Major Labels: The Problem with Music and How Some Of Your Friends are Already ****ed

[Tsuruka]

Amazing read.

http://www.arancidamoeba.com/mrr/problemwithmusic.html

It tells about how Major Labels lure young, ambitious bands in, and basicially screws them over.

Here's the final sheet of funds and the major point:


The Balance Sheet: This is how much each player got paid at the end of the game.

Record company: $710,000
Producer: $90,000
Manager: $51,000
Studio: $52,500
Previous label: $50,000
Agent: $7,500
Lawyer: $12,000
Band member net income each: $4,031.25

Makes me angry and fearful of hitting it big.

[Sephyr]

*makes a mental note to self*

[airborne50caliber]

wow coincidence I just read that article, signalled by a friend and 10 mins later i find it on a js thread. Yeah, pretty sad but there's no other way, this is how the music biz is.

[KKKKKocaine]

I've read that article before, and I gave it a small chuckle the first time.
It's just a collection of worst case scenario statistics and a few personal accounts.
Just because someone outlines the worst case scenario and paints out anyone in the music industry to be scum doesn't mean it's actually true.
Don't ignore any offers you get from major labels just beacuse of a website, use your own initiative, buy some books, do some reading up on both sides of the argument. There are alot of books on this aspect of the music industry, which I have one of. That tell you what you should be expecting to get, the clauses, duration and other details with examples of contracts for all manner of things.
It's no good looking at the Foo Fighters and saying, 'they're doing alright, thus big deals = good'

And equally it's no good looking at some horror stories and worst case scenario statistics and coming to the conclusion that big deals steal money from bands.

Basicly, to settle the argument, there are plenty of new young bands out there doing well for themselves, playing big venues, making a good amount of money. (Which is the exact opposite of what this website claims, according to the website they should all be making a few thousands pounds a year at most)
There are also bands who end up with 500,000 pound debts to their labels when things go wrong.
You need to analyse the situation yourself, take some time to see some lawyers, talk it over with your manager (because after all, his financial success depends entirely on yours, if you make barely any money, he makes even less) and if you can, meet up with some other bands and artists on the label and check out their contracts.

[KKKKKocaine]

Also if you notice, on his 'budget' he does actually skew things. Although he claims to do otherwise.
He assumes that by signing to a major label you decide to only hire $5,000 artists, you need to spend thousands on new fancy gear. (Let's face it, any band who can pull enough fans to get an offer from a label won't need to buy a new flash drumkit)
Who says that you are in a $150,000 recording studio?
e.t.c ad infinitum.
I'd take this article very lightly. I'm not saying bad things don't happen in the music business, but this is a very skewed article where the figures have been tinkered with.

[Zappa]

I tend to trust the word of Steve Albini. Because he wears glasses.

[moaner]

I tend to trust the word of Steve Albini. Because he wears glasses.

weyes.

Anyway, its important to realise that its a big world out there and your trust should not be fickle. I didn't know about the memo thing and i doubt many others did either, so there's an important lesson.

Never sign anything you don't fully understand.

[LivingDeadBoy]

I betcha it's someone who didn't suceed and now nagging on record labels. If they were so bad, so many bands wouldn't be signed for so long.

[moaner]

Lodgings while in studio: $10,000
Wardrobe: $1,000

lolol

he also put the money for gear which they would keep in the bidget as losses didn't he?

[Zappa]

I betcha it's someone who didn't suceed and now nagging on record labels. If they were so bad, so many bands wouldn't be signed for so long.

Actually, he's probably the most respected recording engineer in the alternative rock world, and one of the most infamous frontmen in the same realm.

[Merkaba]

I betcha it's someone who didn't suceed and now nagging on record labels. If they were so bad, so many bands wouldn't be signed for so long.
lol

Now thats funny.

The label very seldomly loses money on a band. So what if youre only pulling in one mill gross. The label still is getting paid first....so after taxes and payouts they miight make 100,000...so multiply that times four years or so. Thats like a worse case sceneario for a major label. A million dollars is easily made nowadays...by the label.

I didnt really think that article was all that great though. At least not "Amazing". But it did sound nice and "warm" after we doctored it up a bit.