Q&A with Buzzo on the phoenix.com

[black stallion]

[Q&A] King Buzzo of Melvins rants about the end of the music biz, the radness of writing endless awesome riffs and how dead Kurt Cobain still is

june 03 2011 interview by Daniel Brockman

The current state of the music business has a lot of people in a state of agitation-- after all, when the walls of the temple are crumbling, there are quite a lot of people who either have some gold pieces invested in the place or have to move those fucking lit candles out of there stat. A band like The Melvins will of course persist through this current situation, because they've soldiered on cockroach-like through several decades of this shit already, from the "home taping is killing the record industry" 80s to the grunge hype balloon of the 90s to whatever it is that's going on now. In part it's because they are a ridiculously great band that never gets tired finding inventive ways to re-configure their signature sound-- but it's also because they are consummate workaholics, constantly keeping busy with new albums and new projects and new tours.

Lead Melvin Roger "King Buzzo" Osbourne brings the band to Boston tonight and tomorrow night for a two-night stand at the Paradise that sees them running through a whopping five of their albums front-to-back, three the first night, two the second. We ran a feature in this week's paper where Buzzo opined on the band's legacy and his view of the current state of indie music. But we thought it was worth showing the full conversation in its full glory, so you could see the flow of the talk, and how it went from a relatively polite chat about the band's art to a somewhat unhinged rant on the state of things. Anyone who is familiar with Buzz knows that he doesn't mince words, and he gloriously lets loose at a number of targets here, while oddly sticking up for the major label system that briefly invested in his band in the early-to-mid-90s. Say what you will, but the man calls it like he sees it, and it's refreshing hear an artist who isn't afraid to let the public know that it's hard work being a band nowadays and navigating the changing tides of the business.

check the whole interview at the link below:
http://bit.ly/l3GphI

[(((O)))]

I'll have to read this later, however i just know its gonna be an awesome read. Thanks BS.

[John Schuller]

Seriously great interview. Thank you for posting this!

I love Buzz's insights into the current state of the music industry and how to survive.

[Bigval]

Well, that

[norecess]

i really don't quite grasp this whole major label discussion. it's confusing. pil on a major record => sex pistols/punk. melvins? => nirvana. those were different times! of course nothing like that would happen again. it's 2011! people have become stupid! technology sure leaves a path of destruction everywhere and kills humanity, but it also enables the melvins to sell merch online pretty much all by themselves. the melvins have a very loyal fanbase worldwide, i'm sure many of them would gladly support their favorite band.

and i think ipecac selling less records than 10 years ago also has a lot to with with their 2001 releases (tomahawk, melvins, fantomas).

[norecess]

4-5 tracks on a CD and sell em for whatever, $10 each maybe.

+ sell them online both in physical and digital form.

if they enable the 'pick your price' option, sadcorps could pay $200 for his release to help out the band and compensate for the downloaders 

[Bigval]

4-5 tracks on a CD and sell em for whatever, $10 each maybe.

+ sell them online both in physical and digital form.

if they enable the 'pick your price' option, sadcorps could pay $200 for his release to help out the band and compensate for the downloaders  

Yeah exactly maybe $5 for a digital copy of the EP, $10 if you want the real thing. Eats into the potential for downloading for nothing as what's $5 helping out a band you like? If the album you want to hear/get is $25 a digital version for free is a much easier decision to make.

Different kettle of fish compared to NIN I understand but Reznor supposedly made millions selling that Ghosts 1-4 double album for $5 in mp3 format (along with all the more pricier limited editions versions of the album he released). Im no hardcore NIN fan but I was really curious to hear that album and I could've downloaded it for free from somewhere or bought it from them in mp3 with all the artwork etc for $5 so I did. Liked the album enough down the line I went and bought it on CD eventually too.

[ManWithNoName]

The whole EP thing is what Nomeansno is doing now. They've released what? Two tour EPs now of stellar material (IMO) that are only available at shows or for download on the internet.

There will always be a percentage of fans that want to own something physical. Yeah, that percentage is smaller than ever but bands just need to come up with different ideas to make money.

Sure, some refuse to pay for music and will just download because it's free but they'll be the first in line to buy a ticket to a show or to buy a t shirt and merch at the table.

[John Schuller]

The fact that they are selling out of their limited edition merch is all that they need to know. They are doing it right.  As Buzz has already said - the music is free.

[EvilNewWarGod]

Great interview. It is always nice to see an interviewer ask intelligent questions of Buzz.

[(((O)))]

personally I can't think of any band I'd pay $25 for a new album of theirs.

A mere $25 for something that is kick ass, that you'll love and you STILL wouldnt pay that much?? Come on man.

[Mad Arab]

The fact that they are selling out of their limited edition merch is all that they need to know. They are doing it right.  As Buzz has already said - the music is free.

The music isn't free. And no, I would not pay 25 dollars for a CD. Thank you thieves.

[John Schuller]

Aw - you don't have an internet connection? Wait - how are you here? Any album you want by any band that you might want an album by can be found FOR FREE on the internet. Filestube, Torrent etc.

Everyone knows this - including Melvins.

This is the REALITY of today - whether that is right or wrong. Whether you are someone who downloads music for free, or someone who pays for music. It is still and probably always will be available for FREE to anyone who wants it.

The Melvins are doing the right thing. They will survive. There records will cost more if you want a hard copy. Good for them. I am glad that they are finding their way around the current state of the music industry.

[John Schuller]

Oh yeah, I wouldn't pay $25 for a CD either. But I would pay $50 for a vinyl album of that same CD.

[Mad Arab]

Yeah they will survive...that's a great way to rationalize thievery. It's not the music industry's fault.