In the digital age, many artists have experimented with different forms of distribution. Radiohead's seventh studio album for instance, namely "In Rainbows", was released in October 2007 as a digital download where customers could order the full length for whatever price they felt reasonable. Nine Inch Nails, on the other hand, released thirty-six track instrumental album "Ghosts I-IV" free as a digital download in March 2008, following up that release two months later with "The Slip". Less commercially popular artists, however, are also indulging in such experimentation. Irish thrash act Gama Bomb, a stalwart amongst thrash's revival with the likes of Evile, Bonded By Blood, and Municipal Waste amongst others, made third album "Tales From The Grave In Space" freely available to download through www.earache.com, the official website for Gama Bomb's record label Earache.
"
It happened very organically" says
Gama Bomb frontman
Philly Byrne of how the decision came to be. "
One night, me and Joe (McGuigan) our bassist were having a bit of a chat, sitting about in his house with a cup of tea. We started saying "Yeah, we're gonna make another album", and "We're gonna make an album a year for a wee while. There was an album last year. We'll make one this year. It'll be more consistent, like the way bands used to be in the eighties". Releasing albums frequently is dying off a lot, so that was the first thing that we thought, that we would make one. Then we said "What if we give it away for free?". I don't really remember who said it first. We talked to the rest of the lads, and they said "Yeah, that's a good idea". We played a show in London, and Digby Pearson, who runs Earache Records, came along to the show. We spoke to him, and he said "Yeah, so you guys are talking about an album?". We said "Yeah, yeah. We want to give it away for free", and he just said "Yeah, good idea" (laughs), which was surprising."
Given Earache Records' penchant for off the wall decisions though, the most notable being the release of 1987 Napalm Death album 'Scum', was Pearson's reaction that much of a surprise?
"He has a history of doing things his way I suppose. It's not that alarming, really. They were waiting for a band who were willing to do it for some time, and obviously with the changing trends and all these things in music consumption, and music trends, it's actually quite a smart move for them to make. So yeah, it came about really organically, and it's just a reflection of how we've been listening to music. I've been downloading music for ages now, and I'm not paying for any of it. I don't think you should have to either. You should pay for gigs, you should pay for T-shirts, and for I don't know, thermal flasks with logos on them or whatever other rubbish you want, but music should be free. That's why the album is."
More cynical quarters might simply dismiss Gama Bomb's decision to issue 'Tales From the Grave In Space' as a ploy to encourage more concert ticket sales, though Byrne stresses this wasn't a factor in the group's decision.
"T-shirts and gig sales, the money side, weren't really what motivated us. Obviously, money does smooth the way and you keep doing what you're doing for longer. If there was no money, you'd be back home in a month. The Earache stance on it was that if we made our CD available in the traditional way, it'd only sell X thousand number of copies, and that'd only generate this much of a return. If we took a gamble though, and said "This is for free", it might generate more interest, and make more of a return in the long term. Our interest in giving it away for free was to draw people in, to get more fans, and to get our songs out there so that we could play bigger gigs, play better tours, meet more people, play more shows, and have more fans. That's the be all, and end all - just to enjoy the music with other people really. I think it is actually working right now. The first day the album was on release, we got six thousand downloads from the Earache site, and that's a significant number. Yeah, I think it's working - our shows are better attended and everything already."
As mentioned, embracing newer methods of distribution is something commonly associated with Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead. In reality however, Gama Bomb have little in common with either, finances being the major difference. Surely digitally distributing 'Tales From the Grave In Space' must've been a riskier decision by comparison?
"There's two big differences. One, they're not on a record label and we are, and two, they're all fucking minted. There's five million people who are insanely into Radiohead, me included, who want to have the album, whether it be for free, or paying a quid or whatever (laughs). That's the difference. There is a bigger risk involved, because we're on a label, and it's some guy's money we're spending. But then again, it may be the best use of that money, rather than just another CD. It's worth the risk."
To digitally distribute 'Tales From the Grave In Space', Earache Records has partnered with RapidShare, one of the world's largest file-hosting websites.
"We're delighted with RapidShare" Philly enthuses. "RapidShare are our friends in downloading; if you want to get an album, just go onto RapidShare, and get your link. We're very happy to partner with RapidShare, because as I say, we're very familiar with their service. It's a goodwill gesture, and that's what the album is all about. There's other people who are making that gesture too. In December, Metal Hammer are gonna give away our album for free as a CD, which has never been done before to my knowledge. They're paying to print up all the CDs - they're printing an X number, thousands of pounds worth, and giving it away for nothing, because they understand the gesture is worth making. It's really cool to see that."
Read the entire Robert Gray's interview at DottedMusic.com.
