Now -- what are you listening to? V2

You can only stream the albums. Which actually isn't a problem for me, since I always listen to albums while using my laptop, but for some people it can obviously be a big problem. Like, I've heard some reviewers from other sites complain they don't have time to review those albums because their best time to listen to music is when they're out and about, but obviously that can't be done with a stream. So far out of all labels I work with, only Napalm and Frontiers are doing it, at least that I've noticed.

Edited by DippoMagoo - 26 Oct 2017 at 10:10pm

Yeah, I guess none of that really effects me, because the site I write for likes to have reviews published around the time an album releases, if not before, so I never have to worry about losing promo access. I also don't have to worry about if a stream only promo gets taken away, because most of the time the album appears on Spotify, so I can just listen to it there if I ever want to hear it again. For example, the new Serenity releases today so I already saved it on Spotify, so I can listen to it whenever I want, as long as I keep my account there going, which I plan on doing for the foreseeable future.  I definitely agree it's an inconvenience, but to me just being able to hear albums early and have the chance to review them is enough of a reward that I don't care how I have to do it, as long as I can keep doing it. 

Scoring the free CD used to be one of the few perks I got working at the paper. I was only getting stuff from NZ and Aussie labels, and you'd get a ton of absolute shit before you got a good one you actually wanted. I wasn't quite organised enough to approach proper metal labels to get stuff sent for review, but I was starting to get metal demos because bands found out there was one metal friendly writer in NZ. And honestly, I was about it! Metal got ignored or slagged everywhere else. One of the big dailies also had a woman who liked metal a bit, but more the mainstream stuff.

And if you didn't like the CD, there was always trading or the second hand shop.
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Edited by Vim Fuego - 27 Oct 2017 at 1:16am

Tom Ozric wrote: ^ I never understood just why Metal music is so despised and hated. People just don’t ‘get it’..... If they don’t dig the heavier stuff, no need to dismiss it so vehemently. Sure, it’s not for everyone, but then, Pink is highly offensive and repulsive to my ears..........

Ears, yes, eyes, no.

It's probably for the same reason a lot of metal fans don't like rap. Too foreign. And music reviewers are generally (being very general here!) classical highbrows, who stick to their knitting, frustrated old punks who never got over Joy Division becoming New Order and worship NME, or try-hard alternative types who try to be as quirky and "open-minded" as possible, but couldn't possibly give a politically incorrect genre like metal a fair shot. That's why what critics like and what gets played on the radio are so different too.

adg211288 wrote: http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/album/monolord/rust

adg211288 wrote: Unitron wrote: adg211288 wrote: DippoMagoo wrote: Two tracks in and it's already gone from epic symphonic power (in the style of their early albums) to bouncy 80's pop. Oh boy, this could be a real mess of an album, lol! I've been sent the promo of this but with Napalm's new policy of not allowing reviewers to download their albums I'm boycotting their releases. No download = no review. Doesn't get any simpler than that for me.  How do they not allow downloads? Do they send a copy-protected CD? DippoMagoo wrote: You can only stream the albums. Which actually isn't a problem for me, since I always listen to albums while using my laptop, but for some people it can obviously be a big problem. Like, I've heard some reviewers from other sites complain they don't have time to review those albums because their best time to listen to music is when they're out and about, but obviously that can't be done with a stream. So far out of all labels I work with, only Napalm and Frontiers are doing it, at least that I've noticed. I actually do most of my listening at my PC, but there is a matter of principle here. These record labels get free promotion from reviewers - who do not get paid for their work - and now they are suddenly saying we cannot even keep a reduced bitrate digital copy of the albums we enjoy in exchange for our work. I am sure I will not be the only reviewer who will not stand for it.  There's also the little matter of that I'm only one person and I don't necessarily review every promo in the time it's actually on Haulix. If I have it downloaded it's safe and I can review it when I'm able. Not allowing downloads means if I do a review for a promo I'll like choose someone else's release. Napalm at least do seem to seek their promos around for quite a long time, but if others like Clawhammer PR start doing this it'll be completely game over for me - those guys seem to always remove their promos long before the expiry date actually says.

Edited by Unitron - 27 Oct 2017 at 10:37am