RE: [acid-jazz] mathematics

From: Steve (scatanzaro4_at_cox.net)
Date: 2004-10-17 17:49:35

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    hey t;

    nice discussion;

     

    >of course they do, but i still think the numbers are
    >"padded" a bit.

    agreed that the most creative people on the label's roster are probably
    not the artists... more likely the accountants / marketing people.

    >last time i checked union salaries and benefits were
    paid by union MEMBERS, not the label. same goes for
    fica and income taxes--paid from the employees check,
    no additional cost to the employer. unemployment
    insurance doesn't cost anything to the employer until
    a claim is filed.

    well, here's what I mean. if u are an indie, u really don't have to
    worry (2 much) about paying afm scale. I can think of some pretty big
    projects where afm was kept totally out of the loop. You can, for
    instance, find an afm cat to come in and play on a Sunday afternoon,
    when nothing's doing, and play the same licks he got paid double scale
    overtime for on friday evening.

    as for unemployment... nope, but I wish you were right. unless you have
    only independent contractors, (which presumably, a small label would)
    you've got to pay into the fund for each employee you have. with every
    paycheck, the employer has to match the fica, which is 6.2% of your
    gross. They have to pay medicare, which is 1.45%, they also have to pay
    unemployment tax, as well as workman's comp, whether you get laid off or
    get sick or not.

    plus, the state regs in cali have made it one of the hardest places to
    do business, and since the govt. of cali is broke, they are always
    looking for employers who skirt around the laws so they can zap 'em with
    a $60k fine (small biz beware!!! I know about this one from personal
    experience!)
      
    >not only do they make the call as to what to push, but
    what they want to release. did you know that even if
    they choose not to release your music you're still
    bound to record (approx.) an album a year? all the
    costs are recoupable, too:

    http://www.musicdish.com/mag/index.php3?id=4449
    (patti austin talking about reasons to LEGALLY limit
    contracts to 7 years or less)

    well, I agree with that. and 7 years is too much, too, imho.
    (in fact, macy actually had an album in the can before her megasmash "on
    how life is" which never got released. as the j5 says, "if u only knew
    what we been thru, the trouble and the pain to maintain and continue.")

    Signing the deal is the beginning of the odyssey, whereas many cats view
    it as the end of the line. but, there are 2 ways to look at everything.
    Take it down the micro level; when you personally buy a 12", shouldn't
    you be free to cane it or can it as you see fit?

    if the label doesn't release the artist's album, well, that sucks for
    the artist. but, it doesn't do much good for the label, either. they can
    never recoup on their investment, and they're probably trying not to
    "throw good money after bad." We may disagree with their choices, but,
    it's their money.

    Give u an example. I had some friends who got a deal 2 years ago. They
    got a $200k advance from a major. The first thing they did was go to
    guitar center in Hollywood and buy the biggest console they could find,
    I believe it was an amek "big" board. Their plan was to record the album
    themselves. The label said "hey, you can't use that piece of crap board
    to record your album." So, they were stuck with this semi-pro board that
    they couldn't resell.

    I saw the cat about 1 year after he got the deal. They had locked out
    one of the nicest studios in the valley, one with a legendary 80-series
    neve desk. (it was impossible for anyone to book time at that place, but
    I didn't know they were the ones who had it out. I knew the rate was
    something like $130 per hour.)

    So I said, yeah, I'm jealous, I wanted to record there. How much is it
    costing? The cat looked at me, his eyes kind of glazed, and he said,
    "thousands and thousands of dollars." I said, well, how does it sound?
    he said "f-cking incredible!!!"

    The album came out, and it went nowhere. What do these guys have to show
    for their 2 years in the sun? a great sounding album they can show their
    grandkids, a really nice home studio mixing desk, and, well, that's
    about it.

    Are they rock stars? No. Is the label breathing down their necks to
    recoup their costs? No, that stuff is almost never recouped. Are they
    bitter? Probably, but why should they be? Not everyone can be a rock
    star, even with a great sounding album!!!

    >the only reason to sign with a major at this point is
    to make your name. if you don't have music with a
    broad appeal, a major is probably not the best place
    for you. sad thing is, this wasn't always the case.

    Hey, that's kind of like saying the only reason to be born is so you can
    live!!! And the idea of a "major" is relative, from my point of view.
    Hell t., from the vantage of assembly line records (my, er, uh, "label")
    ubiquity is a MAJOR! I don't think chris brann is in kinko's hand
    cutting fliers and putting them on cars parked outside of Zanzibar!!!

    And look at the crap deals the small labels offer. MGA has been
    approached, but it's like... why would I give away 75%, when if I save
    up a little money, I could do it myself? When I told one cat I wanted
    50% and non-exclusive, he never even bothered to hit me back.

    Even someone like ohm, man, they're gonna take you to the cleaners, if
    you say to yourself, as most artists do, "hey, piss on them, without me,
    they wouldn't have me." true enough, but they do have an endless line of
    laptoppers / electribers just DYING to give away 85% in exchange for the
    distribution.

    As 4 michael greene... I think he's just bitter cuz he lost his gig as
    the highest paid non-profit exec in the country!!!

    Thanks for the info on Sy. BTW, haven't asked her, but I don't think she
    had a love affair w. Hollywood Records, so i understand and appreciate
    fully why artists don't like the labels (hey, I'm starting to sound like
    john kerry!)

    New album is coming soon, though, straight heat thru Ali Shaheed's
    Garden Seeker label.

    I LOVE INDEPENDENT LABELS... 4 CHEERS FOR JAMES COLLINS!!!

    (but, I love baseball players, too... doesn't mean the player's union
    hasn't messed up the game, though... can u say balco?)