The music industry today is far from what it was a few years ago when the Doo Wop bands and hit singles artists of the 60s, 70s and 80s were making names for themselves. The days of lucrative music contracts from top recording companies have all been put out to pasture, unless you’re one of the extreme lucky ones.
The computer is mostly to blame for this debacle with P2P file sharing and illegal music downloads which really hit the pocket books of these recording companies, forcing them to extend contracts on the talented artists of today unless it’s a for sure thing. In order to screw over the music industry and get something for nothing, the P2P really didn’t hurt the big wigs; they still make money on the distribution. Instead, whom we hurt most were the artists.
By not having lucrative contracts, it forces the artist to be what the industry calls an “indie” artist or independent artist. This indie artist can still produce their music and have CDs and digital downloads except they must fork over the millions it takes to make a successful career. Most bands are not endowed with bottomless pockets; rather they start out as garage bands. These artists, unless they have great knowledge of the music industry, are doomed to either stay at the status quo of the band never to be more than a garage or bar band, or excel in the industry. They are at the mercy of a very corrupt business.
The P2P is not totally to blame for the contracts not being dealt. The record industry itself has played a small part in the problem by not taking a good strong hold over the digital download revolution. Many people today prefer digital downloads to conventional CDs and tapes. The reason is simple; digitally you can store thousands of songs on your computer and carry them all around in this neat little box that is the size of a business card at most. The MP3 player was an answer to the clutter and damaged tapes and CDs that angered many music listeners. The digital downloads are great but they don’t make a lot of money for the record industry fast; at small $0.99 downloads, it would take a long time to reach the amount of money they would get off CDs. Yes, the industry does allow full CD downloads of any album along with singles but many people don’t want all the songs so that choice doesn’t get utilized like the singles do.
Disney, on the other hand, has found a way to stronghold the industry. For instance, lets take the Little Mermaid soundtrack for example. Ashley Tisdale did a remake of the famed song “Kiss The Girl” on the re-release of the classic movie. The soundtrack included that version, along with the original version by Samuel E. Wright. If you go to iTunes to purchase the song, you will see that only Samuel E. Wright’s version is available for singles download. If you want Ashley Tisdale’s version, you must purchase the entire soundtrack for $19.99. If the rest of the record industry did this they wouldn’t lose as much money on the digital download aspect and, in turn, could sign more people to full contracts.
Now, full contracts are nice and all but are they really worth it? When a record company purchases your contract, they own all your songs and can force you to be here or be there on a tour, of which you have no say. They can force you to produce a certain amount of songs or CDs in a short period of time which can actually cause lackluster songs that don’t make sense or don’t have feeling because of the “must get it done” rush. They may also require at least one #1 radio or Billboard chart song in the duration of the contract or they can cancel you keeping the rights to your music. Contracts almost destroyed Hall of Fame artist REM in the past.
The “indie” artist on the other hand has a lot more freedom. If you decide enough is enough, in most cases you own the royalties and full rights to your work. You have the choice to go on any tour you wish, when you want, as long as it’s in your budget. You can take the time to write quality songs and record them passionately, which in turn, could roll out a #1 hit or even a Grammy. The only downside is you need money to do this.
So what should an artist do? How do they stay away from the shysters of the industry and maximize their investment? Simple. Find a reputable manager who can help you all the way through. You want to find someone who keeps close records on radio hits, sales and your budget. Most artists have no idea what the music industry is about, what’s fair and right; therefore, teaming up with a veteran who knows the ropes can save you from getting ripped off, and make your career prosperous.
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