New Idea Society
Mike Law
Scene Point Blank: What are your top five albums that were released in 2007?
The ones I can think of off the top of my head are in no particular order.
- PJ Harvey - White Chalk
- Johanna Newsom - Ys. (New to me in 2007)
- Tegan and Saran - The Con
- Pet Genius - Pet Genius
- Seeing Sonic Youth play "Daydream Nation" outside in McCarren Pool in Brooklyn.
Scene Point Blank: How will you remember 2007? (In terms of music)
I suppose I made a very conscious effort to listen to current active bands.
Scene Point Blank: What kind of impact do you think donation-based releases like Radiohead, Saul Williams, etc? will have on the record industry?
I am not sure, and not really concerned. I don't have too much interest in the music industry. Radiohead is one of the worlds biggest bands, were on a major label for years and benefited greatly from that. They were a product sold by the label. I do not think that they are in any way related how my band is currently conducted so I tend to not think too much about them as businesspeople. They are wonderful artists, I think about that, but the world that they operate in is not like mine. Therefore I don't think about the business aspects of what they do. My world operates far from theirs. I have never charged $18.99 for a CD.
Scene Point Blank: 2007 saw the decommissioning of two prominent file-sharing groups - Demonoid and Oink. What kind of impact will the increased crackdown on file-sharing have on the record industry? Did it personally have an effect on you?
I am not aware of those websites. I am not willing to argue with anyone if they choose to take my music for free. I prefer they don't so that I can release more music faster, but I am not going to argue about it. I actually have never downloaded any music for free. I enjoy the process of getting an album and looking at the artwork, reading the liner notes and lyrics, but that is just me. I am not willing to argue about it. I have had people write me from other countries saying that they were able to hear the band via the Internet and actually apologize that they couldn't buy the album. I have also experienced the opposite end of the spectrum where some drunk guy at a show is complaining that the LP is $8 even though he just spent $30 on beer.
Scene Point Blank: What can we look forward to from your band in 2008?
This is something that I know about. New Idea Society will have a single out by March and we are currently demoing a new album. Definitely back to Europe, Japan, and U.S. dates throughout 2008. Hopefully no more tour ending bus accidents.
Scene Point Blank: What three records are you looking forward to most in 2008?
N/A
Homepage: http://www.newideasociety.com
