Out Friday, June 14th, that’s tomorrow, is the deZeption single “No Sense”. It’s the first time ever that this synthpop track is available on music streaming services. Town And Towers Records will release deZeption’s back catalogue, including the 10 track debut album “Human Eyes”.

It will be out on all digital platforms in September. Until now, the music has only been available on the original CD release back in 2008. Last month the label already released a first single, “The Beginnig”, which was also the very first track created by deZeption.

Watch a video from 2005 below, with deZeption performing the track “No Sense”.

About deZeption

deZeption was originally formed in May 2003 as a part time project founded by Jan Brink and Claus Lindeskov Hansen. In May 2005, Kim B. Sommer was hired as a live keyboard player, and was invited as a permanent member of the band. deZeption debuted in 2008 with the album “Human Eyes” in 2008. deZeption and leadsinger Claus split ways in August 2011, and in recent years Claus has revived his passion for electronic music under the name enter.me.

In July 2012, Henning Wibrand was welcomed, as the new lead singer in deZeption. After releasing the 2nd album “Mature”, and making a music video for the song “While the Wind Blows” in 2017, Kim B. Sommer decided to leave deZeption. Today, Kim B. Sommer is in the band called Synthnoter. Jan and Henning decided in October 2019 to end their co-operation due to different reasons.

Today, deZeption is a ‘one man band’ with Jan Brink, and he is working on new material for a 3rd album now.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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In the current pro-rata system used by music streaming services, all subscription revenues are pooled together and then distributed to artists based on their overall share of total streams on the platform. A user centric model in music streaming could however be an alternative to the prevalent pro-rata system used by platforms like Spotify and Apple Music says an article in The Guardian. This adds to the turmoil created by the upcoming changes to the Spotify royalty model which we talked about earlier.

But can that user centric model be a game changer? We are not so sure. Let’s first have a look on how such a user centric model would work.

User centric model in music streaming

The user centric model allocates each subscriber’s payment directly to the artists they listen to. Under this model, the funds from a subscriber who is passionate about indie music would be proportionally distributed among the indie artists they listen to. This means if a subscriber listens to fewer tracks more attentively, a larger amount is allocated per track, compared to someone who plays music more passively in the background. The user centric model thus aims to more fairly compensate artists based on individual listener preferences and engagement.

There are basically three main reasons why a user centric model in music streaming should be adopted.

1. Fair Distribution of Revenue: In the pro-rata model, all streams are pooled together, and revenues are distributed proportionally to the share of total streams a song receives. This often benefits the most listened-to tracks, regardless of individual user preferences. In contrast, the user centric model divides each listener’s subscription fee among the artists they actually listen to, thus reflecting individual listening patterns and choices more accurately. This system is particularly seen as fairer for indie artists, as it ensures that the money paid by each consumer is allocated to the artists they listen to, rather than being distributed based on overall market share​​​​.
2. Encourages Transparency and Diversity: The user centric model promotes transparency in revenue distribution and can lead to a more diverse range of music being supported. This model can empower consumers by making their choices more impactful, potentially leading to more paid subscriptions as listeners feel their preferences directly support the artists they enjoy. It aligns with the concept of ‘fair trade’ in music, ensuring artists are compensated for the use of their art by those who actually consume it​​.
3. Redistribution of Income: One study found that under a user centric model, the top 10 most streamed artists might see a drop in royalties (12-17% decrease), while artists outside the top 10,000 could experience a modest increase (4.6-5.2%). For many lesser-streamed artists, this increase might amount to less than €10 per artist. These figures suggest that while the user centric model could lead to a more equitable distribution of income, the actual monetary benefit for many artists, especially those with fewer streams, might be relatively small​.

In theory, it seems effective, but in practice, it falls short

And it’s this third reason which also immediately shows a problem in order to push the user centric model. In theory, a user centric model in music streaming presents as a more equitable and transparent alternative to the pro-rata system, promising fairer distribution of revenue based on individual listening habits. However, in practice, the actual impact on many artists, especially those with fewer streams, appears to be relatively modest. This suggests that, despite its theoretical advantages, the user centric model may not lead to significant financial changes for a large portion of artists in the current music streaming landscape.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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The Culture and Education Committee of the European Parliament recently voted on a report titled ‘Cultural Diversity and the Conditions for Authors in the European Streaming Market‘. This vote led to a proposal for new legislation aimed at reforming music streaming within the EU. The report, adopted with 23 votes for, three against, and one abstention, seeks to address several key issues in the music streaming sector.

The European Parliament’s initiative comes amidst growing concerns over the distribution of revenues in the music streaming market, which is dominated by a few major labels and popular artists. The proposed legislation aims to create a fair and sustainable environment for music streaming and to promote cultural diversity.

These are the key aspects of the proposed legislation:

1. Transparency of Algorithms: The bill calls for streaming services to make their algorithms and recommendation tools transparent. This is to ensure that European works are visible and accessible to users.
2. Diversity Indicator: The proposal includes the creation of a “diversity indicator” to analyze the variety of genres, languages, and the presence of independent authors on streaming platforms. This aims to promote a wider range of music and cultural diversity.
3. Rights Identification: The bill would require streaming services to correctly identify right-holders through proper allocation of metadata, facilitating the discovery of their works. This measure also seeks to prevent practices like streaming fraud, which undermines the value of music content.
4. Labeling of AI-Generated Content: A provision in the bill calls for clear labeling of AI-generated tracks, allowing listeners to distinguish between human-produced music and AI-generated songs.
5. Investment in European Music: The bill urges increased investment in European music, particularly in local, niche artists and artists from vulnerable communities. This is aimed at offering a more diverse repertoire and supporting authors in the digital transformation of their business models.

Lead MEP Ibán García Del Blanco commented on the importance of recognizing the role authors play in the music sector and the need to review and improve the revenue distribution model used by streaming services to promote cultural diversity. The Plenary vote on this non-legislative resolution is scheduled for the January 2024 Strasbourg session.

As for our scene, especially the 5th key issue addressed above (aimed at niche artists) will be rather interesting. Nevertheless, the changes to the Spotify royalty model will have a huge impact on the industrial music scene, even if niche artists get more attention on streaming platforms. Its changes includes a controversial policy requiring tracks to get a minimum of 1,000 listens every year to receive royalties.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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Spotify is going to close its office in Russia and also restrict podcasts from Russian state media. The music service itself announced this via Reuters. Spotify’s office in Russia will remain closed indefinitely, Spotify itself has reported via Reuters. “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the attack on Ukraine,” a spokesman said.

The closure does not mean that it will halt its service in Russia, for the moment being. The competing music streaming services from Vkontakte and Yandex command a combined market share of 80%.

The music service has also restricted podcasts from Russian state media, making finding this type of content on the platform much more difficult. Spotify made the decision after all content from news service Sputnik and Russian state media RT was also removed from the platform earlier this week.

Several technology companies, including Apple, Google, Meta and TikTok, have already taken measures against RT and Sputnik. Spotify is now joining the tech companies. Meta and Twitter try to restrict messages from the Russian government and warn readers when a message comes from the Russian government. Apple from its side stops selling products in Russia. Netflix is suspending all Russian projects.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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Autopsia can be easily considered as one of the true pioneers of Industrial music. The project always remained a rather enigmatic collective featuring different members dealing with multiple forms of arts. They released an impressive number of music productions, which have been mainly characterized by Industrial bombast, but still with more Cinematographic and Neo-Classic influences. The project remains very prolific and already released a few productions this year. I got in touch with core member Radovan Milinković.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: We all know Autopsia ever started in London while you later on got relocated to Prague. I think it’s interesting to know the impact a city of London -and its citizens, nightlife, art galleries & musea plus music had on your artistic activities? And what has been the impact/influence of Prague, which is a famous artistic centre?

Autopsia: It would be wrong to think that Autopsia ‘originated in one country’, or a state. One might say that beginnings of Autopsia had a cartography, which included several countries, but it’s better to say, several cities. From the very beginning Autopsia didn’t belong to any state system. Its history is a nomadic one.

Q: Autopsia makes me often think to artists -like painters, who go through different artistic periods in their career. That’s especially true for the music compostions so how do you look back to these different periods and influences? 

Autopsia: The composer seems to me as a gardener who was given to cultivate a smaller or larger part of land; his task is to harvest, to order, and to bind, in short, to transform that which grows on that part of land and the land itself into the garden.

Q: Autopsia is now active for more than 40 years so you for sure have seen a lot of changes/evolutions, but I’m really wondering what you think about the (r)evolution of social media, music streaming etc… which in my opinion are a bit like the antithesis to true artistic creation? 

Autopsia: It would seem that societies have lost their capacity for self-regulation. This capacity is now in the hands of the multinationals… There is no longer any possibility for a rebirth of the individual. A desire for hyper-centralization is the result of technology. Mass culture presupposes a failure of making-oneself-interesting, that is to say, of making-oneself-better-than the-other.

Q: Death has been always a predominant theme in the work of Autopsia, a theme of reflection and creation. How did the perception of death and the artistic creation around this theme evolved throughout the years?

Autopsia: Death is the founder of consciousness, and therefore of political awareness. Isn’t death no longer visible because everything is dead? Because we live in civilization of death? Our society is one of the few societies to have evacuated the question of death. We could even say that one of the major contributions of the Industrial Age was its disappearance.

Q: I often got the feeling Autopsia is a kind of antidote to the ‘establishment’; devoid of influences and commercial purposes or fashion trends, but a ‘total project’ that stands on its own. But how do you see AUTOPSIA? And do you feel related with other artists and/or artistic movements?

Autopsia: Autopsia never coincide completely with stereotypes of institutional forms of culture and media consumption, the activity is directed toward exclusive and hermetic way of expression. Autopsia is interested in self-controlled, programmed ‘personality’ –completely aware of its own capacities and its place in the world. The individuality means the right to have one’s own identity at disposal.

Different aspects of 20th Century Avant-Garde became, after 2000, a main interest of Autopsia. Avant-Garde today is not only an experience of the past and from the past, but also the subject, that is, the object, of history.

Q: You can look back at an impressive and prolific career, but you don’t stop to create and compose. What keeps this artistic fire alive and how would you analize the evolution of your work from the late 70s till today? What are the further plans?

Autopsia: There is a creative flow, but the true achievement is peacefulness, stillness, it is mine only, and one cannot dispossess nor trade with it. Peace and presence of mind are the real results of creative work which is controlled by the author.

This is the time in which Autopsia renovates, re-establishes itself. When you work for a long time then the creative motivation restores itself in cycles, as seasons of the year. When you say ‘I’, it seems it is something stable and permanent, but nonetheless you change along with what you do. It seems it is the same, but it changes

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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BLUSH RESPONSE is terrorizing the underground scene for the last ten years. Set up by Joey Gonzalez, the American moved from New-York (USA) to Berlin (Germany). He released a considerable number of productions on labels such as Sonic Groove, Ant-Zen, Basic Unit Productions, Aufname + Wiedergabe ao, but recently decided to set up his own label Megastructure_ to unleash his newest album “Void In”. This production is a complex and sophisticated work, mixing different genres like Experimental-, Industrial- and Techno music. The album is hard to catch, but clearly revealing the impressive skills of this sound architect.  

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: 2020 will for sure go down in history as the year of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has seriously affected all artistic activities so how do you experience this situation and how do you manage it as artist? 

Joey: I really miss playing live a lot. I was pumped to go out with a bunch of bookings and also would have been on the now postponed Front Line Assembly / Ministry / KMFDM tour playing synths for FLA, so needless to say I had an exciting year lined up and now it’s all gone.  The virus is a terrible thing and I hope we can find some form of normalcy soon.  I’ve been getting through it by doing what I always do, making music and gaming.  I am a studio rat by nature so if I could spend even more time at home in the studio than I already do, I would.  

Q: 2020 is also the year you released your new album “Void In”, which sounds as an appropriated title for what’s happening all around us, but what is the album all about and what did you try express and achieve? 

Joey: I think I got lucky with the name there! “Void In” was actually all complete and sent off to the plant before the virus hit.  It then took a really long time to come out, but I’m happy I got it out this summer.  As for the inspiration, with all my music, it’s about looking within. The meanings behind the tracks are deeply personal and I don’t really want to share so much to be honest.  But I can give a few clues -some of the titles reference Hideo Kojima’s recent game “Death Stranding”, which was one of my favorite things I’ve played recently and presented an interesting view of a post-apocalyptic world.  It also had a concept called “Voidout” which inspired the title.  But the title is not just about the game, it’s also about what I was feeling on a personal level, and other things. 

Q: I compare “Void In” as reading a book about quantum physics… you can seize a few things, but it’s hard to catch the essence! I mean the sound and structures are pretty complex and experimental, but how do you see this album in your own evolution as composer/producer? 

Joey: Thank you, I think that’s one of the best compliments I’ve ever received! “Void In” is the latest report in my personal series, and there will be many more to come as I further research the sonic dimension. I am perpetually on a quest to explore sound and synthesis. I have a compulsion that I must make sound, and it’s a part of me much like breathing or eating. This compulsion is unavoidable.

On the competitive side, there is a drive in me to make the best, most impressive thing I can make. To level up my skills to be able to make work of the same stature as the work of my heroes. 

On the fun side, I want to make something that I enjoy hearing. I take great pleasure in just sitting down with my equipment and playing with it until something happens that is exciting for me. With this quest for excitement comes a need to keep things interesting, so I always have to change it up, to look for new paths within sound. The process of making music is a bit like meditation. It heals me. When I jam out tracks I enter a trance-like state where I am moving automatically on instinct. When I’m done and come out of it, I almost forget the moment of jamming. If I go too long without making stuff I really start to get anxious and unhappy. So I don’t like to leave the studio for too long. It’s not good for my health!

Q: You clearly like the album-format. I hear label owners and artists affirming this format will progressively get lost and replaced by singles. What makes an album important to you and how do you see things evolving –still considering aspects such as streaming, social media etc? 

Joey: I personally don’t think anyone has a clue what the right path is, especially now with the virus. Over the years I’ve heard many conflicting stories about what will or won’t happen, but everyone is just making their best guess. There is no certainty. The one thing I’ve learned is to always trust my gut instinct. The times I haven’t have always ended with unhappy results. So I try to go by what I want and nothing else. At the end of the day, music is a personal endeavor for me. There is a time and place for an album as well as a time and place for a single. I think the best message is the one that is truest to the vision of the current project. Whether it’s an album, single, live stream, or a 15 second clip. They are all valid forms and worthy of exploring.  

In my opinion, music streaming is a travesty. It has significantly devalued music, and a lot of people who would have bought a record now don’t because they can just stream it. I think we went too far ahead into the land of convenience without thinking about the consequences. When music downloading first became a problem for artists, Metallica spoke out against it. They were lambasted because they were these rich men complaining that they were losing money, and people were upset because they were so rich. But, honestly, they were 100% completely in the right to take the stance that they did.  

There is a common idea that artists make most of their money from touring. But what happens in between tours? What do they do for income? That’s where record sales would come in. Royalties from sales would help people along in between the massive tours. You can’t tour forever, there needs to be time to make the music. Now with the virus, there is no touring at all, and sales are in a terrible place, and streaming has only helped sales further decline. And the royalty rates are such a joke. 

I have to give big props to Bandcamp for sticking up for artists and doing their Bandcamp Fridays. Those have been a big help to me and many others. I hope people come to their senses and realize that buying music is the way. Or that streaming services start paying much higher royalty rates.  Artists need support, especially now that the idea of touring is a quagmire of uncertainty.

Q: You collaborated with several other artists like Thomas P. Heckmann, Rhys Fulber ao. I can imagine it’s always an opportunity to discover new tricks and ideas, but what did you learn from these collaborative efforts?   

Joey: I’ve been very lucky to work with such legends and learn from them. Rhys and Thomas both have talent flowing directly out of their hands, and one major thing I learned in working with them is to sit back and listen. I don’t mean not participate, but as someone so in control of my own music, it’s nice to let them guide a bit. In the case of Thomas, when we did the DRAX RESPONSE record, we actually did 10 tracks in three days.

From the moment I arrived at his studio we set up to jam and just didn’t stop except to eat or sleep at night. It was an instant synergy and I learned a lot about committing. The entire DRAX RESPONSE release was recorded live in one take, two track out to the computer. There was no multitracking or editing. All hardware synths and effects. A lot like how I do things, but with no ability to change anything at all after the fact. That was a big lesson for me, and I took that knowledge to “Void In” with the track “Chiralium”, which was the first track where I was brave enough to just record a stereo mix.  

Rhys and I have been working together since around 2012 or so when we did the Fear Factory album “The Industrialist” together. He has taught me so much in so many different areas of music, from production techniques to ways to manage my career. I have to fully give it up to him. I’m happy to say he is one of my best and closest friends and owe a lot to him for everything he’s imparted to me. He is absolutely a master of his craft and it was awesome to finally do a record together with him. It feels like we should have done it sooner.  

Q: You this year also set up your own label Megastructure_, which I can imagine is something totally different than only making music. What incited you to set up Megastructure? Is there a kind of label philosophy and what might we expect for the new few months? 

Joey: I made Megastructure so I could have a direct line to my fans when releasing music. I wanted a bit more control over the process of production and scheduling and so here we are. I also decided I want to shine a light on artists I think are talented and want to support. There are a few new releases in the pipeline from other artists now but I don’t want to share too much. I prefer to announce things when they are already almost out. 

As for what to expect, I can say that it can be literally anything. I like a broad range of electronic sounds so it won’t just be Techno or Industrial or any one genre.  

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

According to the Norwegian outlet Dagens Næringsliv, Tidal (a subscription-based music streaming service of lossless audio) is close to shutting down as it has just enough money left “to last another six months”. The news doesn’t come as a surprise, the start-up has been going from bad to worse since it started.

The company, fronted by rapper Jay Z, gathered a staggering $44 million in losses in 2016 and has had trouble getting traction from day one, although they keep on claiming they are doing well. ‘Well’ is subjective, the service only has 1.2 million subscribers (and not 3 million as Jay Z always claimed).

And there’s more. The claims that it pays the highest percentage of royalties to music artists and songwriters within the music streaming market can be taken with a big grain of salt as it has a very bad track record when it comes to reporting sales, let alone pay, especially to indie labels. But not only indie labels, Kayne West for instance terminated his contract with Tidal, claiming that the service owed him $3 million.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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The streaming market is consolidating. Rdio, the online music streaming service launched by Skype founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis on August 3, 2010, will be shutting down. Rdio has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, and announced the sale of certain intellectual property to Pandora Radio for US$75 million in cash. Upon approval of the proposed transaction by the bankruptcy court, Rdio will be winding down the Rdio-branded service in all markets. It will shut down in the coming weeks but for the moment will continue uninterrupted. Rdio is currently available in 85 countries.

That means game over for Rdio because Pandora will not try to transfer the Rdio business in any way because Rdio “is financially challenged”. In other words, Rdio has reached a dead end. The assets Pandora is planning to buy include technology and intellectual property but that will not include licensing deals.

The reason for this is simple, Pandora wants to negotiate a more lucrative deal with labels (read: lower royalty rates on its music plays). Pandora has long focused on a more radio-like approach to online music streaming, but that is about to change now. It remains to be seen if it will be able negotiating better deals than those other on-demand music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. Pandora is only available in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

side-line.com