April 10th, 2007
Interview with Taylor of Love Me Destroyer
Much like the interviews we have been running with labels, I decided to start featuring interviews with bands to see their take on things like music retail and the future of music sales. I hope to bring you bands of every shape and size and I think we will see a varying number of answers for my questions. If there is a band you would like to see featured, please mention it in the comments section.
This first interview is with a band on my label, Love Me Destroyer. I sent over the questions to LMD’s bass player, Taylor. Taylor has been a godsend for the band as he works extremely hard for the band; he keeps in touch with agents, books their tours, and tour manages the act while on tour, and most recently did a tour journal of their tour with Smoke or Fire. Him and I often speak about things pertaining to the industry and I figured it would be interesting to see his thoughts with this interview.
Please read on as Taylor explains his thoughts on the future of sales, what he looks for in a label, and what one song everyone should hear from their latest album.
Also, if you are a booking agent or manager, please consider adding LMD to your roster, you will be glad you did!
See LMD on tour as they are currently touring with Stilletto Formal.
Listen to Love Me Destroyer “The Things Around us Burn”
IndieHQ: When did your band start? Where is your band based? What label is your band on? Do you do the band full time? What don’t most people know about you/your band?
LMD: The band started back in 2003, and it’s no secret that we’ve gone through a few changed. The current lineup has been together over 1.5 years. We’re from Denver, Colorado. We’re on Suburban Home Records, and we do this as our full time thing…although we gotta have side jobs to pay our expensive cell phone bills and put gas in the tank.
Most people don’t know that I have one of the craziest tastes in music compared to what’s considered “okay to like.” One of my favorite bands is Bowling For Soup, and our 1st guitar player basically quit the band because I love Nickelback.
IndieHQ: Where can people sample your music? Myspace url? Website? What is your latest album? What is your best selling release? How many has it sold?
myspace.com/lovemedestroyer
lovemedestroyer.net
“The Things Around Us Burn” came out January 30th of this year. We’re approaching 1,000 units sold.
IndieHQ: What do you look for in a label? How did you hook up with your label? Would you ever consider signing to a major label? What advice do you have for bands attempting to get a label’s attention?
LMD: I’m not really sure how we hooked up with Suburban Home. I wasn’t in the band then. From what I know, it just kinda fell into place. I think a label should be there to provide advice and support. Whether it be tour support, support with financing a record, or support on getting your record out there. The harder the band works, the more a label should help the band out. If the band is just sitting at home waiting for the label to do things and pointing fingers, then the label isn’t at fault.
Absolutely I would sign with a major. I got into this business to get to the top. To be the biggest and best band. We want our music to be heard by the most amount of people possible, whether through radio, TV, or concerts. Major labels can have that power to reach far more people than many indies can.
I think the only way to get a labels attention is to tour, and move product. Show that you don’t need a label, you’d be fine without one.
IndieHQ: I run a label and attempting to sell music in the post-file-sharing, post-Tower Records retail landscape is more difficult than ever. Do you feel that file-sharing/copying has helped or hurt your band? How??
LMD: It’s done both. It’s helped because I’m sure a lot of people found out about us through numerous samplers or burned cd’s that we have created, our label has created, a promoter has created, or a fan has created with our songs on it. I know that I’ve found some of my favorite bands’ music through file sharing. It helps opens doors. However, it’s hurting record labels, and that directly hurts the bands. It’s a double edged sword, but those who accept and adapt will move on.
IndieHQ: Do you have a booking agent? Who? Do you have a manager? Who? How important is it to your band that you have a booking agent and manager on your team?
LMD: No and no. We’re working towards gaining both, but they don’t come easy. I think it’s very important for a band to have both. Almost vital if you’re relatively new, unknown, and plan on touring more than 2 weeks out of the year.
A booking agent has the ability to hype your band to promoters that don’t know you, or to get you on support tours with bands that don’t know you. They can get you the money that you need when you’re on tour. Promoters don’t mess around with most reputable agents, because they know they won’t get that agent’s bigger bands.
Managers have that ability to get you on support tours as well, and pull favors that a band just cannot do. I think most of today’s bigger bands have gotten to where they are due to hard work, and the right favors being done for them at the right time. Managers really help in creating those scenarios.
IndieHQ: As music sales continue to decrease and music distribution changes, there has been lots of talk about a new label business model where labels will need to start taking a share of the band’s merchandise, publishing, and ticket sales. How do you feel about this idea?
LMD: Well, you’re surely going to see many bands break up in order to get out of their existing contracts with their labels. Lawsuits. I think that the bands that are smart will begin to figure ways of how to survive without the label. As digital distribution grows and grows, a model will soon exist where the labels that still choose to not adapt (most major labels) are eliminated. As well as bands that choose to not adapt.
IndieHQ: If you were forced to describe your band to someone by mentioning the 3 bands that most influenced your songwriting, which bands would you mention?
LMD: That’s a good question, as really the songwriting was not done by me. I had a few ideas here and there, but I just really kept it simple. My influences are far different than those of Scooter, Ryan, and Cody’s. That’s what makes this band so unique. A lot of people say we sound just like Hot Water Music, but really during the songwriting process that wasn’t a huge influence…unless I wasn’t paying attention the day we played a HWM record and we decided to copy it…but I do remember us being influenced by bands like Finch, Chelsea Smiles, Ryan Adams, Journey and Guns ‘n Roses.
IndieHQ: What do you see as the future of music sales?
LMD: I really think that if musicians really want to start making money through music sales, we’re going to have to start doing something like making music like water. You pay an extra $5 on your cell phone bill, cable bill, or something related to a network where you will be allowed to get all the music you want digitally. And through all that money, labels will be compensated, and bands will be compensated. How will they be compensated? I don’t know, I’ll figure that out when the world comes to me to save the day.
However, I think that bands just need to continue to tour. As much as digital explosion will take over the world, nothing will ever take away the feeling you get when your favorite band takes the stage for their first song. Live Music will always be around.
IndieHQ: What 5 albums are you currently listening to most?
LMD: Girls against Boys - You Can’t Fight What You Cannot See
Her Candane - No Battle
Early November - The Mechanic, The Mother, The Path
Sponge - Wax Ecstatic
Ashlee Simpson - I Am Me
IndieHQ: If you could get everyone in the world to listen to one song by your band, which one would it be? Why? Is it on your Myspace page?
LMD: “You’ll never take me alive”
Why? Because it’s my mom’s favorite song. And it’s probably the song that people that talk the most shit about us skip to when they start the CD. Everyone loves it, and the guitar lick and the one liners get stuck in everyone’s head. Hell no it’s not on our myspace, you gotta pay the $5 to hear it…or download it off soulseek. haha
Written by Virgil Dickerson
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