Op-Ed: Ne Obliviscaris Ad Sustinere Musicorum

It isn't a surprising thing to say that the music industry is in a state of flux.  Unless you're Taylor Swift, Adele, or Beyoncé, album sales are way down.  In their place are streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music - which pay artists next to nothing - or more illicit options like torrents or uploaded YouTube audio (which pay artists nothing).  It's a pretty rough time to be a working musician, as your livelihood has to depend on album and merchandise sales and tour revenue; if too few people show up to your show in Calgary, and only a few of those too few buy shirts or physical copies of the album, it can be tough to make ends meet.  And even if the venue sells out, and you sell out of your daily allotment of merch/records, there's still the next show to worry about.  Point is, it's tough to make a living as a band where there are bills to pay and mouths to feed and real life non-rock star shit to take care of.

Albums of the Year, Then and Now (2008-2012)

Welcome to Part II of my retrospective look at my top albums from past years, where I see if they still hold that lofty position or have fallen prey to the ravages of time.  If you missed Part I, where I looked at albums from 2003-2007, check it out here.  If you’re ready to continue and see the albums from 2008-2012, then onward to the Time Machine!