Indiana = Music = Dead
Music is DOOMED!!!! After much reading and a couple classes, I have figured out that music is infested with lots of communism and the music industry is pretty much going to self destruct.
2 WEEKS AGO: For our last Attic show I promoted like a mad dEMon but it did nothing. Check this out: I burned over 300 singles and wrote the show info on the disc. Then I distributed them to Avon High School and Cascade. Then, I bugged Ben Davis Radio Station about it, sent them a press kit, a free CD, and a letter asking them to play the CD (because on the phone they told me that they would). THen I made a bunch of flyers. Then the show came. It was fun, I always like to play, but there were about 20 people who watched us. None of them were new people, none of them were people I gave a demo to. They were all people I called and hand-delivered a ticket to. Now what is up with that? Because we went over to Dayton Ohio, for the second time, and headlined at this bar. The place put our name on the big sign and told people we were coming. We made flyers, but the guy who was supposed to deliver them failed to get them there. Then over 100 people still show up to this little bar to see us and we sold a bunch of cd's and t-shirts. Now what in the heck is wrong with Indiana?!! Music here is dead.
Indianapolis has no music scene. In Ohio and we get like 10 times the number of people over there. Not only that, but they're very responisive. They're like fanatical about good music. There is an enormous difference in the people there. Maybe it's how people are educated over there, I dunno. I do know that arts/culture have been cut significantly in the education system in Indiana. Part of it is lack of good venues here. This place in Dayton where we played the pre X-Fest show had the most rocking PA system in the solar system. We played in Kentucky twice in the past 6 weeks, and the second trip there was pretty darn good. It was also better than Indy. We don't even hardly advertise over there. How is it that we get people to show up? Its great, but why can't new people come to our shows here?
Here's why no one around here can get on X103: To get on a radio station, you have to be added to their playlist via the Statio Programmer. In normal states, like Ohio, the station programmer works in the station's studio. Here, however, the guy is in Florida. Even their local music shows are difficult. I don't get it. In Dayton, the X advertises our shows down there. Here, the X doesn't advertise anyone. Radio stations need to help out if any music scene is ever to exist here.
Problem #1: Most bands who sign with a major label are screwed. A typical budget for a band selling 250,000 copies of their record will be $-14,000 in the hole. But guess how much the record label made? $700,000. What the heck?! Labels typically take 88%. The rest is split with the band and they also have expenses. I don't get it. Record labels function soley as a bank, all they do is loan money. They pay for advertising and crap. Well if you get money to start with, you don't need a record label. Hmm... maybe I'll win the lottery.
#2: This is a biggie. The record industry traps lots of bands this way. When you are under contract with a label, they own all of your music even if you don't release it, even if you write it in your house and they don't know. You can't do anything with it. The exception is U2 who somehow negotiated that they own their music early on. Most deals are usually on either a time length in years, certain number of albums, or a cycle (tour, album.) If you are on an album cycle like 3 albums, and you don't break even on your first album, they might decide not to make your second record. Well, how do you complete your contract if they won't let you? You don't. And since they own whatever music you own, you are doomed forever. You can't make another band. You are doOOMED unless you buy your way out of the contract which could be like $1 million. Many examples of conflict exist. Alter-Bridge's label did not want to release their 2nd album. Fortunately they were on a 3 or 4 year deal. But, they had to wait 2 extra years for their contract to expire before they could make the 2nd one. Hmm... Pearl Jam had tons of label problems. Collective Soul ditched their label. Everclear got dropped from their Label. Foo Fighters made their own label. Labels labels, noooooo... evil!!!
#3: The record labels don't nurture bands and help them grow like they did in the 90's. Part of it is because the major labels are owned by people who don't care. 30% of record companies (including labels like Virgin Records) used to be owned by a beer company. They sold it to a water company in France. Second, it is now easier to make bands sound good than to actually get good bands. Hence, MTV...
#4: Itunes used to be good for bands. But then the record industry decided to ruin that too. They had to come in and sue so that they would also get giant royalties and leave their artists in the hole. Hmm...
DOOM IS COMING! Apparently Myspace put out a press release that said they are going to allow bands to sell their downloads. Well if you can do that what do you need a record label for?
2 WEEKS AGO: For our last Attic show I promoted like a mad dEMon but it did nothing. Check this out: I burned over 300 singles and wrote the show info on the disc. Then I distributed them to Avon High School and Cascade. Then, I bugged Ben Davis Radio Station about it, sent them a press kit, a free CD, and a letter asking them to play the CD (because on the phone they told me that they would). THen I made a bunch of flyers. Then the show came. It was fun, I always like to play, but there were about 20 people who watched us. None of them were new people, none of them were people I gave a demo to. They were all people I called and hand-delivered a ticket to. Now what is up with that? Because we went over to Dayton Ohio, for the second time, and headlined at this bar. The place put our name on the big sign and told people we were coming. We made flyers, but the guy who was supposed to deliver them failed to get them there. Then over 100 people still show up to this little bar to see us and we sold a bunch of cd's and t-shirts. Now what in the heck is wrong with Indiana?!! Music here is dead.
Indianapolis has no music scene. In Ohio and we get like 10 times the number of people over there. Not only that, but they're very responisive. They're like fanatical about good music. There is an enormous difference in the people there. Maybe it's how people are educated over there, I dunno. I do know that arts/culture have been cut significantly in the education system in Indiana. Part of it is lack of good venues here. This place in Dayton where we played the pre X-Fest show had the most rocking PA system in the solar system. We played in Kentucky twice in the past 6 weeks, and the second trip there was pretty darn good. It was also better than Indy. We don't even hardly advertise over there. How is it that we get people to show up? Its great, but why can't new people come to our shows here?
Here's why no one around here can get on X103: To get on a radio station, you have to be added to their playlist via the Statio Programmer. In normal states, like Ohio, the station programmer works in the station's studio. Here, however, the guy is in Florida. Even their local music shows are difficult. I don't get it. In Dayton, the X advertises our shows down there. Here, the X doesn't advertise anyone. Radio stations need to help out if any music scene is ever to exist here.
Problem #1: Most bands who sign with a major label are screwed. A typical budget for a band selling 250,000 copies of their record will be $-14,000 in the hole. But guess how much the record label made? $700,000. What the heck?! Labels typically take 88%. The rest is split with the band and they also have expenses. I don't get it. Record labels function soley as a bank, all they do is loan money. They pay for advertising and crap. Well if you get money to start with, you don't need a record label. Hmm... maybe I'll win the lottery.
#2: This is a biggie. The record industry traps lots of bands this way. When you are under contract with a label, they own all of your music even if you don't release it, even if you write it in your house and they don't know. You can't do anything with it. The exception is U2 who somehow negotiated that they own their music early on. Most deals are usually on either a time length in years, certain number of albums, or a cycle (tour, album.) If you are on an album cycle like 3 albums, and you don't break even on your first album, they might decide not to make your second record. Well, how do you complete your contract if they won't let you? You don't. And since they own whatever music you own, you are doomed forever. You can't make another band. You are doOOMED unless you buy your way out of the contract which could be like $1 million. Many examples of conflict exist. Alter-Bridge's label did not want to release their 2nd album. Fortunately they were on a 3 or 4 year deal. But, they had to wait 2 extra years for their contract to expire before they could make the 2nd one. Hmm... Pearl Jam had tons of label problems. Collective Soul ditched their label. Everclear got dropped from their Label. Foo Fighters made their own label. Labels labels, noooooo... evil!!!
#3: The record labels don't nurture bands and help them grow like they did in the 90's. Part of it is because the major labels are owned by people who don't care. 30% of record companies (including labels like Virgin Records) used to be owned by a beer company. They sold it to a water company in France. Second, it is now easier to make bands sound good than to actually get good bands. Hence, MTV...
#4: Itunes used to be good for bands. But then the record industry decided to ruin that too. They had to come in and sue so that they would also get giant royalties and leave their artists in the hole. Hmm...
DOOM IS COMING! Apparently Myspace put out a press release that said they are going to allow bands to sell their downloads. Well if you can do that what do you need a record label for?