What do you look for in a band that you're willing to lay down money for?

average joe wrote:Make a rare great Christian Metal album and you will catch new fans. A single sounds like a fantastic idea to keep existing fans interested, and, if it smokes, you are likely to gain some new attention. I think TOB’s best work could still be yet to come.

Thanks man.  Yeah, I really think our best work is yet to come as well.

I have a notebook with song titles and about 20 riffs or so for our following album as well.  That's one reason I want this one out the door ... time for some new songs!

Temple of Blood wrote:

crucifyd wrote:this sounds weird but I've found that the way to see if I'm going to like a record is to play it in the background while I'm doing something (usually on the computer). If I "forget" it's playing then it is something I like / will like. If I'm aware of it, it's like the music is grating on me and I no like...

not sure if that makes sense, but it makes sense to me  ; )

Interesting.

It's the opposite for me.  If I hear an album and it sticks out when I'm trying to work, then I know I will like it.

Case in point, I bought "Firepower" after holding out for a long time.  Listening to it at work …. nothing but the first track even made me take notice.

I like albums that are catchy and provocative in some way.

I'm with you.  That's my test too -- it has to catch my attention while I'm working.  If I play a song or even a whole album and when it's over I didn't even notice what I was listening to, then no thanks.

I could write a book on what music catches my attention, but "I have to like it" will need to suffice for my answer here. 

I will add that if I'm going to buy a physical product, it needs professionally done and interesting graphic design.  95% of all Christian releases look like they had their 12 year old nephew do the design as a class project.  I can't buy an album if it looks like crap to me, even if the music is the most amazing thing I've ever heard or it's my favorite band in the whole world.  I need the whole package to meet my standards.  I won't have something that's an eyesore in my house.  Strangely, I only have this standard for new releases.  For old stuff/reissues from my youth that pre-date the development of my visual standards, the nostalgia factor trumps my desire for good design.  I would rather have the dated crappy original design than for them to "update" it.  Weird!

The working album cover you have for A Show of Force is killer, by the way.  If that's what you'll be using.  I would buy that on vinyl.

strangerhoncho wrote:The working album cover you have for A Show of Force is killer, by the way.  If that's what you'll be using.  I would buy that on vinyl.

Thanks man, that's good to know!  Last week I was actually looking into pressing some vinyl, if only for myself.  I was working on pressing a copy of Overlord for myself (it'll cost me about 35 bucks) but I've always wanted to have something on vinyl.  We were supposed to get "Prepare" pressed on vinyl from Open Grave Records but that was right before the label went under.

Vinyl is really expensive to press.  I'd definitely like to press some for the public for our upcoming album but I'm not sure how many to order.  I don't wanna be sitting around with a lot of expensive vinyl in my basement unsold.  I can move the CDs, based on experience but this is a new one for me.  I'd also like to have a large version of the cover though ... isn't that what is great about vinyl anyway?

I’m thinking that if the album is really liked, a lot of collectors will pay again for a limited edition vinyl run during a 2nd pressing, in addition to the CD, especially if the artwork is cool. I believe this is what Ritual Servant did. I think they even did a cassette run after the CD sold out.

Temple of Blood wrote:

strangerhoncho wrote:The working album cover you have for A Show of Force is killer, by the way.  If that's what you'll be using.  I would buy that on vinyl.

Thanks man, that's good to know!  Last week I was actually looking into pressing some vinyl, if only for myself.  I was working on pressing a copy of Overlord for myself (it'll cost me about 35 bucks) but I've always wanted to have something on vinyl.  We were supposed to get "Prepare" pressed on vinyl from Open Grave Records but that was right before the label went under.

Vinyl is really expensive to press.  I'd definitely like to press some for the public for our upcoming album but I'm not sure how many to order.  I don't wanna be sitting around with a lot of expensive vinyl in my basement unsold.  I can move the CDs, based on experience but this is a new one for me.  I'd also like to have a large version of the cover though ... isn't that what is great about vinyl anyway?

It feels pretty good to have your own work on vinyl. I made the leap into the unknown and pressed 100 copies of LPs of my electronic music back in 2016 and was terrified I'd have them all unsold sitting in some corner. I managed to sell over half of them surprisingly quickly and then it slowed down. Didn't really promote them as doing that terrifies me a lot too. I've been now selling them maybe one in a few months or even less. I have a bit over 20 copies left and I think being able to sell nearly 80 copies has been way better than I was afraid I would be able to sell.

Your band has enough name and fame that I think you would sell 100 copies easily. It's just that if you'd want to get any profit from that amount of albums you'd have to sell it in a pretty high cost. But then again I think a lot of vinyl collectors have gotten used to pay premium price for vinyls.

For me those 100 copies pressed and shipped to me cost something like 1000-1100 euros (plus paying additional 85 euros for a bunch of boxes I can send the records in - shipping them is really perhaps the worst part of the whole thing, it's quite the hassle to find good boxes for them and pack them in a manner that they are protected from damage). I don't know what the prices in the US are, this was a German plant I used.

Actually I first thought of getting just one or a few LPs for myself too, but then I thought this is perhaps my only chance to have this dream come true so I decided to use my savings for more copies. It REALLY felt good to get those vinyls... I wholeheartedly recommend that to you, and I'm a nobody!

Airola wrote:Your band has enough name and fame that I think you would sell 100 copies easily. It's just that if you'd want to get any profit from that amount of albums you'd have to sell it in a pretty high cost. But then again I think a lot of vinyl collectors have gotten used to pay premium price for vinyls.

For me those 100 copies pressed and shipped to me cost something like 1000-1100 euros (plus paying additional 85 euros for a bunch of boxes I can send the records in - shipping them is really perhaps the worst part of the whole thing, it's quite the hassle to find good boxes for them and pack them in a manner that they are protected from damage). I don't know what the prices in the US are, this was a German plant I used.

Actually I first thought of getting just one or a few LPs for myself too, but then I thought this is perhaps my only chance to have this dream come true so I decided to use my savings for more copies. It REALLY felt good to get those vinyls... I wholeheartedly recommend that to you, and I'm a nobody!

Thanks man for all the info!  You've convinced me to order some vinyl for the new album when it's ready.  Looks like it is only 70 bucks more for 100 pieces rather than 50, so that's what I'll go with.  Good to know about the special mailers, that's stuff I need to be aware of.

^Sign me up for the vinyl...that would make a great cover! Definitely would make this a special release. I would definitely buy vinyl versions of “Prepare...” and “Overlord” as well. Since it would be a limited release, maybe you could sign and number them to add to the appeal.

Temple of Blood wrote:What are all the factors that lead you to put down $$$ to buy a new digital/CD album from a band?

I'm all about the music and the rest is just gravy. When it comes to must-own releases... passionate songwriting, swelling melodies... oh, and riffs hot enough to rival the fires of Gehenna... those are usually the deciding factors.

Temple of Blood wrote:

Airola wrote:Your band has enough name and fame that I think you would sell 100 copies easily. It's just that if you'd want to get any profit from that amount of albums you'd have to sell it in a pretty high cost. But then again I think a lot of vinyl collectors have gotten used to pay premium price for vinyls.

For me those 100 copies pressed and shipped to me cost something like 1000-1100 euros (plus paying additional 85 euros for a bunch of boxes I can send the records in - shipping them is really perhaps the worst part of the whole thing, it's quite the hassle to find good boxes for them and pack them in a manner that they are protected from damage). I don't know what the prices in the US are, this was a German plant I used.

Actually I first thought of getting just one or a few LPs for myself too, but then I thought this is perhaps my only chance to have this dream come true so I decided to use my savings for more copies. It REALLY felt good to get those vinyls... I wholeheartedly recommend that to you, and I'm a nobody!

Thanks man for all the info!  You've convinced me to order some vinyl for the new album when it's ready.  Looks like it is only 70 bucks more for 100 pieces rather than 50, so that's what I'll go with.  Good to know about the special mailers, that's stuff I need to be aware of.

That's good news!  I recommend Whiplash mailers.  https://whiplash-shipping-supplies.myshopify.com/

Ammocas wrote:^Sign me up for the vinyl...that would make a great cover! Definitely would make this a special release. I would definitely buy vinyl versions of “Prepare...” and “Overlord” as well. Since it would be a limited release, maybe you could sign and number them to add to the appeal.

Great ideas ... thanks a lot!

strangerhoncho wrote:That's good news!  I recommend Whiplash mailers.  https://whiplash-shipping-supplies.myshopify.com/

Whew, those are expensive!  The vinyl is already expensive so I am looking for a less expensive way to protect them during mailing.

I hear ya.  Those are the best I've found.  If you use the cheaper mailers out there, you should plan for insurance for each package or refunds/replacements for some packages due to damage.  It just depends on if you prefer the upfront cost of better mailers, or the hassle and cost after the fact of dealing with customer service because of cheap mailers.

strangerhoncho wrote:I hear ya.  Those are the best I've found.  If you use the cheaper mailers out there, you should plan for insurance for each package or refunds/replacements for some packages due to damage.  It just depends on if you prefer the upfront cost of better mailers, or the hassle and cost after the fact of dealing with customer service because of cheap mailers.

Yeah, you're right.  I'll just pay the extra money for these mailers and pass on my costs to the customers.  I'd prefer safety than headaches.

Late to the topic....it's about the music. Videos don't sell me on a band or a song at all. It's all about whether I like the music or not. I'm not a "Christian only" guy; I like secular metal as much as Christian usually, though I don't go for bands that are vile or evil in the lyrics.

Lyric videos are pretty cool, and from what I hear, pretty cheap to produce. I'd recommend going that route. That way, everyone can hear the music, and if lyrics are important, they can see those too. 

Lastly...I'm a digital only guy. I used to buy CDs for many years as I'm in my mid 40s now. But several years ago, I realized two things: (1) I don't have space for an endlessly increasing CD collection; and (2) I rip CDs to my computer and then never pull them out again. I switched over to buying digital albums now. So, whatever you do, please also offer a digital version for purchase and download.