After 'discovering' Under Byen earlier this year it took months for their second album (2002) to be released in my country (the Netherlands).

After seeing them live in Amsterdam last month I wanted more... so I ordered the 'Live at Haldern Pop' cd at amazon.de on June 25, at the concert they only sold the vinyl version. Today, one month later, it still has not been shipped and is listed to be available in 1 or 2 weeks.

I also tried all european online music stores to find a copy of their debut 'Kyst'. Totally unavailable or 'temporary out of stock'.

Why is their music so hard to get? Why don't they sell the tracks as a digital download?

Anybody got an idea how and where I could buy the music of Under Byen without waiting for months and months?

Or do they really not like to sell music?

I think their minds a somewhat occupied with recording some new songs for the first time in a long time - and then do some more touring. But that's just my guess.

Anyway...

But as you can read on the News page their sold out debut "Kyst" will be re-issued. I put up some links for shops there. The same links are on the pages The Music and Discography - at the bottom.

I don't know about Amazon. Maybe it would be better to go directly to the source, Haldern Pop Recordings? They have an online shop too ( www.haldern-pop.de/de/shop ).

Considering the time that has gone by since UB played in Holland in January I think it's reasonably fast they got their album out there (June). Remember, they are on indie labels and have to find partners for that abroad - in Holland's case Excelsior Recordings ( www.excelsior-recordings.net ).

Fact is: Under Byen is actually selling records now! And the demand for more is being met as we are writing this. In a few months "Kyst" will be out again.

Under Byen are not big sellers in Denmark (this country is small - and mainstream hell with not much space for independents in the media where they in a perfect world should get more attention). Still, their albums and gigs get rave reviews, but too many record-buyers want Britney, Justin & Co. Well, ain't it the same all over the world? And being in a small country I maybe a band like Under Byen are not used to sell records at the rate they seem to be doing right now...I dunno.

By the way, you might wanna check the smaller one-man indie shops at sites like www.gemm.com and www.netsoundsmusic.com - I think I saw a few there. Keep looking there once in a while.

The Haldern EP is also at German eBay ( www.ebay.de ).

I guess "wanting more" is a bit of a problem when a band hasn't released that much yet. But there's live stuff out there. Check the VPRO site and www.sharingthegroove.org (once it's back up again after these days of maintenance).

Digital download? Isn't that a major label game? And Coca-Cola?

Anyway, happy hunting! I hope the links will help you.

Best greets!

Lars

Thanks for the info, suggestions and links. I'll check them out.

"Digital download? Isn't that a major label game?"

I don't think so! It will be the future for 'small' artists and labels. Just look at indie-label digital stores like Bleep or !K7 or Playlouder... they all sell good quality, unprotected mp3 files. And what about Kristin Hersh? She is selling rare live tracks and demos in a series of 'Works in Progress'. MP3-only. Many more examples out there... (others than Apple's iTunes Music Store and WMA sites like Napster).

A legal digital download could be a great medium for Under Byen (and tons of other smaller bands and labels). A perfect way to let fans buy rare tracks and remixes from unavailable and deleted products (cd/vinyl). I'm only into downloading music if the label or artist lets me pay for it or offer it for free. I don't like stealing music.

If Under Byen - or their label - would offer digital downloads I could have listened to their music right now. Instead I have to wait for some cd-factory to reprint an old album, for a local record company to sign some distribution deal, for an online recordstore to have it in stock.

I want 'Kyst' on my iPod!

He-he, yeah, I know there are some indie download places, but the majors really wanna control that too, won't they? Looks like it anyway.

Anyway, I still like to have a cd including booklet and all - or LP - in my hand. But mostly.... I simply hate the sound of mp3s. The compression loss is still audible and that's not good enough. And therefore I think mp3 quality is not worth paying for.
Then I prefer shn-format....which you can make wav-files out of. And THEN do whatever you want with (be it making your own mp3s, burning them onto a cd or playing them onto a minidisc).

Mp3s are brilliant for discovering music on the web. And then afterwards I'd like the music in proper good sound quality. Listening to mp3s in a headphone is even worse. So I won't pay for it (this means: I don't download it illegally either).

Oh well...one thing at a time. Under Byen is still a fairly unknown band in the world of music (but for how long? ). But yeah, of course it would be could if they could be more widely available.

Maybe this thread will be inspiring, ha-ha?



All good things come to those who wait. Isn't that the saying? Maybe it'll be that much sweeter once you get it, he-he. PLUS you'll get some great artwork too. These cds are not just crappy jewelboxes with unimaginative booklets. The whole package is neat. It ties well with the music. You get "the whole experience" and not just a few bleeps in an iPod.

Yeah, I know...I'm oldfashioned and "romantic".

L

If the music is good and the compact disc is packed in a well designed sleeve I also prefer the 'real' product. I still buy a lot of cd's... but ever since Apple developed iTunes and their wonderful iPod I hardly play those discs. They're just hardcopies in an archive...

MP3/AAC files are fine for regular daily use.

I hope Under Byen will offer this kind of distribution in the future. I've just read your news-page and learned I have to wait 'til they perform in my region again in October and November... but they don't visit the Netherlands... or order online and again wait many many weeks and pay way too much packing/shipping costs (+22 euro for '2 Ryk Og En Aflevering' at one online store... for 18 minutes of music).

How are more people going to know Under Byen if maybe half of their backcatalogue is more or less unavailable?

Anyways, thanks for running this site Lars!

Well, I don't know how the original "Det Er Mig Der Holder Træerne Sammen" sleeve looked but the one over here - released by Excelsior Recordings - looks like one big promotion for Excelsior Recordings. Their logo is everywhere and better readable than the actual information and tracklist. The disc itself does not even mention it contains Under Byen - just one big Excelsior-logo.

The booklet with the pictures looks beautiful... but I don't get it why Excelsior turned this thing into a promotional item.

buying any music on amazon from smaller label usually fail

I see your point. That sounds horrible. I didn't know that. The Danish version has of course no such thing. The cd itself has white and blue squares like a chequered flag. Not even the label or bandname is on it. The booklet only has pictures of the two girls and lyrics. And mine was one of the first 1000 copies in which the band added unique touches to each. Mine has two bits of synthetic fur with some plastic pearls in it. Quite amusing.

I was thinking yesterday if I should encourage fans who got the first unique versions to make scans of the added touches and mail them to me so I can make a page with pictures. Could be fun. I saw a booklet with small cartoon clippings in it once. Totally different than mine.

The LP version has no booklet. The labels on the vinyl has the same white/blue-thing with no words and the record is lovely 180 g. And the sleeve is the same front and back as the cd digipak - just bigger (yummy).

Well, I hope you find the music you need.

Hm, I can't read Belgian, but doesn' this one...

http://www.kwadratuur.be/gratis.php?id=75

...say: Win an Under Byen cd for free ("Gratis"?).

L

Well, first of all it's not a question whether Under Byen likes to sell records or not. It's too complicated to explain here but let me just say that there's been a lot of work in getting the second studio album out due to copyright-ownership and the fact that the label that put out Under Byen's two records more or less closed down a year ago.
Obviously we're sorry that both "Kyst" and "Det er mig..." have been out of stock for way too long but the future seems bright concerning these matters. As written elsewhere Under Byen will bring some "Kyst"-cds with them on tour and no worries: Dutch gigs are beeing booked and will bring us to The Lowlands in late Sep/early Oct for a few shows.
Regarding you criticism of the Dutch eidtion which you refer to as one big promotional copy of Excelsior I don't quite agree with you. It's true that some changes have been made from the original cover art-work, but as you would know from other Excelsior releases they have a certain style/branding of their label and therefor print their logo and all their CDs and on the front-cover. It might not (from my point of view) be as classic and aesthetic as the DK issue, but afterall I find it acceptable.
And as for the new edition of the vinyl it's most likely that it'll include a 4 color poster with credits / pics on one side and a band-pic on the other.
Anyways, once we return to The Netherlands, Belgium, France, wherever, we'll hopefully be fully armed with CDs, 12", remixes and other merchandise.

/jesper

Thanks for the info and comments. I'll visit you again later this year... but hope to have listened to Kyst by then.

During the last performance in Paradiso Amsterdam I only knew the last album and heard a few beautiful 'unknown' songs... that must be on the first album. And then my quest started... and ended here.

I know Excelsior Recordings has a very 'in your face' visual identity... I grew up with labels like 4AD, Factory, Touch, Leaf, FatCat, Rune Grammofon - also with their own graphic mentalities... but making the label-logo more important than the product is too much for me - I know 'it's only the artwork' but as a graphic designer I prefer a more subtile approach.

I hope your third album will see a worldwide release on day one!

Please consider making rare and 'deleted' tracks available for a digital download in the near future...

emiel

The band didn't play that much from "Kyst" actually. There were several unreleased songs on their setlist. It looked pretty much like this on the recent tour:

1. Intro - Lenin (Det er mig...)
2. Palads (unreleased - was part of demo for Det er mig...)
3. Plantage (Det er mig...)
4. Mission (Det er mig...)
5. Det er mig der holder træerne sammen (Det er mig...)
6. Kyst (Kyst)
7. Byen driver (Det er mig...)
8. Hjertebarn (Kyst)
9. Films jeg har set (unreleased - original version made for PortPolis performance)
10. Hvor er man henne? (unreleased cover song which they have played since around 2000)
11. Siamesisk (unreleased - was part of demo for Det er mig..., I think)
12. Legesag (Det er mig...)
On German leg of tour: 13. Totmacher (unreleased German traditional)

So he-he, looks like the band already have some goodies for the next album? Well, "Films jeg har set" was not part of the "Det er mig..." sessions... Who knows what'll happen?!

Still, "Kyst" is niiiice! The brilliant "Fugle Og Ild" is on that one. Three different live versions have been played of that one. All cool, he-he.

Do many other bands make rare and 'deleted' tracks available for a digital download? Or do most still release a bunch of files at a time as an album?

L

I'm dissapointed too, having to wait till the Store Vega gig for a chance to get "Kyst". The live thingy and DEMDHTS weren't hard to get at all though.

It's only in the last month or two that the last "Kyst" cds have dissappeared from the shelves in the Danish stores. You have just been unlucky, I guess. "If you snooze, you lose" or what is it the English say?

Still, I know someone who found a (new) "Kyst" at www.gemm.com the other day. Maybe a new one will turn up soon?

L

I couldn't aggree more...



So do we (and we're working on that one!)



Well, I don't know about 'deleted' tracks, but we'll, in one way or another, make the albums and perhaps rare tracks available for digital downloads one day. Again it's a matter of copyrights and these things take time to sort out. Sorry...

With 'deleted tracks' I mean tracks on deleted items... but once a release is deleted... the tracks are rare... so what's the difference between 'deleted' and rare tracks? I don't know. Cause if a track has really been deleted... etc. etc.

I hope you will figure out the copyrights...

There are a few labels and artists out there who are making rare stuff (in most cases promo, demo and vinyl-only material) available for legal (paid) downloads. Warp Records is doing this with their online store Bleep.

I think in a few years time the iTunes Music Store will also sell tons of rare and exlusive tunes (but let's first hope the store opens in the rest of Europe soon).