Conception - Pledgemusic

jester

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So, here's the thing. One of my favorite metal bands, Conception from Norway, suddenly reunited after 21 years. The line up is the exact same as the one they released their four albums with.

Now, two decades have passed and things have changed. Back then it was the era of the "record company" which played a huge role in production and promotion of music. However when there's a company trying to make money from your music, problems can arise. I have heard that their company back then (Noise records) played a detrimental role in them disbanding, when they had so much more to offer. Flow (1997) was a magnificent record.

Nowadays it is easier to produce your own music as technology is everywhere. The internet also gives you the opportunity to promote and also sell your music. Artists are less dependent on record companies and can make more money off of their own work. There is also a new business model for bands nowadays, adopting the concept of crowdfunding. Conception have registered with PledgeMusic, a site that helps with this process. I have happily preordered their upcoming EP, to actively show them that their fan base still wishes to hear their music. The response the band has had by the fans is overwhelming, they have made it clear through their updates.

What are your thoughts on "then" vs. "now" concerning artists' work? Do you see these changes positively or negatively affecting your own work? Would you use something like PledgeMusic to promote your work and get revenue?
 

jester

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The band's PledgeMusic page:

Conception: New EP

Something from their second record. It's their first really good album and it made a big impression when it came out (1993)


And a little something from their last record, Flow (1997). It makes me immensely sad that they disbanded after such a release. I consider this top notch music and it had transcended the narrow limits of metal while at the same time clearly still being metal (one could probably describe this as pop metal, however blasphemous the term might be).


The bassist plays with a pick giving them a distinct sound combined with the "snappy" drummer. But there's also a nice fretless part on that last song.
 

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I think it is great that bands can crowdfund, or just record their stuff and post on bandcamp or something like that. It lets them get more money back it seems, even though they aren't getting rich. But for guys who just want to get their stuff out there, it is awesome. I know some folks who just give it away (like Absurdcus - our buddy Demeter) but I always pay whether they ask for it or not. So hard now because there is such an ocean of stuff out there to hear. I guess they miss the push the record companies used to give, but most artists gotten screwed over anyway.
Can be sad too. dUg from King's X actually crowd funded some surgery since he has never made much from music. Depressing.
 

jester

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Something concerning record company vs. independent artist - crowdfunding. Listen to Dave:


When money is involved in music and kills it. Of course we are talking much bigger numbers here, but the example is still valid.

"Because here you are getting paid of off net and then, out of 4.4 million dollars the band gets 400 thousand dollars. Where's the four million?"
 
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Is the Music Industry a special case or is such behaviour a common occurance in the Capitalist Economy.
 
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@jester

I think it's really great that you have a band you can support and be enthusiastic over. I hope they get their EP done

I will have a listen to them tomorrow.
 

jester

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@jester

I think it's really great that you have a band you can support and be enthusiastic over. I hope they get their EP done

I will have a listen to them tomorrow.

They were offline for 21 years and it's kind of sad. They disbanded after a killer record, in part or mostly because of their record company. When an artist has had enough shit, they will quit even though they like what they 're doing. It doesn't always happen this way but sometimes money kills music, or art in general.
 

jester

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A little update, the guys are recording drums:


In the end there's this "yeah" of successfully capturing a good performance. :)

I'm so thrilled to catch a glimpse of the new material. I like them at faster tempos like this. This sounds something like funky rock-metal, picking things up right where Flow left them back in '97. :happy:
 
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Yeah, I catched an interest in this "locals" too, before the singer joined Kamelot(US) in 97. I listened to the CD when it came out, but my money went on something else.

I think Pledgemusic is great - I`ve preordered a bunch of things. "Record Companies" nowadays I see as more of a distributor/management rather than a production team, until you get so big that you eventually need a larger system around yourself. Recordings can be done almost anywhere and at any budget now.
 

jester

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Guys have released their single, first music of theirs in 20 years. EP follows later this month. Official audio of one of the single's tracks:


They are the very same people, 20 years later. Ingar even uses the very same bass, a Yamaha BB. It feels so strange for me to listen to this. :)
 
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kimgee

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I think the music industry has been changed more by the "digital age" then most other industries. Production used to be extremely expensive, but now the common man can afford to put together a professional digital production studio at home. And with the global reach of the internet, distribution has also been completely changed. Personally, I think this is a good thing. Artists and music that were not considered "commercially viable" to industry executives are now readily available to the masses. Many of the artists I listen to would have never gone past the local scene, and I would have never heard of them, if it weren't for the internet and MP3s. And speaking of MP3s, I always pay for the music I listen to, so the artists can afford to keep making music. So I think the whole pledge/patron thing is a good idea.
 

jester

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I think the music industry has been changed more by the "digital age" then most other industries. Production used to be extremely expensive, but now the common man can afford to put together a professional digital production studio at home. And with the global reach of the internet, distribution has also been completely changed. Personally, I think this is a good thing. Artists and music that were not considered "commercially viable" to industry executives are now readily available to the masses. Many of the artists I listen to would have never gone past the local scene, and I would have never heard of them, if it weren't for the internet and MP3s. And speaking of MP3s, I always pay for the music I listen to, so the artists can afford to keep making music. So I think the whole pledge/patron thing is a good idea.

You summed it up very well I think.
 
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The downside is Music has become an ever present Commerical.
 

jester

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Just a small update, the EP was released yesterday. You can listen to it on Spotify:

My Dark Symphony

I 'd love to hear what you think.
 
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