LAMB OF GOD's MARK MORTON Talks About Changes In Music Industry, Reflects On Signing Major Label Deal

In a new interview with Premier Guitar, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton was asked about the music industry changes he and his bandmates have seen in the three decades since the group's inception, particularly in terms of how people consume music, but also how bands like LAMB OF GOD make money. Mark said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We do so many things. A band at this level, we do a lot of things. We play shows. We tour and play concerts. We play a bunch of different kinds of concerts. We do our own tours, we play festivals, we play in different territories. We write and record music. We sell merchandise. So all of those are different activities in different parts of the business. And then there's the business of being in the band, and then there's the music, which is really the part that — that's where the soul is. I mean, it's a business, and you gotta make money and support your family. So what we do is a lot of different things, and those things have all changed independently of one another. So touring looks different now than it did 10 years ago. And selling records or the way people consume music, that's really been the biggest change. I've been around and in the business long enough where when we first started, we sold a lot of records, physical copies — CDs, really, at the time. And now less so. And the most physical copies you sell are LPs again. And streaming is, obviously, the way people consume most of the music. So all those terms change and the business changes."

Mark continued: "I think any business you're in changes, though, really. I don't think that's necessarily specific or unique to the music industry. There's probably very few industries that haven't had to evolve and change, and you have to adapt to it. And that's definitely the case with what we do."

Asked about LAMB OF GOD's 2003 deal with major record label Epic and how that affected the band's ability to survive financially in LAMB OF GOD's early years, Mark said: "Well, we have made records early on that were on a shoestring [budget], for sure, and they sounded like they were. But that's part of the journey. And certainly signing to a major label in 2003 and releasing the first major label record in 2004 was a big, big jump in terms of the resources we had to make the record. I was already doing music full time before we signed to a major — I think, more or less. It wasn't like I signed to a major label and went into work the next day and quit my job. I was a roofer and I was kind of doing side work and stuff, just kind of hustling. But signing a contract like that and getting into the big league, so to speak, did take some pressure off of the finances and stuff. But I lived pretty humbly. And I just figured we'd be touring for a couple years and then eventually have to go back to some kind of day job, which it just didn't work out that way."

Asked if there was ever a point when the pressure was too much, whether it was from labels or fan expectations, where it was bearing down on him and the rest of LAMB OF GOD, Mark said: "The most pressure I ever felt from the point in which you're coming, from the label and that kind of thing, it wasn't from them; it was self-imposed.

"When we signed to Epic, we had just released the 'As The Palaces Burn' record," he explained. "That record came out, and I think within —I don't know the exact timeline, but I would think within five or six months we were talking actively to major labels, and there were several. So when we signed to Epic, of course they want their record: 'Let's go. Let's make a record.' And we hadn't really toured a lot on the 'As The Palaces Burn' record. And, more importantly, we were kind of creatively squeezed out. We had just put all our best stuff into this record. Then we got signed off of it, and now they want a record right away. So I remember, for me personally, feeling the pressure of, like, this is probably the most important, business-wise, creatively, moment. And I'm, like, 'I don't have any material. What am I gonna do?' So I was really, wrestling with my own kind of confidence in what I was bringing to the table. But it all worked out."

LAMB OF GOD's new album, "Into Oblivion", will be released on March 13 via Epic.

Last month the band announced a nationwide series of listening parties, with more than 140 independent record stores celebrating "Into Oblivion"'s release weekend (March 13-15). Exclusive merch, including free LAMB OF GOD swag (while supplies last),prizes, and an indie-exclusive, limited-edition Poltergeist vinyl variant of the new album will be available. A full list of participating stores can be viewed via LAMB OF GOD's social channels.

Produced and mixed by longtime studio collaborator Josh Wilbur, "Into Oblivion" was recorded across multiple locations tied closely to the band's identity. Drums were tracked in Richmond, Virginia, with guitars and bass recorded at Morton's home studio. Singer Randy Blythe recorded his vocals at the legendary Total Access studio in Redondo Beach, California, the birthplace of seminal punk records by BLACK FLAG, HÜSKER DÜ and DESCENDENTS.