Originally Posted by JoanneCooper
Originally Posted by Guitarhacker
The state of the music business is total crap. Between the well past theft level of pay for streaming, to the scammers and totally dishonest ways of doing business, it's amazing that anyone is still writing songs.
I think to some degree it has always been crap. I think now we are more aware of how crap it is. Did anybody watch that film on Netflix about Spotify? They made a fortune, the record companies made a fortune and the long tail artists get less than zero.

When I was younger, I was in a band that was the opening acts for groups like The Four Seasons, The Association, and eventually under the wing of Motown in its prime. We opened for Marvin Gaye, The Miracles, and eventually a few huge star-studded Motown Reviews.

At the time, Bob Seger was making #1 hits on Detroit radio, so Berry wanted to expand his influence. We were chosen to be the first all-white act on the Motown family of labels.

After a lot of negotiation, this was Motown's final offer:

Our royalties were to be 2 cents per record or LP track.

Out of our royalties, Motown would deduct
  • Exaggerated recording fees
  • Inflated distribution costs
  • Outrageous promotional fees

Plus
  • Motown would own all publishing rights
  • We were to choose another name, one that Motown would own, and they would have the right to hire or fire anyone and have multiple bands touring with that name
  • A ghostwriter who contributes nothing would be added to any song we wrote, and would receive half the songwriting royalties.


Now to be fair, 2¢ back then is more like $2 now, but everything else is more expensive today (For example, gas was 33¢ per gallon back then).

The gatekeepers have always pimped the artists, and although the gatekeepers change through the years, their greed hasn't.

The exception for deals like that would be, if your first effort went viral, and you became like Elvis, The Beatles, Taylor Swift or some of the others, you could negotiate a better deal for the next recording and get very wealthy. If not, you became just another one-hit, one-LP, one CD or one-album wonder.

Me? I've made a living performing other people's music. I've played small dives, huge concert halls, cruise ships, show clubs, private parties, restaurants, yacht clubs, country clubs, retirement developments, singles bars, condominiums, shopping malls, and just about anywhere else a musician can be hired, including the roof of a gas station for its grand opening.

I am a chameleon musician, playing 8 instruments and many genres. I've played rock, country, salsa, reggae, jazz, symphonies, and so on.

Through the decades, I neither made it to the top, nor got rich. But on the other hand, I'm living life on my own terms, I'm not in debt, and I'm not a 5 day per week wage slave. I live modestly but I'm very happy.

To me, this is a better way to live a life as a musician and I have no desire to chase the dream where I put in all the effort and the gatekeeper gets 99.999999% of the money.

But that's just me. There is more than one right way to go through life.


Insights and incites by Notes ♫

Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com

100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks