Interview with Alex from PunkerMentality

Alex Rooke has been selling punk music and merchandise since he was 17, through his website PunkerMentality. He also runs his own record label, Riot Music, releasing albums from underground UK bands. Because of this, he has a unique perspective on the effect that downloading is having on the production and distribution of music.

Click below to read the interview.

In your experience, is it becoming less feasible for small labels to manufacture and distribute records?

In my personal experience it’s become cheaper and easier than ever for a small band or label to manufacture a CD – and with the rise in the internet and sites like MySpace, promoting a band, or release has become a lot easier and cheaper.

However with the future looking very much download orientated, it may not be feasible for bands or labels to be paying upfront for a lot of CDs when they could sell them all online as downloads, instead of paying a lot upfront for a load of CDs which may potentially sit around for years.

Do you stock any stuff by bands that have exploited the internet, and how has this affected your sales? Would you stock the hard copy of albums given away entirely for free on the internet?

I do. A lot of people still like to have the hard copy of CD, with inserts etc. A good recent example is the Tim Armstrong solo CD, it’s all online available for free download – however I stock the physical CD and it’s sold surprisingly well. Which proves people are definitely still interested in having the physical CD, or don’t have access to the internet.

What are your thoughts on Amazon.com making their own iTunes-style music store?

It seems like the way to go. With physical sales on the decline, and downloads on the up, I imagine they won’t be the only ones trying to capitalise on the download market. I expect to see the likes of HMV and Play.com to be joining in before too long. It’s something I’ve personally thought of doing as well, but I need to find out a bit more about it all! In a few years time, I think there will be a lot more download music stores replacing the more traditional mail-order sites.

What advantages do you think an online CD seller would have in this area of the market?

There are definitely a few advantages for companies selling like this, such as less stock holding, less packaging or posting out. Saving money on stock, staff, supplies and postage would be a big boost to any company.

Do you have any experience of falling record sales in your time selling CDs?

Definitely, even in the short 4 or 5 year period I’ve been selling online. After the initial excellent first 3 years, sales from the website have definitely been on the decline. It’s just a case of keeping up with other selling avenues, ie. eBay and Amazon, and most probably in the future: downloads.

What are your thoughts on peer-to-peer filesharing (such as Lime Wire) or torrents (such as Azureus)?

I think mp3s are a great way of promoting a band. However people should be downloading the one or two tracks a band or label have specifically put up for download on their website, MySpace or PureVolume page, and then purchase the CD or pay for the full download. People who are downloading full albums from peer-to-peer or torrent sites are stealing from the bands and labels who produce the music.

Without doubt these sites have helped towards decreasing physical CD sales. Some people may argue that they download the whole album for free, and then end up paying for the bands merchandise, or paying to get into a show. But that doesn’t really stand as an acceptable excuse to steal the band’s music in my opinion.