Indie Mecca

Music ThinkTank

2009-03-26T15:56:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't had time to write up anything original in a while, all you get for now is another link to a great site for information on what's happening in the music industry, indie style:

Music ThinkTank

Trent Reznor shares his thoughts on scalpers and the 'secondary ticket market'

2009-03-15T21:42:00.001-07:00

Trent Reznor gives us his thoughts on the actions of scalpers, how they get their tickets and the secondary ticket market created by the promoter, acts, venues and, of course, Ticketmaster and Live Nation:

http://bit.ly/16taGa

It's good to see other major acts calling attention to these underhanded, greedy shenanigans. Wonder why you can't get tickets to a show or why they cost so much? Read on...

How To Make Twitter Sound Like Music To Your Ears

2009-02-26T09:38:00.001-08:00

From Techcrunch comes an excellent list of utilities and apps to maximize your Twitter musical potential:

How To Make Twitter Sound Like Music To Your Ears

John Freese responds to Bob Lefsetz

2009-02-24T08:43:00.000-08:00

John Freese responds to Bob Lefsetz - see Bob's original post about John here.

Hi Bob! How are ya? Just wanted to drop in and say THANKS for giving my wacky little album promotion thing a thumbs up in your blog the other day. I'm glad that you appreciated the creative, fun, DIY aspect to it. I'm proud of it and got a kick out of putting it all together. I'm happy that some folks (such as yourself) dug it and are talking about it. That's all I could've hoped for. I mean...I'm no dummy and I don't expect anyone to purchase some of the ridiculously expensive "packages" that I am offering. BUT so far what I wanted to happen HAS happened...people have taken notice and are now talking about it. As for my upcoming record, I paid for it myself and I am putting it out myself (isn't everybody these days?) and really just wanted to do something wacky and different that wouldn't cost much. I hired a publicist to spread the word and to get me a few interviews but that's all the "marketing" that is being done really. My record's just a pop rock record of songs I've written and I sing and play everything on it (for the most part.)

I am 100% serious though in delivering on any of the packages that are purchased. That's half the fun...if not ALL THE FUN! If someone buys "lunch at PF Changs" or a "private tour of Disneyland" or (the one you liked) "miniature golfing with me, Mark Mothersbaugh and Maynard James Keenan" then you better believe that I will get it together, do it AND film it for youtube posting! Everyone I pulled in on this one have signed off and are prepared IN CASE it goes down. The one I really hope someone gets is when I write a song about them to put up on iTunes or better yet (the more expensive version) when I write a 5 or 6 song EP about the purchaser and market it on iTunes and all over the web...just like a real record. It would be a REAL RECORD after all! Anyhow, we'll see what happens. In the end, if it just grabs someone's attention and they go to my site and shell out 7 bucks for the digital download...well, I'd be happy with that. I do hope to get up to takers on the weird stuff though and then document and post it. I'll let ya know how it goes. Hell, how about you and me hit the ol' "Sensory deprivation tank" and then have dinner at Sizzler!

Thanks again,

Josh

P.S. Here's my latest "commercial" that I put together in iMovie on my lap-top and posted today. I even got my old pal who does most of the AM radio commercial spots here in LA to narrate it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWeLyp13jv0

Chasing the dream - from Major to DIY

2009-02-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

A very interesting story (and one all too familiar, at least as far as the major record label shenanigans go..) about the trials and tribulations associated with being on a label and how he eventually took matters into his own hands...

Chasing the Dream - from Major to DIY (via Washington Post)

THIS is how to change things in the digital music era!

2009-02-21T11:36:00.001-08:00

Josh Freese, drummer for NIN, Devo, A Perfect Circle, The Vandals and about a dozen other bands you've definitely heard of, is taking a no-holds-barred approach to promoting and selling his new record, 'Since 1972'.

He's going to take you to Roscoe's Chicken n' Waffles with Twiggy Ramirez, bassist for Marilyn Manson, give you a signed snare from A Perfect Circle's 2003 tour, then let you drive off with his Volvo station wagon. All for only $10k.

Of course, if you can't afford that, there's always the CD/DVD double-disc set for $15 or, if you're really broke, the $7 digital download.

Josh has something for everyone - he'll even play in your band for a month or take you on a limo ride to Tijuana to 'show you how it's done'. For $75K

The promotion may or may not be real, but we're really hoping it is, so we can see what comes of the YouTube videos he's promising...!

The various packages:

$7

* Digital download of Since 1972, including 3 videos

$15

* CD/DVD double-disc set
* Digital download

$50

* CD/DVD double-disc set
* T-shirt
* “Thank you” phone call from Josh for buying Since 1972. You can tell him what you like about the record that you purchased, or what you thought sucked. Ask whatever you want, like “Is Maynard really THAT weird?” or “Which one of Sting’s mansions has the comfiest beds?” or “Are Devo really suburban robots that monitor reality or just a bunch of dads from Ohio?” or “Why don’t the Vandals play more stuff off the first record?” It’s your 5 minutes to yack it up. Talk about whatever you want.

$250 (limited edition of 25)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Signed drum head and drumsticks
* Go on a lunch date with Josh to PF Changs or The Cheesecake Factory (whatever you’re into)

$500 (limited edition of 15)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Signed cymbal and sticks
* Meet Josh in Venice, Calif., and go floating together in a sensory-deprivation tank (to be filmed and posted on YouTube)
* Dinner at Sizzler (get your $8.99 steak and “all you can eat” shrimp on)

$1,000 (limited edition of 10)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Signed cymbal, drum head and drumsticks
* Josh washes your car OR does your laundry … or you can wash his car
* Have dinner with Josh aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Calif.
* Get drunk and cut each other’s hair in the parking lot of the Long Beach courthouse (filmed and posted on YouTube, of course)

$2,500 (limited edition of 5)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* Get a private drum lesson with Josh, or for all you non-drummers, have him give you a back and foot massage (couples welcome)
* Pick any 1 member of the Vandals or Devo (subject to availability) to accompany you and Josh to either the Hollywood Wax Museum or the lunch buffet at the Spearmint Rhino
* Signed DW snare drum
* Take 3 items of your choice out of his closet (first come, first serve)
* Change diapers and make bottles with him for an afternoon (after hitting the strip club)

$5,000 (limited edition of 3)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Josh writes a song about you and makes it available on iTunes
* Co-direct a video with him for the song about you and throw it up on the YouTubes
* Josh gives you and a friend a private tour of Disneyland
* Get drunk together. If you don’t drink, we can go to my dad’s place and hang out under the “Tuba tree”
* Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam will send you a letter telling you about his favorite song on Since 1972

$10,000 (limited edition of 1)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Signed DW snare drum from A Perfect Circle’s 2003 tour
* Josh gives you a private drum lesson OR his and hers foot/back massage (couples welcome, discreet parking)
* Twiggy from Marilyn Manson’s band and Josh take you and a guest to Roscoe’s Chicken ‘n’ Waffles in Long Beach for dinner
* Josh takes you and a guest to Club 33 (the super-duper exclusive and private restaurant at Disneyland located above Pirates of the Caribbean) and then hit a couple rides afterward (preferably the Tiki Room, the Haunted Mansion and Tower of Terror)
* At the end of the day at Disneyland, drive away in Josh’s Volvo station wagon. It’s all yours … take it. Just drop him off on your way home, though, please.

$20,000 (limited edition of 1)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* A signed drum from the 2008 Nine Inch Nails tour
* Maynard James Keenan, Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo and Josh take you miniature golfing and then drop you off on the side of the freeway (all filmed and posted on YouTube)
* Josh gives you a tour of Long Beach. See his first apartment, the coffee shop on 2nd Street where his buddy paid Dave Grohl $40 to rip up tile just weeks before joining Nirvana. See the old Vandals rehearsal spot, the liquor store he got busted at using a Fake ID when he was 17 (it was Dave from the Vandals’ old ID). Go check out Snoop Dogg’s high school. For an extra 50 bucks see where Tom and Adrian from No Doubt live. For another $25 he’ll show ya where Eric from NOFX and Brooks from Bad Religion get their hair cut.
* Spend the night aboard the Queen Mary and take the “Ghosts and Legends” tour. (Separate rooms … no spooning.)
* Josh writes 2 songs about you and both are made available on iTunes and appear on his next record (you can sing back up on ‘em, clap, play the drums, triangle, whatever)
* Drum lesson OR foot and back massage (once again … couples welcome and discreet parking available)
* Pick any 3 items out of Josh’s closet

$75,000 (limited edition of 1)

* Signed CD/DVD and digital download
* T-shirt
* Go on tour with Josh for a few days
* Have Josh write, record and release a 5-song EP about you and your life story
* Take home any of his drum sets (only one, but you can choose which one)
* Take shrooms and cruise Hollywood in Danny from Tool’s Lamborghini OR play quarters and then hop on the Ouija board for a while
* Josh will join your band for a month … play shows, record, party with groupies, etc.
* If you don’t have a band he’ll be your personal assistant for a month (4-day work weeks, 10 am to 4 pm)
* Take a limo down to Tijuana and he’ll show you how it’s done (what that means exactly we can’t legally get into here)
* If you don’t live in Southern California (but are a U.S. resident) he’ll come to you and be your personal assistant/cabana boy for 2 weeks
* Take a flying trapeze lesson with Josh and Robin from NIN, go back to Robins place afterwards and his wife will make you raw lasagna
(Via Mashable and Soundcheck.Freedomblogging)

Social Music: 5 Essential Tools for Marketing Your Band

2009-02-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

Jennifer Van Grove has an excellent article over at Mashable:

Up until this point in our Social Music series we’ve focused on the fans, providing you with the top recommendation services, best free iPhone apps, the best places to build a playlist and find concerts, and a showdown between Last.fm and Slacker. Now we want to share the music love with musicians, artists, and bands looking to explore social media as a way to promote their work and connect with their fanbase.

Continue reading....

Seth Godin - Music vs. The Music Industry

2009-02-14T14:16:00.000-08:00

The music industry is really focused on the ‘industry’ part and not so much on the ‘music’ part. This is the greatest moment in the history of music if your dream is to distribute as much music as possible to as many people as possible, or if your goal is to make it as easy as possible to become heard as a musician. There’s never been a time like this before. So if your focus is on music, it’s great. If your focus is on the industry part and the limos, the advances, the lawyers, polycarbonate and vinyl, it’s horrible. The shift that is happening right now is that the people who insist on keeping the world as it was are going to get more and more frustrated until they lose their jobs. People who want to invent a whole new set of rules, a new paradigm, can’t believe their good fortune and how lucky they are that the people in the industry aren’t noticing an opportunity...

Continue reading...

Chris Pirillo - Why DRM Sucks! (and we agree!)

2009-01-31T17:16:00.000-08:00

Chris Pirillo expounds on the idiocy that is DRM and we agree....except with that last statement about MP3's being as perfect as they need to be. We think the don't get good until the 320kbps range - and, even then, they don't compare to uncompressed audio. You pay a price for convenience, though!

Digital-music buyer, don't be a fool

(CNN) -- Back in my day (a day not long ago, as it turns out), you could go down to the local record shop and plunk down your paper-route money for little disks of plastic that were embedded with the latest sounds of your favorite musical performers.

Whether your tastes ran from Al Jarreau to "Weird Al" Yankovic, you could be assured that those purchased disks were yours -- for keeps.

You could play 'em over and over until they were scratched beyond repair, you could lend 'em to friends, you could amplify 'em at illicit Charleston dancing parties, you could sell 'em to used record stores or you could store 'em away in a safe deposit box in hopes they'd gain value as collector's items.

Viral Marketing - What's Really 'Real' About It?

2009-01-31T17:04:00.000-08:00

Tunecore has an excellent article by Cliff Goldmacher on viral marketing:

Viral Marketing–What’s Really “Real” About It?

Cliff Goldmacher is a songwriter, producer, engineer and the owner of recording studios in both Nashville and New York City. Cliff is also a regular contributor to EQ Magazine and Pro Sound News. He can be reached at cliff@cliffgoldmacher.com.

The Bad News

In my 15 years of making a full-time living in the music world, one thing has become more and more clear to me. It’s work. The romantic image of the starving artist being so incredibly talented that one day he or she gets “discovered” and becomes rich and famous is a dangerous myth. I say “dangerous” because the more you as an artist believe it, the less inclined you’ll be to do any work on your own behalf. The gritty reality is that if you don’t do the necessary (and daily) work promoting yourself and your music, it’s highly unlikely anything will ever happen.

Why Indies Are Better Off As Indies

2009-01-31T11:28:00.000-08:00

I'm reposting an article I read a long time ago and which had a big influence on me. This and Moses Avalon's "Confessions of a Record Producer" convinced me that the majors have no interest in the music or the art - they want the money and they don't want to share it with the artist unless they absolutely have to. The figures given, while not necessarily accurate for the current digital age, certainly still apply as far as artist cuts go.

You're better off spending the money on your own promotion and keeping all the profits. Don't expect overnight success, but rather build your fan-base and the success will come. We'll be doing a several part series on promotion and marketing coming soon...stay tuned!

The Problem With Music
by Steve Albini

Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed. Nobody can see what's printed on the contract. It's too far away, and besides, the shit stench is making everybody's eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the shit. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there's only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says "Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim again, please. Backstroke". And he does of course.

Every major label involved in the hunt for new bands now has on staff a high-profile point man, an "A & R" rep who can present a comfortable face to any prospective band. The initials stand for "Artist and Repertoire." because historically, the A & R staff would select artists to record music that they had also selected, out of an available pool of each. This is still the case, though not openly. These guys are universally young [about the same age as the bands being wooed], and nowadays they always have some obvious underground rock credibility flag they can wave.

Lyle Preslar, former guitarist for Minor Threat, is one of them. Terry Tolkin, former NY independent booking agent and assistant manager at Touch and Go is one of them. Al Smith, former soundman at CBGB is one of them. Mike Gitter, former editor of XXX fanzine and contributor to Rip, Kerrang and other lowbrow rags is one of them. Many of the annoying turds who used to staff college radio stations are in their ranks as well. There are several reasons A & R scouts are always young. The explanation usually copped-to is that the scout will be "hip to the current musical "scene." A more important reason is that the bands will intuitively trust someone they think is a peer, and who speaks fondly of the same formative rock and roll experiences. The A & R person is the first person to make contact with the band, and as such is the first person to promise them the moon. Who better to promise them the moon than an idealistic young turk who expects to be calling the shots in a few years, and who has had no previous experience with a big record company. Hell, he's as naive as the band he's duping. When he tells them no one will interfere in their creative process, he probably even believes it. When he sits down with the band for the first time, over a plate of angel hair pasta, he can tell them with all sincerity that when they sign with company X, they're really signing with him and he's on their side. Remember that great gig I saw you at in '85? Didn't we have a blast. By now all rock bands are wise enough to be suspicious of music industry scum. There is a pervasive caricature in popular culture of a portly, middle aged ex-hipster talking a mile-a-minute, using outdated jargon and calling everybody "baby." After meeting "their" A & R guy, the band will say to themselves and everyone else, "He's not like a record company guy at all! He's like one of us." And they will be right. That's one of the reasons he was hired.

These A & R guys are not allowed to write contracts. What they do is present the band with a letter of intent, or "deal memo," which loosely states some terms, and affirms that the band will sign with the label once a contract has been agreed on. The spookiest thing about this harmless sounding little memo, is that it is, for all legal purposes, a binding document. That is, once the band signs it, they are under obligation to conclude a deal with the label. If the label presents them with a contract that the band don't want to sign, all the label has to do is wait. There are a hundred other bands willing to sign the exact same contract, so the label is in a position of strength. These letters never have any terms of expiration, so the band remain bound by the deal memo until a contract is signed, no matter how long that takes. The band cannot sign to another laborer or even put out its own material unless they are released from their agreement, which never happens. Make no mistake about it: once a band has signed a letter of intent, they will either eventually sign a contract that suits the label or they will be destroyed.

One of my favorite bands was held hostage for the better part of two years by a slick young "He's not like a label guy at all," A & R rep, on the basis of such a deal memo. He had failed to come through on any of his promises [something he did with similar effect to another well-known band], and so the band wanted out. Another label expressed interest, but when the A & R man was asked to release the band, he said he would need money or points, or possibly both, before he would consider it. The new label was afraid the price would be too dear, and they said no thanks. On the cusp of making their signature album, an excellent band, humiliated, broke up from the stress and the many months of inactivity. There's this band. They're pretty ordinary, but they're also pretty good, so they've attracted some attention. They're signed to a moderate-sized "independent" label owned by a distribution company, and they have another two albums owed to the label. They're a little ambitious. They'd like to get signed by a major label so they can have some security you know, get some good equipment, tour in a proper tour bus -- nothing fancy, just a little reward for all the hard work. To that end, they got a manager. He knows some of the label guys, and he can shop their next project to all the right people. He takes his cut, sure, but it's only 15%, and if he can get them signed then it's money well spent. Anyways, it doesn't cost them anything if it doesn't work. 15% of nothing isn't much! One day an A & R scout calls them, says he's 'been following them for a while now, and when their manager mentioned them to him, it just "clicked." Would they like to meet with him about the possibility of working out a deal with his label? Wow. Big Break time. They meet the guy, and y'know what -- he's not what they expected from a label guy. He's young and dresses pretty much like the band does. He knows all their favorite bands. He's like one of them. He tells them he wants to go to bat for them, to try to get them everything they want. He says anything is possible with the right attitude.

They conclude the evening by taking home a copy of a deal memo they wrote out and signed on the spot. The A & R guy was full of great ideas, even talked about using a name producer. Butch Vig is out of the question-he wants 100 g's and three points, but they can get Don Fleming for $30,000 plus three points. Even that's a little steep, so maybe they'll go with that guy who used to be in David Letterman's band. He only wants three points. Or they can have just anybody record it (like Warton Tiers, maybe-- cost you 5 or 7 grand] and have Andy Wallace remix it for 4 grand a track plus 2 points. It was a lot to think about. Well, they like this guy and they trust him. Besides, they already signed the deal memo. He must have been serious about wanting them to sign. They break the news to their current label, and the label manager says he wants them to succeed, so they have his blessing. He will need to be compensated, of course, for the remaining albums left on their contract, but he'll work it out with the label himself.

Sub Pop made millions from selling off Nirvana, and Twin Tone hasn't done bad either: 50 grand for the Babes and 60 grand for the Poster Children-- without having to sell a single additional record. It'll be something modest. The new label doesn't mind, so long as it's recoupable out of royalties. Well, they get the final contract, and it's not quite what they expected. They figure it's better to be safe than sorry and they turn it over to a lawyer--one who says he's experienced in entertainment law and he hammers out a few bugs. They're still not sure about it, but the lawyer says he's seen a lot of contracts, and theirs is pretty good. They'll be great royalty: 13% [less a 1O% packaging deduction]. Wasn't it Buffalo Tom that were only getting 12% less 10? Whatever. The old label only wants 50 grand, an no points. Hell, Sub Pop got 3 points when they let Nirvana go. They're signed for four years, with options on each year, for a total of over a million dollars! That's a lot of money in any man's English. The first year's advance alone is $250,000. Just think about it, a quarter million, just for being in a rock band! Their manager thinks it's a great deal, especially the large advance. Besides, he knows a publishing company that will take the band on if they get signed, and even give them an advance of 20 grand, so they'll be making that money too. The manager says publishing is pretty mysterious, and nobody really knows where all the money comes from, but the lawyer can look that contract over too. Hell, it's free money. Their booking agent is excited about the band signing to a major. He says they can maybe average $1,000 or $2,000 a night from now on. That's enough to justify a five week tour, and with tour support, they can use a proper crew, buy some good equipment and even get a tour bus! Buses are pretty expensive, but if you figure in the price of a hotel room for everybody In the band and crew, they're actually about the same cost. Some bands like Therapy? and Sloan and Stereolab use buses on their tours even when they're getting paid only a couple hundred bucks a night, and this tour should earn at least a grand or two every night. It'll be worth it. The band will be more comfortable and will play better.

The agent says a band on a major label can get a merchandising company to pay them an advance on T-shirt sales! ridiculous! There's a gold mine here! The lawyer Should look over the merchandising contract, just to be safe. They get drunk at the signing party. Polaroids are taken and everybody looks thrilled. The label picked them up in a limo. They decided to go with the producer who used to be in Letterman's band. He had these technicians come in and tune the drums for them and tweak their amps and guitars. He had a guy bring in a slew of expensive old "vintage" microphones. Boy, were they "warm." He even had a guy come in and check the phase of all the equipment in the control room! Boy, was he professional. He used a bunch of equipment on them and by the end of it, they all agreed that it sounded very "punchy," yet "warm." All that hard work paid off. With the help of a video, the album went like hotcakes! They sold a quarter million copies! Here is the math that will explain just how fucked they are: These figures are representative of amounts that appear in record contracts daily. There's no need to skew the figures to make the scenario look bad, since real-life examples more than abound. income is bold and underlined, expenses are not.

Advance:	$ 250,000
Manager's cut:	$ 37,500
Legal fees:	$ 10,000
Recording Budget:	$ 150,000
Producer's advance:	$ 50,000
Studio fee:	$ 52,500
Drum Amp, Mic and Phase "Doctors":	$ 3,000
Recording tape:	$ 8,000
Equipment rental:	$ 5,000
Cartage and Transportation:	$ 5,000
Lodgings while in studio:	$ 10,000
Catering:	$ 3,000
Mastering:	$ 10,000
Tape copies, reference CDs, shipping tapes, misc. expenses:	$ 2,000
Video budget:	$ 30,000
Cameras:	$ 8,000
Crew:	$ 5,000
Processing and transfers:	$ 3,000
Off-line:	$ 2,000
On-line editing:	$ 3,000
Catering:	$ 1,000
Stage and construction:	$ 3,000
Copies, couriers, transportation:	$ 2,000
Director's fee:	$ 3,000
Album Artwork:	$ 5,000
Promotional photo shoot and duplication:	$ 2,000
Band fund:	$ 15,000
New fancy professional drum kit:	$ 5,000
New fancy professional guitars [2]:	$ 3,000
New fancy professional guitar amp rigs [2]:	$ 4,000
New fancy potato-shaped bass guitar:	$ 1,000
New fancy rack of lights bass amp:	$ 1,000
Rehearsal space rental:	$ 500
Big blowout party for their friends:	$ 500
Tour expense [5 weeks]:	$ 50,875
Bus:	$ 25,000
Crew [3]:	$ 7,500
Food and per diems:	$ 7,875
Fuel:	$ 3,000
Consumable supplies:	$ 3,500
Wardrobe:	$ 1,000
Promotion:	$ 3,000
Tour gross income:	$ 50,000
Agent's cut:	$ 7,500
Manager's cut:	$ 7,500
Merchandising advance:	$ 20,000
Manager's cut:	$ 3,000
Lawyer's fee:	$ 1,000
Publishing advance:	$ 20,000
Manager's cut:	$ 3,000
Lawyer's fee:	$ 1,000
Record sales:	250,000 @ $12 = $3,000,000
Gross retail revenue Royalty:	[13% of 90% of retail]: $ 351,000
Less advance:	$ 250,000
Producer's points:	[3% less $50,000 advance]: $ 40,000
Promotional budget:	$ 25,000
Recoupable buyout from previous label:	$ 50,000
Net royalty:	$ -14,000
Record company income:
Record wholesale price:	$6.50 x 250,000 = $1,625,000 gross income
Artist Royalties:	$ 351,000
Deficit from royalties:	$ 14,000
Manufacturing, packaging and distribution:	@ $2.20 per record: $ 550,000
Gross profit:	$ 7l0,000
The Balance Sheet: This is how much each player got paid at the end of the game.
Record company:	$ 710,000
Producer:	$ 90,000
Manager:	$ 51,000
Studio:	$ 52,500
Previous label:	$ 50,000
Agent:	$ 7,500
Lawyer:	$ 12,000
Band member net income each:	$ 4,031.25

The band is now 1/4 of the way through its contract, has made the music industry more than 3 million dollars richer, but is in the hole $14,000 on royalties. The band members have each earned about 1/3 as much as they would working at a 7-11, but they got to ride in a tour bus for a month. The next album will be about the same, except that the record company will insist they spend more time and money on it. Since the previous one never "recouped," the band will have no leverage, and will oblige. The next tour will be about the same, except the merchandising advance will have already been paid, and the band, strangely enough, won't have earned any royalties from their T-shirts yet. Maybe the T-shirt guys have figured out how to count money like record company guys. Some of your friends are probably already this fucked.

Steve Albini is an independent and corporate rock record producer most widely known for having produced Nirvana's "In Utero".

Another Touring Resource - Artists' Meeting Place (AMP)

2009-01-27T17:28:00.000-08:00

While we're on the subject of touring, let's also mention Artists' Meeting Place - an indie resource for artists and musicians to share their experiences, resources and info on how to get gigs, where to stay and all kinds of other great info. Need to know which galleries to show your art or which clubs would be most open to having your band play? AMP probably has someone that can help.

AMP has been instrumental in helping touring artists - you can find another musicians who have space for touring bands, or offer your own space if you like.

It's also a great place to find the perfect artist to take your band photos, or do CD artwork.

Highly recommended!

Artists' Meeting Place (AMP)

Reunion Blues Touring Bands Digital Handbook

2009-01-27T17:24:00.000-08:00

Reunion Blues has a nice little resource for touring bands - info on places to play, places to stay and places to feed yo' faces. It's completely participatory, so help others by posting your good touring info.

Reunion Blues Touring Bands Digital Handbook

Sound Exchange - Made of Fail?

2008-12-31T08:01:00.000-08:00

Here's a little link to one artist/labels latest experience with Sound Exchange. If you're unfamiliar with Sound Exchange, they're supposedly a 'non-profit' set up by the RIAA to collect royalties from all those little web radio stations and other 'unregulated' (until now) sources of possible income that the RIAA and major labels can milk. If you've heard your favorite web radio station asking for donations lately, or switching to a paid model - this is why. They have to pay Sound Exchange to play your music - even if you're not on a major label and have given the web radio station explicit permission to play your music without paying a fee.

Talk about a monopoly and racket all in one - this is it. This is what the RIAA and major labels come up with when they see their bottom line shrinking. Rather than, you know, put out better music or actually give what fans and listeners want, they think it's a better idea to get innovative with whatever new, defenseless target they can extract a cash flow from - all the while putting up a front that they're 'protecting the artist'.

If you're an indie artist, you should definitely sign up, just so you can get the money coming to you and keep it out of the RIAA's hands. Even better - turn around and donate it back to the web radio stations being squeezed, so it comes back full circle.

Sound Exchange - Made of Fail?

Nettwerk puts fans in charge of bands.

2008-12-28T16:46:00.000-08:00

Nettwerk label's Terry McBride has always been a forward thinker and this article is the perfect example of how his tactics 'mesh' with the emerging age of music. Giving the fans what they want has always been a motto of advertising pundits, but we can all agree that there are very few labels doing so, much less one as major as Nettwerk. Indie artists can learn a lot from Terry, integrating his tactics into your own personalized marketing strategy.

Want to sell more cd's and downloads? Read this article!

Nettwerk CEO Terry McBride Puts Fans in Charge of Bands

Micropersuasion - social media marketng tips and info

2008-12-28T16:38:00.001-08:00

An excellent site for navigating through all the social media options - from Twitter to Facebook and many more. How to's on setting up your account, expanding your network and making things interesting for the readers.

Highly recommended!

Micropersuasion

Social Music List - All the best social music sites

2008-12-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

Just discovered this site with a superior list of all the best social music sites. Use this list to promote your band/music, discover new music and keep up to date with what's happening in the music world.

I will say that some of these are kinda hit and miss, but a vast majority of them will be quite useful to the indie musician or fan.

Nimbit - Indie Direct to Fans Music Commerce

2008-12-07T15:48:00.001-08:00

We just signed up for Nimbit as a way to sell MP3's and other merch directly from our website. After looking at the options, Nimbit came out on top - it offers a host of services, easy setup and a fair pricing structure. To top it off, we even got a call and email directly from a Nimbit rep who was there to answer any questions we may have or help with setup. Classy!

As with any service we recommend here, we do our best to vet them and make sure they're worthy of our attention. I think Nimbit is one of those that makes the cut.

Divasonic blog

2008-12-07T15:38:00.000-08:00

I was doing a little websurfing and came across a blog from our good friend, Divasonic. It's great to see more artists getting into blogging, Twitter and other social media - it's an excellent way to let your fans know what you're up to and for fans to get a little insight into who you are as an artist.

If you're an indie electronica/trip-hop/downtempo artist, send us a link to your blog or Twitter page!

iSound - Your Band Brand

2008-12-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

A short and sweet post on your 'Band Brand' - why it's important.

Your Band Brand

No matter how much we like to rebel against things like this, it's one of those aspects that does play a part in how your band is perceived - and received. People identify with a band according to how that band portrays themselves - whether it's rebels, geeks, rockers or otherwise. How do you want your band to be percieved?

As a fan, what do you identify with? What makes you take interest in a band? What puts you off?

TuneCore: How to Succeed in the Music Business

2008-12-01T13:16:00.001-08:00

TuneCore has a new article up on their artist blog:

How to Succeed in the Music Business

Believing in what you're doing is absolutely vital - if you don't believe in it, who else is going to?

Are ticket prices and accessibility out of control?

2008-12-01T13:06:00.001-08:00

I recently read this piece by Bob Lefsetz:

Ticket Prices

It got me thinking about the last dozen or so shows that I've gone to and how tickets and prices have been either:

1. Grossly inflated due to various fees and convenience charges, mostly by Ticketmaster - sometimes to the tune of 30%+ of the base ticket price.
2. Impossible to get - the sell out immediately and you end up paying twice as much from a scalper.
3. Base price is ridiculously high for good seats - the best seats going for 4-10x as much as those in 'undesirable' areas.

Even for hardcore fans, it's becoming more, not less, difficult to get good seats to see a band that may come by only once every few years, if that. The article spells it out - hardcore fans are being pushed out by those with the money - and, even then, it's usually not the band that benefits, but the scalpers, as they buy up the tickets and resell them. This cheats both the band and the fan.

The fees are another topic altogether. 30%+ just to print a ticket? Talk about highway robbery - and Ticketmaster has a practical monopoly, with contracts with most major venues that require back end fees from the band. The not only get the fan fee, but money from the band after the fact.

These kinds of practices need to stop. It's hurting the industry as a whole and the only ones that are benefitting are the scalpers and companies like Ticketmaster.

Gram Rabbit - Indie Innovation

2008-11-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

Gram Rabbit is hitting the studio to work on their next release - this one being entirely indie. To help finance it, they're asking fans for their support - in exchange you get some nice perks, including a t-shirt and free admission to their shows for life.

Hop on over to the rabbit hole and show your support:

Get in on the new Gram Rabbit record!

Sound Advice from Ariel Publicity

2008-11-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

Ariel Publicity tailors their promotion toward an 'online' presence for you, as an artist. If you're looking for solid promo skills and lots of free information on how to:

• Set up a Twitter account and know how to use it to your advantage
• Get your Artist page on Facebook - step by step instructions
• Use your Flickr account to get more fans

and many more.

Free Sound Advice E-zine from Ariel Publicity

This is a great set of tools for any musician looking to expand their promotional capabilities. If you'd rather have someone do it for you, you can hire Ariel and her team. She'll even give you a free consultation to see what fits best for you.

Ariel Publicity

Law professor takes on RIAA

2008-11-17T08:45:00.000-08:00

A Harvard Law School professor is taking the RIAA to task on it's overtly heavy-handedness regarding prosecution of people file sharing music.

In many ways this is applaudable - the RIAA, while supposedly representing artists, has always been rather bullying in their tactics and unfair in their dealings with musicians - collecting money on their part the the musicians never actually see.

On the other hand, as indie artists, piracy hurts even more, as we never see any 'front money' from anyone, nor do we have a large corporation and their lawyers to back us up. Every expense is out of pocket and the possibility of any indie artist pursuing legal action against people who illegally share music is almost invariably going to be too expensive. Hopefully people will see how much this hurts artists, especially those not tied to a big label, and do what they can to show their appreciation for the music by supporting the artists they like.

Law professor fires back at song-swapping lawsuits