https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/mike-portnoy-doesnt-want-to-upset-his-former-bandmates-in-dream-theater-by-releasing-shattered-fortress-project/
I don't think the DT guys would care either way, honestly.
That's a shame. I was at the Melbourne show and it was a gig to remember. I really wanted a document from that tour. Hopefully both parties can come to an understanding and see that it was nothing more than a celebration and that it's no way in competition with any official DT release.
Nothing in the DT camp has ever indicated they would be upset about anything whereas MP is the one who routinely gets upset.
I see no reason why he doesn't put this out, especially since part of the legalities of the split was that DT never do the entire thing without him, even though they probably would have just said "no problem, Mike, we won't" out of respect but he had to get it in writing.
Quote from: PetFish on September 07, 2019, 03:56:56 PM
Nothing in the DT camp has ever indicated they would be upset about anything whereas MP is the one who routinely gets upset.
I see no reason why he doesn't put this out, especially since part of the legalities of the split was that DT never do the entire thing without him, even though they probably would have just said "no problem, Mike, we won't" out of respect but he had to get it in writing.
To be fair, you and I have no idea what goes on behind closed doors. I think this shows (a rare) side of restraint from Portnoy. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. He probably feels that if he releases it he's going to get a million questions about DT and it's 2010 all over again, and with his lack of ability to filter himself it would be only a matter of time before he says something stupid. So he made the call that it's probably best for DT, his current projects, and himself to just leave well enough alone.
Quote from: PetFish on September 07, 2019, 03:56:56 PM
Nothing in the DT camp has ever indicated they would be upset about anything whereas MP is the one who routinely gets upset.
I see no reason why he doesn't put this out, especially since part of the legalities of the split was that DT never do the entire thing without him, even though they probably would have just said "no problem, Mike, we won't" out of respect but he had to get it in writing.
That's not correct. Mike said around that time that he
wished he did that (IIRC, it was during an interview with Trunk, where they were discussing the QR/Tate split and this topic came up), but that never happened. DT could play the whole thing if they wanted to, no problem. It
won't happen, though, but only because there's no reason for them to do it.
I thought it was either SFaM or TSF that he had to negotiate for and since they played SFaM that means TSF was off-limits? I'm sure he had to fight for something. Hmmm.
Quote from: KISS 76 on September 07, 2019, 03:53:46 PM
That's a shame. I was at the Melbourne show and it was a gig to remember. I really wanted a document from that tour. Hopefully both parties can come to an understanding and see that it was nothing more than a celebration and that it's no way in competition with any official DT release.
I don't think it's a matter of competition so much that it would be a case of another band releasing an entire concert comprised entirely of their intellectual property, which is something DT management would have to get involved in to protect their brand. Remember that all of those songs played on the Shattered Fortress tour are credited to the entire band (minus JLB on a few, I think), so it's not like they just played a bunch of Dream Theater songs solely credited to Mike Portnoy. Ultimately, music is a business as well, which certainly gets in the way of cool stuff at times.
Quote from: KevShmev on September 07, 2019, 09:54:31 PM
I don't think it's a matter of competition so much that it would be a case of another band releasing an entire concert comprised entirely of their intellectual property, which is something DT management would have to get involved in to protect their brand. Remember that all of those songs played on the Shattered Fortress tour are credited to the entire band (minus JLB on a few, I think), so it's not like they just played a bunch of Dream Theater songs solely credited to Mike Portnoy. Ultimately, music is a business as well, which certainly gets in the way of cool stuff at times.
Yeah, but Ozzy played plenty of Sabbath stuff right out of the gate, Jon Anderson and his collaborations have played plenty of Yes stuff, Fish has played plenty of Marillion stuff, Steve Hackett has done entire tours dedicated to nothing but his time in Genesis, etc. etc.. Hell, Mindcrime aside, Geoff Tate is about to tour playing nothing but Rage for Order and Empire, and that stuff was credited to others besides him, and no one in the QR camp is raising a fuss (or even cares, probably).
So it really isn't a case of appropriating the intellectual property of an entire group of people of which someone was a part. As long as MP still has ownership in that stuff, DT really has no recourse in stopping him. In fact, if they do share publishing rights, then they should welcome the extra money that would come. I think MP really is talking more from an "ethical/etiquette" standpoint.
Why he film it just so he can say that? :lol
Realistically, How well would something like this sell anyway?
Quote from: ytserush on September 08, 2019, 07:10:01 AM
Realistically, How well would something like this sell anyway?
Depends on how it's put out. If it's put out via Mike himself, in batches somewhat independently, there's really no risk of him losing money on it. I don't think anyone would necessarily expect a huge InsideOut type/multiple variants release. I'd imagine there's a market for sure, due to Mike himself being involved.
Quote from: zappafrank2112 on September 08, 2019, 12:03:14 AM
Yeah, but Ozzy played plenty of Sabbath stuff right out of the gate, Jon Anderson and his collaborations have played plenty of Yes stuff, Fish has played plenty of Marillion stuff, Steve Hackett has done entire tours dedicated to nothing but his time in Genesis, etc. etc.. Hell, Mindcrime aside, Geoff Tate is about to tour playing nothing but Rage for Order and Empire, and that stuff was credited to others besides him, and no one in the QR camp is raising a fuss (or even cares, probably).
Touring and releasing a live album/DVD are two different things, if I am not mistaken, and I know that Tate negotiated the rights to Mindcrime as a whole when he departed Queensryche (I have no idea about those other scenarios above).
Quote from: zappafrank2112 on September 08, 2019, 12:03:14 AM
So it really isn't a case of appropriating the intellectual property of an entire group of people of which someone was a part. As long as MP still has ownership in that stuff, DT really has no recourse in stopping him. In fact, if they do share publishing rights, then they should welcome the extra money that would come. I think MP really is talking more from an "ethical/etiquette" standpoint.
I doubt DT would mind the extra money that would roll in from a release like this, but on the flip side, I think it would piss Portnoy off to have to give them any money for playing what he feels are "his" songs, especially since a release like this is likely to not make a lot of money in the first place.
Quote from: zappafrank2112 on September 08, 2019, 08:26:12 AM
Quote from: ytserush on September 08, 2019, 07:10:01 AM
Realistically, How well would something like this sell anyway?
Depends on how it's put out. If it's put out via Mike himself, in batches somewhat independently, there's really no risk of him losing money on it. I don't think anyone would necessarily expect a huge InsideOut type/multiple variants release. I'd imagine there's a market for sure, due to Mike himself being involved.
With all due respect, I think the lack of success of most of his projects post-DT demonstrates that Portnoy's draw/market has been oversold by many. That said, a show of all Dream Theater might do a little better than his other projects sales-wise, but it's still not Dream Theater, and I don't think we can underestimate the draw of their brand name (relatively speaking).
Quote from: KevShmev on September 08, 2019, 08:42:25 AM
I doubt DT would mind the extra money that would roll in from a release like this, but on the flip side, I think it would piss Portnoy off to have to give them any money for playing what he feels are "his" songs, especially since a release like this is likely to not make a lot of money in the first place.
I think this is the real issue. Mike even joked in a tweet or something about fans doing a kickstarter for the release. That tells me that it's more of a money thing since it would be 100% cover songs.
Legally, anybody can cover and release a song by another artist BUT it is extremely beneficial to get permission so you can negotiate lower royalty or sync fees. Weird Al does this. If he didn't, he would make very little money off of his biggest songs and it would be nearly impossible to make a career off of it.
I doubt Dream Theater is very interested in negotiating a lower fee for Mike to release his pet project.
Today, September 8th, marks the 9 year anniversary of MP's departure from DT. As much as I appreciate his talent and what he brought to DT, I'm kind of over the drama he still brings to DT. It's been 9 incredible years for DT, where they put out 2 great albums and 2 really good albums.
With that said, I really enjoyed the shattered fortress show, it was great, and I'm sure some people who didn't have a chance to see it would love to get it on DVD/BR. It's similar to Roger Waters playing The Wall without Pink Floyd.
I just don't think they would care, but obviously he knows them better than I do. Maybe he's afraid of asking and maybe this is his way of kind of asking around it. I hope JP reads this interview and texts him about meeting up to sort out an agreement. Mike worked really hard to put that show together and he loves releasing DVDs as career milestones - I'd love it if he released it.
Does everything need a dvd nowadays? Just release live videos on youtube so everyone can see them and let that be it. I think MP is being smart about this...it would ultimately reconnect him to the DT camp and possibly taint his rekindled friendship with JP.
Quote from: DTA on September 08, 2019, 12:16:35 PM
Just release live videos on youtube so everyone can see them and let that be it.
Totally this. I mean, it's essentially already there anyway.....just not the 'produced' version he's speaking of. You can find every song of the Suite on Youtube anyway....so why not just 'leak' it and be done with it.
And...I still find it funny that the whole 'he approached the band to rejoin but was rebuffed' angle is still being promoted. Especially when it's presented as it was the guys in DT who kept him out or something like that. He went back to DT
AFTER Avengeld Sevenfold told him they had no intentions of offering him a full time job....that after he completed his contract and obligation to them for the tour they hired him for they were parting ways. Only then did he try to get back in to DT.
We talk about "Mike" and "John" and "DT"; bear in mind that there are often third parties involved for whom there is no (or little) emotion and just dollars and cents. I'm not saying that's the case here, but these things than be complicated. I also know, from professional experience, that there's a big - HUGE - difference between "I really don't want you to do that" and "I can legally stop you from doing it".
Me? I was at the show in NY, and while it was a great event and I had a lot of fun (met up with some forum-ers to boot), but I'm not really sold on the Haken guys so for me it wasn't like seeing The Wall recreated or anything epic like that. I'm not a guaranteed buyer on that, for sure.
Quote from: KevShmev on September 08, 2019, 08:42:25 AM
Quote from: zappafrank2112 on September 08, 2019, 12:03:14 AM
Yeah, but Ozzy played plenty of Sabbath stuff right out of the gate, Jon Anderson and his collaborations have played plenty of Yes stuff, Fish has played plenty of Marillion stuff, Steve Hackett has done entire tours dedicated to nothing but his time in Genesis, etc. etc.. Hell, Mindcrime aside, Geoff Tate is about to tour playing nothing but Rage for Order and Empire, and that stuff was credited to others besides him, and no one in the QR camp is raising a fuss (or even cares, probably).
Touring and releasing a live album/DVD are two different things, if I am not mistaken, and I know that Tate negotiated the rights to Mindcrime as a whole when he departed Queensryche (I have no idea about those other scenarios above).
Well, Ozzy did release an album of nothing but Sabbath covers (Speak of the Devil) and Hackett has released multiple "Genesis Revisited" albums.
I'm not sure the guys in DT would care, maybe "DT the brand" as a whole cares as in the label/management. Not sure. Either way, I think it would be cool and I kind of expect it to see the light of day, just might not be for awhile until "rocking the boat" is fairly meaningless. I'll buy it when it comes out though, that show was really fun and I'd love to have a professional video of it.
Quote from: DTA on September 08, 2019, 12:16:35 PM
Does everything need a dvd nowadays? Just release live videos on youtube so everyone can see them and let that be it.
Totally, but I think MP expects to earn some money with it, if it ever gets released. He's not really one of those "here it is for free for all of you" artists.
Quote from: gmillerdrake on September 08, 2019, 12:48:41 PM
And...I still find it funny that the whole 'he approached the band to rejoin but was rebuffed' angle is still being promoted. Especially when it's presented as it was the guys in DT who kept him out or something like that. He went back to DT AFTER Avengeld Sevenfold told him they had no intentions of offering him a full time job....that after he completed his contract and obligation to them for the tour they hired him for they were parting ways. Only then did he try to get back in to DT.
"But I already put out my press release" :lol
To be fair though, it's Blabbermouth, they use every bit of drama they can on their posts, no matter if it's something from 9 years ago. But, yea, Mike totally wanted it to work a certain way, and when A7X were like "no, man, too much drama with you", he realized what he had done and tried a last minute save. When that didn't work either, he vented the situation online trying to make the band look bad, because he does everything "for the fans".
Quote from: DTA on September 08, 2019, 12:16:35 PM
Does everything need a dvd nowadays? Just release live videos on youtube so everyone can see them and let that be it. I think MP is being smart about this...it would ultimately reconnect him to the DT camp and possibly taint his rekindled friendship with JP.
Well that may be the route:
(https://i.ibb.co/JnF8XZm/1-AEEC41-A-724-C-4-EAE-8329-F123-E418-EB18.png) (https://ibb.co/F6qcGpm)
He loves dangling string in front of cats.
I think it's a class move by MP. Not wanting to stir the pot for the sake of maintaining his friendships with JP and JR.
So why did he bother having it professionally videoed? Maybe at the time he had future plans to release it, but afterwards thought twice about it and decided to shelve it.
I'll be the outlier here. Mike choosing not to release this has almost nothing to do with the DT band members themselves and everything to do with the shitstorm it would create on the internet and in comment sections.
Mike usually records everything, whether he is releasing it or not. If it's a special show (like TSF shows) he will go the extra mile and get it edited and mixed properly. IIRC, he even said it very early on that he was going to record it but wasn't sure on how to handle it if he released it (he did mention a "red tape" comment referring to the legalities involved if he released it).
Quote from: Chino on September 09, 2019, 09:03:30 AM
I'll be the outlier here. Mike choosing not to release this has almost nothing to do with the DT band members themselves and everything to do with the shitstorm it would create on the internet and in comment sections.
That's what I am thinking.
I'm sure DT wouldn't give a damn.
It's not like releasing this video from this One-Off tour is going to hurt DT's ticket / album sales... even if DT decided that they wanted to tour and play the 12 Steps Suite live, which they would probably have no interest in. I'd buy The Shattered Fortress DVD as well as a ticket to see DT :lol
Quote from: JayOctavarium on September 09, 2019, 10:42:33 AMI'm sure DT wouldn't give a damn.
I wouldn't make that assumption. I mean, I'm not saying it isn't correct. But I know I wouldn't make that assumption.
Be careful Bosk,
Blabbermouth is going to misquote you, misrepresenting you as a lawyer representing the band :lol
:lol
I've heard multiple people say DT will never play the 12 Step Suite all the way through live.
I personally believe, and hope, they will.
Quote from: ytserush on September 08, 2019, 07:10:01 AM
Realistically, How well would something like this sell anyway?
It would be an instant buy for me. I went to two of TSF shows and those are two of best shows I've seen over the last few years.
On the other hand I totally understand MP doesn't want to upset DT or JP/JR in any way. Let's hope him 'not rocking the boat' gives us LTE3 and who knows what more they come up with.
Quote from: Nachtmerrie on September 09, 2019, 11:45:35 AM
Quote from: ytserush on September 08, 2019, 07:10:01 AM
Realistically, How well would something like this sell anyway?
It would be an instant buy for me.
I think it would be an instant buy for a lot of hardcore fans. But the bigger question is whether it would be an instant buy for the casual fans out there. I'm not so sure it would.
I know for me, I would definitely buy it, even notwithstanding the vocals (and I think he did a MUCH better job with these songs than with the Haken material).
This is a bit out of the discussion topic, but I always thought Mike's lineup for the Shattered Fortress shows was overkill. Bringing 3 (or even 2) guitarists was unnecessary, and it felt like MP just wanted to take all of Haken (sans Ray) with him for the sake of bringing all of Haken. Tejeida, Gillette, Jennings, Green and Portnoy would've been enough. But that's just me nitpicking :P
Quote from: Nachtmerrie on September 09, 2019, 11:45:35 AM
On the other hand I totally understand MP doesn't want to upset DT or JP/JR in any way. Let's hope him 'not rocking the boat' gives us LTE3 and who knows what more they come up with.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the need for LTE 3 at all. I'd rather have MP back at DT than them making another LTE album.
... and I really don't want MP back at DT.
Quote from: EPIC Outro on September 09, 2019, 11:39:20 AM
I've heard multiple people say DT will never play the 12 Step Suite all the way through live.
I personally believe, and hope, they will.
I don't. It's 5 extremely average songs.
Though I do love TDS.
Quote from: TAC on September 09, 2019, 12:52:17 PM
Quote from: EPIC Outro on September 09, 2019, 11:39:20 AM
I've heard multiple people say DT will never play the 12 Step Suite all the way through live.
I personally believe, and hope, they will.
I don't. It's 5 extremely average songs.
Though I do love TDS.
I feel the same. I feel bad for the rest DT that they had to mine this concept for 5 albums in a row and I can't imagine they have any desire to play it in its entirety. It's just not a piece of music that works as one cohesive piece.
Quote from: DTA on September 09, 2019, 02:19:30 PM
Quote from: TAC on September 09, 2019, 12:52:17 PM
Quote from: EPIC Outro on September 09, 2019, 11:39:20 AM
I've heard multiple people say DT will never play the 12 Step Suite all the way through live.
I personally believe, and hope, they will.
I don’t. It’s 5 extremely average songs.
Though I do love TDS.
I feel the same. I feel bad for the rest DT that they had to mine this concept for 5 albums in a row and I can't imagine they have any desire to play it in its entirety. It's just not a piece of music that works as one cohesive piece.
although to be as fair as possible, TDS and TSF (and maybe TSF) may be cohesive in and of themselves and on their own (maybe not necessarily in the context of all five pieces in the suite) I enjoyed TSF quite a bit when DT played it during 2014 tour anyway. That being said, I wouldn't buy a Shattered Fortress recording. (I'm just offering an opinion, sorry if that derailed the thread)
Quote from: bosk1 on September 09, 2019, 11:57:36 AM
Quote from: Nachtmerrie on September 09, 2019, 11:45:35 AM
Quote from: ytserush on September 08, 2019, 07:10:01 AM
Realistically, How well would something like this sell anyway?
It would be an instant buy for me.
I think it would be an instant buy for a lot of hardcore fans.
It would be an instant buy for me. I'd even pay twice as much if they replaced Eric Gillette's vocals with somebody else. Actually...literally anybody else. Mike himself, Barney from Napalm Death, Chris Collins...
Quote from: TAC on September 09, 2019, 12:52:17 PM
Quote from: EPIC Outro on September 09, 2019, 11:39:20 AM
I've heard multiple people say DT will never play the 12 Step Suite all the way through live.
I personally believe, and hope, they will.
I don't. It's 5 4 extremely average songs and DT's worst song ever.
ftfy
Funny how Mike yo-yos between wanting to move on from DT and then discussing releasing an entire live album of DT cover songs. That's not me having a go at him, I'm sure that's just genuinely how his feelings constantly change. I still think he'd go back to DT in a heartbeat if asked but they appear to be doing just fine without him so don't see any immediate prospect of that happening unless they were maybe deciding to call it a day and got him back for the final album and farewell tour.
As for DT ever doing the 12 Steps thing in it's entirety, that's not a show I'd look forward to. Find those songs on the whole to be all very similar dark sludgy overly long songs. Not my favourite DT songs or even close. Maybe it would come across better live but it's not something that I'm holding out any hope for even if Portnoy did return to the band. Shattered Fortress was easily the low point of the AFTR show that I saw but I would like to see The Glass Prison given an airing at some point.
Quote from: Stadler on September 08, 2019, 01:03:05 PM
Me? I was at the show in NY, and while it was a great event and I had a lot of fun (met up with some forum-ers to boot), but I'm not really sold on the Haken guys so for me it wasn't like seeing The Wall recreated or anything epic like that. I'm not a guaranteed buyer on that, for sure.
For my part, I was way in the back and would love an opportunity to see how the Haken guys really did. I could hear it and I could see most of it, but I didn't get to really appreciate it. I'd love to see a pro-shot release.
Quote from: MinistroRaven on September 08, 2019, 05:17:26 PM
(https://i.ibb.co/JnF8XZm/1-AEEC41-A-724-C-4-EAE-8329-F123-E418-EB18.png) (https://ibb.co/F6qcGpm)
This really surprises me. TSF thing I can sort of understand. I reckon he's just trying not to rock the boat. If he's editing out songs he and DS have every right to perform from an otherwise unique show it sounds like he needs to stand up for himself a bit more. Including HK/LitS should have been a really straight forward thing.
Quote from: DTA on September 09, 2019, 02:19:30 PM
I feel the same. I feel bad for the rest DT that they had to mine this concept for 5 albums in a row and I can't imagine they have any desire to play it in its entirety. It's just not a piece of music that works as one cohesive piece.
I probably would have said the same thing before seeing the show. It worked together quite well.
Also, somebody pointed out that it's more than just the five guys in the band, but even those five guys might differ on how they think this should play out. Based on my longstanding assumption about the interpersonal dynamics involved, it wouldn't surprise me if MP's "not rocking the boat" is about not putting his friends in the middle of a hostile situation. I honestly can't see how DT has anything to lose by letting him do his thing, but I could see how somebody with the band might take an obstructive stance based largely on
"yeah, fuck that guy, eh." If he has reason to expect some pushback then steering clear is honestly the classy move.
Quote from: EPIC Outro on September 09, 2019, 11:39:20 AM
I've heard multiple people say DT will never play the 12 Step Suite all the way through live.
I personally believe, and hope, they will.
I hope they don't. The 12 step suite is the most boring and repetitive part of their entire repertoire. It's basically one riff dragged out across five albums.
I'm confident they don't feel any emotional attachment to the songs as a suite. It's more of Mike's thing. The songs will be played individually, but I'm certain the entire streak won't.
My biggest letdown was that they said all along it was meant to be played as one piece, but when they did it they stopped between This Dying Soul and The Root of All Evil, using the intro of the latter.
I completely get that they're human and that they can't pass out of exhaustion in playing 30 minutes straight of heavy fast music, but if the masterplan was to connect the songs and the end of TDS is so evidently made to lead directly into the "real" start of Root, why didn't they do it? it's a bit naive to plan five parts to make up a "single giant song" only to realize later "mh, it's too much fast stuff in a row, we have to breathe".
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I also think This dying soul and The Root of all evil are in different tuning. There needs to be space in between, so that JP and JM can change instruments.
Quote from: Mladen on September 10, 2019, 02:55:18 AM
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I also think This dying soul and The Root of all evil are in different tuning. There needs to be space in between, so that JP and JM can change instruments.
TDS, TGP and TSF are on 7 string standard, Root of all evil is on Eb standard (6 string guitar) and Repentance is on 6 string standard. I think.
I went to the TSF show in Tilburg, with low expectations.
As a DT fan and a drummer myself, MP is one of my drum-heroes.
But the thought of this music without the rest of DT, especially JP though, didn't felt right.
But when they started Overture 1928, it hit me in the guts.
I literally had tears in my eyes when the song kicked in.
It felt like coming home or something.
It was an amazing night.
Eric filled JP's shoes like a boss and the Haken guys did an awesome job too.
I must admit...
I saw DT a couple of times with MM. (who is also a drumgod to me!)
But the TSF show was one of the best musical nights I experienced till this day.
So I would buy the DVD, but probably only watch it on Youtube :biggrin:
As for the comments on MP's intentions on "not rocking the boat".
I have no idea what the DT guys would think of it.
I suspect there is more going on behind closed doors on a legal or management-level.
And we as fans, can only guess and make assumptions.
Quote from: Vmadera00 on September 10, 2019, 04:26:24 AM
Quote from: Mladen on September 10, 2019, 02:55:18 AM
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I also think This dying soul and The Root of all evil are in different tuning. There needs to be space in between, so that JP and JM can change instruments.
TDS, TGP and TSF are on 7 string standard, Root of all evil is on Eb standard (6 string guitar) and Repentance is on 6 string standard. I think.
Repentance is played on a 7 string too, TROAE is the only one that would require a different tuning.
Quote from: MirrorMask on September 10, 2019, 02:15:39 AM
My biggest letdown was that they said all along it was meant to be played as one piece, but when they did it they stopped between This Dying Soul and The Root of All Evil, using the intro of the latter.
I completely get that they're human and that they can't pass out of exhaustion in playing 30 minutes straight of heavy fast music, but if the masterplan was to connect the songs and the end of TDS is so evidently made to lead directly into the "real" start of Root, why didn't they do it? it's a bit naive to plan five parts to make up a "single giant song" only to realize later "mh, it's too much fast stuff in a row, we have to breathe".
Hen did a reddit AMA a few days ago and called out TGP alone as a real endurance test.
ETA quote: "Glass Prison was particularly challenging. It's real endurance test. It's just constant intense low end riffage for 12 minutes or some which is a bit of a workout for both hands. The shred run at the end of This Dying Soul was pretty tricky too."
Quote from: Peter Mc on September 09, 2019, 06:06:01 PM
Funny how Mike yo-yos between wanting to move on from DT and then discussing releasing an entire live album of DT cover songs. That's not me having a go at him, I'm sure that's just genuinely how his feelings constantly change.
Well, he was asked about it in an interview.
I sort of feel like YouTube is exactly the right medium not just for TSF but for This Kind of Thing™ in general these days.
I think concert DVDs are in a really weird place in that they're something that a few fans really want but they notoriously don't get much return on investment any more, so stuff like - for e.g. The Astonishing live - ends up collecting dust on a shelf somewhere.
That said, I think we're now in a place where you can put together a relatively low effort package and release it through YouTube on a shoestring. I don't think anyone would mind particularly if The Astonishing wasn't correctly colour graded, or if the audio was soundboard quality. I'm sure a few grumpy people would be upset that they're not getting a 5.1 surround sound mix, and people would definitely be wistful for the days of commentaries and bonus features, but right now it feels kind of an underexplored option, and a sensible compromise if you're not able to put out the full packages any more. You could even monetise it!
I feel like this fits the Shattered Fortress stuff quite nicely. There are a million cover bands on YouTube, and I believe YouTube's set up to reimburse the copyright holder (simplifying massively here - I know the system is a bit of a ballache!) so it feels like DT shouldn't *really* have a major objection - although I accept I'm probably being a little naive with regards to performance and publicity rights.
On a related note - I am fully on this train for Ytse Jam Records, too. In the early 2000s it was an incredibly cool idea with a slightly rough execution just due to the rigamarole of shipping internationally. Sharing and selling bootlegs, making ofs, etc etc has become massively massively easier since the YJR days and I think it'd reach a much broader audience if they resurrected it as a digital purchase or streaming.
Quote from: robwebster on September 15, 2019, 04:20:24 AM
I think concert DVDs are in a really weird place in that they're something that a few fans really want but they notoriously don't get much return on investment any more, so stuff like - for e.g. The Astonishing live - ends up collecting dust on a shelf somewhere.
My main issues with live DVDs is that they rarely hold returnings value. I watch the show, enjoy it, and then I rarely watch it again. I mean, there's only so many times you can watch a show that's always the same, even if the band plays your town and, say, you get a free ticket - with the DVD you're not even there, you're watching a recorded performance.... there's only so many times you can enjoy that before, as you said, the DVD collects dust on a shelf.
I agree when you say that YouTube should be the way to go in the future, especially in an era when live albums and live shows aren't a special thing anymore. Heck, YouTube is filled anyway with live streams from major festivals....
Just to make a concrete example - as I was typing about streaming from festivals I wondered "Mh, do they still have online Maiden's performance at Wacken 2016, which I saw in real time?".... well, they do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUqoSIKyCb4
Why should I buy a (non existent) "Live Book of Souls tour" from Iron Maiden when I can watch it for free on YouTube?
IM did put their last "live album" on youtube for free, Gojira did as well (it's awesome). That might be the future of pro made live concert videos, but I'd rather have a blu-ray in significantly better sound and visual quality. Also, I consistently go back and watch my favorite concert DVDs (Flight 666, En Vivo, Retinal Circus, One Cold Winters Night...) on my big screen with surround sound.
Quote from: MirrorMask on September 15, 2019, 04:35:48 AM
Quote from: robwebster on September 15, 2019, 04:20:24 AM
I think concert DVDs are in a really weird place in that they're something that a few fans really want but they notoriously don't get much return on investment any more, so stuff like - for e.g. The Astonishing live - ends up collecting dust on a shelf somewhere.
My main issues with live DVDs is that they rarely hold returnings value. I watch the show, enjoy it, and then I rarely watch it again. I mean, there's only so many times you can watch a show that's always the same, even if the band plays your town and, say, you get a free ticket - with the DVD you're not even there, you're watching a recorded performance.... there's only so many times you can enjoy that before, as you said, the DVD collects dust on a shelf.
I agree when you say that YouTube should be the way to go in the future, especially in an era when live albums and live shows aren't a special thing anymore. Heck, YouTube is filled anyway with live streams from major festivals....
Just to make a concrete example - as I was typing about streaming from festivals I wondered "Mh, do they still have online Maiden's performance at Wacken 2016, which I saw in real time?".... well, they do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUqoSIKyCb4
Why should I buy a (non existent) "Live Book of Souls tour" from Iron Maiden when I can watch it for free on YouTube?
I am the same way, I could not wait until the R40 DVD! I watched it and haven't watched it since. That being said I have watched a few songs here and there on You Tube especially the one I was at.
I'd like to see the concert on Youtube, but have a blu-ray release for the hardcore fans with all of the BTS stuff.