March
2001:
What
has the Internet Meant To Metal?
What has the introduction of the Internet meant for
METAL???
By Skyklad
It has meant that if it weren't here you wouldn't be sitting reading
this rant of mine right now !! *g* I believe the internet has been
absolutely instrumental in effectively spreading Metal information on
both a national and international level.
Before having access to the internet I spent a lot of time listening
to a select number of bands that I learned about through word of mouth
and the various mags out at the time. I "thought" I had a
decent realm of knowledge concerning bands/styles. What I really had was
such a tiny, microscopic corner of the metal world and upon hooking up
to the WWW I realized there was A LOT more out there than I had ever
imagined. There was a whole community that existed and bands that
spanned the entire globe. That is when I suddenly went bankrupt trying
to keep up with all these new and exciting bands !! *g*
And who could forget that the internet has provided us metalheads
with something that has been vital in the exploration of metal: the MP3
! As much as the record industry wants to bitch about the advent of the
MP3 I think it's one of the greatest things to happen, particularly with
Metal since it's not something that is spoken of frequently in the
mainstream world. Within only a few months my collection swelled with
over a hundred new bands just by going to places that provided MP3
downloads. To hear the music before deciding is very important and the
internet is behind that ability to do so.
What can I say, the internet has definitely been a positive thing for
the Metal scene. There's no doubt about that. It has provided easy
access to information, a much cheaper method of information spreading,
it's universal, even the smallest of bands can make a little informative
page thereby getting the word out about them and lastly if you live in
an area that doesn't have many metal listeners around the internet is a
great way to meet others that have similar interests as you (and even
brought together the one who completes me and makes me whole). I know
this is true for me and I'm willing to bet it's true for thousands of
other metallers across the continents.
What has the introduction of the Internet meant for
METAL?
By Rick
First I would like to thank Skyclad for coming up with this topic.
The internet and metal. The internet has to be one of the best things
that has happened to metal ever. Firstly. Metal-Rules.com would not be
here if not for the internet. The internet is what gives us the medium
to spread the word of metal to all our friends in the metal world.
personally I have to say that the internet is one of the best things
that ever happened to me in terms of being a metal fan and for metal
fans in general. Metal fans no have a way to hear about the littlest
underground band from Denmark by way of the internet. The 80s were great
in that you could turn on the Tv at any time and see a metal video.
Testament, Forbidden, Exodus, Kreator, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motley
Crue, Savatage and many more had great videos that were played on our
cable video network. With the dawning of the 90s and the supposed death
of metal these video were not played. The radio stations that did play
some metal on specialty shows cancelled these time slots and filled them
with the whiny strains of the grunge explosion. All that was left was
the university radio station which played a variety of metal. One of our
own writers, Pete Healey, was instrumental in keeping my head above
water during these times. I still listened to metal but it was much
harder to come across bands that I liked. During this time I found new
bands to listen to such as Cathedral, Varga, The Obsessed, Pride and
Glory, Entombed, Fear Factory, Afterforever, sHeavy and many many more.
I also relied on the old standbys such as Slayer, Megadeth, Savatage,
Priest, Queensryche etc. I was in the metal netherworld. I started to
despair that metal was actually dying a slow death.
Then I got my first computer.. Ah. The darkness lifts.. there really
is a metal community! I have been missing out. This was around 95 and 96
when the internet was just exploding in popularity. I only had a crappy
486 computer but I could read about many new bands (new to me anyway).
Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, and Deicide all were given a rudimentary
reading on the webpages that I found. I still couldn't find them in my
local record store and had never heard their music so they were still a
mystery to me. I managed to pick up some CDs from these readings
including the mighty HEARTWORK by Carcass but many of the European bands
still eluded me. Jump to 1999 when I got highspeed internet access. The
world of metal was opened to me. I could download song clips from all of
these formerly mysterious bands which forced me to spend a fortune on
CDs. This was great for me but also great for these bands.
This leads me to why the internet is great for the bands themselves.
Since the early 90s, metal has been forced underground. Outlets for
listening to metal and even reading about metal disappeared. The
internet changed that and gave new and old bands alike a place to get
their music heard. Back in the days of tape trading , the small bands
depended on word of mouth to get their music out there. they made demos
and traded them. These demos could make it all over the world but it
always depended on how many people got the actual tape in their hands.
Today with the internet, a band can have a webpage with sound clips that
can be viewed by millions of people all over the world. That means that
their music is out there to be heard by millions of metal fans. Word of
mouth still gets the bands name out but the net opens the possibilities
that their music can be heard by a staggering amount of people. When
bands finally did get signed to labels they could not make a video and
get it played on MTV so again it is the internet that they use for
promotion. The bands use webzines like Metal-Rules.com to get their CDs
reviewed to gain exposure. They also do interviews and have their
concerts reviewed etc which helps promote their music and get it to the
biggest audience possible!!
I know that I have been rambling but to me the internet is one of the
biggest things to happen to metal in its history. Where else could bands
from all over the world have the opportunity to put their music out
there so that every metal fan with a computer in on the whole planet
might actually hear that music and buy their CD? Nowhere. The internet
has had an impact on the metal community like nothing else in its
history. It has brought an underground genre of music to the people who
most want to hear it!!
Metal Rules!!!!
How has the Internet changed metal?
By Michael De Los Muertos
I think generally the Internet has had a very positive influence on
metal. However, the key to the metal scene's adaptation to the
Internet is that, long before the Web came along, the metal scene
functioned in a very similar way.
I generally don't agree with the people, so common in our day and
age, that go around predicting how the Internet will
"revolutionize" our lives. A few years ago it was
fashionable to claim that the Internet would soon dominate commerce,
politics and entertainment. I never agreed with that and I still
don't. Metal provides a quintessential example. Yes, the
Internet has made metalheads more communicative, more informed, and much
more aware of new bands that they might never have heard of before.
But the basis of the scene is, and always will be, going to shows and
listening to new albums, and finding commonalities with other
metalheads.
The metal underground, before the Internet, functioned in a very
similar way to the way the Internet functions today. The rest of
the mainstream world is just getting used to ideas like Napster where
users share sound files. However, in the early 80s, the popularity
of Metallica was entirely based on a network of metal fans duping
cassette tapes of demos and sharing them amongst each other. On
Napster you do it with a modem and can do it much faster, but is it
really that different than mailing a tape to your buddy in an envelope?
Mainstreamers find the idea of Metallica attacking Napster ironic
because Metallica are rich rock stars, but metalheads find it insulting
because it was essentially a low-tech Napster that built Metallica in
the first place. The same dynamic still goes on today. While
few metal fans used Napster, small-scale MP3 farms offering metal songs
are quite prevalent. One exists on this very site.
Qualitatively different than tape trading? Not to me.
Or, take zines. Again, the metal scene had a decentralized,
ramshackle but efficient way of spreading information and commentary,
through fan zines. Today, printed-word zines are augmented with
web zines and fan sites devoted to bands or particular aspects of metal.
The Internet has greatly increased the efficiency and reach of this
communication system, but it's still the same system. The fortunes
of great bands still rise and fall on zine coverage and exposure to the
underground fans. We still consult zines for advice on what albums
to buy, whether we page through the reviews or click them on. The
dynamic of how metal works -- put out some good music and make sure the
fans who are into it know about it -- is still the same.
The one innovation to metal with which I will credit the Internet is
the message board. This is purely an "Internet thing,"
and perhaps I'm biased from hanging out on our own Disgruntled
Metalheads board, but I think the history of metal may credit message
boards for bringing a lot of metalheads together. Through my
participation on message boards I've gotten to know a great many
metalheads on a personal basis, not just those who live far away, but
many in my own community. It's a great tool to get to know people,
to spread information about bands or shows, or, as most frequently
happens, to express opinions. It will be very interesting to see
if message boards as they exist now will continue to be a factor in the
metal scene of the future. I predict they will.
The best thing the Internet has done for us is to greatly expand the
cohesion of the metal scene. A metalhead who lives in a metal-free
town or some remote part of the earth, who might fear that he or she
will never happen upon someone who shares their love of heavy music,
today need only log on to the Internet to find a worldwide community of
metalheads. By improving speed, efficiency and ease of
communication, the Internet has strengthened the bonds tying together a
worldwide community once united by word-of-mouth and snail mail.
With the Internet, our survival is assured. Long live metal!
Where do you want to metalize today?
By EvilG
Many of us live in areas where metal seems dead. Without the Internet
if I had to look around locally for metal or a metal scene what would I
find? No gigs, no bands (anymore), hardly any CD's at the local
stores......I'd think there was no such thing as metal! In the early
90's the music I loved was forced underground. No more music videos and
no more magazines (or at least they became much harder to find) meant
that casual fair weather fans went away and those dedicated had to look
a lot harder. Jumping ahead to 1995, the year I was first online, I
immediately went looking for metal. At that time there was not so much
of it to be found online. So as a statement to that fact that metal was
NOT dead I put up the beginnings of what is Metal-Rules.com. For me
personally, and I'm sure for many of you, having the internet at our
disposal has become our key to the world of metal. We have the power to
check out bands ourselves and not rely on a money hungry corporation who
has no spine or mi$$ion other than to bring to the sheep the latest
trend. Metal is not a trend or a fad, it's something I'm committed to
for life. Without the internet there are dozens and dozens of bands I
would of never heard about. The internet is not the ONLY bastion of
hope, props must go to Promethean Crusade and to BW&BK as being the
two print magazines that in my opinion are not covering the latest fad
but are backed by people like us here at Metal-Rules.com - METALHEADS.
The internet makes it easier for someone to get into metal and of course
to sample new bands.
The MP3 file format in my opinion is the best thing to come along in
a since the web itself was established on the internet. As long as
people have an open mind with regards to checking out new bands rather
than blindly accept what is shoved down their throat from the
mainstream, then the internet is there just for that. I don't think the
internet is going to replace record companies any time soon like some
people have suggested. Sure, the net does one hell of a PR job and it's
awesome that a smalltime band can have their demo online for all to
check out. However, throwing up a webpage is not going to mean millions
will download your sound clips then order the CD. Having a net presence
will usually mean that when someone hears something good about a band
from a review, interview, word of mouth, an ad, etc...that they can now
listen to and read more about it and order the CD without having to
spend countless weeks or months looking for something that you are not
even positive you would like.
I can only foresee the internet becoming more and more important to
metal and to fans. It's not going to replace the "real" world
where you get to see live bands and be amongst metalheads who love the
music you love. It's just going to continue to make the music we love
available. As the technology improves we will have even higher quality
live steaming metal radio and higher quality videos to watch. We won't
have to bitch out the top 40 drivel on the local dial or the crap that
MTV or MuchMusic plays. Right now it's not a replacement for the TV or a
real FM station, but it's getting closer. This replacement has happened
to some extent with magazines. Zines like Hit Parader, or even Guitar
Player for that matter, have turned to shit. But with quality online
webzines we have an alternate and hey, you don't have to pay for
Metal-Rules.com (plug plug). No more will the dry period of the
early 90's happen. As long as there is a band out there playing real
metal we can find out about them and relate to others who share our
interests. METAL WILL NEVER DIE!
Waspman's Rant
This is an appropriate topic, what with the number of debates going
on these days about music piracy over the Internet. Sure, the Internet
has brought many problems, like music piracy, into the metal world, but
what else has it done? Well, for starters, it has helped create a much
more cohesive community where metalheads can gather and trade CD's, or
discuss any topic they want. Just look at the sheer number of message
boards and webpages about heavy metal (just like our beloved
Metal-Rules! And Disgruntled Metalheads) that have sprung up in the
years since the Internet has become truly viable. More than ever,
metalheads worldwide can share their views with each other, thus making
heavy metal's world presence even stronger. Yeah, we may not all get
along, but WTF, difference is what makes us stronger. Plus, it gives us
all a place to go and bitch to each other about mallcore! J Sounds
pretty good so far!
The Internet has also made it much easier to find information on just
about any metal band in any genre that you want, thus making metalheads
in general a more knowledgeable fanbase. Hell, I know that there are a
ton of bands out there that I never would have caught on to if not for
the Internet. In a related manner, it's also made it much easier for
bands to keep in touch with their fans. Whereas before all a band could
do was reply to snail mail or talk to fans at shows, now a band can talk
to fans directly via email and webpage updates. Hell, bands are
beginning to sell their CD's online now, making it easier for fans to
hear their music (legally). Hmm, still sounds pretty cool!
Now for the opposite side…The Internet has also taken some of the
fun out heavy metal. Remember when you had to go and really SEARCH for
that one album that was missing from your Exciter collection? Remember
talking to other metalheads and sharing your search? Remember how
satisfying it was when you finally found it? Now you can just go and buy
it online, no fuss, no muss. What I'm getting at here is that the
Internet has taken some of the personal touch out of the heavy metal
scene. Now, unless your friends are metalheads (and I know that there
are a lot of us who are not so fortunate!) the only time you'll ever see
another metalhead is at a concert. The metalhead "hangout" has
fallen by the wayside.
Overall though, I'd say that the Internet has been a great addition
into the metal world. I for one wouldn't want to go back to the
"old days". The Internet has made heavy metal a stronger
entity and I for one wouldn't change that for the world.
Joe's Rant
Having lived through the most recent Metal "Dark Age" (the
early 1990's), I think the introduction of the internet has done wonders
for Heavy Metal, especially from a North American perspective. Over here
trends reign supreme, so when the music-buying public had finished
gorging itself on all the corporate-designed "hair bands" and
their subsequent clones from the 1980's, new fodder was sought out and
the ever-greedy record companies were only happy to oblige. Seemingly
overnight, record labels dropped all the Metal bands from their rosters
(including the ones with actual talent) in favor of a bunch of greasy
looking, no-talent Grunge rockers. And as the general public blindly
accepted these new bands with open arms that the labels threw at them in
what can only be described as a mass act of musical coprophagy, fans of
the quality bands from the previous few years were suddenly out in the
cold. Music television stations and magazines that once provided
valuable information on their favorite musicians were now covering the
new wave of Grunge acts that now glutted the mainstream media, so there
was nowhere left to turn to. For quite some time, even the most
dedicated of fans believed Heavy Metal to be dead.
But then a little over five years ago a wonderful new medium was
introduced to the general public called the Internet. It
allowed computer users worldwide to communicate with ease and allowed
easy access to vast amounts of information. And as it grew in
popularity, Metal fans soon discovered that their beloved music had not
died in the Grunge explosion of 1991. No longer did we (Metal fans) have
to depend on the popular media to give us the information and sounds
that we desired. If the media can’t (or won’t) allow us access to
what we want to hear, then we can just find it ourselves on the net. And
on the other side of the coin, bands that would get absolutely no
attention in the media because of the current "anti-Metal"
trends, can now promote themselves online and find an audience with some
of the people who have been alienated by the corporations in the quest
for the almighty dollar.
Because the internet is a medium that is practically impossible to
monitor and regulate, Metal fans and bands (and anyone else who might
find themselves outside the "acceptable limits" of Pop
culture) finally have a safe haven to go to where they can find/promote
their music of choice. And without the once-necessary dependency upon
major label and media support, Metal bands can now reach their desired
audiences more quickly, easily, and (more likely than not) cheaply. So
thanks to the development of the internet, the Metal community is free
to exist outside of the mainstream media and it’s negative influence
upon Heavy Metal and it’s image. We’ve all seen how the corporate
world bastardizes and manipulates everything in it’s control, so the
effects of the internet on Heavy Metal can only be viewed as positive.
Nathan
What has the introduction of the internet meant for
metal?
I believe the internet has had a large impact on metal music. It is
so much easier to find information on bands using the internet than by
any other means. News, album and tour information, discussion groups,
promotions, merchandising, song sampling, and online ordering has made
the act of discovering new bands and keeping track of your favorite
bands much more convenient. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many
bands I’ve discovered, and how many CDs, tapes, vinyl albums, etc.,
I’ve found with the help of the internet. And let’s not forget email
and the ease of that tool! And the fact of the matter is that at least
95% of my time spent online is related to metal music.
Pete
What has the introduction of the Internet meant for
METAL?
Well, for me personally, it's turned me on to a lot of bands I
wouldn't have heard before. By going to a bands site and being able to
download a soundclip, I've been able to get into some pretty cool bands.
By using the Internet, I've gotten access to websites that enable me to
order CD's I can't find at my local record store. Hey, if it wasn't for
the Internet, there would be no METAL RULES. I believe the introduction
of the Internet has been very successful for Metal.
Keith's Rant
As we all know by now, the Internet has helped in every field of
business. Now with Metal, that still holds true. It helps metal bands,
labels and metal sites/magazines. Signed bands can have websites that
can promote their new releases, sell merchandise (shirts, hats, posters,
etc.), download MP3s and interact with fans in chat rooms getting very
important feedback. Fans can check out tour dates, read interviews and
CD reviews and other cool stuff. The band may elect to do an
Internet-only contest/giveaway (ala Iron Maiden). The
possibilities are endless.
As for metal labels (Century Media, Metal Blade, Relapse, etc.) a
website can only help them to sell records. Fans can find out what new
bands are coming out, see tour schedules, download MP3s, contact people
at the label, enter contests and buy merchandise. Very similar to what
bands do with their own sites, labels usually have more revenue to build
a better site and will get more hits.
For the up and coming metal band without a deal, the Internet gives
them endless possibilities. They can promote the name, their music and
local shows. They can sell merchandise and CDs to help keep them afloat.
Shop demos to metal labels via their website and learn about the music
business by reading interviews and listening to MP3s by signed bands.
With websites and magazines (Internet magazines) it's a great outlet
for the fans to read and get information about their favorite music.
Interviews, CD reviews, news, MP3s, chat rooms, CD giveaways, etc., can
only help promote metal. And with the Internet all of these sites are
accessible via search engines and can be done from the comfort of your
own home. You don't have to get in your car and drive down to your local
"Mom & Pop" music store and pluck down your hard earned
cash for a new magazine that get the latest gossip.
There's so much more that can be done via the Internet to help
support metal and help it grow. How great is that?
Jesse's View
I believe that the internet has been an extremely positive force...a
force that has helped to push metal into the 21st century and onward,
forever. Metal websites (like our very own METAL RULES!!!) have been a
beacon of metal-communication, floating in the oceans of the world wide
web. Metal sites have helped to inform and convert the planet and the
bulletin boards (usually found within these sites) have put the
metalheads of the world in contact with each other. Ideas are exchanged
and friendships are created...friendships cemented into the firm
foundation of metal brotherhood.
Metal websites started out as a refuge for metalheads pushed to the
edge of extinction. A large underground metal community, extremely
dissatisfied with the state of contemporary music, helped to fuel and
enhance the entity known as the metal website. Through an act of sheer
collective will, metal came back (back for the attack!!!), thanks in
large part to the internet. We can only keep growing...
CrashTest
What has the introduction of the Internet meant for
METAL?
The Internet has done a world of good because it has provided a
wealth of information about metal that has never existed before. Sure,
there have been metal mags that try to keep the flame alive, but a
monthly publication can only cover so much ground. And, of course, there
aren't any radio stations that play true metal. Even the bands I
worshiped during my high school days in the 80s seemed to lose their
touch in the early 90s. I was left to wearing out my collection of 80s
Dio, Maiden, RATT, Priest and the like. As a result, I fell away from
the fold for much of the 90s.
Then, while attending graduate school in the latter part of the 90s,
the flame ignited again. One day at the computer lab I saw a classmate
scanning some pictures. When I inquired, he showed me some pictures he
was putting up on his website. There he was arm in arm with the boys
from Savatage. I said, "Dude, I know those guys!" All of a
sudden, after years of toiling in obscurity, I learned that metal was
far from dead. I spent countless hours over the next several months
surfing the web and discovering how much metal was out there. Oh yeah,
and I spent money I didn't have at the time buying CDs. Haha. Since then
I have not only returned to the fold, but am now an even more dedicated
disciple.
The Internet is single-handedly responsible for bringing me back.
Were it not for all the great websites out there I would never have
discovered my two favorite bands: Iced Earth and Symphony X. Now if only
I can talk the programming director at a local radio station into
letting me host a two hour weekly metal show. Sadly, the last time I
asked him about it, his response was, "Dude, we're the only station
in the area that plays Metallica and Ozzy, isn't that enough?"
Metallica and Ozzy? Man, have I got my work cut out for me!