Apparently going independent in 2025 isn’t as punk rock cheap as it used to be. Just ask Archspire.
The Canadian tech-death titans recently smashed a $125K Kickstarter goal to fund their next chapter as a fully independent band. But as the money rolled in, so did the backlash. Reddit threads lit up with cries of “scam” and “cash grab,” accusing the band of fleecing fans for studio bills and merch runs.
Guitarist Dean Lamb wasn’t having it. In a detailed video, Lamb broke down the cost sheet — from $14K studio sessions with producer Dave Otero to $30K on music videos and even $1,000 for enamel pins. “All we want to do as a band is continue to make the stuff that we love to make,” Lamb explained. “And reaching out to fans directly seems like the best way to do it independently.”
It’s a fair point. These aren’t luxury expenses — they’re the cost of doing business at the level Archspire’s aiming for. This isn’t your mate’s garage demo. It’s a band that’s been grinding for years trying to make extreme metal with actual production value — and keep the rights to it this time.
“I’m 37 now,” Lamb said, “and I’ve been doing this long enough. Selling the rights to the music that I spent so many years creating — I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to own it. We all want to own it.”
And that’s really what this campaign is about. Not milking fans — owning your work. A label used to front the cost and take the rights. Now, bands like Archspire are betting on their audience to help them bypass the middleman.
Is it a lot of money? Yeah. But so is losing your masters forever. And if a fanbase is down to fund that freedom, I mean that’s not a scam. That’s just a scene evolving.
MORE IN Music
