FAQ
Q. IS THERE A The Darkness FAN CLUB?
A. To date we have no official Fan Club. The best way to support the band is to join their online street team, the Forces of Darkness. Sign up and you’ll be joining a select group of fans spreading the word on the band and their music on the ‘net, the street and beyond. We’ll keep you informed of great opportunities to help The Darkness break and expand in the online world. In return, we’ll reward you with everything from autographed merchandise to meet and greets with the band! The street team is available in UK and US flavours, although you can join The Darkness side of the forces from anywhere in the world!
www.thedarknessrock.com/streetteam
Q. I PURCHASED AN AUTOGRAPHED ITEM THROUGH EBAY. IS IT REAL?
A. There is only one way to be 100% sure that an autograph is authentic: if you were there, in person, when the item was signed by the band member in question. In all other cases, despite all “proof”, you can never be sure.
Q. WHAT KIND OF GUITARS DO THE BAND PLAY?
See SPIDER’S CORNER.
Q. WHAT HARDWARE/SOFTWARE DO I NEED TO VIEW THIS SITE?
A. TheDarknessRock.com is compatible with most current standards. People who use Microsoft Internet Explorer (for PC), Mozilla Firefox, Netscape, Opera or Safari (for Macintosh) should have no problems with this site whatsoever, as long as they use a recent version. Using other browsers, or older versions of browsers, may result in errors, as well as browsers that don’t support JavaScript and/or CSS.
TheDarknessRock.com contains (links to) Windows Media-, RealAudio- and MP3-files. Although your current configuration may be able to play these formats already, here are some quick links to download original software:
Windows Media Player (Windows Media & MP3)
Nullsoft WinAmp (MP3)
RealOne Player (RealAudio & -Video)
We do realize that users of Internet Explorer 5.2 for Macintosh are unable to enjoy TheDarknessRock.com in its full glory – because it’s a bug-ridden crash-prone piece of junk. Life’s too short, get Safari for a superior Web experience with outstanding performance.
Q. HOW OFTEN IS THIS SITE UPDATED?
A. Depending on the band’s activities, we try to update it at least a couple of times every week. Sometimes, when there’s not much news to report, it might be only once a week or even once every two weeks. We usually don’t update the site on weekends, unless there is something to report that can’t wait.
Q. I HEARD A RUMOUR, BUT IT’S NOT ON THE WEB SITE. WHY NOT?
A. Sometimes, fans leak information on web sites before it should be announced. For example, early news sometimes interferes with marketing plans for a future release, and live shows should not be announced by anyone until all contracts are signed. TheDarknessRock.com only announces news that is CONFIRMED and APPROVED by the band, record label and/or management.
Q. WHAT ABOUT OTHER UNOFFICIAL SITES? THEY HAVE THINGS YOU DON’T!
A. TheDarknessRock.com depends on information that comes from the band, record label and/or management. If the webmaster is not being informed by any of these parties, AND he doesn’t have knowledge about particular topics himself, it may indeed happen that information is not available on TheDarknessRock.com. This can also be the case when the band doesn’t want to “jump the gun” and release information about their plans too soon, as some fans easily mix up “plans” with “promises” and may get upset whenever plans change – which plans often tend to do.
Q. WHY CAN’T I USE PICTURES FROM THIS SITE?
A. Numerous bodies were commerically exploiting copyrighted material from this site, so steps have been taken to protect them. We apologise for the inconvenience.
Q. WHAT ABOUT FAN SITES?
A. In response to erroneous rumours circulating on some internet websites, The Darkness wish to assure their fans that it is not their intention to shut down bona fide websites created by fans devoted to the band. However, The Darkness must require all websites using copyrighted and trademarked materials to comply with guidelines that protect the creative integrity of the artists they represent. The Darkness does not ask for websites to be closed except those which use materials in an inappropriate manner.
Some examples of inappropriate uses include:
using copyrighted photographs, images and sounds which have not been approved for distribution;
removing The Darkness’ copyright and trademark notices and asserting ownership by a third party, or asserting that copyrighted and trademarked materials are in the public domain;
copying or altering text, photographs, images, designs and logos from official websites without permission or attribution;
copying or altering photographs, images, designs and logos from official websites in a manner that denigrates the band, its members or the songs they perform;
using photographs, images, designs and logos to promote a product or commercial business or service;
carrying advertising for parties not associated with the band;
offering unlicensed merchandise for sale.
We know true fans do not encourage inappropriate activities and respect the hard work of the many talented and imaginative people who make The Darkness unique. The Darkness appreciate the support of all fans in protecting their creative rights and proprietary interests. Please follow the general rules of ‘netiquette’ when it comes to grabbing content. Remember: more joy and respect come to those who are original!
Q. DO YOU HAVE A NEWSLETTER?
A. Yes. By signing up, you will receive regular important The Darkness updates, plus the latest info on The Darkness’s music, concert dates, appearances, and a lot more. Click here to SUBSCRIBE.
Click here if you are a subscriber and you would like to UNSUBSCRIBE.
Q. WHY DIDN’T I RECEIVE MY NEWSLETTER WHILE MY FRIENDS DID?
A. Most likely, the reason is that spam-control software did not let the newsletter go through. While spam (usually) is unsolicited, commercial and unwanted (whereas the TheDarknessRock.com newsletters aren’t), spam-control programs could mistakenly recognize the newsletter as spam; both regular spam and the TheDarknessRock.com newsletter are sent with thousands at the same time (“bulk-mail” or “mass-mail”) and include a link to unsubscribe, for example.
It is possible that you did receive the newsletter but it may have been filtered by your e-mail client and automatically moved to your “spam” folder.
Sometimes, spam is filtered on server-based level. This means that once your incoming mailserver recognizes a messages as “spam”, it will be rejected and it will not even come close to reaching your mailbox. Some providers (such as some departments of AOL) have very aggressive spam filters installed and reject all mail that includes a link to unsubcribe (like the TheDarknessRock.com newsletter has) or because it comes from a certain range of IP-addresses.
When we send out our newsletter, about 10% of them don’t reach the recipient because the receiving server does not accept it for whatever reason. Unfortunately, if that is the case, there is not much either we or you can do about that, and we suggest that you unsubscribe your address, and the re-subscribe with a different one, such as Hotmail or Yahoo!, where you can configure spam-control software yourself.
Q. CAN I LINK TO TheDarknessRock.com?
By all means, please do!
Q. WHO DO I CONTACT ABOUT THIS SITE?
A. If you have any problems, comments or suggestions about the site, you should send a message to the webmaster. Your input is valued. Members of The Darkness will NOT read any messages sent using the form. Before you send us any messages, please make sure the answer to your question is not answered in this very FAQ. A lot of your questions will be answered there, and will save the webmaster e-mail.
Concert promoters, journalists, should contact the management or the record label.
Q. WHY DON’T YOU REPLY TO MY MESSAGES?
A. The webmaster of TheDarknessRock.com receives a lot of messages every day. Due to sheer lack of time, it’s impossible to reply to each and every message, although it is our policy to answer all questions posed. However, we’re only human and sometimes we forget things. If you don’t receive a reply to your question within a fashionable amount of time, please try sending your message again.
Please note: questions sent to the webmaster that are answered in this FAQ will not receive a reply. Also, don’t expect a reply if you’re rude or if you USE ALL CAPS IN YOUR MESSAGE.