k kiernan (mrfliz@interport.net)
Wed, 7 Oct 1998 19:26:16 -0400
-----Original Message-----
From: KEVIN D. ENGLAND <kengland@welchlink.welch.jhu.edu>
Subject: RE: More TV ads driveing me crazy
>
>I won't pretend to know what The Orb's financial situation is, but 95% of
>all artists who ink up with a major label or major label affiliate end up
>selling loads of records and still OWING the label money.
this is true. a couple points, however. unlike many book publishing deals,
they're virtually never required to write a check and pay the label back,
but the label can keep them 'under contract' and therefor unable to make
other deals until someone does pay them back. also, how much the band owes
the label depends on three main things, the most important is how much the
label gives the band (the other two are how much is spent on videos, and how
much the label pays to keep the band on the road, so the band would be wise
to not make videos and be self supporting on the road). if you don't want to
owe the label a half a million dollars, don't ask the label to write you a
check for half a million dollars. your 95% number is about right for bands
owing labels, but 95% don't sell 'loads of records.' labels end up losing
money on 85% of bands, so that works out to about 10% of a label's bands
ending up making money for the label but still owing the label money. i'm
not saying this does not suck.....
>That is the
>biggest reason why sophomore albums stink (and many others following the
>debut).
i totally disagree. sophomore albums stink because the artist has an entire
lifetime to make the first album, and about 1 year to make the next, and
each after that, and half that time is spent on the road promoting the
previous album.
>Because people get webbed in a contract that screws them no matter
>which way they turn.
i can't tell you how many times i've seen artists trying as hard as they
could not to get signed, only to have the label hold a gun to their head
until they do. get better lawyers, or don't take the biggest check just
because it's the biggest check.
>To get out of debt they'll put out whatever kind
>of crap the label tells'em to record. If they're "lucky" they have a song
>they can sell to some lame assed soda pop commercial. Yet another reason
>for creative people to hold onto their work as tightly as they can.
i could not agree more. rule #1--never give up your publishing! even if
the label owns the recordings, they can't do diddly without controlling the
publishing. also, make sure you can get your masters back without paying
(although it may take a while).
i've worked for major labels, and there are LOTS of MUCH better reasons to
hate them than the fact they give bands more money than they'll ever earn
back.
go indy, or best yet, DIY!
my (non-recoupable) $.02
-kevin k
>
>my .02 cents
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