I don't know how interesting the "noise biz" are for listeners in general, but perhaps in noise where most people are somehow selling or trading their stuff, it is quite interesting topic. For me certainly is interesting. What I generally have observed, most people tend to assume that other people sell more, and they don't. Or expect that stuff should just fly out of shelves. When talking of numbers, I guess in episode wasn't talked about exact numbers. I would assume vast majority of noise falls between 50-300? To press 500 these days requires more trust to demand. In any format, I guess? Doing 1000 copies of noise/PE release, that probably indicates its unlikely there would be so many bands or labels selling more? I would be curious to hear the
numbers if someone is actually pressing more than 500 copies of album in 2020->
I think more distros would not hurt a bit. I think there is HUGE wasted potential noise crowd, who would buy stuff, if these is "local" supply, by dealer who they like to buy from. Anyone can probably remember recent case from their own, where looking at announcement of release, thinking "I'd buy that if it was available here".
Even as simple as listening Jason Crumer episode from WCN podcast, and I was thinking I should get these new JC albums. But ordering single album from american label? Not going to happen. If it was available from some Finnish dealer (say, Kaos Kontrol, Satatuhatta,..), I could buy it. So question is not so much about if album is good, does one want it, but where it can be bought and what it might cost. Fact is, that most people don't have the luxury of "I'll pay what it costs" -attitude. As there is no shortage of good noise, you just buy something else.
That album is available somewhere, is not "distribution". It is just centralized sale. Distribution, by definition, would be shared out among a group or spread over an area. To enable
scene, that there could be almost random guy, who'll be browsing distro table at noise gig and grab something. Or quite small social circles, when someone can say to 5 friends that I got bunch of these phenomenal noise CDs, you want some? Not even needing to do writeup's, just tell to friend you know this is right up your alley. Perhaps even record stores having it on shelves so guys who don't even know what they are looking after, might grab it. I do not think abundance of distributors necessarily compete with eachother. They do in platforms like discogs. But if you have your own network, that is actively communicated with, I am confident, that one doesn't have to compete about same international die-hard collectors, but enable entirely new local noise crowd to emerge. I'm 100% sure, most guys would grab bunch of noise tapes for 7 euros, on monthly basis, even if they have been formerly firmly opposed to buying them. If that meant... 20-30usd ppd a pop from overseas? I am confused, if someone would live in country, bigger than Finland (5 million people, entire country) and claim there absolute doesn't exist 5 guys willing to pay for great noise album?
I know this episode was recorded before Scream & Writhe opened his noise forum, so there is no talk about it. I'm sure most have heard by now, but if not, there is new noise forum opened, More smartphone friendly and pic upload possibility:
https://www.screamandwrithe.com/forum/index.phpLike with distribution, I feel more is better. Having handful of forums is good. Usually there is specific spirit or leaning and there emerges new users perhaps even new crowd who don't feel other forums are their taste for whatever reason. If momentum is there, good things can happen. Forum already now has starting discussions where would be plenty of substance to contribute. Excellent decision to start taking back noise from platforms of multination social media companies.
(I do not want to make SI more mobile-friendly, nor more picture oriented. Quite opposite. I prefer conditions what force people out of social media type climate. Also, the 90's style
everything goes attitude: Incel brutes, funny hat experimentalists and HN t-shirt crowd all together, able to get along in somewhat same scene)