Artist Releases Album Exclusively on Demonoid
Written by Ernesto on June 07, 2008When Nine Inch Nails decided to give away their latest album for free, the news soon spread all over the Internet. However, NiN was not the first, nor will they be the last. Tens and thousands of artists share their music on Demonoid, The Pirate Bay, Mininova and other BitTorrent sites. We got in touch with one of them to find out why.
Xihilisk is one of the many artist who use BitTorrent as one of their main distribution platforms, and for a good reason. BitTorrent makes it possible to reach millions of people at once, at zero cost.
Being a dedicated user of Demonoid, Xihilisk is used to sharing his (and probably others) music. His previous 10 albums are all available for free on BitTorrent. However, he decided to release his latest album “EPTwo Special Edition”, exclusively on the popular BitTorrent tracker Demonoid.
This move seems to be counterintuitive, since an exclusive release on Demonoid will limit the audience. On the other hand, the album wont be exclusive for a long time. In fact, it’s the nature of p2p and BitTorrent that such releases soon spread to other sites.
We got in touch with Xihilisk to find out what motivates artists like himself to share their music on BitTorrent.
TF: Why did you decide to exclusively release your new album on Demonoid?
Xihilisk: I’ve been with Demonoid for a few years, and its always been the first place I go to look for something. I’ve been a member of quite a few other private trackers, and still am, but Demonoid has lots of obscure stuff I haven’t found anywhere else.
In terms of it suitability for this release, it has a large user base, and a decent community that seem genuinely interested in listening to music they’ve never heard of.
TF: What are the benefits of sharing your music on BitTorrent for artist like yourself?
I’ve always given away my music for free. I used to burn off a load of CDRs and hand them out to random people and leave them lying around places, then came myspace, and then the explosion of BitTorrent use. It seemed like the next logical step.
I was using torrents for a long time before I realized that if people can share major artists via the medium, then why can’t I share my own music. Of course, I knew that quite a few people were already doing this, but its still the most exciting and effective way for me to get my music to people who never would have found it otherwise.
TF: What do you think of the RIAA, and the big music labels, for going after their own customers?
Xihilisk: Fuck the RIAA. It sickens me when I hear about somebody getting fined a tonne of cash for downloading a couple of songs off LimeWire (and sharing them probably without even knowing they were). I understand that copyright infringement exists, but destroying someone’s life just for getting a few songs off the internet is disgraceful.
What I find most ironic is that you can share thousands of death metal albums online and you’ll almost certainly never find trouble, but share one Lionel Richie track and they’ll nail you to a wall.
TF: Do you think the music industry will change in let’s say the next 5 years? How do you want it to be?
Xihilisk: 5 years? What music industry? Hopefully, there will only be music.
The Internet is rapidly leveling the playing field for all musicians. I’d like to see it where all money hungry labels go out of business, and a true DIY ethic takes over. You want to get your band noticed? Make really good music and the internet will do the rest. You want to make money? Play a load of gigs or forget it.
Trying to get signed these days is a lost cause. Yes iTunes is doing well, and who knows what tricks the record companies have up their sleeves to stop people getting music illegally, but the fact is that now you’re very lucky if you can make a living from being an artist.
I’m more than happy with that fact that many thousands of people have downloaded my albums legally, for free. And maybe even listen to them!
TF: Thanks, we wish you all the best.
For those who want to check it out, the album can be downloaded at Demonoid. Xihilisk describes his as experimental indie/electronica, with a hint of chiptune, post rock, metal and several other genres.
On a sidenote, it appears that Demonoid has been inaccessible to Dutch users for a few days. The block happened after the site did some server maintenance, there is no official explanation yet, but we will post an unpdate as soon as we have more info.
Previously: Be Afraid of BitTorrent, Very, Very Afraid
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70 Responses
Fuck the RIAA indeed!
Nice. Won’t be able to download tho, since http://www.demonoid.com has been blocked in the complete netherlands. >.<
even music artists are on the pirates side… the RIAA should give up already
Go Xihilisk! I love your perspective and attitude… kudos!
I was not familiar with you before reading this article, but I’m grabbing the album right now.
I hope you on to achieve massive success.
damn, it’s true. demonoid’s blocking all requests from the netherlands!!!
*update
bottom line
I bet those BREIN fuckers are behind it. I want demonoid :(
to the people in the Netherlands, by now the album has been upped to TPB, if not i will………
haha good luck with the album,
Fuck the RIAA!!
http://www.pccurb.com
I actually was familar with you before this article – I saw your album on demonoid, downloaded it, and liked it. I’ve been seeding it ever since and just today realized that there were many more downloaders.
We’ve got the artists coming to P2P – the next step is to raise awareness of these artists. This is essential, actually – things like Demonoid’s front page thing and this TF article are needed more to raise awareness of these great artists who want to share with the world. Sure, people will still download the latest corporate pop album, but these guys are the ones that need and deserve our support! They’re for the art and not the money, they all have my greatest respect.
This is some seriously good music. If you’re into electronic music, like Boards of Canada or such, then grab this now. Thanks to the maker of this music, a great thanks :)
It would also be good to note the two other bands releasing their music free on Demonoid,
Cold Electric: http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1454501/14325541/
and
Nasdat: http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1500368/23754378/
[quote]The Internet is rapidly leveling the playing field for all musicians. I’d like to see it where all money hungry labels go out of business, and a true DIY ethic takes over. You want to get your band noticed? Make really good music and the internet will do the rest. You want to make money? Play a load of gigs or forget it.[/quote]
fuckin’ A, bubba, fuckin’ A
(vote Ron Paul)
@2
Try Demonoid.cc
It’s a clone server, it allows me to go on demonoid at school :D otherwise, try Ultrasurf 8.1
> “Try Demonoid.cc It’s a clone server,”
It’s the same server, just different domain name.
Downloading now and will be sharing it with the mates if its any good.
Looking forward to seeing more news on liberated music from artists with a clue!
Props to Xihilisk
Wish Xihilisk well for his career. Here is to the day the four big record labels have to shutter up. They ripped off consumers and artists alike for years, but all scams come to an end. Let’s hope some SONY and BMG employees have their lives ruined along the way. Those worms deserve it.
whether i like it or not, im going to get this just yo support ya man! I love artists like you, keep the p2p artists alive and seed their shit!!
Major props to ya man, people like you are the reason the RIAA dosnt even need to exist, keep up the excellent work!
Sadly it seems that Xihilisk is a bit mad about the album being on The Pirate Bay. (See first comment.)
http://tinyurl.com/6onyfv
Not sure about how I feel about this. If you send out an album to people who are so used to sharing, do you get mad when they do just that?
cds ftw.
First uploaded more than 6 months ago !
http://thepiratebay.org/search/Xihilisk/0/99/0
This is just… advertising.
Anyway guy has to understand that once the stuff is online, there is no possibility of spreading control anymore. So no need to argue, there are no things such as “exclusives”.
no such things as*
and it was even on archive.org. So, lol at his comment.
http://www.archive.org/details/Xihilisk-EPTwo_657
In the Torrentworld “Exclusive” and “Limited” are words that do not exist anymore.
“Fuck the RIAA”
His ratio on Demonoid is 0.27 :P
Downloaded: 47.26 GB
Uploaded: 12.99 GB
xihilisk Ratio: 0.27
as great as he seems nice seeding fuckstick
2 Demonoid blocked: Use proxy sites like hydemyass.info and others
Gona respond to a couple of the comments here.
First, the copies of EPTwo available already is a different album, hence the “Special Edition” which has 3 new tracks and has new mastering. It says this on the demonoid torrent.
The dude who upped it to the PB a couple of days after i released it on Demonoid, like i said in the comment, i’m all for sharing obviously but if i put Demonoid Exclusive on something in capital letters, id at least expect people to keep it that way at for a short while at least. The original EPTwo has been upped everywhere, including TPB, but the special edition i was hoping would be “Demonoid Exclusive” for a time.
@Xihilisk
Respect for your efforts, but if you know the BT-scene good enough, you could have expected that. That’s just plain reality. Like i said words ike “Exlusive” or “Limited” do not exist. At least not for long.
Yeah, i guess i should have really. I was just a little peeved at the time and i guess looking back that comment on TPB seems to go against what i actually believe, which is free-music and copious sharing. It just seemed a little pointless when you can get it from Demonoid.
Oh and as for my ratio, with a 25kbps upload its bloody hard as fook to keep my ratio up on so many trackers! Its going up slowly with this release though, hoping to hit 1.00 by the end of the week to make up for a few years of falling behind!
My ratio on what.cd is 49.37 though, which im quite proud of!
Netherlands people …….. use a proxy please!!!!!!! there is ALWAYS a way around being blocked. The Canadians figured it out! Anyone can access Demonoid, even if their pigheaded, ignorant government tries to block them.
this is get the RIAA’s panty’s up in a bunch :)
another sign showing that artists starting to be independent from label .
no label = no RIAA
Demonoid Is KING!!! Shit.cd and Noob.fm can go out and pack their stuff…
for all my fellow dutchies,use demonoid.cc its working for me now!!
Demonoid.com down as always…But It doesn’t mean to block them.
lol at #31. You obviously aren’t a member of what.cd and waffles.
Either that or use a proxy, easy as shit..
@xihilisk
you could have had it “exclusively” tracked by demo, if you would offer the public torrentfile for everybody to grab!
See my comment on the “stolen” one on TPB too please
I’m successfully using tor to circumvent the demonoid block. But is demonoid blocking the netherlands or are dutch isp’s blocking demonoid? And why?
@kdsde
I wasnt aware that Demonoid was only open for a few days. All i meant by that comment is that i was hoping the Demonoid Exclusive would stay that way for a short while, otherwise i would have uploaded it everywhere myself like i’ve done with lots of my other releases.
Its not now exlusive obviously, and now ive seen it on quite a few other trackers where other people have uploaded it, and i welcome that fact. Implying that i said it was “stolen” is just ridiculous and plain wrong.
thats why me put the “stolen” in quotation marks.
see how you can keep the exclusivity of a demonoid release non the less!
http://thepiratebay.org/tor/4228696
you can archive exclusivness only as in your own created torrent has an exclusive tracker in it, not as in no one else can get your stuff
If you want for example some statistics how many people downlaoded your torrent, you can use a tracker like demo that keeps track of stats, but then make that torrentfile (not the content) worldwide available for ever and not just for a few days like it is the case with demonoid.
That’s what I was wondering to DDT…. we can only guess
#27 thx for providing the link I can visit Demonoid again. :)
@34: you know so little.
Just use any proxy server that is trusted to access those sites. There is thousands out there!
Xihilisk u rock, RIAA you fuck balls!
yawn
can torrentfreak please keep coverage of bands releasing their albums to free to vaguely succesful artisits? I mean when a major label artist releases them fine, when a popular indie artist does fine. But when someone who noone has heard of is saying it, even though theyd never get an offer from a major ever…its pointless.
Its like me releasing photos of my arse exclusively on bittorrent and saying fuck off to the newspapers and the associated press….
Xihilisk: Fuck the RIAA
DOWNLOAD HERE
Xihilisk-”EPTwo Special Edition” DEMONOID EXCLUSIV
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1497052/
Xihilisk-”EPTwo Special Edition” FLAC
http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1508411/1108846/
Indeed.. fuck the RIAA.
[quote]
Sadly it seems that Xihilisk is a bit mad about the album being on The Pirate Bay. (See first comment.)
http://tinyurl.com/6onyfv
Not sure about how I feel about this. If you send out an album to people who are so used to sharing, do you get mad when they do just that?
[/quote]
I dont agree with his statement. Sharing on internet is sharing with the world, I dont believe that you can bound it to one tracker.
“My ratio on what.cd is 49.37 though, which im quite proud of”
that might be stupider than having a ratio of .27. at least with a shitty ratio you’re leeching and helping the entire site out. seeding shit to 50 is just selfish and doesn’t help any of the leechers on the album.
i always find it great how quickly the story went from embracing bittorrent to being pissed that somebody didn’t follow his magical rules of being demonoid exclusive.
My ratio on Demonoid is now 1.02, happy? http://www.demonoid.com/users/xihilisk
And as for the pirate bay thing, i dont know how many more ways i can explain it, so im not going to.
@xihilsik
just say you wanted to “pull a skyla” with your “man I’m pissed that it is here”-comment and everybody is happy again :-P
TPB blog post 40 explains “to pull a skyla”
P.S. it begins with that one
#59. Skyla Burrell Blues Band – 09-13 2006
lol im not sure how that applies. I just thought a Demonoid exclusive would stay that way for a short while, but if more people are downloading the album then that is all i ever wanted.
Im just a musician who makes choons and has made not a penny in 9 years of putting stuff out, and has never wanted to. Im not going to keep this running debate about whether my TPB comment was naive or stupid, because it was probably both. But if a few people who download the release like it, then im happy.
Now i can get back to making the next release!
oh and if anyone is interested ive re-upped a couple more Xihilisk albums:
“anEP” (2007):http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1510242/2217692/
“0396″ (2006):http://www.demonoid.com/files/details/1510245/5544230/
Hi there!
I totally agree with this. In fact, as a musician myself, I decided to release my debut album on Mininova Featured Free Content Distribution. The album was out in debut January 08 and have been downloaded more than 10.000 times till now! I would never had achieve something like that by selling or even giving it free just on my site.
It brings me tons of comments and fans from all over the world. It gave me the confidence that maybe my experimental electronica was something worth it.
So, thank you Mininova, thank you downloaders and thank you fans!
I’m now planning a Deluxe Edition to celebrate this and I’m planning to release my next two album in the same way.
You can find my album on Mininova at:
http://www.mininova.org/tor/1080807
and my official website at:
icesixxx.uber.com
And thanks for listening!
IceSixxx ;-)
The download counts on Mininova are MASSIVELY innaccurate. One of my albums has been downloaded 21,767 times on there apparently, yet i seeded it almost from when it was uploaded and never saw more than a few peers at a time, but the download count was going up by hundreds every day.
I thought this was odd so i uploaded one myself and just left it there, and in a few days it said it had like 300 downloads, yet i had uploaded absolutely nothing, nada.
Can we have an update on this please?
Is demoniod blocking requests or is the country blocking demoniod?
Thanks!
http://www.ezee.se/ Copyright is copyWRONG
yes ,what is up with demonoid in holland,if i use a proxy there is no problem,if i use demonoid,cc i have to f5 all the time but it works,if i use demonoid.com,i get http 500,then i f5 a couple of times,then i get the homepage,then i fill in my password and name and then i get the http 500 error again.
the problems started wednesday 04 -06-2008
Dutch people, sign up with Relakks.com as VPN (!) proxy. They have a 30-day free trial and Demonoid works fine for me now.
I’m really loving this, it’s like electronic music with emotion.
Note: If Demonoid is blocked, you can direct download his music from his MySpace page.
@ Xihilisk (and others)
If you want something to be “exclusive” why not title your releases differently?
Your.Album.(200x).The.Demonoid.Cut.MP3.rar
or something similar and pay tribute to your favorite torrents sites that way? Doesn’t matter where it ends up, it’ll always have a reliable download location in the title tag.
“Tens and thousands of artists share their music on Demonoid, The Pirate Bay, Mininova and other BitTorrent sites.”
Liar.
Speaking of ratios, has anyone had difficulty with demonoid/utorrent tracker stat reporting? it doesnt seem to give a shit how much i ul (no update) and dl stats update erraticly . I know it’s once a day but its been a week of normal usage but my stats havent changed in a long ass while.
yes, demonoid also blocked in Belgium.
Great!
“Pull a Skyla” ….
Pretty fucking funny :)
Yep, it’s me and here we go again with a new CD coming out this week.
Maybe I’ll beat the seeders to the punch this time and put it up myself to avoid more bullshit……
In your opinion, what’s the best movie ever created?
albüm iyimi? valla.
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