Re: New Stratovarius album: a list of demands
Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2020 8:19 pm
First SA song for me was Don't Say a Word. I watched the music video. I remember that day fondly, even after all of these years.
forum.stratovarius.com
https://forum.stratovarius.com/
This is just begging for a Timo Tolkki joke.
I wouldn't go as far as to claim there are "too many" power metal bands, as that would require me to define how many there "should be" (an impossible and subjective task). I am making the much more narrow claim that there are more bands competing for less spotlight today than 1990-2005.
Right time, right place, and a stroke of luck. Their gimmick song aligned with Guitar Hero's product needs and they benefited immensely. But reality check: getting your song into Guitar Hero or other mainstream venues is no walk in the park, and every band is trying to market themselves well. Hard work and a desire for self promotion on the internet is not an assurance of anything.ZenithMC wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 7:48 pmThe way that bands get ahead, in this line of work, is to market themselves well. A great example being Dragonforce, who gained a lot of publicity and popularity after their song, "Through the Fire and the Flames", was introduced in Guitar Hero 3 as the super-impossible-to-beat-on-expert song. It was a great win for them, as their over-the-top style was perfect for such a scenario. Funny enough, that was probably the first exposure to power metal in my life.
Check out this figure ( a bit misleading maybe as its not in chronological order).I'll say this much: metal bands have it way better now than they did at the turn of the 1990's, where the music industry basically fucked them all by ignoring them and promoting grunge as their next big cash cow. It was very artificial. There are tons of bands that never recovered from that event, and those that did had to alienate their existing fanbase just to scrape by. Metallica adapted and rode that wave hard, becoming an alternative metal band for about 15 years, and gained a massive audience as a result.
The music industry still affects the underlying demand for a particular genre of music. Can you name me a single Power Metal band founded after 2010 that has sold over a million albums? There are plenty from the 90s that achieved this feat.I don't believe the music industry could ever successfully pull a stunt like that again, because music is becoming largely decentralized. You can make music, put it on YouTube, and gain an audience by promoting it on social media. The music industry, in the traditional sense, is essentially removed from that equation. It's not just music that this is affecting; it's everything. It's a massive paradigm shift.
We must be living in two separate realities. How can it have staying power when its already gone?To say that power metal is 15 years past its prime doesn't make sense to me. What is the basis for your argument? Power metal (and metal, more generally) has substantial staying-power and I just don't see enthusiasm for it dwindling anytime soon, especially with the influx of new talent.
Your views on the music industry are too pessimistic for me! That's why.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:23 amZenith, it never ceases to amaze me how little common ground we have over subjects related to the music industry
Um... then why are you able to state that the music industry is over-saturated? Wouldn't that also require you to define how many bands there "should be", and to that end, how many are "too many"?AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:23 amI wouldn't go as far as to claim there are "too many" power metal bands, as that would require me to define how many there "should be" (an impossible and subjective task). I am making the much more narrow claim that there are more bands competing for less spotlight today than 1990-2005.
They'd better hope this is not the case, or they'll be overrun by newer, more interesting, talent eventually. At least, this is not the case for Stratovarius. Their discography is one of the most solid discographies I can think of. It is something for me to aspire to. If we're counting Sonata Arctica here... let's be honest: they simply are not a bona fide power metal band at this point in time and thus are not applicable to your claim. As for other groups, again, if they're resting on their laurels, people will get bored and seek more interesting bands out.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:23 amalmost all commercially successful power metal bands today are from the 90s and living off their past legacies.
I mean, is it fair to compare bands that are over 20 years old to bands that are less than 5 years old? Didn't it take almost 10 years for Helloween's keeper's albums to inspire the next generation of power metal bands (including Stratovarius' golden era sound)?AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:23 amBut strictly symphonic/classic power metal, its a thing of the past. There are no new bands that have the influence and commercial success of Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian, Helloween, Nightwish, Angra, Kamelot...fact! Surely you will give some explanation that they didn't work hard enough or promote themselves cleverly with social media, but its not that simple.
I'm not really going to try to refute this, as rock music is beyond my own interests. I know it's not within your epoch, but Volbeat is an incredibly popular modern rock band. They are constantly on the radio, to an annoying extent. Their music doesn't do it for me, personally. According to wikipedia: "their 2010 release Beyond Hell/Above Heaven was subject to widespread international critical acclaim, receiving double platinum in Denmark, platinum in Finland and Germany, and gold in the United States".AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:23 amIts not just power metal. Rock music has in general dried up. The 70s produced Led Zeppelin, Queen, and Rolling Stones. What have the 2010-2020's produced at that level in rock music?
15-20k might actually be more generous a number than the number of sales they actually generate. The only album I could see the sales numbers for was Infinite, which was certified platinum in Finland at 20,000+ sales. If only I could find out if any of the albums reached gold (which I imagine they should have). Here's a somewhat interesting website for Finnish music sales: https://www.ifpi.fi/in-english/finnish-music-market/AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:23 amIf Metallica's sales have fallen that much imagine how Stratovarius must be doing. Probably 15-20k sales per album. A massively talented band with a huge legacy, and they spend all day promoting themselves on social media. They are hardly lazy or unwilling to use modern mediums.
Are you talking about cumulative album sales or one-offs? If cumulative, then the answer is pretty obvious. From the 90's (actually 80's with Keeper's II) I know that Helloween has achieved this, also Sabaton in 2012 with Carolus Rex, and probably more, as you said. As for 2010+ bands... it's difficult because all I can find are chart positions, so I cannot confirm or deny your assertion. Also, how is the music industry affecting the underlying demand for a particular genre of music exactly?AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:23 amThe music industry still affects the underlying demand for a particular genre of music. Can you name me a single Power Metal band founded after 2010 that has sold over a million albums? There are plenty from the 90s that achieved this feat.
This blog begs to differ: https://www.viberate.com/blog/the-most- ... 019-part-iAAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 12:23 amThe biggest power metal bands to this day are Helloween, Nightwish, Blind Guardian, and Rhapsody, aren't they? When were they founded? When did they sell the most albums? Do you think Stratovarius can get a million dollar advance now on their next album like they did back in the early 2000s?
Here are all of the active power metal bands since the beginning of time, from the U.S. (only 697): https://www.metal-archives.com/search/a ... ame=#bandsNeverendingAbyss wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 4:00 amAs a North American resident I can't say how big power metal truly is. It is indeed dwindling down, but I think it is even more noticeable here in the States (there were a few promising American bands in the last 2 decades or so, but I can't name a single band that started in 2010's). Obviously, concerts in Europe are far superior than here, but have they decreased in attendance? I think that the old continent has such great transportation hubs that if you want to check out a band play live you can easily take the train, perhaps come back home that same day.
I don't want to wrangle with semantics: my general point is that commercially this line of work is far less viable than it was in decades past, but I won't go so far as to say new bands should not go out and put their best foot forward regardless.
When I said the bands are living off their past legacies I don't mean they are resting on their laurels. To give a simple example, it doesn't matter if Iron Maiden releases ten shit albums in a row, or ten good albums, people want to hear Number of the Beast. Their fans are aging with the band and if you've ever been to a Maiden concert you'll see what I mean. They are reliving their childhood through these experiences.They'd better hope this is not the case, or they'll be overrun by newer, more interesting, talent eventually. At least, this is not the case for Stratovarius. Their discography is one of the most solid discographies I can think of. It is something for me to aspire to. If we're counting Sonata Arctica here... let's be honest: they simply are not a bona fide power metal band at this point in time and thus are not applicable to your claim. As for other groups, again, if they're resting on their laurels, people will get bored and seek more interesting bands out.
I cannot speak for the Finnish market of Finnish charts. Too many confounding factors. I mean internationally. Didn't Stratovarius sell like 300,000 copies of Infinite or something like that? Not exactly happening today. And if you think they are bridging the gap through Spotify revenue and social media promotion, well I disagree.How in the world did Stratovarius chart no. 5 on the Finnish charts with Eternal if power metal is a has-been genre? https://finnishcharts.com/search.asp?ca ... ratovarius
Also... why in the world did Sonata Arctica chart higher with their most recent output than their earlier output? https://finnishcharts.com/search.asp?se ... tica&cat=a
Yes, I saw this shit band at a festival last year. I'm not arguing that there aren't any commercially successful bands anymore. But Wolfmother and Volbeat are nothing compared to rock music in the 70s like Beatles, Zeppelin, and Floyd, where these guys were treated basically like gods and made hundreds of millions of dollars.I'm not really going to try to refute this, as rock music is beyond my own interests. I know it's not within your epoch, but Volbeat is an incredibly popular modern rock band. They are constantly on the radio, to an annoying extent. There's also Wolfmother, again outside of your epoch, but nonetheless a modern rock band. Their sound has a lot more in common with rock bands of the 70's.
Right, because album sales are gone. Its not as though touring / merchandise revenue has somehow skyrocketed in the last few years inexplicably.Now, album sales have always been a small slice of the revenue pie for musicians. What needs to also be factored in is touring/live shows, merchandise, royalties (from radio & etc.), and streaming revenue. I'm too lazy to make a scenario and plug-in numbers, but touring and merchandise are the two main sources of revenue for musicians.
These are all classic metal bands, mostly 20+ years old. Where are the up-and-cooomers, founded 5-10 years ago?This blog begs to differ: https://www.viberate.com/blog/the-most- ... 019-part-i
Their reasoning is based on follower/subscriber count, though.
Ok, I may have been wrong here, but I seem to remember vaguely that Stratovarius signed a huge record deal with Sanctuary that was close to a million back in the day. The times have changed- that kind of thing won't happen anymore with few exceptions. Not sure if Sabaton and Volbeat can do it, but Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica sure can't.As for that million dollar advance, did that actually happen? Something's amiss here. If Infinite is confirmed ~20,000+ sales, and the price of an album is $15, that would only be $300,000 in revenue (minimum), which would then be divided between the band and the label. Let's say the label makes a %50 cut, so that's $150,000 for the band to divide amongst their staff. Anyway, the point is that $300,000 in sales is nowhere near $1,000,000 in sales... Maybe Sabaton will get a million dollar advance, who knows
That was an unfortunate choice of words for you, then, because those phrases are synonyms. You aren't making it easy for me to interpret your words, are you?AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 8:29 pmWhen I said the bands are living off their past legacies I don't mean they are resting on their laurels.
I don't know. I'm becoming frustrated with the lack of information about this and thus, I cannot make a case for or against anything related to Stratovarius' record sales. I assume those 20,000+ sales only pertained to those in Finland, and not internationally (which I do not have data for). Since their record sales are an actual number and not subjective, I refuse to talk out of my ass by guessing their record sales.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 8:29 pmI cannot speak for the Finnish market of Finnish charts. Too many confounding factors. I mean internationally. Didn't Stratovarius sell like 300,000 copies of Infinite or something like that? Not exactly happening today. And if you think they are bridging the gap through Spotify revenue and social media promotion, well I disagree.
I don't know what else to say other than you are entitled to your opinion. I think I've listened to maybe 3 Beatles songs. They didn't really do it for me at all. Led Zeppelin, I enjoyed more, but again, not really my cup of tea. Pink Floyd has a cool atmosphere to their music, but it's also a bit too mellow for me.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 8:29 pmYes, I saw this shit band at a festival last year. I'm not arguing that there aren't any commercially successful bands anymore. But Wolfmother and Volbeat are nothing compared to rock music in the 70s like Beatles, Zeppelin, and Floyd, where these guys were treated basically like gods and made hundreds of millions of dollars.
Album sales are most certainly not gone. Popular long-time bands have large followings which generates a great deal of revenue through touring and merchandise sales. Stratovarius probably makes more money now through touring and merchandise sales than when they started out. *sigh* I really hate saying things like this, but when I don't have any data to verify my claims, all I can do is either shut my mouth or make assumptions.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 8:29 pmRight, because album sales are gone. Its not as though touring / merchandise revenue has somehow skyrocketed in the last few years inexplicably.
Honestly, it sounds like some bullshit to me. Today is suddenly harder than yesterday... maybe that is true for those who do not understand how to adapt. There will always be entertainment in our world and there will always be a way to attain the spotlight. The only thing that changes here is how to attain the spotlight.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 8:29 pmOut of curiosity, have you really not heard any modern musicians gripe about how bad the financial situation is for musicians these days compared to days past? I can't be the only one.
Yes, that's the plan. For some, success is to become filthy rich. For others, it's being able to survive while doing what you love.
It's an overproduced TV show, so of course drama is placed over talent. Drama increases interest and viewership because people can't seem to do without it. They also have to go into their tragic backstory every time for maximum feels. Fuck all of that shit. I feel compelled to leave the room every time my parents have that show on the TV; I cannot stand it.NeverendingAbyss wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 10:09 pmOne reason why I dislike The Voice/American Idol/America's Got Talent is because they place drama over talent.
Yeah. The mainstream sound is very homogenized. Screw the mainstream crowd; they're all far gone. They constantly have the media tell what they should do and what they should like, and are completely divorced from whatever their own opinions would be ('cause they don't have any). There's no integrity in appealing to an echo chamber.NeverendingAbyss wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 10:09 pmDiversity in the mainstream music industry is long gone. Every modern alt rock band sounds the same. I can't tell the difference between some pop artists because their voices are so damn identical.
According to history, this is guaranteed to happen eventually. I doubt it will happen within my lifetime, though.NeverendingAbyss wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 10:09 pmTimes change. Metal will be buried along with rock and roll.
Those concerned about their artistic integrity should only appeal to what they themselves desire, not to what others tell them to desire.NeverendingAbyss wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 10:09 pmThe bastardization of music in the US really hurt the artistic potential of so many bright people.
What YouTube videos do you have in mind? I tend to just play video games to entertain myself, so I'm not really familiar with too many popular YouTube videos, personally. I do know that some of them are also overproduced, or have become overproduced over time. Good advice for creative endeavors: don't overthink anything. Keep it simple and to the point; authentic. Having the biggest budget to purchase the best camera, or the best microphone, or the best lighting equipment doesn't make it any more entertaining. Those are nice things to have, but they should never become the priority.
Interesting statistics! I haven't seen a single one of those videos, though. It's interesting to me that most of those videos seem to be music videos.robocop wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 5:52 pmWikipedia:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... ube_videos
They aren't the same thing at all. Bands like Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, have their core fan base from their releases in the 70s (that's what I mean when I say they are living off their past legacies). Go to their shows and ask around, many of the fans (if not most) have no clue about their recent releases. That doesn't mean they are resting on their laurels. They are trying their best but classic bands just tend to get defined by their classic material because music touches our hearts in a different way when we're in our teenage years. We grow up as adults and want to relive those old memories.ZenithMC wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:22 amThat was an unfortunate choice of words for you, then, because those phrases are synonyms. You aren't making it easy for me to interpret your words, are you?AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 8:29 pmWhen I said the bands are living off their past legacies I don't mean they are resting on their laurels.
Right, I suppose I also don't have the concrete data to prove numbers are way down. I think if you talk to bands like Stratovarius and other major players, they will tell you that the numbers aren't what they used to be, but i can't really "prove" it.
I am not getting into an argument about what band is best. I'm just saying, those bands were treated like gods back then. The newer generation bands you point out (up and comers) don't have the same visibility, financial backing, and interest.ZenithMC wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:22 amI don't know what else to say other than you are entitled to your opinion. I think I've listened to maybe 3 Beatles songs. They didn't really do it for me at all. Led Zeppelin, I enjoyed more, but again, not really my cup of tea. Pink Floyd has a cool atmosphere to their music, but it's also a bit too mellow for me.
Not sure why you believe this, but yeah I agree that neither of us can prove it either way.
It seems you believe the opportunities in every field are constant and uniform throughout time and not subject to any external influences or factors. I am more partial to the belief that there is an ebb and flow (push and tow) to this kind of thing. I still believe that if you are very talented, work very hard, and have a decent amount of luck, you can make a living as a musician and get some eyeballs.ZenithMC wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:22 amHonestly, it sounds like some bullshit to me. Today is suddenly harder than yesterday... maybe that is true for those who do not understand how to adapt. There will always be entertainment in our world and there will always be a way to attain the spotlight. The only thing that changes here is how to attain the spotlight.
I've never claimed that it was somehow trivial back then. A career in entertainment is always financially an uphill battle, because the currency you are paid with is mostly non-financial in nature.ZenithMC wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 1:22 amAny band that does not find some way to stand out from the crowd will fall under hard times. This was true in the past, this is true now, and it will be true in the future. Why don't you ask some of the unsuccessful musician's from the 70's how easy it was for them to put food on the table with their music? The past wasn't magically an easier time to become successful. When you can mention maybe a dozen popular bands from the old days, just remember that there were also hundreds of bands that just never made it.
Very good post.robocop wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:47 pmWhat I see here in these debates is A10 is always looking at the end game and making money and a living, where Zenith just wants to try his hardest with music and have multiple revenue sources like he mentioned in spam.
Throwing some music out there in an already saturated market to no response would still please a hardcore music guy. Simply because he can step back and see and be proud of what he’s done, even if there’s only 10 streams on the whole album.
There’s being delusional, then there is just being proud of what you accomplished for yourself.
...Fine. I guess it's technically the fans' faults for not recognizing the bands' newer material (that or they aren't super hardcore fans). I've never been a casual listener. In fact, I might lack the ability to listen casually, so I need to soak up all the info about a band that I'm into and listen to their entire discography.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:10 pmThey aren't the same thing at all. Bands like Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, have their core fan base from their releases in the 70s (that's what I mean when I say they are living off their past legacies). Go to their shows and ask around, many of the fans (if not most) have no clue about their recent releases. That doesn't mean they are resting on their laurels. They are trying their best but classic bands just tend to get defined by their classic material because music touches our hearts in a different way when we're in our teenage years. We grow up as adults and want to relive those old memories.
This is less true of Stratovarius than for example, Deep Purple, but true nonetheless. And yes, I'm sure you can find exceptions, etc.
That's what I mean when I say, living off your past legacy and resting on your laurels are different things.
Jens! Where are you? Please help (if you have spare time, of course)!AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:10 pmRight, I suppose I also don't have the concrete data to prove numbers are way down. I think if you talk to bands like Stratovarius and other major players, they will tell you that the numbers aren't what they used to be, but i can't really "prove" it.
This is very true for the United States, but does it apply worldwide? I feel there are still very sizable fan bases for power metal in Europe, Japan, and South America. In the US, there was also a surge in popularity for nu-metal and metalcore around the 2000's. Those bands still enjoy higher visibility than other metal sub-genre bands, to this day. I know this because there were tons of kids in my school wearing Slipknot, Killswitch Engage, etc shirts. There I was, with my Strato shirt.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:10 pmIn the 70s, rock was mainstream, and in the 80s, hard rock+metal was kind of mainstream. These days there is more interest in hip hop/rap (total trash) and pop, maybe a bit of electronic.
This is far too all-encompassing and vague, and I disagree with it. Opportunities can completely vanish when technologies become obsolete, but there is a silver lining to that dark cloud. New opportunities can be found with the succeeding technology, so those who adapt by learning the about the new technology may thrive. Anyways, what I said was specifically about achieving success in the entertainment industry, which will always exist in a society as long as food is readily available.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:10 pmIt seems you believe the opportunities in every field are constant and uniform throughout time and not subject to any external influences or factors.
You, sir, are a man of many A's!AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:16 pmI would hate for anything I have said to dissuade Zenith from pursuing his dreams, because I heard his music and like it a lot. His expectations are realistic and the talent is clearly there.
lmao! I was just thinking the same thing. Their payout is much higher probably because nobody uses it or is aware that it exists.NeverendingAbyss wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:02 pmI own an xbox and I've never heard of xbox music lol.
I was going to say it too. It must be defunct. How old is that graph I posted?!?ZenithMC wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:14 pmlmao! I was just thinking the same thing. Their payout is much higher probably because nobody uses it or is aware that it exists.NeverendingAbyss wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:02 pmI own an xbox and I've never heard of xbox music lol.
The graph's probably from 2012 to 2015. Xbox Music became Groove Music (still rings zero bells ) from 2015 and beyond. First, they started out with Zune (which I vaguely remember) and then they succeeded it with Xbox Music.robocop wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 8:41 pmI was going to say it too. It must be defunct. How old is that graph I posted?!?ZenithMC wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:14 pmlmao! I was just thinking the same thing. Their payout is much higher probably because nobody uses it or is aware that it exists.NeverendingAbyss wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:02 pmI own an xbox and I've never heard of xbox music lol.
I was able to google around and figure out the very vague range that artists get 15-50% of the streaming revenue. I'm going to go with a happy medium of 25% in my calculations (I think in general 50% is way too high).ZenithMC wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 7:46 pmSpotify payout example, annually
40 artists = 200 albums / 5 avg (giant guess)
104,400,000 annual streams, spotify = 200,000,000 annual streams * 0.522 spotify alloc
$414,468 annual revenue (before cut), spotify = 104,400,000 * 0.00397 spotify rate
$207,234 annual revenue for all artists combined, spotify = $414,468 * 0.50 label cut (giant guess 2)
$5,180.85 annual revenue for individual artists*, spotify = $207,234 / 40 artists
An additional $5,180.85 of annual income would be welcomed by me and that's just for spotify streams alone. Keep in mind, these numbers came from a mid-sized indie label with approximately 200+ album catalog generating over 200m+ streams annually. I'm not sure how these numbers would be altered if a major record label were used in the study. I never considered streaming revenue to be a serious source of income anyway, though.
Side-note: Hmm... time to setup my own music label.
*There's no way all of these artists would have equal popularity, but there's also no way to gauge this from the numbers presented. I divided the total revenue evenly for convenience, in lieu of accuracy.
Nowadays, I could probably make more just through Patreon e-begging. The world's a strange place.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 4:27 am500,000 streams * .0039 cents per stream is about $2000/month from Spotify. Your cut of that would be $500/month.
I've definitely considered this, it's just that I'm not sure how I want to go about it. I'm either going to hire full-time musicians or just live musicians for Zenith.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 4:27 amNow, consider a few more factors:
- Most bands have 5 members, so really that's $100/month per person before tax. That's basically just gas money.
- If you're a one man band you get to pocket the full $500, but then don't have a chance to tour (at least as a metal musician).
Thanks! You're a pal.
Don't worry about it. I'd do this no matter what.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 4:27 amAgain, absolutely none of this is meant to discourage or dissuade you.
There's nothing more valuable to me than producing something that is useful, in any way, to someone else. Albeit, my desire to write music was born out of my own need for a certain sound that I wanted to hear more of; something stylistically similar to epic dark power metal, or anything with a strong melody and a melancholy-tinged atmosphere.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 4:27 amIn fact I think doing what you love is really the greatest and most noble thing (though I recognize we need to be practical too from time to time).
Sounds great! So what does your timeline look like? Do you have specific milestones you hope to achieve at specific times?ZenithMC wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 5:54 amThere's nothing more valuable to me than producing something that is useful, in any way, to someone else. Albeit, my desire to write music was born out of my own need for a certain sound that I wanted to hear more of; something stylistically similar to epic dark power metal, or anything with a strong melody and a melancholy-tinged atmosphere.
That is one of my greatest vices, actually. I'm a disorganized disheveled mess who cannot maintain a schedule. Years of "groundhog days" at school made me detest a routine lifestyle. That's not to say I can't meet a deadline, it's just that my work schedule is incredibly sporadic and at a moment's whim. I did have a schedule for the album at one point, but it has since become abandoned.AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 6:27 amSounds great! So what does your timeline look like? Do you have specific milestones you hope to achieve at specific times?
Maybe I'm wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised if Stratovarius recorded their next album already, production & all, but are just holding off on releasing it due to the Rona lockdowns. Considering the bulk of their revenue likely comes from live shows, it wouldn't make sense to release an album and then not be able to promote it through touring. I'm not sure what the state of Rona-dom is in Europe right now, but I would hope that at least outdoor live shows would be allowed by this point.
ESPECIALLY #3. Crystal clear production, please.robocop wrote: ↑Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:38 pmI'll start over my list of demands since this topic went off the rails.
1. 5 songs in the event horizon style.
2. 2 long songs like the elysium track instead of one.
3. Different production.
4. More Jens solos.
5. Classical style interludes by Lauri.
6. 2 hit singles so the guys can buy lambos.
7. More Jens electronic parts.
8. A whole song of instrumental duel solos like old songs.
9. A huge melodic ballad.
10. Last but not least, more focus on Rolf and his drum parts, possibly mini drum solos in songs. Etc.
There was an interview with Kotipelto on Facebook a few weeks ago... long story short, they have barely even started because of the pandemic. I was kind of bummed.ZenithMC wrote: ↑Sun Sep 20, 2020 9:04 pmMaybe I'm wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised if Stratovarius recorded their next album already, production & all, but are just holding off on releasing it due to the Rona lockdowns. Considering the bulk of their revenue likely comes from live shows, it wouldn't make sense to release an album and then not be able to promote it through touring. I'm not sure what the state of Rona-dom is in Europe right now, but I would hope that at least outdoor live shows would be allowed by this point.
Damn...AAAAAAAAAA wrote: ↑Mon Sep 21, 2020 2:45 amThere was an interview with Kotipelto on Facebook a few weeks ago... long story short, they have barely even started because of the pandemic. I was kind of bummed.