From: "Glenn Meadows" 

Most, come in with that attitude, watching all the "big stars"
they see on TV, in the press, who are mega-stars, and figure that they
"need" that stuff NOW.  I need that big "advance" so I
can get my new wheels, buy my studio equipment so we can learn to record
our own record by ourselves, etc, etc.

They have bad management/legal representation, who agrees to that, because
THEY get their chunk of the advance, as well, and management/legal doesn't
have to re-pay it, the group does.

It's sort of a "badge of honor" to see how big an advance can be
negotiated. Not all are that way, many are not, so the expectations are not
as high on those that have a good base in reality.

There are thousands of CD's released every year, the odds of hitting a big
hit are REALLY small.  But, everyone has to try for the big swing to hit it
out of the park.  That's what "hit driven" labels do.

Our end, on the other hand, is catalog drive, and small quantities driven.
We make money on releases that sell 20,000 on new releases. If/when one of
those goes to 100k+, it's a big money maker for all concerned.

Most of those releases are modified Joint Venture deals, where the album
costs are born totally by the artist, and we have the rights to sell/market
for 5 years, with several options to continue into the future.  At the end
of that time, the master might revert to the artist, or we might have the
right to buy it outright.  The only money we're on the hook for, are mfg,
marketing, distribution.  Those are deducted from the gross revenues,
royalties to songwriters, etc are paid and deducted, then based on the
terms of the deal, the artist gets their percentage.  So, once sales exceed
expenses, they start making some money.  Plus, if they're the writer on the
record, they get those paid from record 1 sold (as to all songwriters).

Most of the groups signed by the "hit driven" labels, don't have
the desire to create their music first, they'd rather the label fund it,
like the "big guys".  What they don't realize, is most of the
"big guys" now, have moved to JV deals as well, either through
production companies that are their own, or other vehicles to self fund
their productions.

--

Glenn M.
"Geo"  wrote in message
news:4580d61b$2{at}w3.nls.net...
> "Glenn Meadows"  wrote in message
> news:457dc4ee$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>> Ani Defranco is an established artist, she doesn't need the
"exposure" to
>> make people aware of her music.
>
> She got where she is without the "exposure" from the music
industry types.
>
>> The artists that don't get treated "so special" are many
times the ones
> who
>> fail.
>
> Yes, because they are not allowed to try anything but the formula, they
> are
> locked in so without the special treatment they fail because no other
> methods are tried.
>
>> Being on the inside and watching, most of this
"pampering" is driven
>> by the artists themselves being spoiled brats, wanting more than the guy
>> over there is getting.  Most don't have any clue as to what reality is,
>> in
>> what their real potential is.
>
> Is that how they start out? Or is that a result of "the
machine" they get
> run thru?
>
>> Street date hits, first week sales are 2500 pieces.  Not good.  Second
> week
>> are 2100 pieces.  Third week 1750 pieces.  Major panic at this point.
>
> You can take good music and by pushing make it sell like it was great
> music.
> What you can't do is make crap sell. No matter how many times I play the
> Funkadelic album, the only good song on that album is maggot brain.
> Nothing
> is going to change that for me.
>
> Geo.
>
>

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