On the official PSYOPUS message board, during a thread about the band's new album, Odd Senses leaking, Chris Arp chimed in with some very interesting details about how important first-week sales are:
Well, I am glad most of you are enjoying the new Psyopus album!! I understand albums leak, and how fans, real supportive fans would still download them. I would too. But remember two things:
a) bands (especially underground, limited fanbase bands) need your support. Burning a disk is a good way to check out a band BUT, if you want them to continue releasing albums PLEASE buy their present albums. They sacrifice a lot of themselves to share their art for you to enjoy.
and b) first week record sales are very important in the record industry. They mold the future of the band more than you can imagine. These are numbers that are considered when label support and tour offers are presented. Because of this, leaks hurt bands very much, especially smaller up and coming bands such as ourselveswho need their grass roots support in every way. If you want to help us out, I encourage you to go to www.metalblade.com and preorder the new album from them. That kind of help is HUGE for the band. Repeat – HUGE!!!
There you have it. While you may think that nobody buys CDs anymore, clearly the music industry is still dependent on it. So, while a band may not necessarily bank on decent record sales, it will help them get on better tours. If you are a PsyOpus fanatic like we are, check out the full thread, where Arp goes into detail about song meanings and some of the recording process. Also, if you haven't checked it out yet, peep the band's new video for the track "The Burning Halo".
