Rattle wrote:
] Steve Albini writes an essay for the Negativland site about
] how screwed the music industry really is, particularly if
] you're a young indie band looking for a "Big Break."
]
] Never mind any "artists rights" noise you might hear - examine
] the hypothetical numbers he includes toward the end of the
] article and you'll see exactly why the music industry
] hates MP3s.
]
] This is actually a very old article.. I remember reading this
] several years ago. The numbers are dead up accurate. The
] only thing the Internet has done to change the numbers here is
] that there will be a web design and hosting company getting
] several grand.

the numbers are pretty acurate, but Steve has even skewed things on the brighter side. No one mentioned other expences like insurance during the tour, promotions expenses for the album or tour, and the inevitable 'petty cash' needed for unforseen expenses during the tour (bail, ammo, etc).

There are income potentials that are not included, but it's all relavent to the band. They might get a teevee appearance. There are situations where the band could make money doing this, or they could over spend. They might get nominated for some award show. Again, they could make money or over spend. There is also the possibility that they could do instore performances or other promotional gigs, which would again cost money but might increase unit sales.

Finally, the saddest thing about this whole scenario is that the following will inevitably occur:

o label won't promote to the best of it's ability, despite making a tremendous ROI on the project.
o band might stand up for itself, but gets dropped or backpeddled because there are a 'million mother fuckers on the planet Earth' willing to take their place.
o band might be able to negotiate costs and trim expenses, but that will end up in their pockets and effectively blown on stupid things like jewelry, real estate, or booze/guns/drugs/women.
o band will fade into obscurity/cult stardom after their contract is up. Most band members will not have a clue as to how to take advantage of this momentum.
o label will complain about the numbers, despite the fact that this is pretty much one of the best situations they could ever have for an 'unproven' act. Most bands never even have this much success despite going through the same process.

In the end, being in a successful band is like being in a startup. You have to sacrifice, exist as a pauper, be brilliant to even be recognized, and with all that, you MIGHT have a chance to eek out a living. This is the reason why I decided on a career as an entrepreneur in business instead of being Trent Reznor's lackey. The game is the same, but the odds are a bit more in your favor of being able to put food in your belly.

RE: The Problem With Music