QUEENSRYCHE

I find the harsh reaction to this puzzling. This is just a standard campaign to fund a new album. Nothing more,nothing less. There is nothing that separates this from any other kickstarter/pledge campaign. Nothing. You pay $15 and you get a cd etc... The only new thing appears to be some type of ownership stake in future merch profits. Where's the dishonesty you all are carping about?

Do I think they need some coin? Sure, but I'm sure that's true for the vast majority of bands.

Witchfinder wrote:

I find the harsh reaction to this puzzling.  This is just a standard campaign to fund a new album.  Nothing more,nothing less.  There is nothing that separates this from any other kickstarter/pledge campaign.  Nothing.  You pay $15 and you get a cd etc...  The only new thing appears to be some type of ownership stake in future merch profits.  Where's the dishonesty you all are carping about?  

Do I think they need some coin?  Sure, but I'm sure that's true for the vast majority of bands.

This isn't true at all! This isn't even a pledge campaign in the traditional sense. There is no target amount and no stated aim of the project, it's just a pre order for an album that's going to be released anyway by a large label and the hook is, if you pledge you get to pay more for it and increase the already massive profits of Queensryche Megacorp! I don't think that it's dishonest, just a bit douchey. And in my earlier post I made it clear that I'm not just singling out QR here. It's the whole corporate takeover of crowdfunding that pisses me off. Black Veil Brides have just done the same thing as well.

Boris2008 wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

I find the harsh reaction to this puzzling.  This is just a standard campaign to fund a new album.  Nothing more,nothing less.  There is nothing that separates this from any other kickstarter/pledge campaign.  Nothing.  You pay $15 and you get a cd etc...  The only new thing appears to be some type of ownership stake in future merch profits.  Where's the dishonesty you all are carping about?  

Do I think they need some coin?  Sure, but I'm sure that's true for the vast majority of bands.

This isn't true at all! This isn't even a pledge campaign in the traditional sense. There is no target amount and no stated aim of the project, it's just a pre order for an album that's going to be released anyway by a large label and the hook is, if you pledge you get to pay more for it and increase the already massive profits of Queensryche Megacorp!  I don't think that it's dishonest, just a bit douchey. And in my earlier post I made it clear that I'm not just singling out QR here. It's the whole corporate takeover of crowdfunding that pisses me off. Black Veil Brides have just done the same thing as well.

My comments weren't directed at you Boris.

What "corporate takeover of crowdfunding" are you referring to?

The whole crowdfunding thing started as a way for artists to get their stuff to the people who wanted it while avoiding the pitfalls of contracts with major labels/publishing houses etc, it was also a way of people being able to put out the music/literature/art that they wanted to without compromising to outside financial pressures from people who had little understanding of the artists or their fanbase. It was a simple thing "I've had an idea, who wants to help me achieve that" It was a very punk/DIY attitude and it worked brilliantly as only the stuff that people wanted got made.

Now it's becoming an industry standard that a label won't fund a record without partial funding from loyal fans willing to pay over the odds to 'help' their favorite bands. All it is in reality is another, more profitable revenue stream for the label and increased profits. These labels like to tell everyone about how much they were struggling due to downloads etc but the fact is that if they were not making money, they would do it. Making money is their sole reason for existing.

I like the concept of crowdfunding because unfortunately most bands never make any money out of music, they are not getting paid nowadays because of Spotify/Illegal downloading etc. In the past they were not getting paid because the labels/management companies had a stranglehold over the industry and ripped bands off. This is a way for me to pay the artist for his work without it ending up in the pocket of some cokehead record company exec and the artist getting screwed.

I like crowdfunding and things like Bandcamp as an alternative to that system but genuine projects that I feel that I want to support are getting rarer.

Yeah, the whole "we'll fund your recording...but only if you can pay the first $10,000 up front" thing is just more record label robber-baron bullshit.

Witchfinder wrote:

Boris2008 wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

I find the harsh reaction to this puzzling.  This is just a standard campaign to fund a new album.  Nothing more,nothing less.  There is nothing that separates this from any other kickstarter/pledge campaign.  Nothing.  You pay $15 and you get a cd etc...  The only new thing appears to be some type of ownership stake in future merch profits.  Where's the dishonesty you all are carping about?  

Do I think they need some coin?  Sure, but I'm sure that's true for the vast majority of bands.

This isn't true at all! This isn't even a pledge campaign in the traditional sense. There is no target amount and no stated aim of the project, it's just a pre order for an album that's going to be released anyway by a large label and the hook is, if you pledge you get to pay more for it and increase the already massive profits of Queensryche Megacorp!  I don't think that it's dishonest, just a bit douchey. And in my earlier post I made it clear that I'm not just singling out QR here. It's the whole corporate takeover of crowdfunding that pisses me off. Black Veil Brides have just done the same thing as well.

My comments weren't directed at you Boris.  

What "corporate takeover of crowdfunding" are you referring to?

Pledge campaign in the "traditional" sense? This shit's been around for like three years! Haha. But you're right, there is no target amount...because it's not a means to fund the album. The album will me made either way. This is a pre-sale campaign. Sure, you can buy perks that are a bit pricier and will surely go into the band's coffers, but you wouldn't complain about a band selling gear and merch on eBay, so why is it a problem here?

I said years ago that bands should start holding albums hostage until a certain number of pre-orders is met. This is really no different. They're trying to guarantee sales, which of course have been declining for every band for years now, thanks to shitty "fans."

Temple of Blood wrote:

S.D. wrote:

Come join in the minimal profits generated by a band whose mainstream commercial potential peaked over 20 years ago and who no longer have the original vocalist or songwriter responsible for their biggest successes.  A deal of a lifetime!!!!

Bingo!

sounds like a fixer upper.

Eyesore wrote:

Pledge campaign in the "traditional" sense? This shit's been around for like three years!

It's been around longer than that. I don't know if they were the first, but Marillion started doing it in 2001.

I still maintain that the guys in QR are free to do what they're going to do in running their business, brand or whatever you want to call it. I don't think they're horrible scum of the earth for this campaign, but the comparison made earlier to Devin Townsend's crowdfunding campaign is an apt one.

Hell, I wasn't even that sold by the whole "Casualties of Cool" album. It didn't really do anything for me, but I was happy to support it and would do the same again even if I knew up front that the music wasn't my bag, because I support DT and the way he makes his music, interacts with his fans, and presents himself. It's just 100% class act.

By contrast, the QR thing is becoming a bit like listening to McDonalds talk about how they care as a company about their community. It's like - thanks for the charitable donation, but we all know you're doing it because you need X amount of dollars as a tax writeoff. Don't blow smoke up our asses, alright?

With QR, less far reaching, smaller company, etc. Still, I can't help but feel there's this gap between presenting them as a "band for the fans" and then releasing all the corporate-sound press releases about the strength of the brand. It just rings false for me. Doesn't make them horrible human beings, but it rubs me the wrong way.

So it looks like DeGarmo will be releasing some new music soon. Sort off.





That's his daughter. Guess her upcoming EP, The Rue, is a collaboration with him. Definitely not the kind of music people want from him, but these are really great songs. But I love this kind of stuff. "Hey There Shadow" seems to borrow a bit from an old Queensryche song. "Out of Mind," maybe?

Oh no! I thought this thread that never ends had finally fallen to page 2, but it's back again, haunting us, taunting us. Ahhhhhh, fun for your lives!

Tate signed with Frontiers Music Srl to do the "trilogy" project.

It already sounds so overblown just based on Geoff's comments:

"I tried to reduce the story and eventually got it down to 37 ideas that needed representing to complete the story. I knew that one record wouldn't cover it and that it would have to be a trilogy."

Quote :

Oh no! I thought this thread that never ends had finally fallen to page 2, but it's back again, haunting us, taunting us. Ahhhhhh, fun for your lives!

Yes but this time it's about DEGARMO. This is big news that I actually care about!

Those certainly are good songs, not really outstanding to me, but I'm glad to hear him playing again even if it is several strummed chords. I can also see the family resemblance there.

glassprison wrote:

Tate signed with Frontiers Music Srl to do the "trilogy" project.

It already sounds so overblown just based on Geoff's comments:

"I tried to reduce the story and eventually got it down to 37 ideas that needed representing to complete the story. I knew that one record wouldn't cover it and that it would have to be a trilogy."

A label with a stable of songwriters is the right label for Tate, that's for sure.

Hey, ultmetal, check your private messages.

Eyesore wrote:

glassprison wrote:

Tate signed with Frontiers Music Srl to do the "trilogy" project.

It already sounds so overblown just based on Geoff's comments:

"I tried to reduce the story and eventually got it down to 37 ideas that needed representing to complete the story. I knew that one record wouldn't cover it and that it would have to be a trilogy."

A label with a stable of songwriters is the right label for Tate, that's for sure.

i think he is going to sully the mindcrime idea - similar to OMII.

exact33 wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

glassprison wrote:

Tate signed with Frontiers Music Srl to do the "trilogy" project.

It already sounds so overblown just based on Geoff's comments:

"I tried to reduce the story and eventually got it down to 37 ideas that needed representing to complete the story. I knew that one record wouldn't cover it and that it would have to be a trilogy."

A label with a stable of songwriters is the right label for Tate, that's for sure.

i think he is going to sully the mindcrime idea - similar to OMII.

Possibly, but it could also be a blessing for Tate. Guys like Magnus Karlsson write some killer tunes. If Tate worked with this caliber of songwriter, not Jason Slater, he'd be much better off.

Eyesore wrote:

exact33 wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

glassprison wrote:

Tate signed with Frontiers Music Srl to do the "trilogy" project.

It already sounds so overblown just based on Geoff's comments:

"I tried to reduce the story and eventually got it down to 37 ideas that needed representing to complete the story. I knew that one record wouldn't cover it and that it would have to be a trilogy."

A label with a stable of songwriters is the right label for Tate, that's for sure.

i think he is going to sully the mindcrime idea - similar to OMII.

Possibly, but it could also be a blessing for Tate. Guys like Magnus Karlsson write some killer tunes. If Tate worked with this caliber of songwriter, not Jason Slater, he'd be much better off.

Yep.

His douchy behavior has ruined his reputation for me. A stable full of writers and musicians could write him the next 'Stairway to Heaven' and I wouldn't give a squirt of warm pee to purchase it.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

His douchy behavior has ruined his reputation for me. A stable full of writers and musicians could write him the next 'Stairway to Heaven' and I wouldn't give a squirt of warm pee to purchase it.

I gotta agree with this. His antics have caused me to lose total interest i any music he will be releasing.

007 wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

His douchy behavior has ruined his reputation for me. A stable full of writers and musicians could write him the next 'Stairway to Heaven' and I wouldn't give a squirt of warm pee to purchase it.

I gotta agree with this. His antics have caused me to lose total interest i any music he will be releasing.

Agree

Personally, they quite being Queensryche once they finished Empire. Never really went past that, tried, but couldn't get it.

Dr8breed74 wrote:

Personally, they quite being Queensryche once they finished Empire.  Never really went past that, tried, but couldn't get it.

You and I.

corplhicks wrote:

Dr8breed74 wrote:

Personally, they quite being Queensryche once they finished Empire.  Never really went past that, tried, but couldn't get it.

You and I.

Yep.

I don't judge music based on if I like the people in the band.

Eh, I have plenty of dickbags in my music collection. Axl Rose, Dave Mustaine, Lars Ulrich, etc.