Mortiis Forums

After reading through everyone's thoughts it seems as though most are of the same opinion.

I will always prefer to buy the album/ CD as I think the whole package is important - music for me is a journey I really enjoy and I don't like to compromise.

Myspace and other similar websites etc are really handy, though, to have a listen to a band you have heard of in a magazine or from an advert and have led to some great purchases - although this has taken away the spur of the moment buying in the record shop (something I did a lot more during the vinyl days of the 80s).

The whole music business has changed and I see bands such as Mortiis being in the worst position at the moment because of it. Small demo bands can work in the deep underground knowing they have more tools than ever to get music out - although as already mentioned it is a supersaturated world of bands. And the huge bands seems to be able to ride over the wave with a tightening of the belts and working on new merchandising ideas.

Talking of merchandise - it has been a tradition for quite a while that many underground bands make their money from merchandise more than anything else - especially on tour where the tour expenses are more than the pay for the gigs in the first place.

1. It is hard to sell stuff/music nowadays. Relationship of effort put in the business and wanted profit from it is surreal. Turn the MTV on - you will see what I mean.
2. Thanks to torrents I found a lot of new bands that I like. If I can listen downloaded album once from the beginning to the end - I try to get my hands on CD.
3. I don't get any positive feelings from downloading music. It is the fetish that lives in us that makes us buy CD/LP.
4. Album artwork and design is very important - for example - the Grudge limited edition - It is a grate pleasure to hold it in hands - you can feel that somebody spent time on designing the plastic booklet. It makes you different from other.

So please sign my up for a limited edition of upcoming album!

P.S. Thanks for the photos from Russia/Estonia.

well, I kinda missed out on this one...

here's how I see it:

1. What is your personal opinion of today's music business?
too many small labels in the underground ... none of them has the financial power to reach out to more people and get more sales to compensate the loss they have with illegal downloading ... especially in the financial times of now the first thing people will ave on is buying music, which will get these labels in even bigger difficulties...
very pessimistic, I know, but it's hard times for the music industry...

2. What do you think of piratebay and other places that helps you find free media?
well, I'd say they are nice as long as the stuff I'm getting isn't important to me ... seriously, on my old PC (just got a new one) I had a few gigs of music, 50% of it I maybe listened once or twice and never again ... my downloading habits had the outcome that I begun to associate digital music with unimportance.

3. Do you get the same feeling when you download an album (bought or stolen) on the internet that you get from buying a CD/LP with booklet/artwork?
no, clearly not. as I said already, I associate digital music with unimportance. A digital release is actually "not there", you can't hold anything in your hand ... when some release is important to me, I always wanna have it in physical and original form. I also never ever bought a digital release (itune or such), because it's just not the same.

4. Is the album artwork no longer important?
well, to me it is not that much ... I have quite some electronic albums whose artwork/booklet consists of a two-page inlet ... it's not the artwork that counts for me, it's the physical form, the feel and when I see the CD in my shelf it's the visible proof for me that supported the artist and label who made that release...

For everyone is important the price, if CD looks like golden edition of deathstars - NEN and have special DVD inside - 20€ is ok. Who have see this deathstars edition will understand. I think that in golden edition like this cd with dvd is the future also for Mortiis.

Im pretty sure nobody reads this anymore cuz it's an old post, but ima go ahead and just spill it.
today's music industry is just like the government in lots of ways. corrupt, self-centered egoistic bitches. sit there spin in their huge leather chairs, round and round, and go home feeling accomplished. i wasn't around for the hayday of black metal and independent labels, but i have a feeling it wasn't like this. i remember from some interview about Euronymous and how he wanted to run his record store, how much of the $$ would go to the band and less than 15% to his pocket, of course he didnt know i guess, or he just wasn't the money-hungry bastard. i will never know.i hate the music industry, the crap they put out and the "music" they "promote"
UGH piracy...jeez. to be HONEST, when it comes to music, i feel deprived if i don't have an actual ALBUM in my hands, the smell of the new print, flipping through pages, going over the artwork, poring over that cd, should i go on? oh dont get me wrong i have all my music on mp3 files in my itunes as well, but the thing is, when the mp3 is gone, you dont have the booklet to remind you that you OWN something, and not something virtual. what i do is i buy the record first, then rush over to my mac and just copy the cd. i don't use cd players, i got my ipods, but owning a record is the best feeling. my new behemoth album is in the mail right now!
i dont download albums off the internet simply cuz i am impatient, i hate surfing forever to find right files, and i own a mac so it's even harder. i DID try to score some free music, but in the end, it's just not cool to own a pirate mp3 cuz you dont really own it. just like a pirate movie, often it is of horrid quality.

and lastly, ARE YOU KIDDING ME...artwork is the embodiment of the music. it reflects what the artist tries to project in the songs. the booklet to me is priceless (the fatter the better!) i remember when i got a "live bait for the dead" album from cradle, their booklet was SO cool. has some transparent pages that kinda overlay wings and stuffs its great. lyrics, pictures, the whole thing.
so yeahh, this is me, my first post, and probably (and hopefully) the one that nobody will pay attention to. haha. i get weird...at times...when the moon is full and yellow! its a bit past midnight and i got nothing better to do. cheers!

2. What do you think of piratebay and other places that helps you find free media?
Yep, I download music, a lot of its shit whilst im waiting for your new album, i'm waiting here to get my ears fucked by the new album!!! but sometimes i have no choice cos no fucker sells singles these days.

3. Do you get the same feeling when you download an album blah blah blah....
as i said, a lot of music id say about 85% of it so far is complete and utter fucking wank, it has completely annoyed me so much that decent music and new artists that need recognition get nothing whilst the big bosses are sat behind their desks filling their pockets with slave silver from their two penny artists.

4. Is the album artwork no longer important?
sometimes, i buy a album or get tempted by it cos of the artwork, who would complain at covers like meshuggah's obzen and so forth