Here is how that option worked
- Get a record deal
- Get a huge advance
- Get a famous producer
- Get your video on mtv and cough up payola to a bunch of gangsters to get it played on the radio
- Get your record placed in the big and important record stores.
- Almost never recoup the advance and wonder where it all went. http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/06/14/love/print.html
- You might still get a record deal if you are incredibly lucky, BUT....
- NOBODY and I do Mean NOBODY is getting advances any more
- Since you will not be getting an advance you can’t afford a famous producer unless he is a personal friend in which case you don’t need the deal anyway.
- Nobody pays any attention to MTV anymore, and radio is to full of crap commercials to mean anything to anyone.
- There are no more big and important record stores anymore.
So what the “#$”#&$ am I expected to do ? you might wonder.
How will I make money and how many fans do I need to actually make my day job go away.
Treat your career with the respect it deserves and you will be fine.
I know musicians. I used to be one. We are all hung up on talking about our amps and gear and less hung up on the bigger picture. Yeah, yeah I know we got into this so we wouldn’t have to put up with some bullshit office manager and now here I am preaching business plans and all the stuff we really do not want to deal with. What the &%$/ is that all about?
Well its about control. Control over your life and art. Cos even though you saw your fave rock star prancing around with groupies and limos, you did not see him broke years later fighting for the rights to perform his own songs and for royalties owed.
So get on with the job at hand
Work hard, play hard, and stick it to the man
Cheers
David
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2 comments:
That was a pretty bold post. I think that upcoming artists/musicians are still stuck day dreaming about limos/planes and forgetting about the PLAN to actually get there. One big thing that I believe we need to instill is an educative component for these prospect artists/musicians to get them to understand why they need to build themselves and their careers first.
Many of them still believe the advances and the stardom dream may come someday just like that.
They need to reach their people, their neighborhoods, their friends, family and ultimately their loyal fans and then move it up one step UP to mass market.
well put, well needed - focus and you shall achieve it
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