SEPULTURA's DERRICK GREEN: Music Streaming Services Killed Physical Media Sales

February 8, 2020

In a new interview with Ladies In Rock, SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green spoke about the changes in the music industry today compared to how it was when the band first started out in the early 1980s. He said (hear audio below): "I think what's changed a lot is the technology. The fact that everything is streamed digitally really killed the idea of people buying actual CDs or albums, and things like that, or cassettes. It's moved on to digital phase, where it's really limited the artist in the income — just for the fact that there's many different places to stream music and the artist doesn't get a large percentage of that at all; they get a very small percentage. So you're not making the money from sales of an actual product.

"SEPULTURA was never a band that was really making a lot of money from the actual sale of product; they were making a lot from live shows or from our own official merchandise," he explained. "So, this has changed a lot, I think, for a lot of bands. But it's also changed for the fact that bands have to be more aware of what's going on business-wise and be more involved in that aspect, which is actually a good thing. But you have to think creatively in order to create this income that's needed in order to go on tour to bring crew people to work with you to make the shows happen. And so this has really stepped up, I think, for a lot of artists to be more involved in what's going on in the business aspect.

"I think the ability to spread your music and your work is great with technology, because you're able to do that within seconds now with the Internet worldwide, and so being able to reach so many different people is phenomenal," Green added. "I think that's definitely changed from the past, where you're able to hit certain markets in the world that you were never able to before, and that allows you the ability to possibly do tours in those areas because of that technology and that ability to reach them."

SEPULTURA's latest album, "Quadra", was released on February 7 via Nuclear Blast Records. The disc is a concept effort created at Sweden's Fascination Street Studios with renowned producer Jens Bogren. It will be followed by a world tour starting in March.

SEPULTURA comprises Green, guitarist Andreas Kisser, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr., and drummer Eloy Casagrande.

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