Wanna record deal w/ a major label? Read this first.

[snailplow]

Okay,so most of it falls under the "Tell us something we don't know" category,but if you read ALL of it,you might learn something new.......and learning never hurt anyone. It's a very cool read.

 

 

 

 

http://holemusic.com/speech/index.html

[jthud]

You need to reevaluate your heroes and idols. I mean I might make out with courtney, but...........

[snailplow]

With all due respect,what makes you think that I idolize Courtney Love? You just made an assumption about me without even knowing me,so to clue you in,I don't idolize her.My roomate ran across the article,and found it interesting enough to forward it to me.

I don't idolize ANY artist.I have respect for certain artists/groups like Tool,Black Sabbath,and Rush,but I'm not a 16 year old kid who thinks a person is godlike just because they happen to impress me with their music.

I did develop a hell of alot more respect for Courtney after I read the article. She's obviously smarter and wiser than the "persona" she's known for.

She also obviously spent alot of time to produce the document in order to educate songwriters/performers like YOU,which could possibly save you some money,anger,and stress in the future...........so if you haven't read the whole thing,I urge you to do so.

Knowledge equals power. Assumptions can make you look foolish most of the time.

As far as making out with her,I can't say I blame you.She looks alot better than she use to.

[Cassius]

wow, excellent article, very interesting. its kinda like ruined my image of working in music though:rolleyes: i knew record companies {censored}ed you but she makes good points on why its totally morally wrong, i guess artists make good money gigging to get by in comfort. I guess id treat it as nearly free advertising for your gig.

and damn she seems like she's smart and passionate, + she is sexy, so id prolly would

[jbh]

 

Our media says, "Boo hoo, poor pop stars, they had a nice ride. {censored} them for speaking up"; but I say this dialogue is imperative. And cynical media people, who are more fascinated with celebrity than most celebrities, need to reacquaint themselves with their value systems.

 

 

What value? Although this is awful in its own right, when you consider the {censored}e that currently gets picked up for new contracts, it's easy to lose sympathy. Major labels are concerned with making money, not with creativity - now more than ever. As far as I am concerned the only aspiring artists getting screwed are those who actually have something unique to offer, who get signed and dropped, due to lower sales than that of Pink or Creed. As smaller labels get bought up, and "indie" label-affiliates get put on the backburner, the only artists who will get any real major label support will be pop producers' robots. Cynical? I think the music speaks for itself. If artists really want to change anything they should stop buying into the system, and do everything on their own. The better ones will survive, and may even make a comfortable living, while being their own bosses.

[Cassius]

Self management sounds kinda cool, i believe the punk band nofx does that and they have made quite a bit of money avoiding the big corporations. For many artists though their dreams are of performing their music to as many people as possible, the system of how music gets put out to the public means that you gotta have serious backing to get heard. This is what forces most into the record companies clutches. The best strategy i think is to self manage untill the companies are desperate for you and they are willing to offer you decent contracts.

[Badside]

You know what the problem is? It shouldn't cost 500 000$ to record a friggin CD!!! Modern music is overproduced, it sounds horribly fake.

[teehodson]

I agree. Half a million dollars? My band produced a very respectable quality CD in our practice room on an 8 track and using a consumer music editing software. We were out less than $150 and had a 10 song CD which sounds as good as some professionally produced I have heard. Naturally, I dont think it would actually compete, but it seems that the real money in the music business may be the guy who owns the studio.

[403]

I sometimes think that it's best to stay home and play for yourself and a handful of friends

 

I've been around and after awhile you get the industry feel of it and it sucks

[Badside]

Also, a 1M$ budget for a new artist's video??? F***! We're musicians or actors? I've seen full length movies done with less budget.

 

Video killed the radio star!

[blameshifter]

I totally thought it was going to be that Steve Albini article.

[Billiejoe120]

I was actually impressed by that article. But remeber this is the same person trying to get rights for the nirvana's songs and cd's rather than giving them to the people that were actually in the band........hmmm....

 

Anyway she made very good points and I do have alot more respect for her now reading this. And I will agree with most of what she said with this article....

 

I mean I'm 18 years old and no nothing about life. But I know what I like and will continue to play music whether or not I can make a difference in this crazy wrold. But hey we both know it's worth a shot right????

 

And those corporations (I'm pretty sure that's wrong) will continue to feed off artists or bands or whatever the can to make a buck. That's it, that's all they care about nothing more.

 

Rich

[fly]

Great article, thanks. I don't agree with everything she's said, but she has some good points. Still, I would love if I were the object of a bidding war!

[Docktor Rocktor]

This is a little OT, but I have to say that I think that major label record contracts are more and more only a good way to go if you're a potential megastar, ala madonna or will smith.

The state of the music industry right now is such that major label stars are selected largely based on their looks and their ability to deliver "hits" or catchy, accesable songs that millions of people can listen to without being offended or put off. Ususally, the only music that millions of people can listen to without changing the station is music that is so formulaic and predictable that it goes in one ear and out the other. This is the favored type of music for the 30-40 percent of the poulation that buys most of the top 40 records. They are not devoted connesueirs, they are people who want fashionable background noise, which is fine.

In fact, I think it's better to have the majors focused on this market. The flipside is that once you get outside of the two or three dozen megastars and current flavors of the month, the market is increasingly fragmented. This means that a lot of acts that would have had zero exposure a few years ago now have records for sale and readily available to anyone who's willing to do a little bit of legwork. A lot of these acts suck, but some are really good, and they can now make a living selling a limited number of records, but with far bigger margins than they would get with a major label deal. This is good for music. 15 years ago, there was a huge and thriving undergound of musicians that weren't making millions, but that were big enough that every high school in america had someone that knew of these bands, and then Nirvana broke big, and dr. dre, and suddenly, the underground dried up. The "alterative market" somewhere between the mainstream and the underground, was co-opted for a number of years, and every band was either a local nobody, or was on MTV. This "alternative market" is the people who exist somewhere between being top 40 consumers and being serious music afficianatos, and their tastes have a much bigger impact on the direction of record sales than the teenyboppers.

Predictable synth-pop and sound-alike neo-punk bands will continue to be spoon-fed by MTV, regardless of what else happens. when the majors smell hits from the sub-megastars is when they start to sign up the more accessable underground acts. When this happens, the "alternative market" starts to dry up, and the 10-20 percent of the population that really cares about unique music (I'll call us the "clinically obsessed") becomes a tiny and powerless minority.

As long as the majors are focused on megastars, the "clinically obsessed" have as much sway over the "alterative market" as the megastars do, because the alternative market is dependent on the clinically obssesed to maintain its "hipness" or whatever. Most people who are even marginally fashion-conscious wouldn't be caught dead with a spice girls record, but they're not sure whether it's okay to have lincon park or the white stripes. That's where they turn to the "clinically obsessed" for guidance. The fact that the "clinically obsessed" had little to no stake in the alternative rock of the mid-90s is a big part of why it all just sort of died out. It was too abrasive for the teenyboppers, and too bland for the obsessives. The alternatives started to feel like the screaming trees were maybe not as hip as they thought, and the the teenyboppers longed for their paula abdul soundalikes. anyway, is this long enough yet?

cheers.

[fly]

 

Originally posted by Docktor Rocktor This is a little OT, but I have to say that I think that major label record contracts are more and more only a good way to go if you're a potential megastar, ala madonna or will smith. The state of the music industry right now is such that major label stars are selected largely based on their looks and their ability to deliver "hits" or catchy, accesable songs that millions of people can listen to without being offended or put off. Ususally, the only music that millions of people can listen to without changing the station is music that is so formulaic and predictable that it goes in one ear and out the other. This is the favored type of music for the 30-40 percent of the poulation that buys most of the top 40 records. They are not devoted connesueirs, they are people who want fashionable background noise, which is fine. In fact, I think it's better to have the majors focused on this market. The flipside is that once you get outside of the two or three dozen megastars and current flavors of the month, the market is increasingly fragmented. This means that a lot of acts that would have had zero exposure a few years ago now have records for sale and readily available to anyone who's willing to do a little bit of legwork. A lot of these acts suck, but some are really good, and they can now make a living selling a limited number of records, but with far bigger margins than they would get with a major label deal. This is good for music. 15 years ago, there was a huge and thriving undergound of musicians that weren't making millions, but that were big enough that every high school in america had someone that knew of these bands, and then Nirvana broke big, and dr. dre, and suddenly, the underground dried up. The "alterative market" somewhere between the mainstream and the underground, was co-opted for a number of years, and every band was either a local nobody, or was on MTV. This "alternative market" is the people who exist somewhere between being top 40 consumers and being serious music afficianatos, and their tastes have a much bigger impact on the direction of record sales than the teenyboppers. Predictable synth-pop and sound-alike neo-punk bands will continue to be spoon-fed by MTV, regardless of what else happens. when the majors smell hits from the sub-megastars is when they start to sign up the more accessable underground acts. When this happens, the "alternative market" starts to dry up, and the 10-20 percent of the population that really cares about unique music (I'll call us the "clinically obsessed") becomes a tiny and powerless minority. As long as the majors are focused on megastars, the "clinically obsessed" have as much sway over the "alterative market" as the megastars do, because the alternative market is dependent on the clinically obssesed to maintain its "hipness" or whatever. Most people who are even marginally fashion-conscious wouldn't be caught dead with a spice girls record, but they're not sure whether it's okay to have lincon park or the white stripes. That's where they turn to the "clinically obsessed" for guidance. The fact that the "clinically obsessed" had little to no stake in the alternative rock of the mid-90s is a big part of why it all just sort of died out. It was too abrasive for the teenyboppers, and too bland for the obsessives. The alternatives started to feel like the screaming trees were maybe not as hip as they thought, and the the teenyboppers longed for their paula abdul soundalikes. anyway, is this long enough yet? cheers.

 

 

Interesting perspective!

 

When I said that I wanted to be the subject of a bidding war, I didn't mean getting signed in the traditional sense. I would actually like to make it as a songwriter/producer. I have a relative who is in the business, and he writes for a lot of big name artists but he doesn't have a recording contract of his own.

 

I am actually a big fan of the behind the scenes guys, like Brendan O'Brien (though I guess he's pretty high profile), John Shanks (the guitar player/producer/songwriter for Michelle Branch, Melissa Ethridge and others), and Miles Om Tackett, a monster instrumentalist/songwriter that has done things with Everlast and Macy Gray, among others.

 

I'm curious to hear what kind of music you listen to, and what you write/play.

 

Aloha,

 

Ryan

[Docktor Rocktor]

Thanks, here's what I like:

I like dominant sevenths and minor thirds. I like songs that are written and recorded in earnest, even if they sound stupid. I like good kick/snare backbeats, and lyrics and vocal delivery that make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I like bass lines that bypass the cerebellum and communicate directly with the feet and the ass. I like electric guitar parts that sound like a drunken machine gun, or like an animal howling out for mercy or for love. I like ranting organs and percussive pianos. I like strings that swell fom your gut to your tear ducts before you even notice them. I like horns that knock you flat on your ass. I like a mix that makes the whole band sound like one instrument. I like songs that make me want to stop the world and think about things.

[fly]

Originally posted by Docktor Rocktor Thanks, here's what I like: I like dominant sevenths and minor thirds. I like songs that are written and recorded in earnest, even if they sound stupid. I like good kick/snare backbeats, and lyrics and vocal delivery that make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I like bass lines that bypass the cerebellum and communicate directly with the feet and the ass. I like electric guitar parts that sound like a drunken machine gun, or like an animal howling out for mercy or for love. I like ranting organs and percussive pianos. I like strings that swell fom your gut to your tear ducts before you even notice them. I like horns that knock you flat on your ass. I like a mix that makes the whole band sound like one instrument. I like songs that make me want to stop the world and think about things.

 

Wouldn't it have been a lot easier to just say Earth Wind and Fire?