1. 93% - I'd like to know where Steve got that figure from.
2. Ninja Contracts - I'm not going to comment on them as I dont do them.
I will say that Coldcut set up Ninja Tune as a reaction to treatment as
artists on a major label. Knowing that history, I'd eat my laptop if
most artists werent on a 50/50 type deal... see Passman's book below.
He also tells you where the costings are for retail, manufacture,
distribution.
One thing people dont remember about releasing a record is, everyone
involved in the project gets paid: the guy that designed the sleeve,
the people who pressed the record, the cost of the raw materials (ie
the plastic for cd/vinyl, the paper), the person who mastered it, the
people at the label who work on promoting it, and the people who pack
it and ship it to the record shops. So when you see a recording
contract and there's a discussion about "packaging deductions" and
"free stock for sales teams" ie the majors generally guarantee
themseleves up to 5000 or larger for free promotional stock - which
means they can press that and that number is subtracted from what's
sold because it hasnt (even if the journalist or dj who gets the free
copy takes it down to a used record store, pockets cash on it, and
then the used record store gets money too - this is why promos arent
supposed to be sold - there's no way of giving that money to the
artist).
2. Sources for contract/History Information:
The Hitman - was written early 80's in paperback now. Covers the majors
& payola. Cant remember US journalists name.
Donald Passman - Everything You Need to Know about the Music Business
This boook is updated annually and covers everything from deals to
publishing to band/management agreements. If you wanna be in the business
and you dont know about this book, you should.
Other than that, I suggest search engines. There are several websites, like
http://www.bpi.org (the british phonograph institute) that will give
you lots of info and links and leads.
As we're off to Barcelona for 8 days to see The Cinematic Orchestrea
& Mr Scruff among some other groovular places (we hear there's a mad
place called the Bongo Lounge in Barcelona), we'd rather not think
too deeply or debate to hardly
on this one.
>Does anybody know of any books/magazine articles/ webpages
>etc., where i could found out more information about the music
>bussiness re assessing the viewpoint put below? Steven
>Catanzaro mentioned in his post on Wednesday night about US
>record companies often taking a 93% share in profits ("a share that
>would make a pimp blush" Steve says). The case that Steven
>made was that if the record companies were a bit less greedy and
>a bit more efficient, this "downturn" in the market would be
>neutralised. If this is the case then the analysis from the ifpi
>makes mp3s into scapegoats and seeks to threaten services like
>audiogalaxy without proper warrant.
>
>So I want to find out a bit about the economic history of the music
>business over the last 30/40 years. Have record companies
>always taken as large a cut as 93%? Is that only on their major
>artists? How much does that figure vary between major and
>independent record companies?
> Nethead: i can understand you
>not wanting to make specific comments about Ninja Tune, but
>surely most UK independents don't take that much? Where would
>you put the figure? If they do take 93%, what on earth do they use
>it for? (you don't have to answer that one)
>
>The ifpi article mentioned that there was a 5% growth in the UK
>market. What spin is given to this - for surely the UK is using peer-
>to-peer music sharing as much as other countries?
>
>thanks,
>tom
-- http://www.ninjatune.net/solidsteel New Archive Solid Steel mixes http://www.bbc.co.uk/london Monday midnite>2am UK time live mixing
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