[geeks] Fwd: from Silicon news

[dave at cca.org]

chris at chrisbyrne.com writes:

>Here Here.

>Lesse if you are a new artist with a strong fan base but not much radio play
>and no MTV yet your CD will most likely cost around $15

[...]

>Say you're a 5 person band and you write your own music equally. That leaves
>each of you with between 20 and 60 cents per CD.

>Then theres recoupement. Thats where the record label and distribution
>company charge you for the cost of recording, producing, and market your
>record and your band. Even though they take 2/3 of the profit already, they
>charge you for the privelige of making them rich.

>Often bands end up actually OWING their record company for recoupement.

It's sickening, and bizarre at the same time. Like Window's domination
of the software industry, sort of...

All of the current music I like is "underground", so if I go see
a band I like, I buy their CD after the show. If it's $10, that's
$1 for production, and $9 for the band. Like it should be.

Buying underground music through record stores involves middlemen,
of course, but not as many. A lot of people involved in that scene
work at it for free, in their spare time.

It's a very touchy situation when someone makes it in that environment,
then gets offered real cash from a major label. Sometimes they take it
and get labeled "Sell outs" (Green Day for example) sometimes they
refuse it, and continue to be "big" in the underground.

A few of my friend's bands make money at it, but not enough to live on.
They all have other jobs.

Of course, most underground music is not commercially viable. It's
underground because most people don't like it. Some elements of
every underground scene will eventually be ripped off and copied
by the committees that produce big pop acts, but only elements.
(Like "grunge" took bits of punk.)

Andrew W K was an underground act a year ago. I saw him play in
my friend's living room. Now he's on MTV and Saturday Night Live.
And he isn't making any money. Weird planet, this.

------ David Fischer ------- dave at cca.org ------- http://www.cca.org ------
-------- "I prefer the ridiculous to the sublime." - James Chance ---------