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That's why they call them superstars. It is the way of the music, as well as the movie industry, really just about every industry; the big names make the money, the other folks hope to get to open the show or be in a supporting role; with hopes that one day they will be the superstars. The great thing about music and movies is it is not always the one's that have the most money put into them, or make the most money in sales that turn out to be the best hits; so at least there is hope for the little guy.
My TunesPsalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
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Belief in the possibility of great success is a great thing even if it's mostly illusion.
It's not just music, it's the same across the entire economy from opening your first restaurant or clothing shop to writing a new tablet app. The chances of making it big are vanishingly small. Like winning the Lotto small but the fact that some really do go from nothing to the big time is inspiring to the rest of us.
Bob
Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
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Its good to see that you guys "get it" - maybe there's hope after all.
Keep the change,
--Mac
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I guess it shows that in spite of the net being a great way for a smaller unknown act to get exposure, the big promotion/advertising budgets that follow the big stars across all the media is still making the difference.
People seem to home in on what they know best or have heard about from other sources when faced with the 'option anxiety' of apparently limitless choice. This also might be due to the fact that so many lesser known acts tend to follow the formulas of the big stars anyway so that the choice is really about a bunch of clones or the 'real thing' in many cases.
If you add to that the consideration that far from being the 'real thing' today's big stars are themselves largely manufactured clones sticking to tried and tested routines then you're left with the feeling that what we have now is more media but less actual diversity.
Alan
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I guess it shows that in spite of the net being a great way for a smaller unknown act to get exposure, the big promotion/advertising budgets that follow the big stars across all the media is still making the difference.
People seem to home in on what they know best or have heard about from other sources when faced with the 'option anxiety' of apparently limitless choice. This also might be due to the fact that so many lesser known acts tend to follow the formulas of the big stars anyway so that the choice is really about a bunch of clones or the 'real thing' in many cases.
If you add to that the consideration that far from being the 'real thing' today's big stars are themselves largely manufactured clones sticking to tried and tested routines then you're left with the feeling that what we have now is more media but less actual diversity.
Alan very astute observation, and well said, Alan! I'm hoping that that what you just said about diversity is the game changer that helps indie music promoted online by the little guy. Whereas the big acts are indeed formulaic clones of each other, there are some really unique acts gearing up in the wings (has anybody else noticed how much new music contains an accordion?), and now you don't have to be a search engine wizard to find them anymore. A variety of sites for bands have gotten big enough that they've attracted large numbers of indie artists. People who used to search record stores for interesting new artists now have a much easier time finding them. They may not know it yet, but the system is finally in place.
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The music business is like a scene from Dumb and Dumber when Carrey ask his love interest
"What are my chances?"
she replys "not good"
He says; "you mean not good like one out of a hundred"
she tells him "I'd say more like one out of a million"
He hesitates and then says
"So you're telling me there's a chance"
then he celebrates.
My TunesPsalm 57:7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.
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Here's the statistic I didn't find in the report:
How is it determined who is in the 100% of musicians from which the 1% make 77% of the profits?
I would submit that for sales of music, there are WAY MORE people actually converting soundwaves to dollars these days, than in the past when you really did have to be signed to a label, to get into a studio, to get vinyl pressed and tape magnetized.
So, in light of this report, how do they count up to 100% of musicians? It's a very crucial statistic completely lost in the mud of the report. From what I can tell, it's artists that have streaming content available or iTunes content available. You all know people selling on iTunes - anyone that has put stuff at CD Baby in the past several years. They are counting all of them/us as part of the 100%.
Well no kidding - a bunch of stuff on CD baby is absolutely awful. A huge steaming pile of awful. Pick any CD at Random for sale at CD Baby. No cheating, just start clicking and listening. Smelly....
Read the whole report - it really doesn't hold up statistically as a finger pointing at the superstars. The claim is that superstars are eating 77% of the revenues. That number pales in comparison to what it used to be. I would guess that in the past, that number was more like 1% making 90+%
Watch the 'Produced by George Martin' DVD. In there George talks about the idiot executives at EMI who questioned George on why only a handful of the Beatles songs that he recorded made something like 80 or 90% of the entire EMI revenue - all labels included, not just Parlophone. The exec was asking why there weren't MORE hits by the Beatles, as in every single song they recorded. Superstar tyranny, as it's referred to in the report, was way more prevalent in the past than it is now. It was actually label tyranny.
It's a golden age of recording-->moneymaking. The playing field has leveled immensely compared to in the past. The superstars will always command the large chunks, but there are way more crumbs now than there used to be.
What has dried up, and many here attest to it - is the playing of live music other people have written and recorded, for gainful employment.
The two topics should not be confused. They are not very closely related to each other, other than due to the fact that many people now pay big dollars to go watch/hear/see pre-recorded music played by artists, bands and DJs. Nobody here who plays along with pre-recorded tracks - whether MIDI generated or pre-recorded audio files, etc. can point fingers with much credibility.
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Polls, surveys and statistics, not a one of 'em is worth the paper they're printed on, Scott.
"We need a survey!"
"Good, I'll do it. But first, what exactly are you paying me to find?"
And so it goes...
--Mac
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There's a book entitled Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics. Srsly.
"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."
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Yah, read that thing once.
My fav, from another tome:
"79% of all cited statistical data is invented on the spot, this statement inclusive."
--Mac
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Holiday Weekend Hours
It's Victoria Day Long Weekend in Canada. Our Customer Service hours are:
Saturday, May 16: Closed
Sunday, May 17: Closed
Monday, May 18: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Regular hours resume Tuesday, May 19th!
Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
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Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
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202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
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Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
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-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
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-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!
All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!
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What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?
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The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.
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Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
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Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!
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