This is a call to arms! Music sales are down regardless of genre, but since my aesthetics align with hardcore and metal sounds, this post is a particular appeal to other likeminded souls. Century Media Records, the biggest independent label within the scene, recently adopted the mantra: “Owning the CD is the badge of honor.” And if the major players are feeling the bite of declining sales, you can bet it is worse for the smaller labels. Case in point, Eau Claire‘s CAH Records. For a decade, Nick Carroll has been proprietor of Crimes Against Humanity Records, a label that has released (and distributed) quality hardcore and metal albums at affordable prices. Now, he is facing the stark possibility that he may have to close up shop. And we need look no further than a mirror to see our complicity. “…for every one album I sell, my releases get stolen hundreds of times…I’ve easily lost $50,000 and try not to think about how much more than that it could possibly be. Sales are down on average 50% since 2005. Sales in the last few months are the worst ever,” Carroll says. So before you download that song illegally (or burn a copy for/from a friend), think about the blast radius engendered by each click. Instead, check out the digital downloads available on his site. Or, better yet, you could buy the CD, cassette, or vinyl. From the new Dead Congregation album to the latest Wolfbrigade release, he has a vast selection of music to satiate your (morbid) desires.

SAMPLE SOME C.A.H. TRACKS:
Isolation Embrace by Desolatevoid

Way Past Wits End by Desolatevoid