Quote:
Originally Posted by Robbie
Guys please don't let the fantasy of a handful of bands being "successful" (not compared of course to the days before piracy) by giving away their music for free blind you to the reality.
Reality is...the music biz is decimated. The vast majority of the money being made in 2013 is done by touring.
No way in hell a band selling a million downloads on ITunes in 2013 (and you can count those artists on one hand) comes even close to the money being made by a band like KISS in the 1970's with multi-platinum (which "platinum" back then meant one million) ALBUM sales.
Anybody that's been to L.A. and seen the giant empty Tower Records building knows the truth.
There's a reason that no big bands are breaking anymore. There is no modern day Rolling Stones, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Who, Black Sabbath, Nirvana, Soundgarden...and there aren't going to be any.
What we have now are bands making a few online sales from their faithful fans. But they will never break into a wider market and become superstars like the bands used to do.
As for porn...we can't tour. So we don't even have that kind of revenue base to turn to.  |
This is a brilliant post. I know your time in the Music Biz is part of the reasons for your great insight here. Seeing that empty Tower Records building makes me wanna cry; I never thought I'd live in a world without record stores!!
The economics are simple: sell a million songs on iTunes for $1 = $1,000,000. Sell a million ALBUMS in 1985 for $6.98 = 6,980,000.
The band would get about 20-30% of that revenue (exceptions, of course) so: band cut = 2.1 million. Add touring, merchandise, publishing, radio play....an artist could walk away with millions (and a huge, loyal fan base). Today? Sell a million songs on iTunes and barely make your private jet payment. LOL
I shouldn't laugh, it's so freaking sad! We want - NEED - another Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin. Shit, I'll take another U2 or Pearl Jam at this point. Will we ever get them? Nope. Crank up
Exile On Main St. y'all and drift away to a better time....
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(Man, I am TOO YOUNG to be talking like such an old fart but there ya go. Welcome to today's shitty world of music.)