Failing Better Music Blog

I tend to drive on back roads. If there’s a main artery through the city and I know that I can move more quickly (or at least with less traffic congestion) on the next, smaller streets over I will most likely do it. I used to do this out of “necessity” in my drinking days (and believe me that’s not said with pride), but I realized that this is how I tend to live my creative life as well.

Hi, I’m Matt, and I’m a Cult Artist.

There are the artists that define and represent a genre in people’s minds. There are also the artists du jour, and then the second tier artists that eventually fall off the face of the earth from listener (or their own) apathy. Then there are the Weird Ones– the artists that stick around because of a relatively small group of diehards that, for some reason, glom onto them and follow them through thick and thin because even though they aren’t the first name that pops out of someone’s mouth when you are asking about artists in X-Genre, they’re mainstays. They’re doing something special that keeps the faithful coming back for more, and they’re doing it because they don’t know any other fucking way.

That’s the Dead Milkmen. That’s Saul Williams. That’s Billy Bragg. That’s Ani DiFranco. Hell, on the grandest scale that’s TOOL.

And that’s, to a much, much lesser level, Caustic.

I’ve taken a weird way to “success,” as I’m one of the predominant industrial artists that has, *GASP*, a sense of humor about industrial. Every song isn’t a stupid yuckfest (though some idiots seem to think I’m always joking. Yes, songs about alcoholism are HYSTERICAL. Shitheel.) I’m hardly the first, but I’m probably one of the loudest out there currently, and I may have more fans of ME due to that than my music, like Henry Rollins vs The Rollins Band. I’ve been written off for it by the majority of the industrial/ebm scene over the years, or at least the ones who have even heard of me. Most people only remember me for getting kicked off a KMFDM tour…in 2006. And no, I don’t feel like talking about that anymore. Not because it sucked, because it stopped mattering a few months after it happened. Move on.

But not everyone wrote me off. Some people “got” what I did. Some people realized I wasn’t just being a dick and there was some actual thought behind this stuff (well some of it…some was just pretty stupid), and that maybe…just maybe…industrial could be fun, too. Fortunately some of these people also booked shows or made music themselves, so by working my ass off getting my name out there I gained a following of similar-minded weirdos from all over the place. Most were rivetheads, but also punks, metalheads, and the occasional grandma got into my shit.

And when it came to labels I’ve always prided myself on being as DIY as possible. I’ve never “needed” a label. I’ve probably self-released nearly as much as I’ve put out on labels, and I’ve released a lot. A big part of my philosophy is also not taking money in advance and funding them without label help. In the early days when I did everything EXCEPT mastering my own stuff it wasn’t as costly, but when I started actually getting a larger following I started getting a little more professional, and that required more money…and honestly, money I didn’t have. Fans of music rarely seem to understand how little musicians make these days. Shows and merch only bring in so much, especially as a cult artist. Sure, I can play anywhere in the country to a small crowd, but I’m not selling out venues. This is just how it is, and how it is for most of us. We aren’t all Combichrist or VNV Nation.

But the internet has been great for cult artists like me, because I have fans all over the world. Maybe it’s only a handful in all of Australia or a few in Iceland, but the fact that anyone outside of my continent even knows what I do is mind blowing. I built this audience never relying on mainstream media (or even most of the scene-related media) to help me, because if I did I would be nothing but disappointed because not one single mainstream source has any interest in my music. So I took another path– social media. Being funny has its benefits, and the biggest one is if you can nail something on the head AND make people laugh…well that’s gold. People share that shit like wildfire.

I generally work with small labels too, and because I don’t want an advance (and, conversely, the labels couldn’t give me much to begin with) I use crowdfunding as a means to raise the necessary funds to finish my albums “properly”, as well as get the ball rolling in a promotional capacity, but most positively I use it as a means to connect with my cult (and I mean “cult” in the most loving, non-actual-culty way), as these people are the reason I’ve gotten anywhere. Having a cult is good that way, as they WANT to support you. I’ve backed plenty of campaigns for the simple reason that I BELIEVE in this artist and it makes me happy to see them succeed and keep putting their art out into the world the way we all want to hear/see/taste it. That’s beautiful to me.

Crowdfunding has it’s naysayers, but this is a modern solution to a modern problem for many of us. No money in releasing music? Go straight to the source and work for the money a different way, ideally with the backers getting great stuff exclusive to them for helping and saving your butt. I consider that win-win. It’s a way to sidestep the traditional music industry, and keeping in line with my original metaphor, it’s a creative side street.  It’s also a comparatively easier way to achieve your goal if you aren’t averse to working your ass off to fulfill all of your obligations. And as an aside, anyone who sees crowdfunding as “begging” or “panhandling” hasn’t personally spent hundreds of hours making the art backers get and THEN dozens of hours signing and packaging premiums and coordinating a ton of special projects for people willing to shell out for your art. Begging is significantly easier, and honestly a little less costly on the ego if you don’t succeed.

There are obvious disadvantages of being a Cult Artist, chiefly that you’re never going to get rich off it and that you’re simply going to confuse people who have predetermined expectations for the style of music they like, but the benefits are far more pleasing. Cult Artists have a foundation built on something far more special than generated hype– it’s built on respect between the audience and your art. It’s SPECIFICALLY built on you being a unique snowflake and NOT being the artist du jour. It’s built on you being the weird kid at the party, because as much fun as the popular kids are, the weird kids are a lot less predictable and a whole lot more fun to watch sometimes.

Sometimes it sucks being the weird kid at the party, but often it makes you love the people who take the time to hang with you even more than if they just liked you because everyone else said to, so thanks to everyone who spreads the word on Cult Artists. You’re our lifeblood, and even though we’d be doing this without you because This is What We Do, I for one appreciate the hell out of anyone willing to enjoy the ride with me.