getting people to actually give you a chance and listen for more than a minute.

Do you think the digital age has rendered traditional concepts of copyright obsolete, or do you think they are still relevant?
Freddy: Copyright seems to me like the most childish idea imaginable. Who are all these little genius’s who think their work is so precious that no one should get it for free? If you’re good people will rip you off, if you’re mediocre you have nothing to worry about. It all comes down to money, sadly. If someone is trying to pass my work of as their own well that’s a shame for that person.

Johna: I dont think anybody cares about copyright anymore, they just download whatever they like whenever they like. It’s sad and as a musician and music lover I would much prefer to go back to the record store and buy the album I love, rather than download a load of stuff I will never get round to listening to.

What would you say are the main challenges facing an up-and-coming musician/band in today’s cultural climate?
Freddy: Main challenge for me is getting out there and playing our music. Its harder and harder for promoters to make a buck and a lot of people run at a loss. A lot of club nights have closed because of increasing costs.

Johna: Getting people to actually listen to you is the key, I guess a lot of people are more concerned about how a band looks rather than sounds these days so lucky we look pretty damn good and sound great too.

Finally, what does the future hold for Needle Fac†ory ?
Freddy: My future only extends to the next day and right now we are doing very well. Anyway, isn’t the world supposed to end this December? I fucking hope so. :)

Johna: World domination! Make way for the needles, we are going to infect you.

Needle Factory’s new album “Goetia” is due to be released on 31st October, on CD / Download through Unrepresented Music. For more information about the band, you can visit their website and Facebook page.

M3 – First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself, and what it is that you do?
Rob Tunstall – Hello! My name’s Rob Tunstall, I make music under the name Rapidax and I organise a night in London called Earblender.

What inspired you to start making music? What is your own musical background?
Music has always been in my life, from an early age I was listening to everything from opera to heavy metal (thanks to my parents extensive record collection!), I picked up the clarinet when I was 7 and swapped that for a guitar when I was 11. Blues rock was my first real love, spending hours learning old Hendrix and Zeppelin tunes or just improvising to 12 bar backing tracks. Then Nu-metal came along! This was an exciting time, because I was listening to musicians that were still alive and touring, this meant lots of gigs! From there I progressed onto bands like Slayer/Pantera, then onto Dillinger Escape Plan/Converge. It was around this time that I really got into electronic music through artists like Squarepusher and Aphex Twin, this in turn got me into the rave scene, so I spent a few years hooked on kick drums! Happy hardcore, psy-trance, hardcore techno, anything with four to the floor kicks. After a few years playing around with Cubase & Logic I was starting to crave more than dance music, and so I’ve spent the last few years striving to find artists that don’t stick to sub-genres, and I suppose naturally I now listen to all the above combined!

Why did you decide to make some of your songs available for free download via Soundcloud?
A lot of people these days don’t like to pay to listen to music, this isn’t a moan, just a statement of fact! I see no harm in giving away some music for free, it gives the listener an option to check out your music at no expense. I’m the same as a listener: If Artist X is giving away music for free then I’ll download it, listen to it, if I really like it it goes on my MP3 player and I’ll listen to it wherever I go. If I find I REALLY like it and keep listening to it, I know I want/need more, therefore I’ll go and buy Artist X’s back catalogue! Once at this stage, you’re a fan of Artist X and will go and see them at shows, tell your mates about them – the artist benefits. Sadly, I’m not sure if this would be the case if the artist hadn’t made some music freely available. There’s just too much music out there to buy it all, and so a little taster helps you filter out what’s good and what’s REALLY good!

What benefits and/or disadvantages have you encountered by doing this?
Well I’ve had some feedback from a few people that my tunes were now on ‘playlists’ that they’ve made so that has to be a good thing. I haven’t experienced any problems with it myself. We’re gonna be releasing half of my album for free as well, so people can still get some music, and then they have an option to buy the full album if they like what they hear!

What would be your preferred medium to listen to music (eg. Vinyl, CD, tape, MP3 etc.), and why?
Probably CD’s, I guess because I’ve spent most of my life listening to them, but each format has it’s place. Vinyl is the best thing for mixing of course, but I can only do that in one room of my house, and I like to listen to music everywhere! Most of the music I listen to now is in MP3 format, I try and get CD’s when I can but even then I just stick them on the computer and then play them from there or put them on my portable MP3 player. I like to have the artwork of a release but again, these days that can consist of a JPEG that you download with the music. I also listen to a lot of music on YouTube, which gives you the option of virtually any song/album to suit your mood at the click of a button. Each person will have a different answer to this question that’s personal to them, and there is no right answer, as long as the music reaches your ears!

Much has been made of the supposed death of the record store in recent years. Do you believe the digital age has killed the record store, and if so, do you think that this is a necessary part of progression, or a tragic loss?
I used to absolutely love going music shopping! Going into a store with the intention of having a ‘quick browse’ and then coming out 2 hours later with £50 worth of CDs! Then you’d stick one album on your Discman for the journey home, and then you’d have an evening spent with new music and normally a new favourite band! That is an experience that I’m sure is now lost to us forever and yes it is a real shame. But I think it’s also important to look at what we’re gaining – teenagers will grow up hanging around each others houses playing each other new music that is instantly available, watching live videos of unsigned bands and contributing to an online community where people can talk about music. Those are things I never had when I grew up, so whilst I think it’s a shame that future generations won’t share my experiences, they have an even more ways to discover what’s out there.

Do you feel the idea of an album, as a piece of art that people will listen to from start to finish, has been undermined or forgotten about in the digital age?
Yes, and this is something that saddens me. I think you can get more from an artist that is writing an ‘album’. Otherwise it’s just a collection of singles or dance floor fillers. When considering an album, I would expect to hear a range of different music, some fast bits, slow bits, epic bits, frantic bits, weird bits etc. But it seems that a lot of todays audiences only want to hear one sound from an artist, otherwise they’d be ‘changing their sound’. The way I see it, I like to hear an artist surprise me as often as possible and keep me guessing, which you’ll generally get with an album that was made to be listened to start to finish.

Do you think the digital age has rendered traditional concepts of copyright obsolete, or do you think they are still relevant?
In many ways yes, but then, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I doubt The Winstons have seen a penny of the money made from the ‘Amen’ break, but without it, jungle music in it’s current form wouldn’t exist. It’s no different to a rhythm & blues band in the 30′s playing all their songs in a 12 bar format, each using each others ideas but making it their own. Or a covers band that plays in pubs on the weekend and gets paid for playing other people tunes.

What would you say are the main challenges facing an up-and-coming musician/band in today’s cultural climate?
I reckon the biggest problem is that everyone seems to want one trick pony’s. If a band like, say The Killers, are really successful, then your band will only get mainstream recognition if you sound like The Killers. Or if you’re in a metal band, you’ll only get picked up if you sound like Trivium, and it seems to be that way in the majority of sub-genres/scenes, people are generally making music that sounds like something else because that’s the only way you’ll get any recognition. If you sound completely unique then you’re playing to a very small audience, which means that fans of truly original music have less events to go to and a virtually impossible hope of ever making music full-time.

Finally, what does the future hold for Rapidax?
Well I’ve spent the last few months recording, so I’m just looking forward to gigging as much as possible. My debut album is out on Unrepresented Music on September 19th, got some European gigs coming up. Will just be nice to make noise on large stacks wherever I can! Thanks for the questions!

For more information about Rapidax, you can find him on Facebook and Soundcloud, or visit the Unrepresented Music website.

M3 – First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself, and what it is that you do?
Miroist – I’m Miroist, a solo recording artist from London.  I mix post-rock with progressive metal, and I self-released my debut EP ‘The Pledge’ a couple of months ago.

What inspired you to form Miroist? What is your own musical background?
I’ve been playing guitar for many years, and studied music technology at university.  So I’ve been making music for a while, but have always struggled to tie my influences together in a way I was satisfied with.  It has only been in the last year or so that I found a clear sound, and I was finally able to put something together.  Sometimes it just takes a while to understand what works and how to do it.

Why did you decide to make your EP ‘The Pledge’ available as a free or ‘pay-as-you-please’ download?
There are a few reasons.  Being new and unknown, it doesn’t make any sense to charge for my music – I want people to hear it, and hopefully enjoy it and share it.  Second, I make music for myself and whatever expenses there are I would have anyway, and my day job pays for those just like it pays for anyone’s pass-times.  Third, I don’t spend much money on recorded music myself, so charging people for my own music would be totally bogus.  I very rarely buy CDs, and physical media is pretty lost on me, I’m a total convert to ‘the cloud’. That’s not to say I don’t support bands – I buy a good deal of merch at every show I attend.  I also don’t really like the idea that someone might not be able to afford to enjoy my music, though in this day-and-age that’s unlikely, they’ll just share it or rip it or whatever.  So, you know what, it’s fine, just take my music and don’t worry about it.

What benefits and/or disadvantages have you encountered through this distribution method?
There are no disadvantages.  People have been able to hear my music and enjoy the artwork, share it and direct people back to my Bandcamp page.  It’s been an amazing couple of months seeing my music spread and be listened to.  The proceeds I have made from the EP have been put towards my first run of merchandise, and will continue to be used for the project – be it new merch, better gear, guitar setup, or taking the project live, which would bring a whole raft of new expenses to consider.

On average, how many people would you say still pay for a release when given the option to download for free?
About 5% of people have chosen to pay for the EP.  That seems pretty good for a new artist trying to give it away.

Would you say this method is a realistic possibility for the future of music distribution?
Absolutely.  It is the future of music distribution.  Everyone is connected to the internet, even wirelessly, and web-ready devices are getting smaller and more easily hooked up. It’s going to be about how the music industry can stay afloat in a world where music files are simply so easy to duplicate.  You might as well make ‘the cloud’ your ally.

So far, the industry is opting instead to criminalise the very people they hope will later be their consumers, and then police the internet in their interests.  It’s just not going to work.  I understand the industry’s concern – it wants to protect a time when £12-a-pop shiny discs were a money spinner, but won’t face up to the fact no business has ever survived on a product so easily duplicated and distributed.  This has been the fact with every industry since industry began – technology has a habit of trudging on regardless of business will.  People are going to share the music anyway and the internet makes sharing so easy that the real value of those physical things has headed towards almost zero. Physical has had its day, so make digital distribution your ally and find new ways to bring in revenue.

Spotify sort of shows the way – the number of people that jumped on a cloud music streaming service has been amazing, but it’s now making the owners way too rich in comparison to the content providers.  I don’t understand why the labels don’t all pull out en masse and set up their own version (well actually, I suspect they still want high-priced physical media to turn the profits of yester-year, if they could just shut down every torrent site, hosting/file transfer service and VPN first), or work with the ISPs to work in streaming media as part of the broadband packages.  I know I would happily pay £5 more a month on my broadband bills to have unlimited media.  This idea would also stop criminalising the populace and helps navigate the issue of ‘is it up to the ISPs to police the internet?’.

Basically, there needs to be a whole new strategy on how to channel consumers via their wish to use convenient and widespread digital connectivity.  The current strategy of criminalising them for this wish is nonsense.

What would be your preferred medium to listen to music (eg. Vinyl, CD, tape, MP3 etc.), and why?
Cloud-storage or streamed, probably.  As I mentioned, I don’t buy much physical music at all.  MP3s are still handy, but I don’t use an MP3 player and just want to dump a few MP3s on my phone for when I lose connectivity.  I have a subscription to Spotify, although I’m close to cancelling it as I think the share of the revenue for this service needs to more appropriately remunerate the artists.  I get the appeal of Vinyl, but as a trophy rather than a way to consume media.

Do you feel the idea of an album, as a piece of art that people will listen to from start to finish, has been undermined or forgotten about in the digital age?
Definitely not.  People were skipping tracks even when CDs were doing well.  People still appreciate the effort that goes in to the overall package.  On top of that, I think you have to be immeasurably arrogant and totally deluded to think you can control how people listen to your music once you’ve put it out there.

Miroist is a solo-project, but do you have any plans to bring the project into a live setting?
Yeah, I love live music, I regularly attend gigs and have enjoyed my time in bands previously, so it’s definitely something I want to do.  I’m just waiting to find the right set of musicians to make it work, and then we’ll see what happens.

Do you think traditional copyright laws are still enforceable in the digital age, or do you think we will have to rethink the concept of copyright itself?
Copyright is an important principle, but its relevance and its application need to be continually assessed as the world changes.  I think what has to change is what people expect to gain from their copyrights.  We have to adjust what we consider ‘fair use’ or in violation of copyright, because these expensive lawsuits against small people downloading a handful of songs is totally skewed.  It might be legal, but the law is not appropriate yet.

Finally, what does the future hold for Miroist?
I’m working on a full length album over the next 6 or so months and it will also be released on Bandcamp – probably for free!

For more information about Miroist, you can freely download the debut EP ‘The Pledge’ through his Bandcamp page, and also visit Miroist’s official Facebook and YouTube pages.

M3 – First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself, and what it is that you do?
Dan Bull – I’m a rapper from the UK, and I work mostly online by releasing videos about current events and geek culture.

What inspired you to start making music? What is your own musical background?
I have always enjoyed music and I sort of slid into making it myself. For my 12th or 13th birthday I got a copy of Magix Music Maker upon which I used to make dance music. From there, I got more and more into it until I reached where I am today.

What would be your preferred medium to listen to music (eg. Vinyl, CD, tape, MP3 etc.), and why?
I listen to MP3s most often for sheer convenience, but sitting down with some whisky and a classic Blue Note vinyl on the record player feels like a real treat.

Do you feel the idea of an album, as a piece of art that people will listen to from start to finish, has been undermined or forgotten about in the digital age?
I don’t think so; it’s just that there is so much music out there, that people spread their attention across more artists. But if you find a particular artist that you love, the chances are that their albums will hold up to a high standard too.

Why did you decide to make your latest album available for free download?
I think it’s the best way to promote the music in the album. If it’s free, it will be heard by more people and hopefully reach someone who really finds it special. The album is also on iTunes, Amazon and other stores for people who would still rather buy it. I’m also selling one CD copy of the album, for £1,000,000.

What benefits and/or disadvantages have arisen from this distribution method?
Some people don’t like the idea of an album not existing in physical form. I used to feel this way, but came to the realisation that it’s not the plastic and paper that matters, it’s the sound of the music. And the sound is all entirely there in a digital release. Another complaint people have is that releasing something for free implies it has no value. I disagree strongly with this, too. There are certain things that we give for free and not charge money precisely because we value them so much. Nobody says that having sex without asking for money implies that sex has no value.

Much has been made of the supposed death of the record store in recent years. Do you believe the digital age has killed the record store, and if so, do you think that this is a necessary part of progression, or a tragic loss?
It doesn’t bother me too much, as I stated above, music itself is very healthy. The various business models that come and go around the music aren’t that important to me. I think second-hand record stores and market stalls will be around for a long time though, and they are a pleasure to visit and dig through.

Do you think traditional copyright laws are still enforceable in the digital age, or do you think we will have to rethink the concept of copyright itself?
Traditional copyright laws were barely enforceable before the digital age. Now they actually just look completely silly. I’d like to see a world with no copyright at all, or as a compromise, one where you don’t need permission to use the work of another, as is the case with song publishing now. A songwriter can’t stop an artists performing one of their publishing song, however, they are entitled to royalties. I think this is the system that is most likely to evolve in the future of copyright law.

Similarly, do you think some copyright laws could be seen a threat to certain artists’ creativity (those who make use of a large variety of samples, for instance)? Do you think actions with music, film, or any kind of copyrighted media for non-commercial purposes should be subject to legal sanctions?
Definitely. In fact copyright laws encourage un-creative sampling. Artists who make a piece of music using dozens of cleverly interwoven samples are going to have a much bigger chunk of their royalties taken away than someone who just lazily loops a chunk of one song. Legal sanctions for non-commercial use? Definitely not.

What is your take on the recent SOPA/ACTA controversy?
Pretty much everything I wanted to say about those bills are mentioned in the songs “SOPA Cabana” and “Death of ACTA”.

What do you personally believe the future of music distribution will look like?
I have no idea how it will evolve, however, unlike the dinosaur entertainment industry, I am not worried about it. I intend to be the first to embrace whatever new methods arise, rather than clinging desperately to the flotsam and jetsam of the old ones.

Finally, what does the future hold for Dan Bull?
Hard work and plenty of fun I hope. I have a number of projects in the pipeline, as I always do, but I don’t like to discuss them much as they are so subject to change. Better to surprise you with them when they’re finally released.
For more information about Dan Bull, you can visit his official website, and find him on Facebook and YouTube.

M3 – First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself, and what it is that you do?
Julian – Hello there, I’m Julian and I play drums in the Cosmic Dead. I also design our artwork and record alot of our stuff on my trusty portable recorder.

I also feel at this point that I should take the opportunity to be an utterly shameless self-promoting whore and inform you all that I’m also a freelance illustrator. You can view my stuff here.
Sorry, but I’ve got bills to pay gawdammnit!

What inspired you to form the Cosmic Dead? What are your own musical backgrounds?
Well, James (guitarist) and I (along with our first bass player – who is now in an ace darkwave/gothic band called The Downs, go check ‘em out by the way) formed the band simply to create something that would be loud and fun.

The term ‘wall of sound’ was banded about a lot at the time, and was probably informed somewhat by James’ background in noise music, being a guitarist in folk/noise collective The Radiation Line. I had always wanted to play drums in a proper band, and I had gotten a bit bored with the guitar and my limitations with it, so took to the drum stool. We were listening to a lot of Psychedelic and Krautrock stuff around that time, (still are!) and that started to have a big influence on us.

What would be your preferred medium to listen to music (eg. Vinyl, CD, tape, MP3 etc.), and why?
I would love to be able to say vinyl, but I unfortunately don’t own any! I hope to start a collection one day, but it’s an expensive habit, and I’m rather poor these days. I do love the format though, its something about the smell, being able to hold something physical and tangible, and the process of taking it out of the sleeve and putting the needle on it. It feels more special than any other format. You can’t skip tracks on vinyl, which forces the casual listener to listen to the album as a whole, as it was intended to be heard, as opposed to being able to just skip through to your favourite song. I think vinyl also has a bit more value as an artefact, as a piece of art, due to the fact the cover artwork is so large. Unlike with any other format, you have a great (though not always of course!) piece of imagery to really scrutinize and absorb yourself in whilst you listen to the music. You won’t get that experience with a CD sleeve that’s about an eighth the size, or even worse, a tiny jpeg on a computer screen.

Why did you decide to make your ‘Psychonaut’ album available for free download?
Well, as we were a relatively new band when we released it, and were already selling our debut album at that point, we figured it might be nice to give people something for free, and we already had a huge collection of rehearsal recordings and jams, so we thought we might as well pick some of the best ones and make a little compilation album. People have seemed to really like it and appreciate the fact it was given away for free, so that was quite pleasing. I’m not sure it’s something we’d do again however, giving a release away for free. I think it can be a beneficial thing to do when you’re starting out as a band, as it’s another way of getting your music out there quickly, but I think if you’re a band who have already had a few releases under your belt, then you should value your musical output a bit more. I think people definitely value something more if they’ve paid out of their own pocket for it too.

What benefits and/or disadvantages have arisen from this distribution method?
The whole download thing is useful in that it’s a cheap, quick & environmentally friendly form of distribution.
A big advantage of it is the way you can just record something, and get it up on the internet and ready to download all in the same day. The only downside I’ve come across is that there are always people who will want to own a record psychically, so they may be left feeling a bit alienated if you make a release exclusively downloadable.

Psychonaut is a good 90 minutes long, and would not fit on a single disc or vinyl record. Do you think we will begin to see more bands making use of digital formats to create lengthier pieces of music in the future?
Possibly, possibly. I do think that it can be a good form of discipline for a band to fit their album’s concept into the restraints of an 80 or 44 minute format though. I mean, there’s a reason that particular format has remained in use for such a large part of the history of popular music. It’s become generally accepted that a standard album shouldn’t be any longer than 44/80 minutes. Just like the way films generally tend not to exceed the 2 hour mark, as people often get bored or their minds wander or their suspension of disbelief wanes after a while. But on the other hand, I guess that idea only really applies to certain kinds of music. If your music takes a little longer to unfold and reveal itself, likes ours does, then obviously it works differently on an album than say, a bunch of 3 minutes pop songs would, but that said, I still think an album should not outstay its welcome. People lead busy lives, they often don’t have the time to afford to sit and nod out to an album for 2 hours! Anyway, the only reason Psychonaut was 90 minutes long, was simply because that was the length of all of the best jams we picked out combined. There was never an intention to make it available as anything other than a download, so there wasn’t really any attention paid to the length of the overall playing time. Again, because it’s not really a proper ‘album’, more just a compilation of sorts, there didn’t need to be a specific concept to hold everything together. Most of our future releases (which will probably mostly be physical) will probably have a central theme or concept behind them, so they will probably adhere to the standard album length. Unless the concept is to not adhere to the standard album length… who knows!

In some ways digital media frees the concept of the album from physical length restrictions, and yet many online music platforms seem to cater to short attention spans with a kind of ‘quick fix’ listening. Do you feel the idea of an album, as a piece of art that people will listen to from start to finish, has been undermined or forgotten about in the digital age?
I do think that the album has possibly been undermined somewhat in the ‘digital age’, but I don’t think that concept applies exclusively to music. I think the rise of the internet, and its ability to provide the ‘quick fix’, has probably narrowed peoples attention spans generally in all fields of perception. At the risk of sounding a pretentious arse, I like to think that our music, in its extensive length, is perhaps a reaction to this. To provide something for people to focus on, in almost a meditative way, might serve to remind people that to immerse themselves in an experience, fully and completely, provides a much greater appreciation of the inherent beauty of that experience, compared to say, just glancing at it from a distance for 30 seconds and then moving onto the next thing. Hopefully this will encourage our listeners to leave their computers and televisions, lay down in a field all day, thread flowers through their friends hair and listen to and appreciate the wonder and beauty of the birdsong. We’re essentially psychic healers, here to help undo all the damage the internet and technology has done to your fragile little minds… maaaaan.

Many people have claimed that there is no longer any money in record sales, and that touring is the most efficient way to earn an income as a band. How much truth do you think there is in this sentiment?
I’m not totally sure, but I do think that it vastly differs depending on the ‘size’ or popularity of the band. What you’ve suggested is quite the opposite for us, as if we tour the UK, we can hope to break even at best, and hopefully make a bit of money from merch sales, but we can sell our releases physically and digitally and get a fair amount of money from that. At least enough to put into our band fund and help us cover the cost of rehearsals and merch and such. Obviously this is a very different scenario to that of stadium sized acts, who make a comfortable living from their music, but to be honest I couldn’t care less about bands like that, and I know we’re all very realistic about the possibilities of our band. We all know we could never make a sustainable living from our music, but we just do it for the love of it. I really couldn’t give two flying fucks about Lars Ulrich not being able to keep up the payments on his Beverly Hills mansion and 3rd Lamborghini because “piracy is killing the music industry”. I don’t know, I’m not trying to undermine the value of art at all, but I find something a little bit more, dare I say it, noble, about people who create art for art’s sake, not for financial gain.

Do you think traditional copyright laws are still enforceable in the digital age, or do you think we will have to rethink the concept of copyright itself?
It needs to be understood that the internet is basically a free for all. There are no real rules on it. Whether thats a good or bad thing, I don’t know. But this is why things like SOPA are starting to pop up now, the powers that be attempting to control and cage the feral beast. And I can understand that, I can understand the need for copyright laws to be protected in someway, what with filesharing and torrenting becoming such a staple of music consumption. But at the end of the day, copyright has never really been taken that seriously anyway. I mean, people have been sharing for years, “home taping is killing music” anyone? I don’t think you can really stop people from reproducing and sharing media, but should follow, as a general rule of thumb, that you should never try to make a profit from something someone else has created. I think most people who share music, films or whatever, have always respected this. It will be interesting to see how the vilification of the internet pans out though. Personally I think it would be a bit of a disaster for personal freedom if governments restrict and rather fascistically sensor websites and parts of the internet. I think it would have to take a very considered and careful approach to upkeep copyright laws on the internet, and whether things like SOPA are really the right way to do that, I’m not sure, but I do know that it’s a very complicated matter, full of grey area, so should probably be dealt with kid gloves.

To highlight a slightly different point, you could also argue that the prominence of music filesharing/’pirating’ on the internet only really affects the big business music models, which debatably, only really support the mediocre, mainstream, more unimaginative musicians & bands anyway. In our band, I know that ‘filesharing’ has very little effect on us (even though it does happen to a large degree with our music) and we’re quite lucky in that we’ve found a niche pocket of people who like our music and are willing to buy our stuff in order to help us cover our costs and keep it sustainable. If you are smart about how you conduct your band financially, and keep overheads low, its quite manageable to do. Maybe in the future, with the decline of the old record industry, we will start to see this small scale DIY model become more of a standard practice, and if so, I can only see that as a good thing to be honest.

What would you say are the main challenges facing an up-and-coming musician/band in today’s cultural climate?
That’s a tricky one. If anything, I’d say that it’s probably now much, much easier for new bands/musicians to establish themselves than it has ever been before.

Of course, we can thank the internet for this, especially in the way it has helped more ‘niche’ bands (such as ourselves) to find their audience. If you’ve started a band, and want to try and make something of it, you’ve also got to realise that it will be a complete waste of time to try and get a ‘deal’ and go down the whole cliched record industry route. Do it yourself, put on your own shows, put out your own releases, build up your audience, keep it grassroots, and it will pay off in the end.

Finally, what does the future hold for the Cosmic Dead?
Well, we just recently recorded what will hopefully be our next album at a lovely little analogue studio in the West End of Glasgow called Green Door. We recorded the tracks to a specific length so the possibility is there for us to put it out on vinyl, so no 40 minute long epics this time! That should see a release this year hopefully. We’re also going to put out a cassette tape with a Canadian tape label called Dub Ditch Picnic records, that will contain some older live jams. I’m just in the process of finalising the artwork for that, but it should be out very, very soon. We’re also playing a few festivals in the UK this summer too, including Wickerman, Doune The Rabbit Hole and Supernormal. We’re also in the process of organising a small UK tour around the Supernormal date. All in all a busy year for the band!

For more information about The Cosmic Dead, you can visit their official website and Facebook page. You can also listen to and download their music on their Bandcamp page.

M3 – First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself, and what it is that you do?
Drugzilla – I am Drugzilla, an extreme electronic artist hailing from Lisdoonvarna in the west coast of Ireland.

What inspired you to form Drugzilla? What is your own musical background?
Drugzilla came about because I wanted to create extreme music filled with black humour and social disgust. It’s an outlet for all the things that piss me off in life… Music as therapy if you will. Before Drugzilla I created fucked up noise and hardcore techno tracks under various names. I also create music in the Dark Ambient band From The Bogs Of Aughiska.

What would be your preferred medium to listen to music (eg. Vinyl, CD, tape, MP3 etc.), and why?
Vinyl is my favourite format as it looks and sounds the best but I listen to MP3 the most as it’s the most convenient.

Do you feel the idea of an album, as a piece of art that people will listen to from start to finish, has been undermined or forgotten about in the digital age?
Yes it has to a certain extent and I feel sorry for kids today who don’t know what it’s like to wait months for an album from your favourite artist and then having the joy of dissecting the music, artwork, lyric and liner notes. Everything is too easy to get in this day and age, its knocked some of the fun out of being a music fan.

Many people have claimed that there is no longer any money in record sales, and that touring is the most efficient way to earn an income as a band. How much truth do you think there is in this sentiment?
Yes its true there is no money in record sales anymore, also an act like Drugzilla rarely plays live and when I do I usually only get paid expenses. The main income for artists like me is merchandise but more often than not this project costs me money. Being an extreme electronic artist in this day and age is an expensive hobby more than anything.

How useful do you think social media websites are for up-and-coming artists?
They are essential, if it wasn’t for Myspace back in the day Drugzilla wouldn’t be known worldwide.

Do you think traditional copyright laws are still enforceable in the digital age, or do you think we will have to rethink the concept of copyright itself?
That’s an interesting question. I suppose they are up to a certain extent extinct but how far is a major company going to go to try and sue some internet speedcore warrior that’s sampled something that they own? Most people don’t even know this style of music exists.

Similarly, do you think that copyright legislation could pose a threat to the creativity of artists who make use of a wide variety of samples within their work? Are there any samples that you’ve wanted to use but been unable to, or have you encountered any legal problems after using a sample?
No not really. This music will never become popular enough that it’s commercially successfully so I can’t see the big dicks coming after underground producers because they’ve sampled a film. I’ve used whatever samples I’ve wanted so far without any trouble.

What is your take on the recent SOPA/ACTA controversy?
It’s a load of bollocks, It reminds me of when they tried Prohibition in the US. What a great job that did to stop people drinking!

What do you personally believe the future of music distribution will look like?
I can see CDs dying out with Vinyl becoming more popular and paid for digital downloads increasing as there is more and more software coming into play that’s making it easier to remove illegal files from the net.

Finally, what does the future hold for Drugzilla?
Death, despair and boogie woogie.

For more information about Drugzilla, you can visit his official Facebook page.

M3 – First of all, could you tell us a bit about Feast of Tentacles, and what it is that you do?
Chris Braddock – FOT was set up in 2006 and is a DIY record label and distro that focuses on HC, punk, metal releases. My first release was a split 7″ between Army of Flying Robots and Kamikazee.
FOT is a one man operation so I do everything from mailorder to paying for releases.

What inspired you to start the label? What is your own musical background?
I had been knocking around the local HC / punk scene for a while and wanted to get involved. I wasn’t in any bands at the time. I had been on tour with friends bands and went to a lot of gigs. So I started the label to release something by my close friends in Army of Flying Robots. I went on to be in some local bands and am currently in Moloch.

What would be your preferred medium to listen to music (eg. Vinyl, CD, tape, MP3 etc.), and why?
Definitely vinyl. The whole package of an LP or 7″ is much more special and impressive that CD or tape. MP3s serve a purpose in that it is an easy way for people to access music but they are pretty disposable.

Do you feel the idea of an album, as a piece of art that people will listen to from start to finish, has been undermined or forgotten about in the digital age?
Yes in certain circles. Many bands still aspire to write and record an albums worth of material, but some punk/HC bands concentrate on smaller releases like 7″s and splits. Which is understandable as there is more cost involved in recording/releasing an LP and people can be hesitant to shell out more money on a full length of a band that is less established. Although many people in the HC/punk scene that I know spend more money on vinyl than downloads.

Much has been made of the supposed death of the record store in recent years. Do you believe the digital age has killed the record store, and if so, do you think that this is a necessary part of progression, or a tragic loss?
It’s a tragic loss. I used to love trawling record shops and spending hours in Selectadisc (RIP) in Nottingham. Online stores and downloads have definitely played their part.

Do you think the widespread adoption of MP3 has in some devalued the musical experience? Is the popularity of small pressings, differently coloured vinyl, limited edition versions etc in some way a reaction to the vast availability of digital files?
Small record labels (like FOT) need any help they can get to shift units. Hence small runs, limited colours, pre-order versions etc. I don’t think it’s necessarily a reaction to digital files. People will make digital copies, post tracks on blogs, share with friends and hopefully people will go on to purchase the vinyl on the back of that. These limited editions just make it more desirable.

Recently, there seem to be a large number of bands offering their releases for free via sites like Bandcamp. What do you think of this distribution method, do you think it is an effective solution to the problem of illegal downloading?
I think it is pretty effective – at least it’s the band’s choice to give their music away. The amount of blogs I found offering FOT releases for download without any label / band info / links is crazy. I don’t mind blogs putting my stuff up for download as long as the label/band is credited.

Do you think traditional copyright laws are still enforceable in the digital age, or do you think we will have to rethink the concept of copyright itself?
Copyright has gone out of the window especially in underground music. It needs a rethink – closing file sharing sites helps. But once the music is out there it’s OUT THERE.

Finally, what does the future have in store for Feast of Tentacles?
I have 6 or 7 releases pencilled in for the next 12 months or so from Moloch, Thou, Lich, Seven Sisters of Sleep, Column of Heaven, Pinebarrens and more.

For more information about Feast of Tentacles, you can visit their website and find the label on Facebook, Twitter, Bigcartel & Tumblr.

M3 – First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself, and what it is that you do?
Danial Mitchell -  I guess I am a musical hobbyist. I like to write and play music (instrumental productions, bass guitar and drums) and write about music. As of recently I have started collecting vinyl records also.

What inspired you to start Underground Vinyl? What is your own musical background?
I have been a music enthusiast for several years and my appreciation for amazing sound only seems to grow the more I listen to music, so I have been experimenting with small group of related projects, including Underground Vinyl and the accompanying blog, Undergroundblogzine.

What would be your preferred medium to listen to music (eg. Vinyl, CD, tape, MP3 etc.), and why?
It’s definitely a case of different mediums for different circumstances, as MP3s and digital streams are great for discovering new music, listening to music out of the house and skipping to the best parts of songs that might be otherwise mediocre. CDs, and tapes also are nowadays as much of a convenience medium, suitable for listening to music in personal transport like cars.

Personally, when I’m at home and want to listen to a lot of music – my preferred medium is definitely vinyl records. I think with vinyl you are likely to have a more specific collection of personal favourites and classics than you might in amongst your CD or MP3s. Its a combination of factors; not most, but certainly not least importantly the consistent high sound quality that you get from vinyl records, especially when its really well mixed production-wise and new (not brand new but after its broken in with a few plays!).

Generally vinyl gives you a slightly greater package than CD, as you get larger cover art as well as extras, such as bonus tracks and art-books.

Do you think that we will see a resurge in vinyl’s popularity over the next few years?
I think that the place for CDs, especially for music enthusiasts is becoming very limited in its applications and limited not only but often to usage in cars. Due to the specific equipment and a small amount of amateur knowledge required for maintenance of that equipment – Vinyl is something that, to those who may not be so familiar with it, a specialist format.

The popularity of reissues alongside the number of vinyls released by experimental, avant-garde and fringe bands appears to represent the largest areas that vinyl is popular; to collectors of classics or perhaps people who have an old collection with missing entries. This, and as mentioned before, music enthusiasts who want to collect new releases which will at one point become classics (helped by limited editions etc).

Do you feel the idea of an album, as a piece of art that people will listen to from start to finish, has been undermined or forgotten about in the digital age?
I think that a great number of people still listen to albums in their entirety, and as long as artists produce albums with the intention of it being listened beginning to end; and their labels/management and that of retailers and the press continue to promote this idea – it will still be relevant.

If anything, I might suggest that CDs discourage people more than digital formats to listen to albums from beginning to end as you are presented with the album as one huge piece. Conversely, the nature of vinyl records (and technical boundaries such as how many minutes of music you can fit on one side) means that every album will be split into at least 2 parts – which allows you to digest it in smaller chunks, depending on time constraints, and also means that the album will not only be defined as a whole but as small number of movements; two halves, 4 quarters or (less frequently) more sections. This means that you can more easily listen to the parts of the album you may not have heard as much as the rest and helps avoid an issue I have with CDs which is that you always have to start at the beginning of the album and you will inevitably listen to the first few tracks more than the rest depending on how often you listen to it (and the start of those tracks even moreso) .

From the number of full-album streams that are often officially made available on the internet before an album’s release date instead of only releasing individual songs, or singles (recently, for example; Black Sheep Wall’s No Matter Where it Ends or Del + Parallel Thoughts’ Attractive Sin) it is evident that digital audio formats have not undermined the idea of the whole album, yet it has certainly removed its necessity in music appreciation.

Much has been made of the supposed death of the record store in recent years. Do you believe the digital age has killed the record store, and if so, do you think that this is a necessary part of progression, or a tragic loss?
The record store has become something of an elite when it comes to physical locations, especially those in cities due to the huge start-up costs. There is a lot of risk in starting up a business in a trade which serves either niche music listeners who are looking for new artists and sounds or collectors who wish to either complete or replace a damaged collection. The reliance on walk-in sales for most stores means that they have to focus more on the latter; overly on stocking big names, greatest hit collections and generally the same albums you might find in the store of a high streen chain media retailer.

I never had much personal experience with record stores as there have never been any which are particularly close to anywhere I have lived. If the record store dies out, its a testament to both the management’s inability to adapt, and the fact that in any cities or towns where there may be a strong music scene that could support an independent record store – such as Edinburgh or Brighton, the market is so small that it will inevitably be saturated, partially by the aforementioned elite of shop owners. I enjoy the idea and it will always be remembered nostalgically, but there isn’t much room in the UK for small independent retailers, especially not those without great experience, capital to invest and most importantly a thorough knowledge of their subject matter with a strong enough belief in both what they enjoy and what they believe others might enjoy.

Do you think the popularity of limited edition pressings, coloured vinyl, rare tapes etc. is in some way a reaction to the easy access and ready availability of digital files?
It varies from artist to artist. In the London/South East sludge metal scene, for example, a lot of bands seem to put all of their tracks for free streaming on websites such as Bandcamp while at the same time selling limited pressing Vinyls. It’s almost as if the bands themselves are acknowledging the weakness of digital files as a product. When you purchase physical merchandise off a smaller band (especially through mediums like Bigcartel and Storenvy) you know that you are contributing to the production of new music, and more live performances. You are also getting an exclusive product – if the band ends up achieving long term success then you have a rare product from their early days and if the band stops you have an even rarer piece of memorabilia.

As for larger bands; there is a great deal of limited edition pressings, coloured vinyl etc, a sign of the smaller audience vinyl has compared to other formats and it’s value as a collector’s items – not necessarily collection everything from one band but building a collection of personal favourites. The value also lies in what you actually get on the record too, for example; production specific to the vinyl seperate from CD/digital versions, bonus tracks, demos of songs from the album and live tracks.

Do you think traditional copyright laws are still enforceable in the digital age, or do you think we will have to rethink the concept of copyright itself?
Unfortunately I do not think we have any choice in the matter. It would appear that copyright in the future may grow and control the industry as much as it does now, yet with more stability. Considering the unfaltering nature of the industry giants’ position on the matter, it doesn’t appear that their contribution to government policies is going to lessen any time soon.

The law is now being enforced not so much by scaring the public but those who operate file-sharing websites, as well as obscuring the sources of copyright violating content distribution through all-out censorship. Worst case scenario would be a 21st century dark-age of internet censorship. I highly doubt it will go that far, but the British government has certainly opened the gates for it.

What do you personally believe the future of music distribution will look like?
It seems that most bands at the moment offer free digital downloads when you purchase the CD off of their website, but I haven’t seen anything standardised. I think a great way to improve distribution and sales would be to offer codes with all merchandise and physical media purchases which allow downloads of all, or part of the band’s latest album (or the album appropriate to the merchandise purchased). It sucks having to purchase an album more than once and encourages copyright law breaking file-sharing which might otherwise not even be necessary. If someone is obviously a fan of a band, purchases merchandise and/or goes to the live performances I think that they should be encouraged to spend invest more in the band rather than feeling ripped off.

Finally, what does the future hold for Underground Vinyl?
Well, we will be adding to and diversifying the stock as much as possible as well as stocking more albums from artists we already have. The sister blog to the store, Underground blog/zine will also become a lot more active as I have neglected some of my writing duties while focusing on establishing the record store. Overall expanding the store and the blog will help to serve the development of each other under the same brand.

Not only this but soon we will start our next venture, concert promotion. Watch out for super heavy, fuzzed out stoner/doom/sludge (and other related subgenres of rock and metal) gigs in the SouthEast come September/October!

For more information about Underground Vinyl, you can visit their website and accompanying blog/zine.

M3 – First of all, could you tell us a bit about yourself, and what it is that you do?
Leon – We’re a 3-piece punk/metal/electronic band from the North East of England. We write music inspired by science fiction, comics and video games.  We each share vocal duties, with myself  performing the lion’s share. I also play guitar, as does Anthony, and Luke is our bassist. Our drummer is a computer program.

What inspired you to form Robot (A)? What are your own musical backgrounds?
Robot(A) was born from a hatred of the elitism surrounding underground music. I wanted to create something unashamedly geeky but still heavy. Taking influences from sources such as bands like The Mad Capsule Markets, Melvins, Rabbit Junk and Hawk Eyes (except they were called Chickenhawk back then!), Blade Runneresque cyberpunk ideas and dystopian science fiction.

Prior to Robot(A) Anthony was self-releasing his chiptune material under the name 16-Bit Hero, Luke played in a now-defunct local noise/grind band Tapestry Of Flesh (later renamed Brian Peppers Is The King) and I previously played in a hardcore band by the name of Hijo De Puta (also with a drum machine!). Only 16-Bit Hero is still active so go check him out on Bandcamp now! Although each of our previous bands are pretty diverse from one another, you can hear influence from everyone’s background in Robot(A)’s music.

What would be your preferred medium to listen to music (eg. Vinyl, CD, tape, MP3 etc.), and why?
Each of us like to collect vinyl for a variety of reasons; it feels like much more of a possession to be treasured than say a CD and there’s much more of a ceremony to playing it. There’s less encouragement to skip tracks and therefore you’re more likely to hear the full piece as the artist intended. However, MP3s are our bread and butter. It’s our main form of distribution as a band, and MP3 players have stopped us murdering everyone on buses.

Why did you decide to make your ‘Time To Retaliate’ EP available for free download through Bandcamp?
I believe everyone deserves to listen to music for free. For me personally it feels arrogant to demand a payment for your first release, in this day and age of digital distribution bands should cultivate a fanbase first. With bands like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead releasing LPs for free, a smaller band can’t afford to price themselves out. With the economy the way it is at the minute I don’t want to ask anybody to pay £10 to hear a digital release of our EP.

What benefits and/or disadvantages have you encountered through this distribution method?
Disadvantages have come in the form of a lack of feedback really. The amount of downloads we’ve had compared to the amount of people who have come back to us to tell us what they like or what they hate about it is ridiculous. Benefits-wise we’ve gained a lot of downloads of an EP that we’ve barely advertised, and people that have let us know their thoughts have been generally positive. We can also see that our music is reaching every corner of the world, which is nice! We’re big in Japan.

On average, how many people would say still pay for this release when faced with the option to download for free?
There are people out there that just like to own an album/EP, and these kinds of people will buy it even if they have downloaded it for free already. We’ve sold approximately one copy for every three downloaded for free from Bandcamp. We see this as a decent achievement for a small band like ourselves, we’ve sold out two pressings!

Do you feel the idea of an album, as a piece of art that people will listen to from start to finish, has been undermined or forgotten about in the digital age?
The format of music needs to change with the times, regardless of the digital age people are still willing to listen to an album/EP/whatever. Personally I think it works out better for an artist to release an EP or a shorter album these days. It works out in a band’s favour by saving them time, money and pressure over recording when they only have to belt out say six classics as opposed to having to get 13 or so tracks done, and running the risk of a good chunk of them sounding like filler.  It also takes up less of the listeners’ time whilst still allowing them to feel like they’ve got a full release for their money.

Do you think traditional copyright laws are still enforceable in the digital age, or do you think we will have to rethink the concept of copyright itself?
I think copyright law needs to be changed to better reflect the interests of the artists that produce the music, as opposed to the (often greedy) labels that publish them. The current archaic system basically can’t keep up with the digital age and so-called piracy is running rampant. Even ‘Time To Retaliate’ has appeared on Russian piracy sites, and it’s available for free directly from the source! It’s inevitable and artists need to be willing to accept that their music is very likely going to be pirated. It’s kind of like a painter complaining that somebody has seen some of his or her work through a window without paying into the gallery. More effort should be made to support artists directly where possible.

Similarly, do you think that copyright legislation could pose a threat to the creativity of artists who make use of a wide variety of samples within their work?
Not really, I think most music works like that. Even if unintentionally, people are ripping each other’s material off all the time. It’s how music and the human mind work. We all develop upon foundations of our influences. Take the Amen Break for example, it’s been sampled countless times and it’s creator doesn’t mind a bit. Ironically it’s since been copyrighted by other sample companies and he doesn’t get to see penny one from it. But it goes to show not every artist is going to sue at the drop of a hat when somebody else samples their work, though obviously some would.

What do you personally believe the future of music distribution will look like?
Like I said above, I think the current format needs to disappear and the average release needn’t be as long. I think more music should become available more frequently and at a more competitive price. Which is likely to happen as labels and high street retailers are pricing themselves out of the market. Music is simply not going to be bought if people can’t afford it.

Finally, what does the future hold for Robot (A)?
We’re currently recording our new EP, tentatively titled ‘If It Ain’t Broke, We Need To Break It’ for a September release and hopefully playing a few shows in support of it this Summer and later in the year. Anth will smoke his first bongload.

For more information about Robot(A), you can find the band on Facebook and listen to their music on their Bandcamp page.