vdvorn
 
What is interesting, most of the famous bands make live-tours to promote the new album. It looks like for the unknown musicians to be just opposite - the shows advertise the recordings...
 

Actually, i'm not sure I agree.  While I've never discussed it with real A-list musicians, I used to know a B-list (Canadian a-list) band who were making $500K per night in stadiums.  But they didn't see royalties after getting the advance, even with decent sales.  Label costs, videos, and such, ate up all their record profits.  Apparently this is fairly standard.  
 
People are changing the way they listen to music now - streaming instead of purchasing. Add the social de-valuation of music (nobody considers it theft anymore to copy and distribute songs), and there's no money.  If i was still a touring musician (at a much lower level than the $500K guys) with professional aspirations, I'd be looking at my albums as simply promotional material for the show.  Even at my low level, I make more playing at one bar for an evening than I make in a month of online music sales (but like i said, my promo sucks).

Slugbaby

vdvorn
 
What is interesting, most of the famous bands make live-tours to promote the new album. It looks like for the unknown musicians to be just opposite - the shows advertise the recordings...
 

Actually, i'm not sure I agree.  While I've never discussed it with real A-list musicians, I used to know a B-list (Canadian a-list) band who were making $500K per night in stadiums.  But they didn't see royalties after getting the advance, even with decent sales.  Label costs, videos, and such, ate up all their record profits.  Apparently this is fairly standard.  
 
People are changing the way they listen to music now - streaming instead of purchasing. Add the social de-valuation of music (nobody considers it theft anymore to copy and distribute songs), and there's no money.  If i was still a touring musician (at a much lower level than the $500K guys) with professional aspirations, I'd be looking at my albums as simply promotional material for the show.

Slugbaby, I am agree with what you say, but I meant as it was in the near past. There was even a notion "a supporting tour", that is a tour designed to support the selling of the album.
It looks like the situation has drastically changed...
How do you appreciate the future of the labels and musical producers? Will they survive?

In my opinion, labels will get out of the distribution business - it's all online anyway.
If I owned a "traditional record label,"  I would be putting all my efforts into becoming a Promotion/Facilitation provider.  To advertise the music, and drive buyers to my product.  Also to facilitate tours, videos, etc.  Basically trying to include Manager and Agent roles.  I think Live Nation is moving in this direction.
As for producers, I don't see their role changing at all.  Studios are disappearing at a sad rate, as more is done on home DAWs, but 99% of us don't have the talent and foresight that successful producers do.
 
What do you thnk?

Slugbaby
In my opinion, labels will get out of the distribution business - it's all online anyway.
If I owned a "traditional record label,"  I would be putting all my efforts into becoming a Promotion/Facilitation provider.  To advertise the music, and drive buyers to my product.  Also to facilitate tours, videos, etc.  Basically trying to include Manager and Agent roles.  I think Live Nation is moving in this direction.
As for producers, I don't see their role changing at all.  Studios are disappearing at a sad rate, as more is done on home DAWs, but 99% of us don't have the talent and foresight that successful producers do.
 
What do you thnk?

Agree completely about the labels and studios, I myself have told this to one owner of the studio to become something like promotion facilitation provider.
As for successful producers with talent and foresight - the problem is HOW TO CONTACT them? I am not sure the emails with demo links I have sent are reaching them...

Promoting music is hard.  You have to a little money.  A lot of editing skills.  A youtube channel.  And Game of Thrones vibe to your music videos ie sex and violence sells music.
 
Or I guess you could go to business school and get a degree in marketing.  But really just take my word for it:  YouTube, music videos that have lots of sex, and tons of violence.
 
Remember Biggy Smalls?

Linear Phase
Promoting music is hard.  You have to a little money.  A lot of editing skills.  A youtube channel.  And Game of Thrones vibe to your music videos ie sex and violence sells music.
 
Or I guess you could go to business school and get a degree in marketing.  But really just take my word for it:  YouTube, music videos that have lots of sex, and tons of violence.
 
Remember Biggy Smalls?

Frankly, I wouldn't like to promote my music to the people who like sex and tons of violence. I think, there is at least 5 per cent people, who do not, and I would like to address and promote to them...

Slugbaby
In my opinion, labels will get out of the distribution business - it's all online anyway.
If I owned a "traditional record label,"  I would be putting all my efforts into becoming a Promotion/Facilitation provider.  To advertise the music, and drive buyers to my product.  Also to facilitate tours, videos, etc.  Basically trying to include Manager and Agent roles.  I think Live Nation is moving in this direction.
As for producers, I don't see their role changing at all.  Studios are disappearing at a sad rate, as more is done on home DAWs, but 99% of us don't have the talent and foresight that successful producers do.
 
What do you thnk?

I think you have just re-discovered what is now being called the 360 deal. In fact, most of the record companies have realized that they will do much better taking a big piece of live performance than by selling "records." Some of the biggest name companies in signing artists to give up a piece of everything, recording, live performance, sales of merchandise etc. are businesses that formerly set up performance tours. In return for giving up a big chunk of what the artists used to be able to use as a source of revenue while catching up (if that were even possible given the egregious fees and contract gotchas) to the advance for a recording contract, they receive the kind of promotion that a recording contract used to provide. Since a promoter can easily hire a studio to do the recording, and distribute via the internet, these deals may well be the end of the traditional "recording" industry, as well as the ability of artists to keep a chunk of the revenue stream that used to sustain them when record sales could not. 

Everyone says selling music (CDs/downloads) is dead.  That is not correct.  Sales of CDs and downloads are way down from previous years, but millions are still sold.
 
The bad news is that it's hard to get people to buy.  The good news is that an independent artist doesn't need to sell 5 million like Katy Perry. 7,000-10,000 albums a year at $10 each is worth doing when you are not splitting the money with anyone. Even 3,000 is a pretty decent side income and that's only selling to .00004% of the Earth's population.

I just remembered - David Byrne wrote a great book called "How Music Works."  Along with many other things, he describes the various types of record deals and benefits/drawbacks of each.  Personal insight as he's been involved in all types, with huge success and some "failures."

Slugbaby
I just remembered - David Byrne wrote a great book called "How Music Works."  Along with many other things, he describes the various types of record deals and benefits/drawbacks of each.  Personal insight as he's been involved in all types, with huge success and some "failures."

Another great book!!  Confessions of a record producer!   This is all about, "how music really works."
 
https://www.amazon.com/Co...-Revised/dp/0879309482