Should bands make C.D.'s anymore?

[vjf1968]

Unless if you can find a lable that would do a Pressing and Distrubution deal for vinyl. The band I used to be in many moons ago, did this with Worrybird in Atlanta and Dionysus in LA. Of course they want some of your action but it does make things a little easier and since most indy lables have pretty good distribution you can be sure that your record is getting into some stores. It really all depends on where you are careerwise.

[vjf1968]

Originally Posted by Oster

Good point Big John.

What I'm driving at though is the record industry taking some responsibility for a change and actually singing for their supper, if things are so bad. It has struck me as very wrong that a musician of today has to be a salesman, press agent, producer, engineer and manufacturing brokerage to boot. I've done all that in my youth but if I were to start all over again, I wouldn't. I'd worry about being the best band I could be and let someone who's really good at recording/selling make me an offer. Or not.

I'm still active but now that digital sales are possible, I'm manufacturing nothing.

Not cranky, Beatbx - just a different point of view.

What do you think bands in the 50's and 60's did before they got management. Hell, Randy Bachman was basically all those things you mentioned when he was in the Guess Who until they hooked up with Nimbus 9 productions in 1968. Same with John Fogerty. Sometimes the only way you are going to get things done is to do them yourself. Of course some people do not have the abilites to where so many hats but if you can do it, do it for as long as possible. At least you know where everything is.

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by chet

Hey, Mandy Marie: You should get together with Rockin' Carl and record a vinyl EP. Get together with Mudbean to do it cheaper. I'll bet you'd sell out a couple of hundred easy!

HAR!! Now, THAT would be cool ... sorry, though, you CANNOT sleep on my couch!

mud

[casterway]

Originally Posted by vjf1968

What do you think bands in the 50's and 60's did before they got management. Hell, Randy Bachman was basically all those things you mentioned when he was in the Guess Who until they hooked up with Nimbus 9 productions in 1968. Same with John Fogerty. Sometimes the only way you are going to get things done is to do them yourself. Of course some people do not have the abilites to where so many hats but if you can do it, do it for as long as possible. At least you know where everything is.

Randy Bachman is a certified accountant, by trade. His Dad told him he needed something to fall back on. Each band member was paid a salary, and the rest was sent home to pay bills. He told them to stick it out, and he would make them all rich, which he did, mostly by taking advantage of tax loopholes, and investing wisely.

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by casterway

Randy Bachman is a certified accountant, by trade. His Dad told him he needed something to fall back on. Each band member was paid a salary, and the rest was sent home to pay bills. He told them to stick it out, and he would make them all rich, which he did, mostly by taking advantage of tax loopholes, and investing wisely.

Now, I call that Takin' Care of Business!

mud

[geddins]

Originally Posted by mudbean

Now, I call that Takin' Care of Business!

mud

What do you think he told them when they saw their first big check......


You ain't seen nothin yet!

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by mudbean

Now, I call that Takin' Care of Business!

mud

Originally Posted by geddins

What do you think he told them when they saw their first big check......

You ain't seen nothin yet!

Touche!

mud

[Little Ricky]

Originally Posted by vjf1968

His name isn't Eugene Chadbourne is it?

Not quite that lo-fi.

[tiktok]

Originally Posted by winny pooh

Itunes is a rip-off! They pay the same crappy artist royalty rates for signed artists instead of negotiating in the artist's favour correct me if I'm wrong. Plus why should I spend £7-8 for a download when I can have an actually CD in my hand for the same price.
I would rather perhaps illegally download an album and buy a t-shirt direct from the band.
That way at least they are getting more revenue from me.
My 2 cents at least

iTunes doesn't deal with individual artists--that's a logistical nightmare. They deal with labels and distributors. If you're signed to a label, you are (typically) not free to negotiate a separate deal with another distributor (iTunes)--you've already set your royalty rate for downloads with your label. The reason artists get paid the "same crappy artist royalty rate" is because they chose to enter into a contract with their label which provides a "crappy artist royalty rate".

Out of curiousity--how many t-shirts have you bought from bands in the last year versus how many albums you've illegally downloaded?

[del]

i buy vinyl all the time, last time i bought a cd, well i cant remember.
What i really like these days is the vinyl -mp3 combination. Buy the lp, and u get mp3's for free.

[chet]

Originally Posted by mudbean

HAR!! Now, THAT would be cool ... sorry, though, you CANNOT sleep on my couch!

mud

What if I decide I wanna record a few tunes. Can you hook me up?

[Tim Armstrong]

I heard on NPR the other day that the Ramones have sold ten times as many t-shirts as CDs.

I think merchandise is merchandise, and CDs are good merch! T-shirts are better.

I'd also note that when we put out our CD a few years ago, we got them a hundred at a time (at $3 each, a higher price per unit than you'd pay for 500 or a thousand, but still easy to sell for a nice profit!). One gig paid for 100 CDs AND our beer tab!

We sold them for $10, so we made $700 after paying ourselves back the $300...

I can see that if you're NOT gigging, the whole story would be different!

Cheers, Tim
Cheers, Tim