Members grace_slick Posted December 10, 2010 Members Share Posted December 10, 2010 There seem to be quite a fair few people who’ve had 1-3 popular songs before they dissolved back into oblivion, and yet…every now and then you hear about them and they’re somehow able to live this pseudo-rich-rockstar life…how?? I’ve heard stories of some singers who never got paid anything despite having numerous hit songs… Is it just that these no-longer popular people are in relationships with someone who is actually popular enough to be rich? Lol. Cause really, I’m somewhat baffled by this phenomena. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomm Williams Posted December 10, 2010 Members Share Posted December 10, 2010 I firmly believe that if Shania Twain didn't marry Mutt Lange---we would have never heard of her. TW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted December 10, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 10, 2010 Oh yeah, I’d agree with that. But what about the people who get somewhere without partners and then disappear and yet still seem to be able to afford to do whatever they want and not have to get day jobs? There’s this woman here (Australia) who had one hit song about 10 years ago, and that’s it, and yet very occasionally she’ll appear all dressed up, living in some mansion. HOW?! Lol See, I’m interested because I want to just get ONE popular song done, so I can afford to live in the lifestyle to which I wish to become accustomed, and just be able to make more music without having to do office jobs. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members restart Posted December 10, 2010 Members Share Posted December 10, 2010 There seem to be quite a fair few people who’ve had 1-3 popular songs before they dissolved back into oblivion, and yet…every now and then you hear about them and they’re somehow able to live this pseudo-rich-rockstar life…how?? I’ve heard stories of some singers who never got paid anything despite having numerous hit songs…Is it just that these no-longer popular people are in relationships with someone who is actually popular enough to be rich? Lol. Cause really, I’m somewhat baffled by this phenomena. Sorry to get somewhat technical but I believe the answer may lie in the following rather long winded explanation... If the performers WROTE their material, assuming their one off wonder was a big enough hit, they could have easily built a nice little foundation on the royalties alone, provided they were savvy about investments and so forth. Therefore whenever the urge hits, they can afford to get back on the horse and attempt to return to former glory and live the dream again. This then is what you see. Strict performers who DID NOT write the "song" (song usually equals lyrics and melody), i.e., Aretha Franklin, Cher, or band members who only performed in a huge band, i.e., Ringo, usually are still working since they depend on live audiences and a piece of the mechanical sales (and those mechanical sales are doing really well these days). As to singers who never got paid...there is also a long history in the music business of stealing a newbies song and/or promising the phenomenal performer the moon if they just sign on the dotted line. Thus, it is not uncommon at all to hear/see flat broke "stars" who foolishly gave up their material in exchange for a crack at the big time and to live the dream. There are plenty of books out there that tell the brutal horror stories in grisly detail. Lovely business this entertainment business is... I believe Gonzo said it best..."The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -Hunter S. Thompson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted December 10, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 10, 2010 Heheh, yeah, I hear that. I myself intend to not have a record company stealing my ideas and money. I will do my own thing. Own my own stuff. Mmm yes. *stroking beard, staring into space* Heheh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grubgoat Posted December 10, 2010 Members Share Posted December 10, 2010 Also, keep in mind lots of people get some money and start living like kings immediately, instead of letting the cash pile up. Appearances are one thing (and lots of "famous" people get their magazine and tv clothes and jewelry loaned to them for that specific event), but if you live like a normal person, you could probably float on $1 million for a long time, even grow it into a true fortune. But if you're buying Porches and mansions and eight-balls of coke and pounds of hydro weed instead of letting that cash build up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Next Direct Posted December 10, 2010 Members Share Posted December 10, 2010 Just because you look like you’re rich doesn’t mean you are. That's why credit is so popular. And in fairness, it’s not just famous people either. You’ve probably seen some suit drive past you in a nice BMW and thought, “hmmm, looks like someone has done well for themselves...”, when in reality, that person could be up to their eyeballs in debt and have been getting dunning notices from their lenders. If people actually had to display the amount of money they owe on their foreheads, you would be surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Next Direct Posted December 10, 2010 Members Share Posted December 10, 2010 Also, keep in mind lots of people get some money and start living like kings immediately, instead of letting the cash pile up. Appearances are one thing (and lots of "famous" people get their magazine and tv clothes and jewelry loaned to them for that specific event), but if you live like a normal person, you could probably float on $1 million for a long time, even grow it into a true fortune. But if you're buying Porches and mansions and eight-balls of coke and pounds of hydro weed instead of letting that cash build up... I think this dude would have something to say about that... hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted December 10, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 10, 2010 Hahaha, isn't he one half of Bros? When will I, will I be famous...BLEGH! lol Oh yes, $1 million? I could make that last my whole life, and still live like a queen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ronan Murphy Posted December 10, 2010 Members Share Posted December 10, 2010 Part of it is that people will stage things for public appearances (such as renting a fancy car for a photo shoot or public appearance). The ability to have good income streams from hits is to be the writer. I have friends that have been part of multiple huge international hits that still need to work to pay a mortgage and raise kids. They were not the writers of those hits. Even as a writer, it really depends on what happens to the song. BMW picking up a song and using it for an ad campaign that runs for a year in the US could be enough money for any rational person to live off of for a lifetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members restart Posted December 11, 2010 Members Share Posted December 11, 2010 Part of it is that people will stage things for public appearances (such as renting a fancy car for a photo shoot or public appearance).The ability to have good income streams from hits is to be the writer. I have friends that have been part of multiple huge international hits that still need to work to pay a mortgage and raise kids. They were not the writers of those hits.Even as a writer, it really depends on what happens to the song. BMW picking up a song and using it for an ad campaign that runs for a year in the US could be enough money for any rational person to live off of for a lifetime. +1 THIS The really big money in the music business is on the side of the songwriter and publisher, i.e., the content owner. Then again, scoring a huge cut or getting a national placement is like playing the lottery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted December 11, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 11, 2010 Well that's good for me then, considering I write all my own songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Redsand187 Posted December 14, 2010 Members Share Posted December 14, 2010 I know of a person that co-wrote a hit song for a 1 hit wonder and was able to squeak by on the royalties for nearly 10 years. Not living a glamourous life, but earning enough not to have to work and be able to focus on doing what they loved. It comes down the deal signed. Some of the people go on to session work that pays them more then they ever earned in their bands as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted December 16, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 16, 2010 I'd be more than happy to do session work to support my passion if I could play an instrument. lol Or sight read music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OldMattB Posted January 8, 2011 Members Share Posted January 8, 2011 I am interested in this as well. The best thing in the world would be to find out some song you wrote to bed some girl twenty or thirty years ago will allow you to have a good living and play music for fun and profit. The worst would be to be hugely famous, unable to translate it into cash, and looking at Walmart jobs to keep from starving. There are a lot of each out there. But it depends more on what you save, rather than what you earn. I had a friend who was making well over $250K a year, had a huge house, cars, bikes, and was broke and living in a laundry room in six months later. He probably earned and wasted $4 million in less than a decade. My wife and I have never made near $100K combined, but essentially retired in our forties (Frugal savings, spending discipline and real estate appreciation). I would imagine a lot of one-hit-wonders were talented people, who took a chunk of royalty cash, invested, started businesses, got a good education, or etc., and are enjoying the fruits of their great labors and discipline, the same qualities that took them for a moment, to the top of the musical heap. oldMattB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sventvkg Posted January 8, 2011 Members Share Posted January 8, 2011 She was already famous before she married him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sventvkg Posted January 8, 2011 Members Share Posted January 8, 2011 I read in Gerry Rafferty's obit that Baker Street alone still netted him over 80K pounds a year ($124,378 @ today's closing)..Plus he had Right Down the Line and a few other minor hits to boot. The Right hit could make your life for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hobbenator Posted January 8, 2011 Members Share Posted January 8, 2011 Norm Greenbaum. "Spirit in the Sky" has covered his nut for 4 decades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richardmac Posted January 8, 2011 Members Share Posted January 8, 2011 You know, I saw that about Rafferty, too, and to me that number seems really high to me. Just because someone puts a figure on the Internet doesn't make it true. I don't know any way to verify that, though. But yeah, for sure, the money is in the WRITING of the songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sventvkg Posted January 9, 2011 Members Share Posted January 9, 2011 Worldwide..Doesn't seem high to me and his manager wrote the article so he would know figures I suppose. Worldwide radio airplay for a monster hit like that..Foo Fighters redid it, licensing in films, TV etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members richardmac Posted January 9, 2011 Members Share Posted January 9, 2011 DAMN, really? Even with today's listening audiences being so much smaller? The fact that the guy was his manager means it's MORE likely the numbers are inflated, to me. Could be true - but with fewer and fewer people listening to radio? Actually I have no idea. Just seems high is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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