Yeah dude, I hear you about box sets...I'm hoping that this box set will be more about the extras, and the original disks will be more of a bonus, maybe with some alterations...(all the 'ands' are taken out of the vocals, and everytime a b chord is played, a goat bays...) or something.

but you can always download it, so...yeah.

just rock!

Heeuuy Devin, I'm really interrested in that box, is it a wise thing to wait untill the box is released?
I want all of the albums but if the box got so much extra's then I'll wait for that and not buy the regular albums.
Are you going to release it everywhere or are you going to sell it on the internet?

this cd is amazing...among my favs from devin...anyone have any lyrics for the songs??? just wanted to say your the man dev and i hope you tour near nc soon so i can finally witness the mayham....

Just so ya'll know Ki can now be ordered from your local HMV, and we (the aberdeen store) have had 4 already.... going strong

Just so ya'll know Ki can now be ordered from your local HMV, and we (the aberdeen store) have had 4 already.... going strong

Sweet. I might just do that.

DEV!

So I took the day off of work, sat down, smoked a bong and read this forum for a while. Here’s the thing...

The world has changed. Music has changed. Art has changed. People have changed.
The old models do not work anymore... maybe you put too much faith in believing they worked in the first place. There is a reason you excelled in the metal world. There is a reason that metal bands only sell 1000 copies in North America first week. From here on in, you can substitute “metal” with any other technical, complex, challenging, interesting or obscure genre. True artists are never appreciated in their time. People who create for the sake of creating, should not expect to be rewarded for it. Is it fair? No... but do you think it should be? I run my own business. I know how the real world works. I’ve certainly come to realize that those who seek success and expect to retain their personal set of ethics or morals are playing a fool’s game. It’s all relative to any version of capital gain.

The majority are peons. They always have been and always will be. I’m not saying anyone is better than anyone else, it comes down to a basic fundamental desire for information or stimulus. There are social aspects that are never going to change and people are born into situations that hinder opportunity for all except those that choose to strive for more; and put forth the effort to do so.

How does this relate to you?

Aside from whatever constraints you would have been saddled with (or blessed by) given your physical location in society (geographic location, familial economic situation, time and space you exist in), you choose to be an artist. Maybe it is from God, maybe you are tapped into an electrical frequency, maybe you are reincarnated... it doesn’t really matter. Your belief or the beliefs of others does not change the physical situation you are in.

Why do you beat yourself up over this situation?

I’ve been a huge supporter of you since I heard City for the first time. I own everything musical you have created (not all the albums you produce) and most came from HDR. I have attended any show I possibly could have, be it SYL, Physicist, DTB (and hopefully DTP), and walked away every time with merch. I’ve read several testimonials on here that basically say the same thing. Hell, I’ve got 3 copies of signed Ki coming in. I also downloaded it and any other release you had since I bought my first computer.

This is somewhat tied into the Pirate Bay case and the RIAA litigations. I physically own 1000’s of CD’s, 100’s of records and 100’s of movies. Fans like me will continue buying your music. The general public will not. The general public will not continue to buy anyone’s music though. As the economic situation continues, music will become a luxury. Hell, it already is. Some people really can’t afford to support artists. More are destined to end up in this situation. A CD or diapers should not be a choice for rational human beings. The dream of “rock stardom” or excessive financial reward is reserved for those that pander to the masses and appeal to those that think they should choose a CD over diapers. You have the ability to do that but you wouldn’t feel ok if you did. You are a cog just like the rest of us. You have a choice to run efficiently and dry or to get greasy in the “running on fumes” commercial machine that is threatening to blow at any moment.

People respond to basic rhythms and melodies physically. It’s why there has been music as long as there have been people. The most basic common, appeal to all, music is what sells because these people need the stimulus. They are not driven to seek new information. Nickelback caters to a basic need for these people. It satiates the physical desire for rhythm and melody in a simple, easy to remember package. They can’t tell the difference between Nickelback and Oasis because they are responding physically and emotionally rather than critically. Others listen to Jazz, Blues, Classical, Opera, Metal etc, because Nickelback satiates the basic need but not the desire for more.

What this boils down to is that the market that the “industry” has been exploiting (I am including artists amongst the exploited), is shrinking. They done fucked up. They missed their boat when computers became more prevalent and in their death throes, they will stop at nothing to bring as many down with the ship with them as they can. Sooner rather than later, Nicelback’s replacement just won’t shift any product and people will tire of the corrupt justice system penalizing the people who have been exploited. When that time comes, it will be people like yourself that will remain because there are people that want to hear your music badly enough that they will pay to hear it however it may be doled out. Stadium tours and private jets won’t be in the cards but you should be able to buy food and diapers should you choose to exclusively be an artist.

Being a business owner and not dependent on anyone other than myself, I make choices everyday that I can feel good or bad about depending on whether it is leading to financial gain or not. If the decision resulted in financial gain for myself or others in the same organization, chances are, I cannot feel 100% good about it. I make that choice consciously, weighing options that always result in something bad happening to someone somewhere. Until the entire world changes, my place in it will be occupied by someone. If I don’t do it, someone else will. I choose to benefit from this situation because being a martyr won’t buy diapers.

So...

You make fantastic music. I think Ki is awesome. I’m expecting to like the next one and the one after that. I’m going to download them when they leak and buy them from you when you sell them. If you don’t want to be Nickelback (thank Jeebus for that) don’t expect to be paid like them. Realize that capitalism is a cold hard bitch that will sodomize you with an oversized strap on unless you are willing to break a few eggs for the omelet. If you want stability and security, you may want to consider living a self-sustaining lifestyle in the mountains. Down here, amongst the rest of us, there is no job security, no pension plans, no sure thing. The only thing you need to concern yourself with is being satisfied and balancing your satisfaction vs. what those around you or those who depend on you need to be satisfied. If the Townsends’ are happy, keep doing what you are doing. You can’t control the demise of the recording industry, you can’t control the economy, you can’t control politics, you can’t control what other people think or say about you (be it positive or negative), you can’t control an album leaking (unless you quit making albums), and you can’t control people’s acceptance or rejection of new material, you can’t control if people only like SYL or DTB, you can’t control... Just accept you are a cog, run the way you want to run, and if it works for the Townsends’ enjoy the time you‘ve got. That’s all anyone can really do.

We’ve met several times through the years. I think you’re a pretty smart guy, an excellent musician and funny as shit to boot. Quit being so concerned about everything you can’t change. Focus on the good things you have. Your family, your impressive back catalogue, potentials in a new form of music industry that will replace the current model, etc. etc. etc. You got a lot going for you. Stop worrying about the things you can’t change or think about everyone that is less fortunate than you. Most of us have a day job we hate.

Keep being Dev and I’ll keep buying. Sorry for the rant.

Woooooww that dude had alot to say.

Anyone else getting a total "Noisy Pink Bubbles" vibe from "Coast"?

Random thought I guess.....

Dan

DEV!

So I took the day off of work, sat down, smoked a bong and read this forum for a while. Here’s the thing...

AND IT GOES ON...DIDN'T WANT TO QUOTE THE WHOLE THING...

Holy shit. That was some read...Great stuff. I'd have to say, I agree with whatever I can remember from the passage

Hopefully Dev reads it

[The Dev]

Yo dude!

I don't know which one of my rambling emails you may have read to come to these conclusions, sorry to come off like I did.

I use the forum to interact with folks for fun, and I am fully aware that I am a cog...trust me, I'm sorry if you got the impression that I think my shit doesn't stink, because it smells gross. I do appreciate the thoughts, but I also certainly don't claim to have a big brain, or a grasp on fiscal reality...theres lots of folks here who are smarter than me...

You may have read my retraction of my downloading rant a few hours after I posted it... I got hit with an unexpected 4k tax bill the same week the record leaked...I was just being a baby.

I'll say it again...

DOWNLOAD EVERYTHING I DO!!!

My friend got my whole catalog today...awesome. Show a friend!

And money? Capitalism etc? I guess I believe there's ways to make money without losing your artistic moral ground. I'm sure Tom Waits has a nice house...who knows, am I deluded? ...it wouldn't surprise me. I just pissed at Nickleback for the double entendre on their new record 'I'd come for you'...again, I was just being a baby. Of course, 10 minutes after I heard the song I did 900 interviews so...

I truly thank you for supporting what I do, but it would also be cool if you didn't. I just want to be invited to the party. Friendships often go sour for me because folks assume I'm something I'm not based on my music. (and rambling interviews) Who can blame them?

I watch American Idol for fuck sake

Ok, back to work...I don't know how much clearer I can be...I'm pretty stream of conscious on the internet, so please take it with a grain of salt.

My favorite color is blue...

...no, green...

My favorite color is blue...

...no, green...

WAAAAAH!
(interlude)
And the average cruising airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is roughly 11 meters per second, or 24 miles an hour.

Ok, back to work...I don't know how much clearer I can be...I'm pretty stream of conscious on the internet, so please take it with a grain of salt.

My favorite color is blue...

...no, green...

Damn man, you are one busy dude. Don't you ever get sick of it? I mean, I think I have alot on my plate writing an album, recording another.....work, school coming up.....etc., but dude.....you must be stressed. I can't believe you have the time for Twitter, and this forum and such. You are too generous. Have we thanked you enough?

I will order another copy of Ki just to say thank you again.....

Dan

Do I have to be a cog in the capitalist machine?

It's just that I'm pretty down with the whole capitalism thing, but I'd rather be a piston than a cog

[The Dev]

I think we can arrange having you pist-on.

I was thinking I might just be a little screw, really. Either that or a nine-inch nail in the coffin.

I've been thinking about the current state of the music industry and downloading lately. Can the internet kill the industry? If yes what would happen? Curious to see what you guys think about this.

The best thing that could happen might be that music will be created more for the sake of music and not for the money.
But this isn't that likely scenario. Or is it?

The best thing that could happen might be that music will be created more for the sake of music and not for the money.
But this isn't that likely scenario. Or is it?

I surely hope so. I'd rather sit through hours of pretentious music made by people taking themes from over nine thousand sources that sounds like a mess than hear something sonically pleasing without any real substance to it, and I'd hope if the ""industry" as you call it did go under, that we might see a return to the minstrel and patron system that prevailed the the days of yore.