BLACK SUN AEON Mainman Says Illegal Music Downloading Hurts Smaller Bands The Most

Tuomas Saukkonen (BLACK SUN AEON, BEFORE THE DAWN, THE FINAL HARVEST, DAWN OF SOLACE) has commented on the fact that BLACK SUN AEON's second album, "Routa", was leaked via the Internet two weeks prior to the CD's March 31 release. The follow-up to "Darkness Walks Beside Me" is a double album featuring a Finish-winter theme and consisting of two parts — "Side A", called "Talviaamu" ["Wintermorning"], and "Side B", dubbed "Talviyö" ["Winternight"].

Writing in the "Shoutbox" section of BLACK SUN AEON's Last.fm web site (where Saukkonen posts under the name "D_e_m_o_n"),Tuomas states, "I have no problem with [people] sharing the music [via the] Internet since buying CDs is not that easy in all around the world, BUT it does suck pretty badly to leak the albums out two weeks before the release. Next BLACK SUN AEON release won't have any promo copies sent before the release because of this reason. That just hurts the smaller bands pretty bad. Having my own label behind BLACK SUN AEON gives me pretty good picture how much it actually does damage.

"I am not giving any personal critics here. Just stating my frustration.

"It is a dying industry [and] all labels and bands are in the same sinking boat.

"I don't value my music in money so would do it for free but it is a goddamned expensive to produce album, rent the studios, get the albums mixed and mastered etc.

"If you manage to write and produce critically praised album and still end up being thousands of euros on minus, you start to wish you would have an less stressing and cheaper hobby... like golf. :)

"I do see the benefits of spreading the music [via the Internet] since that bring a lot more people to the gigs and introduces the music to a a lot bigger audience. That also sells more merch etc. etc. etc. Also sharing music in web is what just happens to all bands nowadays. I am not fighting against that here.

"The whole album-selling industry is getting more narrow and narrow each year and the cutting down starts from the smaller bands.

"Bands provide teasers and pre-plays to promote the release and the first weeks after the release and that is the most important time for the sales.

"Big stores are only interested of bands if they sell well and when the sales drop on the first weeks because some people already have the album on their computer and don't need to buy it anymore, or some who want to buy the album but can wait for many weeks to actually buy the CD from stores. As a result of that, the albums is not taken into the biggest stores and by that a big part of customers and potential buyers are lost who are all the target of the promotion done by the band and label.

"In these days when there is more metal bands than ever and also tons of albums released each month the customers are getting a bit 'lazy' and if the album A is not in the store you go you might buy B instead and not go looking other stores etc. etc. Sounds like a small thing, but that's what the industry is for smaller bands. Small things and very difficult to get any bigger. Also when smaller bands are bringing less money to the labels, the bands get less money for promotion, touring etc. etc. It has a kind of an snowball effect.

"Times are changing in the music business and it is good times for music fans but very difficult times for bands and labels."

Stalkermusic recently conducted an interview with Tuomas Saukkonen. Watch the chat below.

Check out the "Routa" cover artwork below.

You can find the "Routa" studio blog at this location.

"Darkness Walks Beside Me" was released in March 2009 via Cyclone Empire. The CD featured guest vocals by Tomi Koivusaari of AMORPHIS, Ville Sorvali of MOONSORROW, Mynni Luukkainen of SOTAJUMALA and Mikko Heikkilä of SINAMORE.