FILTER's RICHARD PATRICK: 'I Make Records Because That's What I Do'

In a new interview with ADK Metal News, Reviews, Reactions & Interviews, FILTER mainman Richard Patrick spoke about how his band has been able to adapt to the access-over-ownership business model of streaming music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've kind of gotten to the point where I just am, like, I make records because that's what I do. I make records [and] I hope people listen to them. I'm gonna play them at my concerts. But I don't expect anything. I don't expect, like, 'Oh, you're gonna go fucking platinum again.' Those days are just gone."

Asked how the record labels are able to make money from Spotify nowadays and whether they can withhold their releases from streaming platforms, Patrick said: "Well, they sold it out years ago. The record companies were, like, 'Here's our catalog. Pay us a big, huge amount of money first, and then we'll get it to the bands when they ask for it.' So all the music heads made tons of money when they made these deals with Spotify to have the catalogs originally. So, Spotify paid 17 million to Warner Brothers for its catalog and they took it and paid themselves. I'm not saying that's what Warner Brothers did. I'm just using it as a hypothetical. But yeah, it's fuckin gone. It's over."

Pressed about how difficult it is for someone to be a professional musician in this day and age, Patrick said: "I made the last record [2023's 'The Algorithm'] for 20,000 bucks. I made [FILTER's third album, 2002's] 'The Amalgamut' for 350,000 dollars. People bought houses because they worked so hard on a record, and they bought houses. And we'd sell a million records. So you'd pay it back; you'd make it back. So 'The Algorithm' cost me, like, 20 grand. And I don't even know if I've been reimbursed from the label or whatever. I don't even know if I've been reimbursed. I don't even know."

Asked if there is still a benefit for artists to go down the record label route anymore or if they are better off doing things independently, Richard said: "I don't know. The jury's out on where I'm at with my label. The jury's kind of out right now. I've been signed to 10 labels or something — a handful of labels — and I know what it's like when a label wants you to be big and wants to make your life amazing and work your record. And Golden Robot's fighting with everybody else on how to make a living on this. And it's tough. And you don't have sure things. If you get on radio, you'll sell a million records. That's not happening anymore. Radio is not as effective as it used to be. So it's, like, well, what are we? A TikTok account? Do I literally have to like hire a TikTok person and invest 10 grand in doing TikTok videos and starting this whole thing. And I have a TikTok account, and I just don't get it. I don't see what the point is. I release stuff on it, but it's the same as Reels on Instagram or Stories or whatever on Facebook]. But it's all about posting shit; it's all about posting content."

"The Algorithm" arrived on August 25 via Golden Robot Records.

This past June, Patrick told Michael Presti of the 99WNRR radio station that "The Algorithm" reminded him of "The Amalgamut".

Originally conceived in 2018 as a collaboration between Patrick and fellow FILTER founding member Brian Liesegang, the band's new album was given a tentative title, "ReBus", as a nod to FILTER's 1995 debut, "Short Bus", before being changed to "They Got Us Right Where They Want Us, At Each Other's Throats" and later to "Murica" and then back to "They Got Us Right Where They Want Us, At Each Other's Throats". In the end, Patrick went with "The Algorithm".

"The other title was way too long," Richard previously explained. "And I don't wanna be as divisive as I've been in the past. So I decided to just call it 'The Algorithm' 'cause if makes total sense to me."

A new FILTER single, "For The Beaten", arrived in October 2022 and was followed by "Face Down".

FILTER recently completed the "Freaks On Parade" tour with ROB ZOMBIE, ALICE COOPER and MINISTRY.