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On Might 14, System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian will launch his personal memoirs, Down With The System, looking again at his fascinating life, the unbelievable highs and lows of his storied profession within the music business and his passionate, lifelong activism. In an unique extract from the e-book, Metallic Hammer can reveal, in Serj’s personal phrases, the thrilling circumstances that nearly resulted within the singer signing British rock icons Muse to his personal file label, again once they had been a younger and upcoming band – and the unlucky flip of occasions that allegedly led to him lacking out.
“My label, Serjical Strike, was at all times conceived as an outlet for working with artists I like,” he explains. “I didn’t have any actual business ambitions for it. That however, I narrowly missed out on signing the British band Muse in 2002 and early 2003, simply earlier than they grew to become enormous stars in America. Narrowly missed out is a diplomatic means of placing it. I used to be sort of screwed over.
“I’d seen Muse play at European festivals the place System was performing. On the time, the band already had an enormous following in Europe however hadn’t damaged within the US. Actually, their American file label, Maverick – a Warner Bros. subsidiary run by our previous buddy Man Oseary – didn’t even launch their second album, Origin of Symmetry, within the States. Their music is that this infectious mix of progressive rock and European pop with deep-seated classical influences, however I assume the label thought American audiences wouldn’t get it. I spoke to their supervisor about making an attempt to barter an exit from their Maverick deal so I may signal them, and he appeared amenable to it. The blokes within the band had been genuinely good dudes. They got here to my home, we jammed collectively in my studio, they even performed with my canine.
“Maverick needed half one million {dollars} to let Muse out of their contract, so I went to Sony and pitched them, basically telling them, “Entrance this cash. This band will probably be price it after which some.” Sony hemmed and hawed. On the time, Muse was engaged on one other album, and Sony needed to attend to listen to it earlier than they’d decide to ponying up the half million {dollars} to pry Muse away from Maverick.
“Round this time, I used to be spending numerous time in Australia and New Zealand. That is earlier than I met Angela, and I used to be nonetheless making an attempt to salvage my relationship with my ex-girlfriend, who I’d met on my first journey all the way down to Sydney. Everybody is aware of that long-distance relationships are powerful to take care of, however I’d actually fallen for this Australian girl and needed to attempt to make it work. I left to go down there for a couple of months and advised my lawyer to let me know when the advance copy of Muse’s album arrived, so I may pitch the band once more to Sony. It might appear my lawyer failed to do this.
Within the meantime, a VP at Sony tried to go behind my again and signal Muse out from underneath me. By the point I heard something about any of this a number of months later, the entire ship had sailed. Warner Bros. heard the brand new Muse album, Absolution, moved them off Maverick, and was making preparations to launch the album by way of a special subsidiary. So far, it has offered greater than 3.5 million copies worldwide. The band’s follow-up, Black Holes And Revelations, has offered greater than 5 million.
“Now, to be honest, from a enterprise standpoint, I did so many issues unsuitable right here. First, I ought to’ve gone on to Man about releasing Muse from his label. We had been previous mates, and we’d have been capable of work out one thing far much less onerous than the $500,000 Maverick was asking for. Second, when Sony balked at paying that cash, I ought to’ve discovered it someplace else or put it up myself. Third, as irritated as I used to be at my lawyer for not letting me know that the album had been delivered, I ought to’ve been calling in to verify on it. I used to be means too Zen about the entire deal. My religious observe appeared to be instructing me to consider that if it’s meant to be, it is going to be. I wasn’t going to drive something. However that’s probably not the best way the music enterprise works.
“All that mentioned, in the end, I got here away from this beautiful irritated with Sony. For a file firm that I’d made a hell of some huge cash for to not solely be unwilling to spend money on my imaginative and prescient however to actively undermine it was galling. The truth that their machinations ended up scuttling what would’ve been an especially profitable deal for each my firm and theirs is much more so.”
Down with the System by Serj Tankian is out Might 14 through Headline. Learn extra from Serj in an upcoming difficulty of Metallic Hammer
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