There are soooo many ways to screw the artist you can’t even track them all. Some contracts claim a percentage of all work you do, not just recordings. So if you act in a movie (no singing) you owe them their cut. If you produce an album for someone else, yup, their cut. If you work in a grocery store, you owe them a cut.
We have walked away from deals where we saw the producers screwing the artist. We watched many really good musicians put out mediocre crap and earn nothing, but the producers and label got theirs!
My friend talks about the heartburn he has when he gets a rotalty check, knowing the guy who signed them, but did literally nothing for them, gets one of the same amount. I have another friend who talks about the micro pennies they get from streaming.
We have another friend who is very well known in his genre. He has refused to sign any more deals. He says that selling fewer CDs on his own web site earns him more money than he ever got from a label.
>>Some contracts claim a percentage of all work you do, not just recordings. So if you act in a movie (no singing) you owe them their cut. If you produce an album for someone else, yup, their cut. If you work in a grocery store, you owe them a cut.
That’s the new scam.
“They” want a cut of t-shirt sales and endorsement fees.
>>We have another friend who is very well known in his genre. He has refused to sign any more deals. He says that selling fewer CDs on his own web site earns him more money than he ever got from a label.
Reminds me of the tale of Bill Haley’s Comets.
Bill started out with a hillbilly band. As a gag they hopped up an R&B number and that took off at their shows.
Eventually his backing band members were replaced with the band that became known as the Comets. They recorded Rock Around The Clock (in 2 takes at the end of a session because the producer owned publishing on an “old” song Thirteen Women). The single was released but didn’t really take off until it was rereleased in conjunction with Blackboard Jungle.
The band was a hit and toured the US and Europe.
But the band members were watching Bill Haley getting/buying new cars while they were struggling.
They walked out (but not before instructing the original bandmembers of the stage show and new songs) and former their own band.
They made more money as the Jodimars with only a couple of singles than they ever had in the Comets.
The Jodimars - Clarabella (1956)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LREd_N-I2Ec
Funny thing, as obscure as they were, the Beatles still covered them.
Clarabella (Live At The BBC For “Pop Go The Beatles” / 16th July, 1963)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSkGljRyhsg
And with the official release of the BeeB tapes they probably saw even more of a financial success.
Pete Best didn’t see any BEATLE money until Anthology and it was noticeable.
>>And with the official release of the BeeB tapes they probably saw even more of a financial success.
On second thought, maybe not. I don’t see any of them with songwriter credit
I read this once, cover to cover (but not in order).
No answers are contained within but there are warnings or notice of situations to predict/expect both with releasing (as a label artists or self-released artists) and while on tour.
“Have you ever been stiffed by a club owner? Gone on a disastrous tour? Ever been double-booked by a promoter? Consigned your CD release to the local record store only to find it no longer there and nobody knows where your money is? Eugene Chadbourne uses his hilarious sense of humor to deliver the truth about touring, making records, working with a band, getting a record deal, playing overseas and just about anything else you can think of. With no hype and no fluff, this essential guide is a must for real musicians who have decided to make a living doing what they love: playing music! No matter what style of music you play, no matter where you live, don’t make playing music your life without this survival guide for real musicians!”
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/904561.I_Hate_the_Man_Who_Runs_This_Bar_