Slightly Stoopid frontman Miles Doughty calls P2P a means of spreading music to the "masses [who] may not have heard of your music in the first place."Seemingly lost in the whole debate over file-sharing is the fact that music should really be all about the people who actually make and produce it. Major record labels have long been its gatekeepers and have unfairly used the position to steal money from music artists whenever possible, either outright or in fees for things like "breakage." However, since the advent of file-sharing services like Napster back in 1999 music artists are no longer so heavily dependent on the music industry's distribution and marketing skills. All that's needed is an internet connection and a healthy does of creativity. Much to their chagrin, music distribution has gone digital and it's forever altered the music landscape. The gatekeepers are no more and artists now have the ability to reach new fans in places and times never thought possible. File-sharing has allowed new and existing artists to directly connect with fans while continually forcing record labels to rediscover their purpose and identity. Being that the real source of a music artist's income has always been from touring and live performance, where they get 100% of the profits minus expenses, the pain of decreased physical CD sales is minimal since they only got one to two dollars of a seventeen dollar-priced album anyways. Some artists have rightly noted this fact and recognized file-sharing's potential as a means to reach new fans or even to reward existing ones. Others, like Slightly Stoopid frontman Miles Doughty, have even gone so far as to praise file-sharing for increasing a band's exposure which, in turn, increases their ability to tour and play live shows which really should be what being in a band is all about - playing music.
For the decreasingly unfamiliar, Slightly Stoopid is a band that hails from Ocean Beach, CA, a community of San Diego, and plays of style of music they best describe as a "fusion of acoustic rock and blues with reggae, hip-hop, and punk." They are a group of true music artists that tour incessantly and have repeatedly turned down big label contracts in favor small, independent labels so that they can continue to put out albums when they want and how they want. For them it really is all about the music and their fans. Although I've long been a fan of the band, a friend of mine (THX Cowles) directed me to a past interview they did with NotMTV where Doughty addresses file-sharing programs like Limewire and what he feels the effects are on the music industry. "Those musicians - honestly - the musicians that talk shit about people file-sharing are already those musicians that have sold millions of records," he says. "What gives them the right to be bitter and try to sue people? They don't have anything else to gain. They're not losing anything. It helps independent artists to get out there," Doughty continued. So I recently had a chance to catch up with Miles and ask him a few questions while he's enjoying a summer break between tour dates. ZP: You mentioned before how the big name artists have nothing really to gain by suing file-sharers and how it really does help the independent artists gain exposure. Has your attitude or opinion changed any since having a greater degree of success yourselves, from touring nationally with DMB to having recently played at Coachella? MD: No, I think my attitude towards it is the same because we were able to tour in places we wouldn't have been able to if people didn't hear our music on the internet. It may hurt record sales for hard copies but the masses may not have heard of your music in the first place if they couldn't file-share.2. Being that Slightly is so anti-major label, and for good reason I might add, what do you think about the stunning developments where for the first time ever we have MAJOR artists like Radiohead, NIN, Paul McCartney, and others whom have decided to bypass them in favor of independent labels or in combination with a digital distribution-centric model? MD: I think its great that these major artists are starting to go the independent route, the funny thing is they talk about it in the media like they were the first to open there eyes to it when bands like NOFX, Sublime, and Bad Religion made careers on there own independent labels.3. What does the future hold for major record labels in your opinion? What's wrong with them and how can they be fixed if at all? MD: I think the days of major labels are over and its there fault because they didn't want to embrace the digital future. I think they thought they would always run the way music was distributed but i guess they were wrong.4. What's your opinion of how Radiohead allowed fans to decide how much to pay to download a copy of their latest album "In Rainbows" and do you think it could work for bands that weren't as successful? MD: I think it's great that they gave it to everyone for free. They don't need the money anyway and its only gonna make their fans more stoked to see them. I think it could benefit all bands because at least people can hear your music so you can tour.5. What about Trent Reznor and how he's gone to such great lengths to bypass the major record labels and connect with his fans? MD: I have a lot of respect for trent reznor especially after i saw his show when we did a festival with him in japan. when your someone of his status its easier to spread your ideas to the masses so you know he doesn't need the major labels.6. Lastly, Metallica, the poster boys for anti-file-sharing, were and are still widely reviled for having come out so harshly against Napster back in the day and surely are an example of already rich musicians looking to become even richer. So it was almost hilarious to read recently in an interview with Rolling Stone about how they are backing off their anti-file-sharing stance, in fact now saying that it's "...been observing Radiohead and Trent Reznor and in twenty-seven years or however long it takes for the next record, we'll be looking forward to everything in terms of possibilities with the Internet." MD: I honestly lost a lot of respect for them the way they came out and tried to sue for like 25 million when those guys easily had a 100 million chillin' in the bank.7. Do you think it's enough to lure back old school "Ride the Lightening" fans who were pretty irate with Lars for demanding more money from the comfort of his multimillion-dollar mansion? MD: The internet allowed bands like us to get our music out there and I think they lost the "Ride the Lightening" fans when "Load" came out.8. What do you think the future of music ought to be? Do you think maybe some sort of subscription service like cable TV that Def Jam records co-founder and music wunderkind Rick Rubin has suggested? MD: I kind of like Rick Ruben's idea of paying a certain amount to have open access to everything. Bands need to get their asses out on the road anyways because that's where all the fun is and the fans want the live show anyways.For those looking to support Slightly Stoopid you can find a list of upcoming tour dates HERE as well as CDs and other stuff for purchase HERE. You can also download some of their live performances for free from the Live Music Archive or just listen to the several below from their website. |
|
members that voted for this story
|
