WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.459 Welcome to the show. And thanks so much for joining 00:00:02.459 --> 00:00:04.839 us for another deep dive. Today, we're looking 00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:07.120 at a story that is going to completely change 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:09.300 how you think about building a brand from the 00:00:09.300 --> 00:00:11.779 ground up. It really is. And we're pulling all 00:00:11.779 --> 00:00:14.720 our insights today from a single, very extensive 00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:17.679 source, which is a deep dive Wikipedia article 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:20.800 chronicling the American progressive metal band 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:23.940 Periphery. Right. And here is the mission for 00:00:23.940 --> 00:00:28.140 our deep dive today. Even if you have never listened 00:00:28.140 --> 00:00:30.519 to a single heavy metal song in your entire life, 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:33.539 Periphery's story is an absolute masterclass 00:00:33.539 --> 00:00:37.359 in DIY entrepreneurship. Oh, 100%. We're going 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:39.539 to explore how they leveraged the early internet 00:00:39.539 --> 00:00:42.579 to literally help create a brand new musical 00:00:42.579 --> 00:00:45.280 subgenre and how they managed to diversify a 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:47.640 modern creative business in ways that, frankly, 00:00:47.759 --> 00:00:50.179 most traditional companies... only ever dream 00:00:50.179 --> 00:00:52.640 of. Yeah, you really do not need to be a metalhead 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:55.539 to appreciate the sheer business acumen and creative 00:00:55.539 --> 00:00:57.420 problem -solving this group has demonstrated 00:00:57.420 --> 00:01:00.179 over the past two decades. If you look past the 00:01:00.179 --> 00:01:02.619 distorted guitars, they are a literal case study 00:01:02.619 --> 00:01:04.840 in modern media and audience building. Okay, 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:06.560 let's unpack this. We have to start at the very 00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:08.540 beginning, which takes us back to Washington, 00:01:08.700 --> 00:01:12.140 D .C. in the year 2005. Right, right. The founder 00:01:12.140 --> 00:01:14.780 of the band is a guitarist named Misha Mansour. 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:17.859 And according to the source, he was initially 00:01:17.859 --> 00:01:20.980 operating under a solo project named called Bulb. 00:01:21.859 --> 00:01:24.239 What immediately stands out about Misha's origin 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:27.180 story is that he didn't wait for a record label 00:01:27.180 --> 00:01:29.920 to discover him. No, not at all. He didn't wait 00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:32.340 for some industry executive to hand him a contract. 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:34.400 He just started building an audience entirely 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:37.620 on his own. He bypassed the traditional gatekeepers 00:01:37.620 --> 00:01:41.099 completely. And he did it using the tools that 00:01:41.099 --> 00:01:43.019 were just starting to become widely available 00:01:43.019 --> 00:01:45.439 to the average consumer. I mean, for decades, 00:01:45.620 --> 00:01:47.799 if you wanted to release an album that sounded 00:01:47.799 --> 00:01:49.599 professional, you needed hundreds of thousands 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:51.760 of dollars to book a commercial recording studio. 00:01:52.019 --> 00:01:55.500 Exactly. But Mansoor essentially democratized 00:01:55.500 --> 00:01:58.019 audio production for this highly complex style 00:01:58.019 --> 00:02:00.780 of music. He used a home computer and a piece 00:02:00.780 --> 00:02:03.319 of gear called a Pod XT. Which is basically an 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:05.989 amp modeler for guitarists, right? Yeah, exactly. 00:02:06.170 --> 00:02:07.849 It allows you to plug straight into a computer 00:02:07.849 --> 00:02:10.430 and emulate massive speaker cabinets without 00:02:10.430 --> 00:02:12.550 actually needing them. So he started creating 00:02:12.550 --> 00:02:15.210 music in his bedroom and uploading it directly 00:02:15.210 --> 00:02:18.189 to early internet forums. The source mentions 00:02:18.189 --> 00:02:21.969 places like 7string .org, the John Petrucci message 00:02:21.969 --> 00:02:25.030 boards, and a platform called SoundClick. He 00:02:25.030 --> 00:02:26.949 was just a guy on the internet regularly updating 00:02:26.949 --> 00:02:29.610 his profile with new audio files. But the sound 00:02:29.610 --> 00:02:31.710 he was making wasn't just standard heavy metal, 00:02:31.770 --> 00:02:34.599 was it? Far from it. This home -brewed approach 00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:37.759 actually helped pioneer an entirely new offshoot 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:40.199 of progressive metal. It was a style heavily 00:02:40.199 --> 00:02:43.199 influenced by earlier bands like Meshuggah, meaning 00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:45.539 it was mathematically complex, highly rhythmic, 00:02:45.699 --> 00:02:48.280 and full of jarring, unexpected time signatures. 00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:50.879 And this specific sound Misha was developing 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:53.689 online became known as djent. Right? Yes, djent. 00:02:53.770 --> 00:02:56.629 That is spelled D -J -E -N -T, though the D is 00:02:56.629 --> 00:02:59.330 silent. It's actually an onomatopoeia. Like the 00:02:59.330 --> 00:03:02.150 sound it makes. Right. If you take a heavily 00:03:02.150 --> 00:03:05.050 distorted guitar, tune the strings down incredibly 00:03:05.050 --> 00:03:07.430 low and strike them while muting them with your 00:03:07.430 --> 00:03:10.469 palm, the resulting percussive metallic crunch 00:03:10.469 --> 00:03:13.849 sounds like the word djent. Periphery is widely 00:03:13.849 --> 00:03:15.710 considered one of the founding fathers of that 00:03:15.710 --> 00:03:18.270 entire musical movement. So Misha is building 00:03:18.270 --> 00:03:21.030 this new sound and cultivating this dedicated 00:03:21.030 --> 00:03:24.150 following on the end. But to take it live and 00:03:24.150 --> 00:03:26.650 turn this, you know, bedroom project into a real 00:03:26.650 --> 00:03:29.870 touring band, he needed members. Right. He couldn't 00:03:29.870 --> 00:03:32.889 do it all alone on stage. Exactly. And reading 00:03:32.889 --> 00:03:34.729 through the source material, the early days of 00:03:34.729 --> 00:03:37.849 Periphery sound exactly like a messy, volatile 00:03:37.849 --> 00:03:40.530 tech startup trying to find its core co -founders. 00:03:40.629 --> 00:03:44.050 It was a total revolving door of personnel. Misha 00:03:44.050 --> 00:03:45.949 was originally playing both drums and guitar 00:03:45.949 --> 00:03:47.870 for the project before he finally scoped out 00:03:47.870 --> 00:03:49.909 local talent and switched permanently to guitar. 00:03:50.270 --> 00:03:51.870 Finding the right people for music that requires 00:03:51.870 --> 00:03:54.569 this level of athletic precision is incredibly 00:03:54.569 --> 00:03:57.590 difficult. It has to be. The source lists a dizzying 00:03:57.590 --> 00:04:00.069 array of early members between 2005 and 2009. 00:04:00.669 --> 00:04:02.930 They found a local drummer named Jason S. Berlin, 00:04:03.169 --> 00:04:05.629 but he quickly left for Los Angeles and was replaced 00:04:05.629 --> 00:04:08.030 by Travis Orban. And the vocalists were constantly 00:04:08.030 --> 00:04:10.229 cycling out, too. Yeah, they went through Jake 00:04:10.229 --> 00:04:12.930 Verdeca, Casey Sable, and Chris Barreto in a 00:04:12.930 --> 00:04:15.330 very short span of time. That amount of turnover 00:04:15.330 --> 00:04:18.410 would kill most standard businesses, let alone 00:04:18.410 --> 00:04:20.600 a creative project. Yeah. How did they survive 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:23.040 that constant instability? Well, they used that 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:26.759 period as a sort of intense public beta testing 00:04:26.759 --> 00:04:29.300 phase. They were gradually shifting their sound 00:04:29.300 --> 00:04:31.939 during this time, moving from that very aggressive 00:04:31.939 --> 00:04:34.120 early style to something that incorporated more 00:04:34.120 --> 00:04:37.319 ambient melodic elements with a massive focus 00:04:37.319 --> 00:04:39.980 on innovative digital production. So they were 00:04:39.980 --> 00:04:41.740 finding their identity through trial and error. 00:04:41.899 --> 00:04:44.740 Exactly. It wasn't until 2010 that the puzzle 00:04:44.740 --> 00:04:47.620 pieces really started to snap together. They 00:04:47.620 --> 00:04:50.579 scouted a drummer. named Matt Halpern, who Misha 00:04:50.579 --> 00:04:53.600 amazingly found playing in a local pop band to 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:56.180 replace Travis Orban. Wow, from a pop band to 00:04:56.180 --> 00:04:58.540 progressive metal. I know. And then they uploaded 00:04:58.540 --> 00:05:00.899 an album sampler to the internet featuring vocals 00:05:00.899 --> 00:05:04.120 by a San Diego native named Spencer Sotelo, who 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:06.360 officially replaced Chris Barretto as their lead 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:08.620 singer. The transition from Chris Barretto to 00:05:08.620 --> 00:05:11.540 Spencer Sotelo is one of those highly relatable 00:05:11.540 --> 00:05:14.500 human moments in the source material. It wasn't 00:05:14.500 --> 00:05:16.680 just a quiet resignation. Chris Barretto was 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:18.860 actually fired from the band due to personal 00:05:18.860 --> 00:05:21.980 differences. And Misha Mansoor openly referred 00:05:21.980 --> 00:05:25.199 to him as a diva. Oh, yeah. That sparked a minor 00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:27.579 public feud between them that lasted for years. 00:05:27.879 --> 00:05:29.879 It's a classic band drama that usually tears 00:05:29.879 --> 00:05:32.360 groups apart and leaves a permanent bitter taste. 00:05:32.519 --> 00:05:34.939 True. But the source notes a brilliant moment 00:05:34.939 --> 00:05:37.720 of closure. They completely buried the hatchet. 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:40.300 They really did. Fast forward to November 2013. 00:05:41.079 --> 00:05:43.000 Periphery is playing a headlining show at the 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:45.420 Gramercy Theater. They come out for the encore 00:05:45.420 --> 00:05:48.519 to play their big breakthrough song, Icarus Lives. 00:05:49.060 --> 00:05:51.379 And who makes a surprise guest appearance on 00:05:51.379 --> 00:05:53.860 stage? Chris Barretto. Chris Barretto. They completely 00:05:53.860 --> 00:05:57.100 reconciled, ending the longstanding feud right 00:05:57.100 --> 00:05:59.079 here in front of the fans. What's fascinating 00:05:59.079 --> 00:06:02.480 here is how this volatile early period, the revolving 00:06:02.480 --> 00:06:04.860 door of members, the clashing egos, the trial 00:06:04.860 --> 00:06:08.100 and error, ultimately forged an incredibly stable 00:06:08.100 --> 00:06:10.240 and powerhouse lineup. They really built their 00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:12.480 foundation. Right. When you look at the core 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:15.699 group that emerged from that chaos, Misha Mansoor, 00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:19.579 Spencer Sotelo, Matt Halpern, along with guitarist 00:06:19.579 --> 00:06:22.839 Jake Bowen and Mark Holcomb and bassist Adam 00:06:22.839 --> 00:06:26.220 Nolley Get Good, you have a team where every 00:06:26.220 --> 00:06:29.040 single member is essentially a virtuoso. They 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:31.319 needed that early friction to figure out exactly 00:06:31.319 --> 00:06:34.040 what kind of dynamic would survive the long haul 00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:36.560 of the music industry. And the music this powerhouse 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:39.589 lineup creates is just... wild to think about 00:06:39.589 --> 00:06:41.930 from a technical perspective. The source material 00:06:41.930 --> 00:06:44.829 breaks down their guitar tunings and gear, and 00:06:44.829 --> 00:06:47.589 it is honestly mind bending. Very complex. They 00:06:47.589 --> 00:06:49.629 don't just use standard six string guitars like 00:06:49.629 --> 00:06:51.889 a typical rock band. I'm seeing mentions of seven 00:06:51.889 --> 00:06:54.029 and eight string guitars with bizarre alternate 00:06:54.029 --> 00:06:56.750 tunings. Why do they need all that extra hardware 00:06:56.750 --> 00:06:58.850 just to play metal? That is the secret to their 00:06:58.850 --> 00:07:01.589 signature sound. To get that massive, aggressive 00:07:01.589 --> 00:07:04.209 rumble, the physical instrument has to change 00:07:04.209 --> 00:07:06.209 to accommodate the sonic frequencies they're 00:07:06.209 --> 00:07:09.579 trying to hit. They use tunings like drop C or 00:07:09.579 --> 00:07:11.939 on the seven string guitar is drop G sharp. That 00:07:11.939 --> 00:07:14.139 sounds intense. To put that in layman's terms, 00:07:14.199 --> 00:07:16.079 they are tuning their guitar strings so incredibly 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:18.319 low that the strings are practically flapping. 00:07:18.779 --> 00:07:21.560 It gives the music an aggressive, percussive 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:24.000 quality that you just cannot get on a standard 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:26.459 guitar. The source also mentions a song called 00:07:26.459 --> 00:07:29.920 Scarlet that uses an open cad nine tuning and 00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:33.000 another track called Wax Wings that uses a specific 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:36.259 math rock tuning dropped a step and a half down. 00:07:36.759 --> 00:07:39.480 It's treating the guitar more like a piano. When 00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:41.720 they break out the 8 -string guitars for songs 00:07:41.720 --> 00:07:44.519 like G or Stranger Things, they are playing in 00:07:44.519 --> 00:07:47.120 standard 8 -string tuning, which gives them a 00:07:47.120 --> 00:07:49.339 frequency range that spans from rumbling bass 00:07:49.339 --> 00:07:52.300 notes all the way up to screaming highs. It creates 00:07:52.300 --> 00:07:55.699 a massive wall of sound. It does. But what is 00:07:55.699 --> 00:07:57.339 crucial to understand is that they don't just 00:07:57.339 --> 00:07:59.680 rely on technical complexity for the sake of 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:02.680 showing off. They are also masters of using creative 00:08:02.680 --> 00:08:04.920 constraints to drive innovation. Which brings 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:08.360 us to the Clear EP, released in 2014. Such a 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:10.600 cool concept. The band insists that Clear is 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:13.160 actually neither an EP, which is an extended 00:08:13.160 --> 00:08:15.980 play record usually shorter than an album, nor 00:08:15.980 --> 00:08:18.420 a full studio album. It's a unique format for 00:08:18.420 --> 00:08:21.199 them. Yeah, it's about 30 minutes long, but they 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:23.399 specifically did not want it classified as part 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:25.519 of their main product line. It was a deliberate 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:28.019 branding exercise to manage audience expectations. 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:31.040 They wanted to test a new research and development 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:33.519 framework without risking the main numbered albums 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:35.980 that their fan base expects. So what was the 00:08:35.980 --> 00:08:38.820 framework? The concept for Clear was that every 00:08:38.820 --> 00:08:41.159 track on the release is linked by a shared musical 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:44.220 theme, introduced in a short opening track called 00:08:44.220 --> 00:08:47.440 Overture. But the genius part is how they managed 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:50.700 the team for it. For every subsequent song on 00:08:50.700 --> 00:08:53.039 that release, a different member of the band 00:08:53.039 --> 00:08:56.019 acted as the singular creative director for that 00:08:56.019 --> 00:08:58.399 specific track. If you are listening to this 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:00.259 right now and you work in management or design 00:09:00.259 --> 00:09:02.519 or any collaborative field, think about that 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:05.279 structure. The clear release is a perfect real 00:09:05.279 --> 00:09:07.779 -world example of how assigning singular creative 00:09:07.779 --> 00:09:10.120 ownership within a broader collaborative team 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:13.220 can yield incredibly diverse and innovative results. 00:09:13.539 --> 00:09:15.539 Instead of everyone compromising and watering 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:18.269 down every single detail of every song. Exactly. 00:09:18.389 --> 00:09:21.169 They gave each member the absolute final say 00:09:21.169 --> 00:09:24.230 on one specific piece of the puzzle. The whole 00:09:24.230 --> 00:09:26.710 project was kept unified by that shared opening 00:09:26.710 --> 00:09:29.490 theme, but the individual execution was purely 00:09:29.490 --> 00:09:32.450 dictated by one person. It is a brilliant way 00:09:32.450 --> 00:09:35.289 to prevent creative burnout, avoid groupthink, 00:09:35.509 --> 00:09:38.639 and let individual strength shine. I absolutely 00:09:38.639 --> 00:09:41.100 love that as a way to run a creative team. And 00:09:41.100 --> 00:09:43.860 that level of ambition just kept growing. If 00:09:43.860 --> 00:09:46.179 we map out their discography, they have this 00:09:46.179 --> 00:09:48.860 really clear evolution through their numbered 00:09:48.860 --> 00:09:51.139 albums, Purfrey first, Purfrey the second, and 00:09:51.139 --> 00:09:53.139 so on. The main product line, as they call it. 00:09:53.179 --> 00:09:56.200 Right. But in 2015, they took a massive swing 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:59.350 and released a double concept album. Juggernaut. 00:09:59.370 --> 00:10:02.009 Alpha and Juggernaut. Omega. Misha had actually 00:10:02.009 --> 00:10:03.970 been developing the Juggernaut concept for years, 00:10:04.090 --> 00:10:05.990 originally writing demos for it on those early 00:10:05.990 --> 00:10:09.169 internet forums. But surely releasing a sprawling, 00:10:09.169 --> 00:10:12.169 complex double album is commercial suicide in 00:10:12.169 --> 00:10:14.169 the modern streaming era where attention spans 00:10:14.169 --> 00:10:16.370 are notoriously short. You would think so. In 00:10:16.370 --> 00:10:18.629 an era dominated by Spotify playlists and TikTok 00:10:18.629 --> 00:10:21.009 algorithms, asking an audience to sit through 00:10:21.009 --> 00:10:23.769 two interconnected, highly technical metal albums 00:10:23.769 --> 00:10:27.129 is a massive ask. It really is. But because they 00:10:27.129 --> 00:10:29.539 had spent years... cultivating such a deeply 00:10:29.539 --> 00:10:32.539 loyal niche internet fan base it worked perfectly 00:10:32.539 --> 00:10:36.539 both albums charted incredibly well they understood 00:10:36.539 --> 00:10:38.740 that their specific audience didn't want bite 00:10:38.740 --> 00:10:41.679 -sized content they wanted deep immersive experiences 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:44.360 and shortly after that they hit what many would 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:48.120 consider a critical peak from their 2016 album 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:51.639 periphery the third select difficulty they released 00:10:51.639 --> 00:10:54.019 a blistering heavy track called the price is 00:10:54.019 --> 00:10:57.110 wrong And that song earned them a Grammy nomination 00:10:57.110 --> 00:11:00.049 for Best Metal Performance at the 59th Annual 00:11:00.049 --> 00:11:02.450 Grammy Awards. That's a huge milestone. They 00:11:02.450 --> 00:11:05.090 literally went from posting audio files on early 00:11:05.090 --> 00:11:08.149 2000s message boards to walking the red carpet 00:11:08.149 --> 00:11:10.730 at the Grammys. It validates that entire DIY 00:11:10.730 --> 00:11:13.649 approach. It proves that a grassroots Internet 00:11:13.649 --> 00:11:16.330 first strategy can culminate in the highest levels 00:11:16.330 --> 00:11:18.649 of traditional industry recognition. It totally 00:11:18.649 --> 00:11:21.009 does. But wait, here's where it gets really interesting. 00:11:21.210 --> 00:11:23.690 Because you would assume a Grammy nominated rock 00:11:23.690 --> 00:11:25.570 band would just... lock into the traditional 00:11:25.570 --> 00:11:28.110 rock star routine at that point. But Periphery 00:11:28.110 --> 00:11:30.570 does not do things normally. Let's talk about 00:11:30.570 --> 00:11:32.690 the highly unusual arrangement they made with 00:11:32.690 --> 00:11:35.529 their bassist, Adam Nolly Get Good. This is perhaps 00:11:35.529 --> 00:11:38.470 one of the most unconventional business decisions 00:11:38.470 --> 00:11:41.250 a touring rock band could possibly make, especially 00:11:41.250 --> 00:11:44.230 in a genre that values live authenticity as much 00:11:44.230 --> 00:11:48.009 as heavy metal does. In 2017, Nolly announced 00:11:48.009 --> 00:11:50.799 that he was stepping away from touring. He stated 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:52.980 very clearly that he wanted to spend more time 00:11:52.980 --> 00:11:55.340 with his wife, and he wanted to focus heavily 00:11:55.340 --> 00:11:57.980 on his own production work and his audio software 00:11:57.980 --> 00:12:01.240 company. A very understandable life change. Totally. 00:12:01.279 --> 00:12:03.759 Now, normally, when a core member of a metal 00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:06.620 band leaves the touring circuit, the band holds 00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:09.159 auditions and hires a replacement bassist to 00:12:09.159 --> 00:12:12.700 play live. But Periphery didn't do that. Instead 00:12:12.700 --> 00:12:15.100 of replacing him on stage, they decided to just 00:12:15.100 --> 00:12:17.139 use Nolly's pre -recorded backing tracks for 00:12:17.139 --> 00:12:19.379 their live performances. Wait, so if I go to 00:12:19.379 --> 00:12:21.220 a live show, there's no bass player on stage? 00:12:21.379 --> 00:12:23.139 No bass player on stage. You just press play 00:12:23.139 --> 00:12:25.320 on a laptop. I feel like traditional rock and 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:27.960 metal fans who are notorious purists would absolutely 00:12:27.960 --> 00:12:30.340 hate that. If we connect this to the bigger picture, 00:12:30.559 --> 00:12:33.360 this arrangement proves a massive point for anyone 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:36.080 running a business today, and it highlights just 00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:39.120 how well Periphery understood their own specific 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:42.240 audience. You are right. Playing to a backing 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:44.399 track completely breaks the unwritten rules of 00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:47.519 traditional rock music. It's taboo. But Periphery's 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:50.019 fan base is largely made up of musicians, producers, 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:52.919 and tech enthusiasts. They care more about the 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:55.460 audio mix sounding utterly flawless than they 00:12:55.460 --> 00:12:57.820 do about seeing a physical body holding a bass 00:12:57.820 --> 00:13:00.480 on stage. And Nolly didn't actually leave the 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:02.700 band in the traditional sense either. No, he 00:13:02.700 --> 00:13:05.879 remained their official studio bassist. He tracked 00:13:05.879 --> 00:13:08.340 the bass and was heavily involved in mixing, 00:13:08.580 --> 00:13:10.759 producing, and engineering. engineering their 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:14.200 2019 album, Periphery the Fourth Hailstand. That's 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:16.120 amazing. You do not have to follow the traditional 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:18.320 rules of your industry just because that's how 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:20.740 it's always been done. Modern bands and modern 00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:23.519 companies can restructure their roles to fit 00:13:23.519 --> 00:13:26.220 their members' actual lives and strengths. It's 00:13:26.220 --> 00:13:29.379 a great lesson in retention. Exactly. Nolly's 00:13:29.379 --> 00:13:31.480 highest value to the band was his unparalleled 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:33.899 ear for production and his studio -based tone. 00:13:34.620 --> 00:13:36.740 Touring was burning him out and keeping him from 00:13:36.740 --> 00:13:39.320 his family. So they stripped away the part that 00:13:39.320 --> 00:13:41.500 didn't work for his life, kept the part that 00:13:41.500 --> 00:13:44.120 brought massive value to the final product, and 00:13:44.120 --> 00:13:46.480 used technology to bridge the gap on the road. 00:13:47.159 --> 00:13:50.500 It is a stunningly pragmatic and mature way to 00:13:50.500 --> 00:13:53.779 handle human resources and retain a key asset. 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:56.919 They just completely reinvented their own rulebook 00:13:56.919 --> 00:13:59.440 to protect their team. And they took that same 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:01.480 renegade energy and applied it to their record 00:14:01.480 --> 00:14:04.840 label situation. Up until 2018, they were signed 00:14:04.840 --> 00:14:07.779 to Sumerian Records. But in April of that year, 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:10.179 they made the ultimate entrepreneurial move. 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:12.570 The big leap. They split from the label entirely 00:14:12.570 --> 00:14:14.450 and announced they would be releasing all future 00:14:14.450 --> 00:14:16.830 music on their own completely independent label 00:14:16.830 --> 00:14:19.870 called 3DOT Recordings. Taking full ownership 00:14:19.870 --> 00:14:21.669 of their master recordings and their distribution 00:14:21.669 --> 00:14:23.769 pipeline, by that point they had the infrastructure 00:14:23.769 --> 00:14:25.889 and the audience to cut out the middleman entirely. 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:28.480 They took full control of the business. And you 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:29.679 can tell they were having fun with that freedom, 00:14:29.799 --> 00:14:31.899 too. They have a very self -aware sense of humor 00:14:31.899 --> 00:14:34.159 about their place in the music scene. Remember 00:14:34.159 --> 00:14:35.919 how we talked about them being the pioneers of 00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:38.500 djent? Yeah, the onomatopoeia. Well, they titled 00:14:38.500 --> 00:14:42.480 their 2023 independently released album Periphery 00:14:42.480 --> 00:14:47.250 v. Djent. is not a genre. Such a great wink at 00:14:47.250 --> 00:14:49.789 the audience. They created the sound, watched 00:14:49.789 --> 00:14:52.029 the internet argue endlessly about whether it 00:14:52.029 --> 00:14:55.190 was a real genre for over a decade, and then 00:14:55.190 --> 00:14:57.509 slapped that incredibly cheeky title on their 00:14:57.509 --> 00:15:00.009 record. And that album debuted beautifully. It 00:15:00.009 --> 00:15:02.549 featured some incredible sprawling tracks like 00:15:02.549 --> 00:15:05.370 Wildfire and Zagreus, continuing their streak 00:15:05.370 --> 00:15:08.230 of critical success, but this time entirely on 00:15:08.230 --> 00:15:10.750 their own terms, keeping the lion's share of 00:15:10.750 --> 00:15:13.309 the revenue. Speaking of the tracks at Greas, 00:15:13.389 --> 00:15:15.509 that brings us to maybe the most mind -blowing 00:15:15.509 --> 00:15:17.909 part of this entire deep dive. Periphery isn't 00:15:17.909 --> 00:15:19.909 just a band that plays concerts and sells t -shirts. 00:15:20.090 --> 00:15:22.710 They have built a massive crossover into the 00:15:22.710 --> 00:15:24.909 video game industry and multimedia business. 00:15:25.210 --> 00:15:28.889 It is a total empire. Why do you think a progressive 00:15:28.889 --> 00:15:31.450 metal band has such deep ties to the video game 00:15:31.450 --> 00:15:34.809 world? It is a brilliant strategy of synergistic 00:15:34.809 --> 00:15:37.549 cross -pollination. The overlap between progressive 00:15:37.549 --> 00:15:40.590 metal fans, internet culture, and the hardcore 00:15:40.590 --> 00:15:43.090 gaming community is massive. That makes a lot 00:15:43.090 --> 00:15:46.029 of sense. Both subcultures value high technical 00:15:46.029 --> 00:15:49.529 skill. deep lore and intense digital experiences. 00:15:50.590 --> 00:15:53.009 Periphery recognized that Venn diagram incredibly 00:15:53.009 --> 00:15:56.090 early on and completely capitalized on it. It 00:15:56.090 --> 00:15:58.870 wasn't just a side gig. It was a deliberate strategy 00:15:58.870 --> 00:16:02.049 to embed their musical DNA into other massive 00:16:02.049 --> 00:16:04.429 entertainment spheres. And it is everywhere. 00:16:04.730 --> 00:16:07.250 Yeah. Looking at the deep dive here, Misha Mansour 00:16:07.250 --> 00:16:09.590 didn't just write metal riffs for the band. He 00:16:09.590 --> 00:16:12.250 composed and produced songs for the Halo 2 anniversary 00:16:12.250 --> 00:16:14.850 soundtrack. He also wrote the ending credits 00:16:14.850 --> 00:16:17.470 theme for the massive cyberpunk game Deus Ex 00:16:17.470 --> 00:16:20.710 Mankind Divided. The guy's busy. Very. Plus, 00:16:20.809 --> 00:16:22.970 he owns his own highly successful guitar pedal 00:16:22.970 --> 00:16:25.429 company called Horizon Devices. And recently, 00:16:25.570 --> 00:16:27.730 he wrote a track called The Beast for the second 00:16:27.730 --> 00:16:29.870 season of the massive Netflix animated series 00:16:29.870 --> 00:16:32.730 Arcane. And this diversification extends to the 00:16:32.730 --> 00:16:34.750 rest of the members as well, turning the band 00:16:34.750 --> 00:16:37.730 into a hub of various media talents. Absolutely. 00:16:38.029 --> 00:16:40.529 Nolly, the studio bassist and producer we just 00:16:40.529 --> 00:16:42.809 talked about, mixed Burry the Light. which is 00:16:42.809 --> 00:16:45.450 the incredibly popular theme song for the character 00:16:45.450 --> 00:16:48.570 Virgil in the video game Devil May Cry 5. And 00:16:48.570 --> 00:16:50.370 the source notes that song was actually directly 00:16:50.370 --> 00:16:53.529 inspired by the periphery track Reptile. It all 00:16:53.529 --> 00:16:55.929 connects back to the band. It does. Then you 00:16:55.929 --> 00:16:58.389 have guitarist Mark Holcomb, who actually doubles 00:16:58.389 --> 00:17:01.169 as a professional video game voice actor. He 00:17:01.169 --> 00:17:03.009 lent his voice to two main characters in the 00:17:03.009 --> 00:17:06.000 critically acclaimed narrative -heavy RPG Disco 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:09.000 Elysium. That game is a masterpiece. And recently, 00:17:09.180 --> 00:17:11.400 Marking guitarist Jake Bowen announced they were 00:17:11.400 --> 00:17:14.160 creating custom music and sounds for the massive 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:17.519 online multiplayer game Warframe. Even their 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:19.579 own periphery songs are bleeding into the gaming 00:17:19.579 --> 00:17:22.960 world. That song Zagreus we just mentioned? Misha 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:25.180 confirmed it was directly inspired by the award 00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:28.019 -winning indie video game Hades. The song is 00:17:28.019 --> 00:17:30.700 named after the game's protagonist and even features 00:17:30.700 --> 00:17:32.619 a musical reference to the game's Deathlight 00:17:32.619 --> 00:17:35.000 motif. It is a totally integrated brand at this 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:37.940 point. So what does this all mean? We've covered 00:17:37.940 --> 00:17:40.339 everything from early message boards and drop 00:17:40.339 --> 00:17:42.700 -tuned 8 -string guitars to independent record 00:17:42.700 --> 00:17:46.059 labels and video game voice acting. How do we 00:17:46.059 --> 00:17:48.339 pull all of these wildly different threads together? 00:17:48.759 --> 00:17:51.339 I think the core takeaway here is that Periphery 00:17:51.339 --> 00:17:54.160 is no longer just a heavy metal band. They operate 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:57.299 as a highly sophisticated multimedia enterprise. 00:17:57.819 --> 00:18:00.480 When you look at the entire scope of their operation, 00:18:00.779 --> 00:18:03.160 through side projects like Haunted Shores and 00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:05.640 the Electronic Duo four seconds ago, through 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:07.940 software ventures like Get Good Drums, which 00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:10.779 Naysha, Matt Halpern, and Nolly co -own, and 00:18:10.779 --> 00:18:12.759 through their extensive video game industry work, 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:15.759 they show exactly how modern creatives can successfully 00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:18.380 diversify their portfolios. They aren't just 00:18:18.380 --> 00:18:20.680 banking on one thing. No, they aren't relying 00:18:20.680 --> 00:18:23.980 on a single fragile revenue stream from Spotify 00:18:23.980 --> 00:18:27.039 payouts or concept ticket sales. They have monetized 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:29.079 their expertise in audio production, their technical 00:18:29.079 --> 00:18:31.119 instrumental skills, and their cultural footprint 00:18:31.119 --> 00:18:33.940 across multiple different industries. That is 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:36.059 such a powerful lesson for anyone listening. 00:18:36.480 --> 00:18:38.920 Whether you are prepping for a boardroom meeting, 00:18:39.059 --> 00:18:41.200 trying to start your own freelance business, 00:18:41.420 --> 00:18:44.619 or just trying to figure out how to be more resilient 00:18:44.619 --> 00:18:49.259 in your own career, Periphery's DIY ethos is 00:18:49.259 --> 00:18:51.880 a blueprint for modern success. It really is 00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:53.859 a blueprint. They took a brand from a single 00:18:53.859 --> 00:18:56.119 guy experimenting with amp modeling software 00:18:56.119 --> 00:18:59.140 on a bedroom computer, connected with like -minded 00:18:59.140 --> 00:19:01.740 people on niche internet forums, weathered the 00:19:01.740 --> 00:19:03.960 storm of finding the right team, and built an 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:07.259 independent Grammy -nominated empire. They proved 00:19:07.259 --> 00:19:09.339 that if you master your craft, understand your 00:19:09.339 --> 00:19:11.640 specific audience, and utilize the digital tools 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:13.740 available to everyone, you don't need anyone's 00:19:13.740 --> 00:19:16.019 permission to build something massive. This raises 00:19:16.019 --> 00:19:18.140 an important question. We've just spent this 00:19:18.140 --> 00:19:20.779 time dissecting how an entire global musical 00:19:20.779 --> 00:19:23.779 movement and a sprawling business empire were 00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:26.079 forged by a single person experimenting with 00:19:26.079 --> 00:19:28.500 software in their bedroom on early internet forums. 00:19:29.420 --> 00:19:31.980 It makes you wonder what other highly specialized, 00:19:32.259 --> 00:19:35.240 intensely passionate digital subcultures are 00:19:35.240 --> 00:19:37.160 currently being built in the underground corners 00:19:37.160 --> 00:19:39.819 of the Internet today, completely out of sight 00:19:39.819 --> 00:19:42.680 of the traditional gatekeepers just waiting for 00:19:42.680 --> 00:19:44.640 their moment to completely disrupt the mainstream. 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:47.799 Wow. That is a fascinating thought to leave on. 00:19:47.920 --> 00:19:49.480 There's probably someone in the bedroom right 00:19:49.480 --> 00:19:51.960 now inventing the next big thing we won't even 00:19:51.960 --> 00:19:54.339 see coming for another five years. Thank you 00:19:54.339 --> 00:19:55.980 all so much for joining us on this deep dive. 00:19:56.119 --> 00:19:58.940 Go tackle your next big project, and we will 00:19:58.940 --> 00:19:59.559 see you next time.