Hi Dave,

On Tue 2037-Jun-09 06:42, Dave Drum (1:124/311) wrote to Richard Webb:

 RW> Make that the record companies.  A lot of the "studios"
 RW> never really reaped anything from that, but the folks at the major
 RW> labels sure did.

DD> By studios I meant MGM, Fox, Warner, etc. since you included
DD> videotapes in your statement. I certainly didn't mean Muscle Shoals
DD> or Bill's Basement Tapes, etc. 

INdeed, former shop I worked in in St. Louis went belly up
thanks to home studios and revenue loss.

I think I've already told my horror story on scms, which was developed at
the same time as digital audio tape.  All
schemes that did not work.


Ever wonder why you can't get digital audio both ways into
and out of a soundblaster card?  This is why as well.

Agreed on MGM FOx WArner Bros, etc.  What people forget
about record companies etc. is that the studios are third
party providers.  FOlks like me are paid by the artist or
producer directly.  NO doubt with front money from the media company, i.e.
BMG eMI Gefen, etc.  THat front money is paid
against future royalties.  HEre's where the creative
bookkeeping comes in.  IF you go to the studio with well
written songs well arranged and ready to cut tracks you'll
go in, get out, reasonable amount of money spent.  But, the
record companies love it if you go in unprepared without a
clue or two.  All that money, no doubt spent with a favorite studio or
service provider of the record company exec.  YOu
never recoup your costs.

Back in the days before all this paranoia about rights
management etc. REcord companies actually engaged in artist
development.  IF you were an A & R person for a label you'd
find somebody with some talent.  IF they wrote songs you'd
coach them in performance.  WHether it be koreography, voice coaching,
showmanship, etc.  IF they didn't write but needed some honing of that raw
talent you got them the coaches and
tutors they needed.
These days it's flash and the pan, get 'em in, churn out all the dreck you
can, and when they're no longer the hot fresh
new item they're like last week's moldy bread, throw 'em out in the
garbage, get another young dumb flash in the pan act.

I've told more than one young artistthat if they really want a deal do as
much as they can independently by learning
their craft, playing before an audience as much as possible. If they're
planning on recording work on those arrangements
and get it down *before* they pay for studio time.  IF the A & R person
does come to them hustling a deal have as much
going as they can in the form of support services, i.e.
truck for gear, sound reinforcement system, lights,
transport, etc.  The more of that they've got happening the
less the label can pad the bill.


Regards,
           Richard
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+