Why we are giving away free downloads: Part 1

Why is Torman Maxt making their new album available for free downloads? I get that question all of the time. People on the receiving end of the free download, the everyday music fans, have been generally happy about getting the album, especially one that is well done and has received some pretty good reviews. However, it is the people who are closer to the music business (other bands, managers, etc.) who aren’t as excited about the concept as I am.

Here are the top five most interesting negative comments concerning free downloads that I have gotten so far:

1. “Stop begging for fans.”
2. “Giving your music away totally cheapens your product.”
3. “You guys are no Radiohead.”
4. “People will take anything for free.”
5. “How do you expect to make any money?”

I have been thinking about this quite a bit since we first started offering the free album downloads back in December, and for me, the fundamental disconnect I have with the above comments, is that they all have a similar premise: that making a musical album is a means to an end. That presumed end is money (not to mention the fame that would go along with a successful musical career). I would be lying if I said that those things were not goals at the onset.

But as time has gone by, for me, money has ceased to be a motive for making music. This has brought incredible freedom…freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom of religion.

There is a great deal more to be said about this…but I think you can see where this is heading…

My definition of "Progressive"

One of the technical definitions of ‘progressive’ is “characterized by striving for change or innovation; moving and advancing.” For me, what makes something ‘progressive’ musically is when an artist, either through composition or production, is trying to move towards new ideas and methods. Most importantly, I think ‘progressive’ should be an adjective and not a noun. Progressive as an adjective makes for artists striving for something new and interesting. Progressive as a noun seems to set up criteria for what the music should be (e.g. long songs, lots of solos, high vocals, etc). It is amazing how many people don’t consider us ‘progressive’ because our songs don't seem long enough.

I feel that Torman Maxt is progressive in the sense that it strives to advance past what standard rock and metal have done. Compositionally, I have always been motivated by the classical composers. The Baroque period is my favorite, and I have tried to incorporate various forms of counterpoint in the songwriting. I would say that the layering of the guitars and vocals is what gives us our sound.

When describing the songs of a band like Dream Theater, I see them visually as very horizontal and linear. There is great instrumentation, but not necessarily composed with an emphasis on counterpoint. I have always been fascinated by Bach’s Brandenburg concertos where there are multiple instruments playing different parts simultaneously; this sounds more vertical as there are parts ‘stacked’ on top of one another. I would describe our sound as vertical. For example, the intro on opening track on our new cd has six different guitar parts happening at the same time.