News about the CD

[proulxski]

You are correct Detective. They make there money doing shows, not selling albums! Even more so, I believe when you buy albums/merch from them directly. I believe they get a bigger cut. But if this is true...I am not certain!

 

[SymphonyXV]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the majority of income for bands come from touring? With the rise of teh interwebs in the last decade or so leading to many people illegally downloading albums, I would suspect that this is the case. However, I know little to nothing about the music industry, so I might be very incorrect.

I do agree with you to an extent, as I consider only three songs from Divine Wings (Accolade, the title track, and Candlelight Fantasia) to be amongst the band's best material. However, I suspect that the majority of Symphony X fans think tracks 5 through 7 (Pharaoh, Eyes of Medusa, Witching Hour) are the most "filler" from Divine Wings, with Medusa being the least filler. I've never considered Out of the Ashes a filler song; to me, it's a short, fun neoclassical romp that serves as a nice bridge between the heavy Sea of Lies and the proggy, drawn-out Accolade. It's a great live song due to its length; it's so short it can literally be squeezed almost anywhere into a set.

This brings me to another point - what songs the band plays live determines what songs they think are filler. For example, has the band ever played Pharaoh or Witching Hour live? Nope. Relic, Orion, Lady of the Snow? Nope. Absence of Light, Fool's Paradise? Nope. The Turning? Nope. Seven or Sacrifice? Nope. I'm not saying that you have to agree with what the band thinks is filler, but this is a good explanation, is it not? Oh, and I left out Rediscovery because it's obviously not filler, but the band probably doesn't want to spend 12 minutes on a song that would make no sense unless the rest of the album came before it.

Meh, I've read a few books about the industry but I'm not gonna say I'm a wizard. It really doesn't matter how many copies a band sells. The label usually pays the band up front just for making the album. Then for ever CD sold, the band gets like 10 cents or something like that. But a band these days makes a majority of money through touring which sounds like fun to me. 99 percent of the day is waiting in lines, but playing the show would be so worth it, especially if the audience sings along and everything.

I find myself humming the Witching Hour sometimes. Pharaoh isn't horrible, but it's nothing too special. I love Out of the Ashes. I don't complain too much about filler. The Odyssey in my opinion had the worst filler, because I could hardly even make out a melody half of the time. I think PL is pretty much all filler. I would like the band to play V in it's entirety live.

 

[proulxski]

Nothing symphony x has done I justify as filler. Just because they take a different direction. Does not make it filler.

 

[Islandstone]

I do agree with you to an extent, as I consider only three songs from Divine Wings (Accolade, the title track, and Candlelight Fantasia) to be amongst the band's best material. However, I suspect that the majority of Symphony X fans think tracks 5 through 7 (Pharaoh, Eyes of Medusa, Witching Hour) are the most "filler" from Divine Wings, with Medusa being the least filler. I've never considered Out of the Ashes a filler song; to me, it's a short, fun neoclassical romp that serves as a nice bridge between the heavy Sea of Lies and the proggy, drawn-out Accolade. It's a great live song due to its length; it's so short it can literally be squeezed almost anywhere into a set.

Accolade, Candle and the title track is pure class. Pharaoh and Witching are fillers. I agree about Out of the Ashes as well; for some reason it has never struck me as a filler. I guess the fact that I have a taste for the chorus helps.

 

[proulxski]

Blasphemy; Pharaoh is an epic song! Witching, though I've grown to like it. Just feels oddly forced and out of place.

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

I like Phaoroh, and as I've stated many times, Eyes of Medusa.
I don't care much for Ashes, and Witching Hour is one of my least favourite SX tracks...ever.
Sins and Sea of Lies have gotten old, but they're not bad tracks.
Candle, Divine, and Accolade are definitely top-notch.

 

[J-Dubya 777]

Who gets to decide what theaters they get to play in? I swear almost every band out there plays the same places like Blondie's in Detroit, Worcester and that Best Buy Theater in NYC. Albany just gets Papa Roach and Kidz Bop! For shame.

It's all up to the people who book & promote these shows. Bands develop relationships with GOOD promoters. Just like when bands tour, and people complain they don't hit their nearby towns, it's NOT the band's fault. If there is no promoter in that area, the great tour bus will just drive right on through.

 

[SymphonyXV]

That sucks, I am gonna go to the mayor and demand he get better promoters.

 

[proulxski]

Hey J-Dubs, should I go off on a long irrational rant like the old days? I know some people will get a good laugh at it. Things have changed around here so drastically. Not that its a horrible thing lol

 

[SymphonyXV]

I never said I blame SX personally for the fact my town gets shit like All time Low and Panic at the Disco

 

[Meedleyx10]

Meh, I've read a few books about the industry but I'm not gonna say I'm a wizard. It really doesn't matter how many copies a band sells. The label usually pays the band up front just for making the album. Then for ever CD sold, the band gets like 10 cents or something like that. But a band these days makes a majority of money through touring which sounds like fun to me. 99 percent of the day is waiting in lines, but playing the show would be so worth it, especially if the audience sings along and everything.

They are making more than 10 cents, unless they are getting fucked beyond all recognition. It depends a lot on the specific contract they have, but the band, and the level they are at, should be getting a couple bucks back on each album sold. Yes, I'm certain they are making more money off of live performances, and yes, they do make more money when you buy directly from them as opposed to a retailer.

 

[Prog is King]

I would like the band to play V in it's entirety live.

Can you imagine?

 

[J-Dubya 777]

That sucks, I am gonna go to the mayor and demand he get better promoters.

Don't bug the mayor, talk to the club owners, Some are absolutely ignorant to what's available as far as hard rock/metal.....

Hey J-Dubs, should I go off on a long irrational rant like the old days? I know some people will get a good laugh at it. Things have changed around here so drastically. Not that its a horrible thing lol

In the words of Clint Eastwood: Go ahead, make my day! :Spin:

I never said I blame SX personally for the fact my town gets shit like All time Low and Panic at the Disco

Talk to the club owners, find out who books their bands...

 

[Soulforged7]

I feel generous today so I'll give you the Odyssey, although it had a lot of filler. PL just sounds like all filler to me with maybe some good moments here and there. The music scene has nothing to do with the outcome of SX's albums. In 2000, the music scene was Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys. Prog Metal hasn't really changed at all in the last 20 years. How could you put PL ahead of any album in the past 10 years? Have you heard every album that has come out in the past 10 years?

The Odyssey and PL had their moments, I'll give you that.

I'll back off a bit, and retract PL since it's just my Heavy Metal side trying to get some attention. Sticking with TO (and i'll also throw in V).

It's a pretty easy formula for me. What makes a song/album (specifically in this genre) a great one:

- Musicianship
- How well thought out it is, and how much effort has been put into it (Sonically, Melodically, Lyrically...)
- Heaviness
- Originality
- Catchiness
- Catchiness
- Catchiness

I wouldn't call myself the most hardcore Prog fan in all the land, but i listen to my share of Prog Rock/Metal, and i know what's out there more or less. I appreciate most of it, and it's mind blowing alot of the times, but i don't listen to a song to be bombarded my 15 time signature changes per song, and having to use my brain as a calculator to figure out what the fuck is going on. Bare in mind that i'm a musician, and not just a fan of music. So i appreciate it alot when a band like Symphony X can use the whole spectrum of music writing and incorporate time signature/key changes in a song that you can sing along to and follow WHILE incorporating those other elements, which i think they exemplify on The Odyssey. It's a complete album.

Speaking of "filler", as someone already mentioned, DWOT has it's fair share of them and which in my opinion are more uninteresting than the ones on TO, with Pharaoh being my pick of the bunch. Keeping in mind that i don't skip through any track off of TO, and don't consider any of the songs filler.

Again, should we go back to the whole "music is subjective" topic, preferably not, but that's my two cents on the maybe 50% of music that is objective.

 

[Wander]

Accolade, Candle and the title track is pure class. Pharaoh and Witching are fillers. I agree about Out of the Ashes as well; for some reason it has never struck me as a filler. I guess the fact that I have a taste for the chorus helps.

I agree that Ashes is not a filler. I just really, really don't like it.

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

Catchiness? That probably ranks lowest on my musical wants list. Whenever people describe why they like a song with the word "catchy", I cringe a little.

 

[Postulate]

Catchiness? That probably ranks lowest on my musical wants list. Whenever people describe why they like a song with the word "catchy", I cringe a little.

If a good melody is catchy, that's great. If a bad melody is catchy, you're stuck with something you don't like in your head, and that's bad. That's how I figure.

 

[Kenneth R.]

Meh, I've read a few books about the industry but I'm not gonna say I'm a wizard. It really doesn't matter how many copies a band sells. The label usually pays the band up front just for making the album. Then for ever CD sold, the band gets like 10 cents or something like that. But a band these days makes a majority of money through touring which sounds like fun to me. 99 percent of the day is waiting in lines, but playing the show would be so worth it, especially if the audience sings along and everything.

Okay, some contracts provide that the label pays for album costs upfront. That cost is then BILLED with INTEREST to the band, who must pay back the label through SALES. Making sure we got it right here.

As for gigs, yes they generally tend to make a higher margin for bands these days but that is affected by douchebaggery like FYE and Ticketbastard taking cuts of ticket sales and 'package deals' on merch. A band makes the most money when you buy a bunch of stuff directly from their own store and get tix to the gig, especially if they can be bought directly or semi-directly too.

 

[_Gentleman of_the Snow_]

If a good melody is catchy, that's great. If a bad melody is catchy, you're stuck with something you don't like in your head, and that's bad. That's how I figure.

A good assessment.
I prefer deeper material, considering that most things considered catchy are pretty 1-Dimensional.

 

[proulxski]

@Jdubs: I was looking through the old posts, and I found one of the locked threads with everyones hostillity towards Paradise Lost. We've all come along way id say. I mean everyone, including myself, was being crazy.

Though after such an aftermath, I figured Iconoclast would turn out different. I suppose not, its a bit of a shame really.

@Gentleman: I could not agree more, what most people classify as catchy, happen to be very 1-dimensional. Though 'catchy' in my eye, is some sweet, yet deep melodies. I go to pain of salvation for that. I mean, most of their songs are anti catchy as far as the standards are concerned. But the way the instruments go together, and Gild's many voices. Makes it very memorable, and catchy.