LAS VEGAS - THE KILLERS BASSIST 'FEELS FOR STRUGGLING BANDS'

Mark Stoermer – bass player with Las Vegas band THE KILLERS – says he empathises with bands who are struggling to break into the music business.

According to Stoermer, today's bands face an increasingly difficult time getting their big break due to the current nature of the industry.

He points out that many outfits are struggling due to a sharp increase in illegal downloads which are responsible for a sharp fall in CD sales.

"It's a really hard time for new bands. It's not that there's a lack of good music, it's just that labels are struggling financially.

"Some people say that record labels are bad but people forget they are the ones who break the bands and get them on their way."

However, he remained confident that labels would survive thanks to a renewed interest in live music.

"In the Eighties no-one was really going to see live music. Now it's big business," he remarked.

Elsewhere, he recently expressed concern about the impact of the band's touring on the environment.