Sean Gardner, Getty Images It’s a whole new world out there for young artists looking to catch a break and established artists trying to maintain their momentum, but Trent Reznor says the key to approaching the current music business model is somewhat the same for all musicians. He tells Techdirt.com , “My advice today, to established acts and new-coming acts, is the same advice I’d give to myself: pause for a minute, and really think about ‘What is your goal? Where do you see yourself?’” He adds, “As a 22-year-old kid in Cleveland, it seemed to me that just playing out in bars, hoping someone noticed your band, and then offered you a record contract, while that’s possible, I didn’t know anybody, and didn’t know anybody who knew anybody that that had ever happened to. The strategy, then, was let’s work on getting a band, and something that means something, music that matters, music that I feel proud of, and a vibe and name and ‘brand’ of this thing, and then try to reach maybe some small labels that had music in the same vein of what I liked.” But in today’s music scene, there are many more options for getting your music to listeners, and Reznor says it’s more important than ever to define what your ultimate goal is. He explains, “If I were that person [starting out] today, there’s a hell of a lot of things that didn’t exist then, that exist now — like YouTube, like the ability to self-publish, like the ability to reach everyone in the world from your bedroom if they’re interested. I’d focus my efforts on what seems like a logical way to do that [and] that maintains integrity. If my goal is to compete with Rihanna on the pop charts, I’d think that requires going through a major label system with a powerful manager.” For Reznor, he says the decision to revisit the major label strategy for his latest project How to Destroy Angels fit a particular goal, one that differs from what he has to do with Nine Inch Nails . He says he was worried that only Nine Inch Nails fans would follow his new project and that it might not fit what they were looking for, so a label provides him the opportunity to reach more people. He explains, “The main reason I do what I do is I want to do something that matters. I want to be able to create art that reaches the maximum amount of people on my terms … That was a key component … Because it came down to us — us being the band now — sitting around and identifying what our goals were. And the top priority wasn’t to make money. It was to try to reach the most amount of people, and try to reach the most amount of people effectively, that doesn’t feel like it’s coming completely from my backyard. Because I don’t want this project, ultimately, to just be dismissed as a ‘side project’ or … (loud sigh) … a ‘patronizing affair with Trent and his wife.’ Sounds terrible, you know?” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-nine-inch-nails-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Nine Inch Nails Songs” align=”center”]
Ethan Miller, Getty Images Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich is a man of many faces, and as a member of metal’s most commercially successful band, there’s often a camera nearby to capture each golden pose. The expressionist affectation; the triumph through exertion; the elegance in despondency; the rudimentary essence of profound creation … Yes, these faces are often peculiar, but like Michelangelo’s ‘David’ or Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa,’ Lars Ulrich’s many expressions are conceptual masterpieces. Please take a moment to gaze upon Mr. Ulrich and his many faces: ‘The O-Face of Ecstasy’ Ethan Miller, Getty Images ‘The Taster’ Ethan Miller, Getty Images ‘The Limp Leer’ Frank Micelotta, Getty Images ‘The Catcher of Snowflakes’ Ethan Miller, Getty Images ‘The Frown of a Lover Lost’ Neilsen Barnard, Getty Images ‘The Unintended Drumstick to the Groin’ Jeff Fusco, Getty Images ‘The Perplexed Fixation’ Ethan Miller, Getty Images ‘The Misunderstanding of Hide and Seek’ Kevin Winter, Getty Images ‘The Duckbilled Smooch’ Noel Vasquez, Getty Images ‘The Incontinence Revelation’ Jeff Fusco, Getty Images ‘The French Tickler’ Kevin Winter, Getty Images ‘The Constipation Demonstration’ Ethan Miller, Getty Images ‘The Wandering Jaw’ Paul Hawthorne, Getty Images [button href=”http://ultimatemetallica.com” title=”Click Here for Complete Metallica Coverage” align=”center”]
Photo Credit: James Sharrock When your band becomes a cult phenomenon, it’s impossible to avoid those few fans peppered within your audience that take their dedication to insane levels. Fans will cover their rooms with your posters, ink your lyrics into their skin, or in the case of Cradle of Filth singer Dani Filth , the reincarnation of serial killer Elizabeth Bathory will claim to have been your lover in a past life. We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dani Filth, who told us about some incredibly strange encounters with fans, but absolutely nothing we’ve ever heard comes close to this story. Be sure to read the entire tale, as an incredible twist occurs which would make M. Night Shyamalan blush. “There was one particular time for a while, and I won’t name the poor lass,” Dani begins, “but this girl was convinced that she was the reincarnation of Elizabeth Bathory and I was her husband in a previous life, which was pretty uncanny because we’ve written an album about Elizabeth Bathory called ‘Cruelty and the Beast.’ It was just like, “Oh, that’s handy isn’t it?” She was genuinely serious about it and she used to write these amazing letters, but it just got to the point where it felt a bit stalker-ish, then it all died down. Either her brain collapsed or she got better … either way.” He continues, “Later on, I was in a car with a runner [a person who gets items for a touring band] before a show; I think it was in Milwaukee actually, and halfway to Wal-Mart, I was like, ‘Hang about … Wal-Mart was that way … I’m not that silly.’ Then the guy starts telling me how estranged he was from his long lost, long loved girlfriend because she had become infatuated with me, and it suddenly dawned on me that this was the same girl. I was suddenly thinking, ‘I’m in a car with him, going the wrong way,’ thinking he was going to pull out a gun. Nothing of that sort happened, but for a minute there, it was like, ‘Christ!’ You had that sort of burning realization looking over you that this wasn’t going to go too well. The singer concludes, “It was one of those things where I was sort of half interested and half wanting to get where I was, and then suddenly, what he was saying sort of bored more and more into me and the penny dropped. It was like, ‘Oh, no, this may not end well here.’ [Laughs] It was weird, but he was a nice guy and he just wanted to get it off his chest, hence why he was driving around a bit. Stay tuned for our full interview with Dani Filth, where he talks about the band’s new album ‘The Manticore & Other Horrors,’ when the band will embark on a North American tour, more incredible fan interactions and much more. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tags/cradle-of-filth” title=”Click Here for More Cradle of Filth News” align=”center”]
ABC The notoriously reclusive Axl Rose sat down on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ last night (Oct. 24) for an extremely rare live interview appearance — and the Guns N’ Roses frontman even seemed to enjoy himself a bit. Watch his entire interview in three parts below. Although the questions (some of which were submitted by fans via Twitter) weren’t exactly hard-hitting, they did give Rose a chance to weigh in on a variety of topics. When reminded that he was sitting just a few minutes from the classic lineup’s old rehearsal space, he admitted that he “unfortunately” remembers those days. And he also claimed he doesn’t regret his infamous cornrows. Rose also joked about his well-known penchant for showing up late, something Kimmel riffed on early in the show when he told the audience Rose hadn’t shown up yet. The rest of the conversation mostly dealt with some of the usual stuff — he loves the new GN’R lineup (although he joked that keyboard player Chris Pittman will be the next one fired), he thought their appearance at the Bridge School benefit “went great” despite widespread claims to the contrary , and he’s looking forward to the band’s Vegas residency . One oddball bit of trivia: Rose once dressed up for Halloween as an ear of corn, because “We have a saying in Guns N’ Roses: When somebody’s gonna get yelled at, they’re gonna get the corn. So one year I was the corn.” The Guns N’ Roses singer also weighed on the Presidential election, saying he doesn’t vote but is leaning toward Barack Obama. In the end, Rose told the audience that he had a free pair of tickets to a Vegas show hidden under an audience member’s seat — and then treated everyone in attendance to food from Tommy’s Burger Truck. All in all, not a bad way to spend an evening — maybe he should try it again sometime sooner than 20 years from now. Watch the complete clip below. Axl Rose on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-guns-n-roses-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Guns N’ Roses Songs” align=”center”]
Theo Wargo, Getty Images – Metallica ‘s Kirk Hammett updates fans on the next album, their 3D film and the future of the Orion Festival. [ Loudwire ] – Rob Zombie calls the band’s next album the “most inspired event” of his career. [ Loudwire ] – Trick-or-treat! It’s Gwar ! Watch their Halloween adventures in suburbia. [ Loudwire ] – Duff McKagan ‘s Loaded are rolling out their ‘The Taking’ film in a series of online vignettes. [ Loudwire ] – Converge are the latest band to escape a scary van crash on the road. [ Loudwire ] – If you’re a Who fan, start saving. November will see four archival releases. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Happy birthday to former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman . Check out the Top 10 Rolling Stones Bill Wyman Songs. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Think you know everything about Metallica ‘s hit ‘ One ‘? Get the full story. [ Ultimate Metallica ] – Is there anything better than rockers on film? Check out the 10 Best Rock Documentaries list. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Shiny Toy Guns have reunited with singer Carah Faye and their new album, ‘III,’ is in stores now. [ Rock Music Report ]
YouTube Duff McKagan is taking a little different approach to promoting ‘The Taking’ album, as he’s got a full-length film that goes along with the music. McKagan and his band Loaded intend to show off the new movie in a series of 10 vignettes that will roll out on the band’s YouTube page . The first episode has just gone online and can be seen below. More episodes will follow every Tuesday at the site through Jan. 1, 2013. In the first episode, we get to see McKagan and his band play the new track ‘Executioner’s Song,’ followed by a portion of a day in the life of the group. The singer-bassist is up at the crack of dawn, hanging out by the sea, plotting a band meeting and we get to see him waking all of his bandmates up for what could be one of their most important shows to date. Over the course of the ten episodes, we get to see not only his bandmates — Mike Squires, Jeff Rouse, and Isaac Carpenter — but also some of McKagan’s musical pals like Alice in Chains ‘ Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney, Guns N’ Roses ‘ Gilby Clarke, the Sex Pistols ‘ Steve Jones, ZZ Top ‘s Billy F. Gibbons , and Motorhead ‘s Lemmy Kilmister . The movie portion of ‘The Taking’ comes from Black Dahlia Films in association with Eagle Rock Entertainment. So be sure to tune in each Tuesday to the YouTube Channel for Duff McKagan’s Loaded ‘The Taking’ to catch a new scene from the movie. ‘The Taking’ album is out now. Watch Episode 1 of ‘The Taking’ Featuring Duff McKagan’s Loaded ? [button href=”http://loudwire.com/susan-holmes-mckagan-hottest-rockstar-wives/” title=”Next: Susan Holmes-McKagan — Hottest Rockstar Wives” align=”center”]
Republic Records After recently announcing they will be releasing a greatest hits album on Nov. 19, 3 Doors Down have made the single ‘One Light’ available for free download. It’s one of three new songs in the collection. In addition to the new material, ‘The Greatest Hits’ includes remixed and remastered versions of 3 Doors Down’s smash hits like ‘Kryptonite,’ ‘Here Without You,’ ‘Be Like That’ and many more. 3 Doors Down will stage the 9th annual The Better Life Foundation concert on Nov. 17 at Horseshoe Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. The foundation’s motto is ‘Changing the World, One Life at a Time,’ and their mission is to make a positive change in the lives of children in need of food, shelter and medical assistance, and to enhance the lives of children and young adults with special needs. Earlier that day the band will participate in the annual Ride For A Cause . The Better Life Foundation concert is also the kickoff of 3 Doors Down’s co-headlining tour with Daughtry . P.O.D . will be opening on all the tour dates except for Nov. 27 – Dec. 3, when they’ll set sail on the 2012 ShipRocked Cruise . [button href=”http://splash.3doorsdown.com/” title=”Download 3 Doors Down’s ‘One Light’ Here” align=”center”] Watch 3 Doors Down’s ‘One Light’ Lyric Video