Oddly enough, I was actually invited by my step-mom to be an “escort” (nothing sexual, get your mind out of the gutter) at the musical “event” of the year, The Grammys. Having no idea what to expect, I said sure – what did I have to lose other than the time I was volunteering? At the end of the day, I had a blast; and I would recommend that if you ever have a chance to do something like this, take the opportunity.
More... More from Ray »This past week at my place of work, we heard that two staples of the metal press – Metal Edge and Metal Maniacs – are shuttering their doors. While many magazines continue to post lower and lower subscription numbers (with the exception of a few) while raising advertising rates (you know those things cost around $2,500-$3,500 for a full page advertisement?), I ask myself: is it worth it?
More... More from Ray »Working at an independent record label has its perks, and one of them is being able to see how other bands tour and manage their expenses. Sometimes you are so deeply involved that you know how much the band is making on any given night of a tour – because of the almighty “perk” that happens when you sign to a label: TOUR SUPPORT!
More... More from Ray »I will break away from my usual blog format and speak it from the mountain of the Issue Oriented blog to inform everyone about my favortie records (and a few movies) of this past year. I have decided to keep it exciting and put this in NON-numerical order just for kicks.
More... More from Ray »I hear many complaints about the Guitar Hero and Rock Band video games – for example, that if kids are putting so much time into something like a video game which simulates playing guitar, they should be picking up a real guitar and learning that instead. But not everyone wants to play guitar. I have been playing in bands for over ten years and have tried my damndest to learn guitar; I even took classes at a local community college. The plain reality is that I suck.
More... More from Ray »Something I have been sweating over at my job recently is the idea of artwork and if “kids” (or your typical consumer) even pay attention to a layout these days (or even buys a hard copy of the record to begin with). I do my best to find the most compelling, talented artists to visually represent bands when it comes to their record artwork. Yet I am sometimes left with a feeling of emptiness when I see it in stores next to records that in my opinion, look god awful.
More... More from Ray »In this day and age, bands are on tour 200-plus days of the year. Do you think many enjoy being out there for such prolonged periods of time, away from everything they know as comfortable or normal? Sure, it is fun having new experiences and playing in front of people every night; but there also is a dark side.
More... More from Ray »It’s been a wild week for me; I got to speak with a few people in the music industry who I have always looked up to and admired. I am a 28 year old male and still as much as a fan of music as when I got into punk/hardcore when I was 15, so I find it very strange that I have been put in a position where I can speak candidly to Armand from Sick of It All and Brett from Ignite as these were bands I went to see play when I was just getting into this stuff.
More... More from Ray »The most obvious and valid gripe that I hear most people say about the “kids” today as to why the scene is different and has changed so much is the fact that history does not play a large part in the development of getting into punk, hardcore, metal or whatever you would like to call it.
More... More from Ray »This week I had lunch with another friend who works at a pretty large independent label and we both came to a very solid conclusion as to what the RIAA or some organizing body of the music industry should do. Considering the major issues that record labels are having and also with the state of our current economy, this governing body needs to market music (more so to the general casual music consumer) as the best “bang for your buck.”
More... More from Ray »
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