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