Quote:
Originally Posted by gideongallery
first of all those royalty streams like radio play and album sales licensing the music are all covered in the payback scheme of a standard record contract, so NONE OF THOSE REVENUE EXIST UNTIL AFTER YOU PAY BACK COSTS
second of all with vertical integration record companies will "licence" artist songs for free for feature with in their TV shows etc as promotion (what sick is they used to CHARGE for that)
third promotion cost are over inflated for example, a guy screening your emails and answering them in your voice may be paid $10/hour but when it charged to band it charged at an average for an employee of the company (including the CEO being paid 5-10 million a year) so you get charged $60-70/hour for that shit.
fourth recording albums are staggered in development. while the entire album is recorded only a single is fully produced, and marketed. If that falls flat the album is locked in a vault never to see the light of day.
you keep accusing me of pulling number out of my ass
tell you what why don't you find one artist who performed in one 25,000 person stadium and not paid back the production cost of their album
the situation your talking about hasn't happened yet, the guys who made it big enough to do those massive tours are all the extreme rare success stories who actually covered cost
most artist how don't cover cost find their album locked in a vault and find they are legally prohibited from performing their shit live because they no longer own the copyright
this kind of bullshit pipe dream the worst thing you can do to an artist because you make them believe that the screw job they are getting is some how fair
google street corner symphony and read a little about the shit the lead singer went thru with his record deal.
the guys solo career was killed because the record company didn't want to release the album
he had to create a band, go on the sing off, and he still prevented from using that success to sell his own solo shit for another 2 years.
he is just fucking luck he wasn't in a band first because then he would have been totally screwed.
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Buy a a book called "So you want to be a rock star." It is a great story of an unknown band getting signed and getting some hit songs. You might learn something.
Second, learn the simple reality that every record contract is different. A band like Aerosmith signed a 4 album $40 million dollar deal. They get $10 million in advance money per album. At that level they would need to sell around 10 million copies of the album just to make their advance back never mind the costs of production and promotion. Yet they go on tour and make millions. The reason they sign the big deal is that they know they can't sell that many records so they want to get as much money up front as possible then cash in on tour. But, of course, you have read every single contract for ever single act ever signed and know every detail of those contracts so I'm sure you will explain how I am wrong. Another example is Rihanna. Right now she is one of the biggest acts in the world and she recently fired a bunch of people and sicked lawyers on her label because she found out even after selling all these albums and concert tickets and ringtones etc that she has made only around $20,000 in royalties. . . yet somehow she just bought an 8 million dollar house. But shouldn't all of that money gone to the label? Please Gideon, you know ever contract. How did that happen?
The simple fact is this: If you want to be a worldwide megastar the only way to do that is through the major label system. There has not been one act that did it on their own without the help of a major label's money and influence. I'm not saying they don't get fucked over and ripped off, but you take the good with the bad. If you want to go it alone and try to make some money, good luck with that maybe you will, maybe you won't.