Band members' jobs

[rahvin]

i agree with what solefald said. the line can be drawn somewhere slightly above of in flames, in terms of record sales. meaning that not even in flames, with their hint at a medium-to-big break on mtv, can actually seriously consider living off their music, unless by "living" we mean "getting by without saving any money for when you'll be uncapable of climbing on a stage".

 

[Kovenant84]

I actually wrote a reply to this a few days ago, only to find out the IE ate it. GRRRR at school computers.

I'm of a like mind with a few here it seems, but I think that, similar to Fireangel, that part of the reason that DT is still around, and so good, is the sheer fact that they have jobs on the side. I think that it's what keeps them sane, to have lives outside of their music, and I think that it guarantees that each album the release will truly carry on their great tradition. I think, not that I have much experience in the area, that it's one of those things where no matter how much you like a job, after a while you begin treating it like a job rather than as something fun.
I guess that the fact that the DT members have other jobs ensures that any time they come back together to record, it's because they all really want to, and not because they need the cash, or something like that.

Fireangel actually raised a good point there at the end - I wonder how difficult it is to maintain a steady job on the side with interruptions for things like tours and such. Anyway, back to class.

~kov.

 

[Magrathean]

solefald: Um... Linkin Park isn't even remotely close to metal.

I think it's a good thing that DT can't have a "nice rockstar life" just from their music: they don't stop caring about what they do and disappear for five years and then reappear and start making crap like a lot of bands who know they'll sell tons just koz every [stupid] little kid thinks they love their music.

Other than that, i agree with your explanation about why DT members do have other jobs besides the band. And i believe fireangel made a point when she/he said bands have more artistic freedom when they keep it small (record labels don't push them that much into whatever crap they think will sell, like they did to Cat Stevens (or so i've heard)).

 

[solefald]

@firangel
yeah you´re right with this growing up tourpackages with 4-8 bands in the last years
dont like this so much, there are too much people because more bands means more different fans(who pay) and most bands play just max.40minutes.sad thing.
look at the next DT-tour. chimaira and DT do not fit in together musically but the record companies let them tour together. it would be more interesting to see DT tour with The Duskfall, Cipher System, COB or In Flames like they did some years ago several times(IF,DT;COB; ARCH ENEMY in 99!!!!!!!!! and I missed this package!!!No no no)

 

[Magrathean]

Well, it's not always that fucked up. I remember a recent "rockfest" (should have been "metalfest" which lasted nine hours and featured six bands. Sure, about half an hour passed between bands, but that still leaves just over an hour per band. It was great (Poison The Well, Rage, The 69 Eyes, Overkill, Therion and Nightwish), and i didn't mind standing among a sweaty crowd and having to listen to Overkill (which i've never liked too much) and Rage (which i despised the moment i heard them live), since i got four good bands for a relatively small price (think the equivalent of 60 dollars).

But, true, that's just one concert in a hundred.

 

[plintus]

it would be more interesting to see DT tour with The Duskfall, Cipher System, COB or In Flames like they did some years ago several times(IF,DT;COB; ARCH ENEMY in 99!!!!!!!!! and I missed this package!!!No no no)

Wow! That was some tour, I must say

I was lucky to catch DT with IF along with Sentenced and Killswitch Engage in 2002, and I thought that was pretty good

 

[solefald]

IF with KSE and Sentenced? well thats a good package. well im not really sure if packages with similiar bands are better than mixed style-tours like the last mastodon tour in europe with extoland dozer.that must have been very interesting,sadly they did not tour the south of germany.
but I was on hell on earth fest some weks ago with as i lay dying, heaven shall burn and 4 other metalcore bands. they all sounded similiar and 6 times metalcore,well thats nearly too much.but was fun

 

[Magrathean]

Swedish Metal: You are a graphic designer when you don't play with DT, how about the other guys in the band, do they have extra jobs aside to the band?

Niklas Sundin: Yes, we all have jobs beside the band. We're far from being able to make a living out of the music at this point, and to be honest it's nothing that I'd strive for either since being financially dependent on record sales means that you often pay too much attention to what your fanbase "needs" to hear. We don't have to sell X amounts of an album in order to be able to pay our bills, so we can do whatever we feel for with our music.

Niklas: I was drawing and painting long before I developed an interest in music or learned to play the guitars. I work as a graphic designer as my day job (we all have real jobs beside the band), so it's good to be able to take care of the album covers and layouts myself.

There. No doubts remaining. People, our hypotheses as to why DT members have jobs besides DT were correct. =)