ACT OF DEFIANCE's SHAWN DROVER Talks About Challenges New Bands Face In Digital Era

In a brand new interview with Heavy Music Headquarters, former MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover spoke about his current band ACT OF DEFIANCE, which has just released its sophomore album, "Old Scars, New Wounds".

In addition to Drover, ACT OF DEFIANCE features ex-MEGADETH guitarist Chris Broderick, former SCAR THE MARTYR singer Henry Derek Bonner and bassist Matt Bachand (SHADOWS FALL).

Asked how challenging it has been to build ACT OF DEFIANCE's audience, even with the fairly high profile of the band's members, Drover said: "It's a very different musical scene than it was twenty-five years ago, believe me! Back then, everybody bought music from the bands that they love and supported, and the metal scene was thriving in huge way with MTV's support, fans going to concerts, etc. These days, you can hear a band's entire record on YouTube, Spotify, etc. for free, so record sales are way down across the board, which has affected every facet of the industry. So unless you are already an established band, it's not going to be easy to get the proper tour support and push needed to really get the word out there. Any band, signed or not, can make a video and put it on YouTube, which is great, but now there is so much content from bands that people's attention spans are often so small that if they blink, they will miss a band's new video. It's a very bizarre time in music, if you ask me."

Drover also talked about the shift in media consumption, with most music fans going from buying buying CDs to streaming all their favorite albums on Spotify and Apple Music.

"The problem is not the people who buy music on iTunes, Spotify, etc. — it's the people who steal music from torrent sites and many other ways for them to get music without somehow paying for it," Shawn said. "That is what has led to the exact reason why bands are selling a fraction of what they did back in the '70s, '80s and '90s."

"Old Scars, New Wounds" was released on September 29 via Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2015's "Birth And The Burial" was mixed by Dave Otero, who has previously worked with CEPHALIC CARNAGE and CATTLE DECAPITATION, among others. The cover artwork was created by Travis Smith (KING DIAMOND, OPETH, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD).

Drover quit MEGADETH in November 2014 "to pursue [his] own musical interests." Later that same day, Broderick announced his departure from the group, saying that he was exiting the band "due to artistic and musical differences."