Time to reset the free music system, together

Independent artists (like us) have to cope with "the new world of free" that has taken over the music industry.
The value of music has become undefined, especially for smaller bands and artists.  Should we give away everything for free?  Should we give away nothing?  How do we do this?  I offer a suggestion, a way to slowly shift the expectations of music listeners.

Give away your new stuff, charge for your back catalog.  Simple as that.

Offer your fans your latest track or album for free but for a limited time.  If people think they can get your music forever, there's no sense of urgency.  They probably won't download anything because they can always do it later.   The best way for prospective fans to get interested in your music of for them to hear it again and again.  If it's on their iPod, you've got your foot in their door for future sales.

Here's what we're doing:

"Cancer Killing Gemini releases one new free song a month.... forever.  After 60 days, each song becomes back catalog and is no longer a free download.  Fans who stay in contact receive all our new material for free, forever.  As time passes, the back catalog grows.  Fans who join next year get the same deal, but since the catalog has grown, there is more material for purchase.  We're betting that fans who download free songs month after month will eventually buy older tracks and also tell their friends about a cool band that gives away new music every month.  We're taking a 'pay it forward' approach."

We have the luxury of recording as we go, but the system works as long as you are creating new music. Give away your album (or single) #2 but charge for album #1. When album #3 comes out, never give away album #2 again.

I'm all about free downloads, but there needs to be a system .  This is a way to continually reward your faithful fans with free stuff.  Hopefully, fans will return the favor with back catalog purchases, merch sales or concert tickets. If this actually catches on, maybe we can change the public's perception of the value of independent musicians.

Thanks for reading,

Eric
Cancer Killing Gemini
-distorting your mainstream-
http://www.cancerkillinggemini.com
Boston, MA

a minute and a half of roadkill music

So we're out with Andrew for dinner one night and he starts to describe how he found a dead coyote on the side of the road. He takes it home and then over the next few months buries it in the ground, digs it up, skins it, guts it and boils the bones in a pot on the kitchen stove. Had it been anyone other than Andrew, I might have lost my appetite, but his suave, clever style somehow made this acceptable dinner conversation. The images of this process stayed in my head. Later that week, "Taxidermy Song" started to take shape.

We left the electronics behind for this one. Back to straight-ahead rock. Guitar, bass, drums, vocals and of course, Max's dirty clav.

I hope you enjoy Cancer Killing Gemini's free song for June: "Taxidermy Song"

JUN - Taxidermy Song by Cancer Killing Gemini 

Found you by the side of the road

Your body still warm but your heart was cold
Not looking too good all that red white and goo
Gonna put my hands deep inside of you

Maybe you think it's wrong
Gonna mess with the flesh now that life is gone
Blow it off and just sing along
To the homemade taxidermy song

I think you once were a fox
Now you're in my garage in a cardboard box
Should I take off your skin and poke out your eyes
Since you're already dead I feel justified

Next month: "Vaseline for the Vomit Queen"

Shows:

-Saturday June 18th - Copperfield's (downstairs) 98 Brookline Ave Boston, MA
-Saturday July 2nd - Ground Zero Allenstown, NH - ALL AGES SHOW
-Friday July 8th - Club Gallery Providence, RI w/Era Nocturna
-Saturday August 6th - NYC w/ Ex Machinae

Just to recap on the free thing, we record and release one song a month for free, for ever. Stay in contact (the mailing list or facebook are good ways to do that) and all of our new music will be free to you.

60 days after release, the song will enter our back catalog and will no longer be free, but if you've downloaded it, no big deal, you already own it.

 

Cheers,

Eric

www.cancerkillinggemini.com 

p.s. - Thanks again to Chuck Pukmel for mix consultation

Time to go to the hospital dot mp3

Free song for May (download it here) - "Room Six".
If you like it, please share it. It's free for your friends too.

We're five months into recording and releasing a song a month. The recording process is streamlining a bit and the focus is naturally shifting to the parts and performances. I'm finding that the musical personalities of each of the members of Cancer Killing Gemini are really starting to shine.

"Room Six" breaks from CKG full-octane industrial electronica for a journey into a more acoustic, medically influenced arrangement. I hope you enjoy. Lyrics are below.    

MAY - Room Six by Cancer Killing Gemini

a few more tests it seams

this one will leave a scar

a trip to radiology

room six deliver

in six the cancer breeds

try not to give up

in six I'm listening

room six deliver

the end will possibly

be enough to break your heart

time to learn what faith can't bring

room six deliver

in six it's hard to breathe

try not to give up

in six I'm listening

room six deliver

Thanks again to Chuck Pukmel for mix consultation

Shows:

-Saturday May 28th - The Lucky Dog Music Hall 89 Green St., Worcester, MA

-live radio performance on WMFO Wed June 8th

-Saturday June 18th - Copperfield's (downstairs) 98 Brookline Ave Boston, MA

July - Cambridge, MA

August - NYC, and Somerville, MA

Next month: we may have to bring the rawk, roadkill-style. "Taxidermy Song"

Cheers,

Eric

www.cancerkillinggemini.com

Sex with cigarettes... You Let The Honey Out Of Me

Not sex and cigarettes....

This one's for all my addicts out there, past and present. Is this song cool? Maybe, if Frank says it is.

The recording process is starting to streamline a bit. Very happy with the results. Thick and dirty.

Free download for April: You Let The Honey Out Of Me
--
APR - You Let The Honey Out Of Me by Cancer Killing Gemini

If you enjoy the downloads, please share the music (facebook etc)!

One new free song a month…forever. That’s still the plan. Join the
mailing list to get monthly reminders with download links. You can
still grab a few others at http://www.cancerkillinggemini.com

Next month's tune: hmmmm. I'm thinking "Room Six".

Tomorrow: first Boston Area Show - early set time (8:30pm sharp)
 

April 15th @ The Cantab in Cambridge, MA
(with Angelspit, Gastrea and Streak)

Cheers,
Eric
Cancer Killing Gemini

info for recording geeks:

Frank / drums:
4 pc Yamaha Stage Custom kit
Overheads: M-Audio Pulsar II small diaphragm condensers
Toms: Sennheiser e609's
Snare Top: Audix i5
Snare Bottom: Shure SM57
Room: Studio Projects C1
Kick: MIDI trigger to Alesis DM4

Andrew / bass:
1972 Fender Jazz w/ Seymour Duncan vintage jazz pickups
Ross compressor pedal clone

vintage silverface Ampeg SVT

Chuck / guitars:

Gibson SG

Ibanez AMF 73

MXR fullbore metal pedal

recorded direct into Logic's amp modeler

Max / keys:

Rhodes Seventy Three Mark I
TAL Audio virtual synths (there free, go get 'em)

vintage silverface Ampeg SVT

Eric / vocals:
Studio Projects C1
Alactronics-modified Symetrix preamp
Presonus Smart Compressor
dbx 263x de-esser

Recorded, mixed and mastered in Logic Pro by Eric Michael Cohen

Thanks to Chuck Pukmel for mix consultation

Dance Music vs. Punk Rock

This one's kind of a monster...

Easily the most raw and energetic track so far, "The Needle Down" takes 3/4 electro-dance music and fires it straight into a 4/4 wall of distortion. Cancer Killing Gemini's "The Needle Down" free for March:

MAR - The Needle Down by Cancer Killing Gemini

Getting ready for the first CKG shows 
April 2nd @ The Jam Factory in Manchester NH 
April 15th @ The Cantab in Cambridge, MA

One new free song a month…forever. That’s still the plan. Join the mailing list to get monthly reminders with download links. You can still grab a few others at http://www.cancerkillinggemini.com

Next month's tune: "You Let The Honey Out Of Me".

Cheers,
Eric
Cancer Kiling Gemini

 

info for recording geeks:

  

Frank / drums: 

4 pc Yamaha Stage Custom kit

Overheads: M-Audio Pulsar II small diaphragm condensers

Toms: Sennheiser e609's

Snare Top: Audix i5

Snare Bottom: Shure SM57

Room: Studio Projects C1

Kick: MIDI trigger to Alesis DM4

Andrew / bass:

1972 Fender Jazz w/ Seymour Duncan vintage jazz pickups
Ross compressor pedal clone

vintage silverface Ampeg SVT

Chuck / guitars:

Fender Squier Telecaster

MXR fullbore metal pedal (yeah boy!)

recorded direct into Logic's amp modeler

Max / keys:

Rhodes Seventy Three Mark I

Alesis Micron

vintage silverface Ampeg SVT

Eric / vocals:

Studio Projects C1

Alactronics-modified Symetrix preamp

Presonus Smart Compressor

dbx 263x de-esser

  

Recorded, mixed and mastered in Logic Pro by Eric Michael Cohen

Thanks to Chuck Pukmel for mix consultation

Interview in X-Plosive Metal

XM: For starters let’s get our readers up to date on what the band has been doing so far this year.
Eric: The big news is we launched our distribution model. We're giving away all of our new music for free, forever. Every month, we record and release a new song as a free download. Fans who stay in contact via the mailing list or visiting the site will get every new track we release for free. After 60 days, the tracks go into back catalog and are no longer free, but it's no big deal since current fans have already downloaded them. New fans who join a year from now get the same deal – all our new music for free, with the option to purchase the catalog if they'd like. 

XM: Can you give me a brief history of the band and provide some background info for those of us who are unfamiliar with Cancer Killing Gemini.
Eric: The band started as a solo project but has since morphed into a live band; Eric Michael Cohen (me) on vocals, Frank Hegyi on drums, Max Butler on keys, Andrew Padua on bass and Chuck Pukmel on guitars. The sound is growing form its roots in electronica and industrial into something more organic, but keyboards still play a major role in the sound.

XM: What's the origin of the band name? Have you changed the band's name before?
Eric: The band name hasn't changed. It started as a lyric in the song “Christcontrol” as a reference to my (then) addiction to nicotine. I just assumed that if something else didn't get me first, I'd die of cancer.

XM: Your sound draws from a variety of styles, how would you describe Cancer Killing Gemini to someone that had never heard your music before?
Eric: We're trying to bring some fringe elements into the mainstream. So maybe that means a touch of Mutemath mixed with Nine Inch Nails, or our vision of a Portishead pop song. Nothing is off limits. I think of it as pop hiding in other genres – the songs are the focus – the genre is the delivery mechanism. The default will always be some version of industrial rock, but many other flavors will take part in the process.

XM: I absolutely love the idea behind releasing a free new song every month to distribute and increase your fan base. Who came up with that idea and how has it been working for you so far?
Eric: So far it's been great. Fans are excited. We're seeing more reposts than before and it's easy to engage new fans when there's something free to offer them. I came up with the idea after attending the Independent Music Conference 2010 in Northampton, MA. The old sales and delivery models just aren't working anymore, so I thought we'd try something new.

XM: How often do you write and record? Is it something you do on a constant basis or do you have a few songs already lined up for their monthly debut? How does that work?
Eric: The best part of this is that all the music is now hot off the presses. I have done demos of some of the future songs, but there is no secret stash of recorded material. In fact, the recording of the next free song “The Needle Down” was completed yesterday. I'm hoping to mix it this week and get it out by the middle of the month.
I usually email the guys a demo with scratch tracks of all the performances over drum machines. Then Frank (drums) completely rewrites the drum track and we build from there. Max, Andrew and Chuck put their spin on the keys, bass and guitars. While I can play guitar, bass and keys, these guys play circles around me, so the final tracks blow my scratch tracks out of the water.

XM: Do you all write the music together or is someone the "boss" when it comes to song writing?
Eric: I do the writing, then the rest of the band embellishes their individual parts.

XM: Who came up with the concept for the video ‘Should I tell you that you’re pretty’? What’s the story behind the video shoot?
Eric: The intent was to create a video that rode as close to the line of what is not allowed on YouTube as possible. Originally it was going to be a compilation of fan footage, but it became clear very early that getting the quality and quantity necessary for a decent video was unrealistic. I had a musician friend in NY who knew Julie Simone and he gave me her contact info. Julie and I passed some “plot” ideas back and forth and eventually she filmed some setup footage for the verses. All the really hardcore stuff is from her archives.

XM: How do you see Cancer Killing Gemini in the modern scene?
Eric: We're trying to live the new roadmap of independent music: write, record, release, tour.

XM: What is the band's ultimate goal, artistically speaking?
Eric: To quit our day jobs.

XM: What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Eric: The band has only been together for a matter of months now, so we're still in the honeymoon phase. I hope it lasts forever.

XM: What’s life like in Braintree, MA? Is it a good place to live? What goes on there of interest?
Eric: Braintree is a fairly generic suburb of Boston. Very little goes on here. The rest of the band lives in various parts of Boston. Boston is decent place to be a musician.

XM: What are some of the band members involved in when they are not playing music?
Eric: In no particular order.... music production and engineering, taxidermy, motorcycle restoration, high-end custom concrete work, a Rod Stewart tribute band, puppeteering, video production, web design, a bicycle moving company, gay sex, straight sex. 

XM: If you could have been involved in the recording, production or writing of any album which would it be and why?
Eric: Recording with Fiona Apple, production with Limp Bizkit, writing with The Jesus Lizard.

XM: On behalf of xplosivemetal.com I would like to thank you for taking a few moments to answer a few questions with us. Any last words?
Eric: Join the mailing list to download all our new music for free. Your support means more than your money.

“In Chocolate-Covered Misery” free for Valentine's Day

Maybe you love Valentine’s Day, maybe you don’t. Maybe you’ll love this song, maybe this song will love you.

FEB - In Chocolate-Covered Misery by Cancer Killing Gemini
To the CKG hard rock fans, don’t worry, the bone crushing will return in March.

“In Chocolate-Covered Misery” is the first recording featuring all members of Cancer Killing Gemini. Eric on vocals, Frank on drums, Andrew on bass, Max on Rhodes and Chuck on guitar.  For those not yet in the know – Eric started CKG as a studio project and it has since morphed into a live band.

Is this one down tempo, chill, alt-country, jazz, classic rock…? Can’t quite figure it out ourselves. Regardless, it’s free for the next 60 days.

One new free song a month…forever. That’s still the plan. Join the mailing list to get monthly reminders with download links. You can still download a few others and buy tickets for our next show (April 15th at the Cantab in Cambridge, MA) at http://www.cancerkillinggemini.com

Next month's tune is still undecided... "You Let The Honey Out Of Me" or "The Needle Down". Both are pretty rockin'.

Cheers,
Eric
Cancer Kiling Gemini

info for recording geeks:

drums: 

4 pc Yamaha Stage Custom kit

Overheads: M-Audio Pulsar II small diaphragm condensers

Toms: Sennheiser e609's

Snare Top: Audix i5

Snare Bottom: Shure SM57

Room: Studio Projects C1

Kick: MIDI trigger to Logic Pro Ultra Beat drum machine

bass:

1972 Fender Jazz w/ Seymour Duncan vintage jazz pickups
Ross compressor pedal clone

vintage silverface Ampeg SVT

guitars:

Fender Squier Telecaster

Parker Fly

recorded direct into Logic's amp modeler

keys:

Rhodes Seventy Three Mark I

vintage silverface Ampeg SVT

vocals:

Studio Projects C1

Alactronics-modified Symetrix preamp

Presonus Smart Compressor

dbx 263x de-esser

Recorded, mixed and mastered in Logic Pro