Publication:
MaximumRockNRoll

Author:
Felix Von Havoc

MRR #244
I think I’ve written about this before, but I’m cover this ground again. Shock value, has lost most of it’s value. There are very few taboos left to be broken or buttons left to be pushed. Far from inciting controversy stupid record cover art and “offensive” lyrical content aren’t really shocking or controversial any more at all. In fact they are just dumb. And trying to be “offensive” is a weak method for masking your true political convictions. Instead of trying to play off songs against gays, women and immigrants as “provocative” or “just to piss off MRR and PC kids” who not just be honest and admit that your band is a bunch of bigots and take firm right wing stand out in the open? Note: PC is also played, being anti PC is so 1996 it’s not even funny. Like “let’s try to offend a group of people who all graduated and left the hardcore scene five years ago” I have more respect for the bonehead bands who put on the boots and braces and armbands and shit and are right out front about it than trying to veil issues with false sarcasm and innuendo. I could list off a dozen or so records that have made me wince, and cringe after looking at the art and lyrics in the past year or two. But after some reflection, I just feel sorry for the bands that made them. I mean, is that the best they can do? I’ve moved beyond shock and offense to pity…


Here are some things I’ve observed about record distribution lately. First, stores don’t order shit for hardcore anymore. It’s not necessarily that they don’t like hardcore/punk it’s more a combination of trends. Independent record stores aren’t doing that great period. They usually have a limited budget and a lot of bases to cover. I can look at a major metro area with one or two indie stores and think “these guys can easily sell 20 of the new Nine Shocks Terror” but instead they order one. And when that sells, rather than order 9 more they move on to next weeks new releases. “Back Catalog” isn’t a mover in retail, unless you are talking proven classics like Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains. I recognize this disparity because I am often touring with bands and see how many records I sell at gigs. There is doubt in my mind the best way to distribute records is direct from the label to the fan, out of a box at shows. Most of you reading this have seen/met me on one of four continents and I was probably selling records out of a box at a show. Only a tiny fraction of kids actually mail order (god bless those who do!) and these are the most fanatical collector types who need new releases and color vinyl pronto and prefer to deal direct with labels. These people are godsends to small labels because they pump a ton of cash flow into each new release right when it comes out. I’ve never gone for pre-ordering but a lot of labels do this with their limited editions and it’s another funnel to raise cash early to finance a new release. However, I wouldn’t recommend this unless you are already running a label and know what you are doing. There have been some recent scandals with disorganized kids running speculative labels taking pre orders and then failing to actually produce a record. I for one, never order a record until it’s actually out, and I never take orders for my releases until they are in hand. There is too much friction and chaos in DIY punk and many, many delays can mount and ruin your rep with mail order kids.

The bottom line is, to move records these days you gotta but them in people’s hands, and you cant’ count on stores or mail order to cover but a small percentage of that. This means people have to get off their ass and take small “milk crate” distros to shows and go on tour with bands and hawk stuff on folding tables.

Another thing related to the above issue with stores is the “flight to the front” or “how new is now” issue. That is to say, in the information saturated internet age “new” releases only stay new for a very limited amount of time. Like for the period of time they are on a distro/mail orders “new arrivals” page. Every new record I put out has an initial rush of orders from stores and distros. At one point I counted on these records to then be re ordered, ordered again and if the music stood the test of time stay in print and available for a long time. I always hated it when labels let great records go out of print right away when tons of people still wanted them and then moved on to the new release. It was always my thought that steady sales of back catalog would help fund new releases. However, in today’s market I feel like I bet on the wrong horse. My basement is piled high with boxes of Civil Disobedience and Masskontroll 7”s that I thought would sell consistently if I kept them in stock. Instead the sales of back catalog, and especially sales of “not so new releases” have really dropped off the last few years. I still get my shit out there, but a lot of back catalog is headed for deletion or discography CD as it sells out. This is nothing new, most labels have been doing this for years, but it’s emblematic of the infatuation with the new and hyped in today’s culture that a mediocre release from yesterday can trump a rager from last month. I think if people slowed down and smelled the proverbial roses and evaluated records a little more on their merits a lot of stuff that didn’t “hit” in it’s initial pressing would quickly move out of boxes onto turntables. Nothing seems to garner hype like limiting a record’s availability. A textbook example from my files is the recent Wolfbrigade 10” on Farewell. I love Wolfbrigade and I think their Progression/Regression LP is the best of the Wolfpack/Wolfbrigade output. I arranged a distribution deal with Farwell records of Germany and the band where I put out the CD and distributed the vinyl for this release in the USA. I had done very well with Skitystem and figured the two bands would have the same basic fan base. However, the Progression/Regression LP/CD hasn’t sold very well in the USA at all. But, when Farewell pressed up a limited tour only 10” of some older Wolfbrigade CD bonus tracks, I arranged to get 300 copies for US distribution. I sold these easily in a matter of weeks. Sometimes I wonder if I should press 3000 records and then advertise it as limited to 300 and see how long I can keep it up. I’ve heard some similar complaints from labels like Bridge 9 that people were only interested in the limited color vinyl and the “regular”vinyl took so long to sell that they have moved more towards only doing limited vinyl editions.

Here is a scenario. A band puts out a record and then tours a few months later to support the record. By the time the band tours (assuming they are doing the right thing by giving the record time to sell) it’s already old news and stores sold their one or two copies and never re ordered it. The band has to go out and prove them selves all over again, but winds up selling a lot of records at the gigs because no has seen it yet.

A lot of people are just insanely lazy and tasteless about their music these days. I’m astounded at how few people actually take time to seek out bands they would like rather than just buying the dust collecting CDs from labels that are popular/well distributed. If I gotta see one more kid wearing an Andrew WK shirt while the Asbest 7” collects dust in my distro box I’m going to start swinging. I mean do people really actually like the new Metallica and Slayer CDs or just buy them out of some warped sense of duty?

Dope shit: the new Fourteen or Fight 7”, No Time Left 10”, Disclose 7” and tape, V/A Dark Thoughts comp 7”, Artimus Pyle/Diallo split 7”, From Ashes Rise and Assault Live, Born/Dead LP and Live, In the Wake of the Plague demo. Rad new bands I saw lately: Hostage Situation, Get it Away, Nonfiction Noise, To No End, No Slogan, I attack, Cardiac Arrest none of these bands have records yet, but if you want a picture of hardcore in the Midwest in 6 months check out these bands demos, there is some fucking wicked rad hardcore brewing in the midwest right now.

Publication Date:
January 1, 2003

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