Jimmy Buffett rocks the major-label boat

SFGate.com ^ | 18 August 2002 | Joel Selvin

[Darlin']

He has already signed big-hair rockers Poison, an alliance that cuts across stylistic boundaries about as far as you can go.

"We make as much money if we sell 100,000 copies this way as we made when we sold a million copies through a major label," Poison bassist Bobby Dall told Billboard magazine.

[Darlin']

Ain't capitalism grand....

[Chad Fairbanks]

Welcome to Indielabelville... :0)

[vikingchick]

Yer man in the news.

[Darlin']

LOL. Love his music.

[TexasNative2000]

Jimmy needs to talk to Pat Green down here in Texas. Pat has sold hundreds of thousands of his self-produced albums over the past five years. 'Carry On'.......

[PoorMuttly]

Yep, here it comes. What a loss...no more coke parties at the pool for the fleets of lawyers and sycophants...helicopters, limos...what a tragic loss to us all.

I can tell you, having met some of these executives...they are sweating bullets...because they can't stop it. Typical pimps. All the money they "give" an artist to develop and record his work...the artist (one who does the actual work) has to pay back...limo rides and all. Not wanting or needing such things is their WORST nightmare.

Let freedom RING!

[supercat]

The real reason record companies fear Internet radio is that it will play stuff produced by independent artists. Why should an artist give a record company most of the money from his work for "promotional expenses" when there are people on the Internet who are more than happy to promote it for free?

[Chad Fairbanks]

I can't remember the last major label album I have bought - I buy indie music, mainly because you get great music, without the 'packaging' and without the bloated price... I don't want sugar-coated mindless garbage, thank you very much. ;0)

[peteram]

Way to go Jimmy!!! Now maybe next you can do something about the ridulousness of Concert ticket pricing and purchasing (God, I HATE lotteries!!!).

Parrothead Pete

[ASDFGHJK]

Ain't capitalism grand....

Free enterprise is nothing short of awesome, and competition is a mighty equalizer. I wish it would come to Wall Street.

[PoorMuttly]

Now that professional recording can be done on a desktop computer with a good sound card and software (like the one sitting next to me at my desk!), that spelled the beginning of the end. I'd expect stage shows to get better too, since there's no enormous drain on the profits. Industries come and go, through history. I'm sure Ice House owners went nuts when the refrigerator was invented, and caught on. Oh well.

[Kermit]

Record companies have been screwing artists for years. The internet has opened new paths for new bands to get heard. The current music put out by the majors is dreck. Let's hope more people get out and get heard.

[Darlin']

I might be wrong, but think he's just released his second album on his own label. His entrepreneurial sense seems to be as strong as his creativity. I love his attitude, his laugh, dance, love approach to living. I just wish his politics weren't so liberal.

[JohnLoyRocker]

*BLEEP* Buffett.

I WAS a HUGE Buffett fan.

Bought every album, bought and read his books, etc.

Even considered a pilgrimage to Key West until I heard it had become a faggot infested sewer.

Way back when, a little bit before he developed his "cult" following, I turned all my siblings on to him. Now they all see him once a year.

But after I found out he was a big Clintoon As*Licker, and a Lincoln bedroom guest, I've quit buying any of his albums and paying money to attend his concerts (last one, front row, stage right, Philly, circa early 90's).

And just to show him how his idol, Bill Clintoon, works, if I feel the need, I "steal" his albums off the internet.

It is interesting that he's forgoing the "union" label and striking out on his own. Doing the "Republican" thing, becoming his own boss and earning his money, instead of waiting around for handouts.

I just hope he sees the light a converts.

[Darlin']

It's gonna have a tremendous rippling effect, too.

[MelBelle]

I like reading articles like this. My husband is a singer in hard rock band, and we have our own home recording studio and he can do it all right there - sing, record, produce, master his music etc. He has his music on the internet and he has had over 15,000 downloads of his music. He's letting people listen for free, but he has had orders for his CD which is cool. His music is also Christian Hard Rock which is a wide open market right now - SO I'm hoping for a break so I can go on tour instead of the unemployement line when my network administrator job gets "offshored" to India next year.

[Teacher317]

Record companies have been screwing artists for years.

Jim Croce, Billy Joel, and TLC are all stunning examples of top talent who got virtually nothing in exchange for years of platinum albums.

[PoorMuttly]

Ripple on! Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of people.

[Teacher317]

BTW, slugbug and I were going to his show on Thursday... until I found out about my required orientation for Law School at the vry same time. Looks like she's gonna be popular with her friends tomorrow.

[SamAdams76]

I always wondered when recording artists would wise up and start going this route. It's about time.

And the baseball players think they have it bad. Imagine if rookies in MLB ended up actually owing the league money after the season was over! This is how it would be if the baseball owners acted like the average record label.