Great find , cheers :D

I read that one a few months ago... depressing :(

hasn't there been a "be wary of major label contracts" in general consciousness for about thirty years?
to tour and record in "luxury" you take a loan from the bank (record company) - if you suck (commercially) you go bankrupt (get dropped) and don't have to pay back the costs of an album, video(s), tour and worldwide distribution and advertising and got to play rockstar for 6 months to two years. if you do ok you break even and get a job in the industry. if you sell millions to millions you get all the money fame and power that will make you happy if you are a happy person and miserable if you are a miserable person.
it is disgusting but imagine what other ceo and mega corps do behind closed doors - and no one gets a potato shaped bass guitar.
why doesn't steve albini give a couple of suggestions on how to make a better living off being an ok rock band?
if i were a middle aged businessman i'd hire some dude who likes musicians to hang around with them all the time. i am one and i can hardly stand it sometimes

when I was studying at SAE we had a guest teacher who talked about the music industry, royalties, record companies etc..
after that lecture I was sure I never wanted to get involved in all that shit
I am happy I can make music, that's it, even if only my firends and people in my town listen to it
I do have a CD however, that was recorded and published in Italy in 1998...
do you know how much money I have made? None! I have even spent my money..and my CD can still be bough on the net, I have even received an email from a guy who bought the CD in Tokyo in an import CD shop
So someone is still making money and I have a regular day job to pay my bills
Of course, if you are really good, you can make make it big...but I think that very few people can actually tell the record company to fuck off and let them do what they want....

FWIW notice that Albini had no problem becoming a millionaire by an early age in this business. Never limit yourself according to someone else's experience. 8-)

mugtastic wrote: hasn't there been a "be wary of major label contracts" in general consciousness for about thirty years?
to tour and record in "luxury" you take a loan from the bank (record company) - if you suck (commercially) you go bankrupt (get dropped) and don't have to pay back the costs of an album, video(s), tour and worldwide distribution and advertising and got to play rockstar for 6 months to two years. if you do ok you break even and get a job in the industry. if you sell millions to millions you get all the money fame and power that will make you happy if you are a happy person and miserable if you are a miserable person.

That's perfectly said. True. If you wanna be a rock star and you have the opportunity, sign the contract.

ps. Ya, the Albini article is old, but good. I first read that back in 2000 (first year of university and right when I was getting deep in music, etc. - pretty memorable).

That's why I got out of the Music Business program at CSUN and went to recording school. I wanted to work with artists, not fuck them up the ass.

Main point here, before you sign ANYTHING, get a lawyer, and as crazy as it sounds, get one you can trust. And remember, if a label REALLY wants you, they'll work with you. Play it smart and you can get rich.

And remember, for every Butch Vig wanting $100k and 3 points, there are 4 kids out there that are better than him and just need a shot.

I think that's interesting - Steve Albini has made decent money and achieved more or less worldwide fame via bands ultimately funded by major labels. Yes, becoming a major musical star is a long shot, but regardless, the journey is enjoyable.

We're not talking about cleaning toilets until someone signs you up to be the next world famous toilet cleaner. We're talking about writing, performing and recording your own music, until someone comes and pays to promote it to the wider world. Then, the public can decide.

Someone even wiser than the great Steve Albini (who has been a major influence on me) once said ... Music is its own reward, everything else is a bonus.