That's one of the most refreshing things I've read in a long time. Hopefully, in the future you can earn proper money with ND without compromising the music.
In order to earn proper money, so to speak, we would have to basically hit the road for the next few years, live like paupers in the process, and eat alot of shit that people in this industry toss your way. And then,
maybe, we would earn some better money for ourselves, but still no guarantee.
Being as old as we are, many of us with families to support and bills to pay, it's just not very responsible or realistic that we could ever go that route at this juncture in our lives. Furthermore, it's not something we really want to do anyhow. I have alot of respect for the bands who live their lives in such a way, being true road dogs and nomads. But that's not in the cards for us, especially when you consider things like the serious physical problems that some of us have to endure daily as well. We're lucky to be able to get out and do what little touring we do, to be honest.
Lastly, playing this particular kind of music, I don't think we could ever really get out there enough to earn those big bucks, because the large crowd turnouts just aren't there. When you consider that bands like My Dying Bride (who are arguably the biggest and best band around in this genre) still have to work day jobs in order to get by, I think that really says it all. Opeth have gotten quite big and make a living at doing this now, but I think they were one of those special cases where they hit at the right time, with the right people, and had the backing when it was critical. There's alot of bands out there now who are trying to be "the next Opeth" but it ain't gonna happen.
One last thing to consider.... doing things the way we've been doing them might mean less income for us and more of a struggle to attain popularity or whatever, but it's also allowed us more creative freedom and time to focus on our songwriting, etc. We were able to sign to a label who allowed us to be ourselves, provided us with just what we needed to get our music done properly and get it out there to the public, and we're grateful for that. We are quite content with what we've accomplished and how we've done it, because it's been on our terms, even if that means we won't ever be as popular or successful as some other bands.
No but seriously, when I'm not playing with ND, I perform with other bands, playing cover songs and that sort of thing, and I make pretty fair money at it. Some people might balk at the idea of me performing pop/rock music on the side, but, a.) I enjoy listening to and playing stuff besides metal, and b.) you can't beat the money. I can make in one weekend the same amount of money that I earned working 30+ hours a week at my old job (security work).
