This tour is in support of Marilyn Manson’s forthcoming tenth studio album, Heaven Upside Down. “The tour has been awesome. The whole tour is sold out. The audiences have been incredibly enthusiastic, especially since we are playing three new songs, and people are learning them apparently from watching YouTube, and they are going nuts for them. Even though he hasn’t published the lyrics, they are learning them from YouTube videos. It is really exciting to be a part of it. We are having a good time,” he said.
Manson and Tyler had met on the set of Californication, starring David Duchovny, where a creative alliance sparked between the two. Bates went on to produce and co-write Manson’s critically-acclaimed album, The Pale Emperor, in 2015. As a result, Bates became the lead guitarist of Manson’s band, and they toured for over a year on the “Hell Not Hallelujah” Tour.
As a composer, Bates is at the helm of the soundtrack and score for the upcoming summer blockbuster, Atomic Blonde, starring Oscar winner Charlize Theron. “Atomic Blonde did well,” he said.
Throughout his career, he has been responsible for the original score of such motion picture soundtracks as 300, which is one of the best-selling score albums to date, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy, Slither and John Wick, among many others. “300 was a while back,” he recalled. “That was 10 years ago, but that movie was a huge deal for me. I’m excited about all of the things that are happening.”
On September 30, Manson and Bates will be playing Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, and on October 3, they will be headlining The Paramount in Huntington on Long Island. “We are having fun. Marilyn Manson has been in great spirits. My job right now is really to bring the new music to the live show,” he said. “You should expect a lot of new material at The Paramount. It’s definitely where Manson’s head is at. I think people will be really excited about it. It is a much more aggressive album and a lot of fun. There are lot of interesting ideas on the album.”
Tyler Bates talks about the Digital Transformation of Music
Regarding the digital transformation of the music industry, he said, “Sadly, I think there is an apathy for some people. Music is monetized in a different way now than it used to be. Personally, I work on films and it’s a much longer process, and music plays such an important role in movies. I don’t look at it like a lot of people who are primarily in the record business. Maybe a band that used to sell 500,000 copies of a record, sells 35,000 copies now, so they are apathetic about record sales. I sense that it impacts their passion for making an album. In the film music business, you always have to make your best material forever, otherwise you’re not going to have a job. It’s important for artists not to lose sight of that, and understand that there are other avenues for artists to make money with their music. Look at all the streaming content now on cable TV. There are so many shows that are licensing songs from artists that help them to be discovered. There is a great capacity for artists to become known, and it can help them get on a tour eventually, simply by getting a great placement on a show or a film. Same with video games. A lot of bands have been discovered and commissioned to do music for video games, so they make money that way, and that didn’t exist in the past. A lot of bands are licensed for television commercials. It’s important to know that the landscape of music is changing but you need to adapt to it, and maintain your passion for developing new ideas.”
For his fans at The Paramount, he concluded, “It’s going to kick their ass. This whole mind-set with Marilyn Manson is fun, but it’s pretty aggressive. I would imagine that the fans can really expect a set of music that they haven’t heard.”
To learn more about Manson and Bates’ upcoming show at The Paramount, check out the venue’s official homepage.
For more information on the music of composer and guitarist Tyler Bates, check out his official website and Facebook page.
