Slash in '92

Born in 1965 Saul Hudson (aka Slash) has become one of the most recognizable figures in metal, rock and popular culture in genre. Slash is considered by many to be one of the best working guitar players and is often on best of lists for his virtuousity. Slash is most well known for his work with Guns N' Roses, but has also contributed to other projects with considerable success including Velvet Revolver, Slash's Snakepit and a solo effort simply titled Slash. Recognized by many from his long hair flowing from his signature top hat, Slash has taken the cover of countless magazines and videogames (and is a playable character in the GuitarHero series).
Here's a throwback video of Slash from Headbangers Ball in 1992. Enjoy.

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CORE Rants: Kris on the Internet Music Economy

CORE Contributor Kris recently aired his grievances on the Internet and the music industry. Check the article below and comment with your opinion.


It does not need to be said that technology has drastically changed music - both as an art and an industry.  In years past, bands would struggle to hand out poorly recorded cassettes they created in their garage in the hopes that they may win over a handful of listeners.  Today, there are countless affordable programs which can turn any home laptop into a fully functional recording studio and the internet enables you to share your sound across the planet.  This is not news to anyone, yet the potential benefits and drawbacks are still highly uncharted, particularly in regards to the spread of digital music and media.

The battle between copyright holders and downloaders shows no signs of coming to a head.  For every measure taken by the recording industry to prevent and deter "piracy" a counter-measure is already being developed.  Without the collapse of Napster the internet would not have seen the rise of LimeWire or Morpheus.  As these networks came under attack, various torrent indexes like The Pirate Bay began to surface.  It's tragically ironic that the attempts of the recording industry to end file sharing directly influenced the move from pulling single songs from one individual to downloading entire discographies from tens, sometimes hundreds of users at once thereby decreasing download times to minutes.  So what is the appropriate next move? 

There are many valid (and invalid) arguments to be made for both sides of the battle, but I think we can all agree on two facts; first, that the majority of savvy internet users have, at one point, been involved in file sharing.  Secondly, that anyone who produces a product or service is due their fair compensation.  Even artists who declare that it isn't about the money but about the art still need to eat and pay rent.  On the other hand, many downloaders feel that the assigned value of music is highly disproportionate.  They compare the record industry to a big lumbering dinosaur which is unnecessary given the ability to self-promote.  In many ways, both sides are right.  The old models don’t work because the world has changed.  This is the reason why CORE has built a new model from the ground up - but I promise this article isn’t about shameless self promotion. 

Countless studies have been done in regards to the influence piracy has had on the industry.  It seems that those studies commissioned by the music industry show great loss in revenue due primarily to illegal downloading while studies done by pro-piracy groups show downloading to be a benefit.  Studies claiming to be impartial seem to be split on results, depending on the questions they ask.  Regardless of your view, here's the fact of the matter: file sharing isn't going away.  All the lawsuits, DRM and download throttling in the world will not prevent people from sharing music - this has already been proven.  What we all need to do now is find a way to reconcile both the rights of the artists and the industry with the internet revolution.  Simply put, we need to make illegal downloading a viable form of promotion.

Regardless of the popularity of the artist, every new album, concert or DVD release need to be promoted.  New artists are not yet well known and older artists need to prove that they remain relevant (with the notable exception of The Rolling Stones which require no such assistance).  Metallica and Megadeth have been around for time immemorial, yet I am not the only one who asks friends "is there new album worth picking up?"  The internet is an invaluable tool for labels and artists to become recognized and yet, primarily in the United States, industry leaders have drawn a line in the sand and fight against it on principal.  Back in 2009 for example, EMI began a lawsuit against the group involved in a lip dub music video in which people sang along to the Harvey Danger song “Flagpole Sitta”.  With well over two million views, the video brought the song back into popularity which renewed interest in a song and band which had been relatively forgotten for several years.  Despite the band members pleas to their label not to pursue citing that this may actually result in revenue, the label continued with its attack because those involved had no rights to the song (and neither did that band, it would seem).

The purpose of any music video is to promote a song.  The video itself, in the grand scheme, garners no revenue on its own.  Why, then, are music videos being pulled off of YouTube due to copyright violation?  An unknown artist cannot make money.  A well known artist - even if they are only known through free online viewing and downloading - has the potential to bring in revenue, and that puts them countless steps ahead of others who do not yet have a fan base.  One would think that free promotion would be a blessing.  "Look," you could imagine an artist saying, "over 50 people have uploaded our music video to their channels and over one million people have viewed it across all the different uploads!  We're becoming famous!"  Instead someone is counting each of those views as a loss of revenue; "one million people have heard this song for free, and that's theft". 

Today, it has actually become much harder for new bands (particularly of the rock and metal genre) to share their music with the public through traditional means.  Music videos have not had real airtime since the 90's.  The radio wants to play established artists and metal is not 'pop'.  Radio songs for the most part are inoffensive and safe.  Their sound is similar to other popular songs, increasing their chance of success - in the instances that they aren't, they are by artists who have become household names like Nirvana and Nickleback.  Radio is about reaching the largest established audience.  Regardless of how many people want to hear harder music, you can't play Static - X in a shopping centre.

How is posting a favourite song on a MySpace page different from putting on an album in your car when driving with a friend?  More to the point, what is more likely to get you to spend money on an artist: a friend recommends a band, requiring you to risk $20 on a CD or a having the friend send you a track over the net or link to a music video for you to listen to at home?  Fans spend money.  They buy t-shirts, hoodies, belt buckles, concert tickets, instructional DVDs by the artists, posters and countless other products.  If you question a bands ability to merchandize themselves simply type "KISS" into the eBay search field and see what Gene Simmons has stuck his face on.  Getting fans requires investing, just like every other business model - and make no mistake, music is a business.  Record labels are out to make money.  Artists are out to make money.  Studios, venues, merchants and everyone else involved is doing this to earn a living.  That's why it's called the music industry. 

The modern music industry is littered with those who fail to see the greater picture – or perhaps they are simply afraid to.  A bad businessman will blame outside factors for his failure while a good businessman will see the potential threats on the horizon and find away to make them profitable.  An attempt has been made to stop music downloading.  It hasn't worked, and it has become time to stop wasting resources opposing it and instead adopt a new model to profit from it.  Many artists have taken on this belief as well.  Three bands of note were The Offspring, Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails who all released full new albums for free online (Conspiracy of One, In Rainbows and The Slip respectively) before they reached stores. 

There have been many suggested models to try and meet downloaders half way - some better than others.  I don't claim to have all the answers, but anyone can see that the industry is in flux and the old models don't work anymore.  Those who do not adapt will not last, and too many of the old guard refuse out of spite.  We are on the verge of entering a new renaissance and endless options lie ahead, but only for those willing to look and think and act. 



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A Conversation With CORE Founder and President Lee 'The Grim Riffer' Kagan

With the online launch of the Consortium of Rock Evolution just days away we decided to sit down and learn a little bit more about CORE's founder Lee Kagan, his colourful past, his relationship to the music and his take on the state of the music industry in the web 2.0 era.

CORE Blog-  First and foremost what is CORE?

Lee Kagan-      CORE is for the fans, run by fans, for the artists, run by artists. There’s plenty of indie labels and artist development and management companies out there all doing great things. We really, REALLY focus on the relationships between the talent and their supporters.  I mean face to face type thing. We provide many  revenue streams for our artists, even a very unique pool system of funds for our “family”, push the royalty brackets to a minimum of 40% and up. As for the fans, well, we track and monitor the involvement they do on our site; in the field at shows and on the street and in turn we use our point system to reward them… from great discounts on tickets and merch, to VIP access at our shows, our limited or not for sale “Club” merch that simply by wearing it gets you perks, all the way up to involvement on the company’s end, even potential employment.

CB- How did you decide to start CORE?

LK-     Really I wanted to see something in the industry that really satisfied my wants and needs as a musician and performer, so I simply said “well, instead of waiting around for someone to do that, I will.” So I did.

CORE's Lee "Grim Riffer" Kagan

CB-How do you think the internet has changed the music industry?

LK-     Many ways. People find new bands to listen to SO fast, share their opinions and reviews across borders, also with Myspace, Facebook etc., self-promotion became possible on a scale rarely seen.  Now, we all know about the debates around the downloading and file sharing, it has its pros and cons, but fact of the matter is, it’s our reality and we have to deal with it in a positive way.

CB- Why metal?

LK-     From my days of classical guitar and piano at the Toronto Conservatory as a tiny kid, my first TAPE!!! I bought when I had some freedom to start listening to different music, I picked up by fluke was Metallica’s Ride the Lightning….and that was that man. From then on, it was always the kind of music that I related to. A lot of anger in my past, a lot of sadness, lot of dislike for the world around me… Metal and Rock music just spoke to me so personally. It was always there for me and will always be there for me.

CB-What differentiates metal fans from, say, your casual pop/rock fan

LK-     In my opinion, they’re some of the only fans that I know of that would jump in front of a bus to save their favourite artists. I mean loyal and devout would be an understatement. I remember when people would badmouth metal or punk or whatever I really liked, and I would be more filled with the feeling of wanting to argue my side of the story while choking them out... We are that intense in loving of these genres that mean the world to us.

CB-What effect has the internet had on the metalhead community

LK-     Good question.  I think it hass allowed the community to have a digital “face” if you will. Like, we know that there’s crews in Toronto, and LA, England, Norway, Japan, etc., but the net has allowed us to meet each other without having to be in those physical locations. I think it’s a beautiful fucking thing man.

CB- We have seen metal fall in and out of the foreground and change aesthetic over the course of the past 40 odd years. How would you describe the contemporary metal scene? How is the sound and aesthetic of today different from that of yesterday? How is it the same?

LK-     Hmmm., I mean, some things are the same some things are not. Like, I love when I see some 14 year old kid wearing a Sabbath shirt, and actually KNOWS the songs. Sound wise it has really progressed, the technique across the instrumentation has become so advanced, yet it still resonates of the past influences. The options of what you feel moves you in terms of bands has become very expansive. I mean, you got your pick, thrash, doom, black, hardcore etc., there’s something for everyone. Even though I have my personal favourites I love the fact that its grown so much.

CB- Metal has often been the target of criticism from advisory groups such as the PMRC (Tipper Gore). Do you think any of these allegations have any merit? How can metal be positive (despite having seemingly ‘dark’ messages)? How does CORE contribute?

LK-     From my own experience, Metal specifically is going to take that dark subject matter and bring it to the forefront. Whether it be anger, addiction, depression, ‘anti’-positions, it’s not going to simply say “hey everything’s peachy and the sun always shines”, no, it says “look man, life can be hard, people won’t like you sometimes or understand you, relationships will come and go, and there’s crazy shit going on in the world, but when you feel like you don’t fit in anywhere, guess what, you do, judging by all 30, 40, 50 thousand of us in the stadium.” It helps us deal with our issues in a positive way by addressing the issue and feeling understood. All those things I mentioned for this question, I’ve dealt with personally, and I’m a better man today for facing them.

We contribute to this by personally dealing with the bands we work with, and that if these pressures are affecting them…  FUCK what the rest say about “it’s just business and I can’t help you with that”, not me man, I’ve battled addiction, I’ve done time, I’ve had my share of violence and what not, but now I can turn that around to help, guide and counsel, using the lessons I’ve learned to show the way I’ve dealt with those things to become a good man and good person today. My motto is this, and as simple and cliché as it is, treat others the way you want to be treated. Period.

CB- What is your relationship to the music?

LK-     Well a lot like what I just said, but also the fact I’ve been playing with bands for the last 15 years, recording in audio engineering, going to the shows, contributing back to the community anyway I can. It is a part of me that won’t ever leave. Music is so deeply engrained in my psyche that I makes up a very fundamental part of who I am.

CB-Can you tell us about your personal musical output?

LK-     My style, if that’s the question, is a fusion of my favourite influences coupled with the way I only know how to play. I mean despite my music collection, really all day its Black Label Society, Children of Bodom, Lamb of God, Metallica, that all contributes to how I think to write songs. I mean I know some people hate to compare themselves to what bands they may sound like, and I’m not doing that. My influences are just the bands that move me, and what a great fucking list to be inspired to model your abilities after.

CB-What is your wildest concert experience as a musician or fan?

LK-     Oh man, probably the SARS Stock show and BLS with Bodom and Clutch in Toronto. At SARS Stock, got there early, got hammered, lost my friends I came with, somehow lost my shirt, got a bad sunburn, met some chicks, hung out and partied with them, lost my wallet, heard the drums to Dirty Deeds Done Cheap come on ( I was there for ACDC), grabbed their hands, made a fucking bee-line to the front of the stage all the way from the back through 500K people or so, looked up, there’s Angus doing his thing, looked right, there’s my pals, with my wallet and shirt, looked left there’s other pals I didn’t know were there. What a night.

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