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At least, Moon promotes something that is not NFT-intergrated everytime he makes a video, and some other sponsors. has anyone heard of Masterworks. I did not
Jake why on earth did you edit Blackpink video on this video? Do you think kpop labels are like loan sharks like the shitty western music labels is?? Don't confuse okay. Don't put kpop labels on the same standards as western music companies. In Korea, the govt. Provide 2percent of its annual gdp as subsidies to kpop labels. So kpop labels are not so broke like western music labels that they don't need to employ shitty contracts to suck dry the artist under there labels. I hope you are now enlightened about the differences between kpop labels and western music labels.🙏
As an aspiring musician. The only way I see music being viable these days is to do it independently. Everything the record label offers these days can be done yourself. Artists now gotta diversify their skillsets to push out their songs.
@@wintermint77 all pure systems be like that Communism : instant enslavement by whoever distributes the goods and services. Also almost evrything stagnates and barely changes for decades. Socialism : Needs a shit ton of money to start and a decent amount to maintain, tax heavy so isnt realistic for pre developed countries. Capitalism : only pro is innovation through competition and creativity.plus the freemarket aspect is true. Cons, when anyone grows too big its technically run by the biggest monopoly present in the system
@@Fu3g0.100 😂 tell me you’ve never read political theory without telling me you’ve never read political theory How does Communism/Socialism result in “instant enslavement” when it’s the workers who own the means of production?
@@wintermint77 it doesnt actually work that way when practiced, the people own the production but theres always some sort of distribution party, this is usually the government. This is where the corruption always starts and eventually when the resources can no longer support the population because of unnecessary even distribution Whoever was distributing becomes the oppresser. Because they had the power all along
Why would record labels exist if not for that reason? It should be clear to everyone at this point that businesses exist to maximize their own profits, not to hold back, share, or provide anything more to anyone than they have to. Everyone who wants to make money off you should be assumed to be trying to do so to the greatest extent they possibly can, even if it means being deceptive or sneaky about certain things. This should just always be assumed on the part of the consumer. You can’t get all whiny and moralistic about the fact that no one is actually altruistic. You just have to acknowledge that they are serving their own interests and figure out a way to serve yours.
According to Paul McCartney, not even the Beatles really got the money their records made (that's what their song "You never give me your money" is about). And they infamously didn't get the publishing rights. Michael Jackson later bought them, which drove Paul insane. I don't buy a single bit of the glorified presentation of 80s record labels in this video.
@@aheendwhz1 Paul did alright. He's just a control freak.. The Beatles would never have been what they were without EMI, George Martin and the crew provided to them. Half the effects you can buy on VST today were invented at, or by people working in Abbey Road studios, not to mention the promotion they got from their crappy publishing deal.
@@alfsmith4936 That's right. But there are still artists doing alright. A group as successful as the Beatles wouldn't be worse off these days. There are still labels that invest huge amounts into the production of an album. One difference is that it was easier back then to get a foot into the door of a label if you're not yet successful or well-known. But that's only because there was no way back then to get successful without a label. You couldn't get a record into the stores without a label. These days you can, so labels wait for your records to be successful before they sign you. Is this the golden ara of music, because basically eveyone can produce music even with advanced effects and sound design an publish it online, and you're not fucked if no label signs you? Or was the 20th centuary the golden age of music, because labels signed more artists? Given it was still unlikely for any single person to be signed in the 60s, I'd argue that these days are much more golden, as you can at least produce your stuff and listen to it with your friends. One argument for the 60s/70s/80s being the "golden age of pop music" I see is that labels didn't yet recognise the importance of style, personality and other factors for the commercial success of a music act. So in the beginning of the music industry, they looked much more on the music itself. This was an economical fallacy, but artistry profited from that fallacy. However, this already changed in the 80s and 90s. It has nothing to do with the technical advancements coming with the Internet and stuff.
Bruh, for someone that talks about scams and scummy practices its really bold of you yo promote a "Crypto powered" service. As a software developer I know how beneficial decentralized technology could be, but right now its just a waste land of scammers that call themselves "Entrepreneurs". Crypto right now isn't a way of gaining independence from controlled currency, but an easier mean to scam and steal.
your basing your opinion on assumptions and not facts.... just like regular life crypto has scams too but there are plenty of innovative protocols out there with legit usecases.... you can hate all you want but nft music will become the norm in the coming years (5-10 years maybe) as it makes so much more sense than traditional record labels
@@anilmenon3927 To be fair he qualified his comment with 'right now'. And he made a strong ethos point from the perspective of a software developer. You may be right down the road but he's not wrong about the current landscape.
@@Iron-Bridge yeah but thats thing....he is wrong about the current landscape.... crypto is not a wasteland of scammers... ofcourse scams are prevalent but there a plenty of dapps and protocols which solve real problems and can be of use to masses....
The music industry is truly DEMONIC. They do everything they can to push away those who are TRULY talented, in lieu of easily manipulatable, auto-tunable, no talent low lifes that can be controlled by the industry. Then, once in, the industry goes to great lengths to make sure the artist brings in the most profit, while they squelch their talent. And EVERYTHING comes out of the artists pocket : air travel, hotels, catering, payroll of the myriad people working for/with them, booking fees, manager fees, you name it. Then, because albums/records/CDs are now passe, the promotions team puts the artist on brutally long-winded tour dates, where they don't even have time to catch a breath between shows, which are usually back-to-back-to-back night after night, making the artist exhausted and soon worthless on stage. Then, when they're used up, and squeezed out, they're kicked to the curb to turn around and find a new sucker for the evil same ride. It looks oh-so-glamorous from the outside, but it's a nightmare for the artist once they've made it. It's truly a wonder ANY artist can make any money at all the way things are nowadays.
I was pumped to see a non-NFT pushing video, and then it hit me : For the music industry- the TuneFM token is the middleman and the owners who pre-mined the coins are where the profits will go.
The NFT pushing (let’s not sugar coat it Pyramid Scheme…) really removed a lot of my trust in this channel. Great content but I really lost most of my trust.
Agreed. I was digging the video until the shady dude in sunglasses started his "pitch" and ended with "you'll never lose" nahhh this video didn't even highlight any other alternatives - just a straight plug for TuneFM. so lame
As much as artists don't want to learn the business - they have to. Take a play from Lauv. He started his own label and built his own team around him to build up a business structure that they mostly control - he still has a publishing deal but that's for writing only and not distribution of his own music as an artist. Would you rather have 1 million fans and make hardly any money or have 100k fans and make a killer living? Don't need to have a million fans to make a fantastic career when you own 100% of what you do. But sadly most creatives hate the business side so much that they are willing to make a deal with the devil to avoid it. The industry is changing so much that smart artists and creators are finding people to either partner with them or give them a percentage to run their business. That is way smarter than giving away masters.
Please wake up ..... All music artists worship the devil. Just listen to what they sing about it. The only reason they have some artists claim they are "self-made" or "self managed" is because they want people to believe in the lie and not look for the truth. Everyone is an actor and they all get the same check. And it's based on how you worship, not on your talent. That's why you see critically acclaimed musicians/actors eventually FLOP. They should technically have more experience so be even more successful right??? But no, it has nothing to do with talent. Which is why they usually disappear after a few years unless they are deep in the occult and can last longer. The music has no power over us unless the artist worships when it's released. That's why you hear average songs top the charts and songs that should technically be famous never go anywhere
The fact that Elvis Presley, who people held more in awe than anyone else at one point, was screwed almost throughout his career by not just his manager but also the big record labels is a testament of how powerful big music was and still is.
The fact he never wrote a song and we still think of him as a legend just shows how the music business works. Everyone did well out of Elvis. Even with the screwing, he had everything he wanted, until he screwed himself.
Jake how can you push this bs man. Such a phenomenal video only to end it with a platform that will reward the people who own the token to use the platform first… it’s a scam and you know it. I love your content but you gotta choose your sponsors wisely.
@@pradhanan9413 The people who own the token which is being used to pay the artists have control over the market. So although it may be ok now, sooner or later that power will be exploited to the artists and by extension the listeners to drain every last bit of cash from all parties involved and because the token is 'owned' there's likely not much that artists will be able to do once the token owners begin bleeding them dry.
Bruh I actually feel like tune fm is a scam, wtf The UI is completely broken, the first song I played literally blasted my ears, the stop button didn't even work and neither did the volume slider
It's more like an underdeveloped music platform than scam. This will only became scam if they don't stick in their promise that artists will be paid more.
Watching this boils my blood. Thankfully, the label we've been with recently let us go when we asked them to. They released us out of our contract as we had such a mentally draining time recording our second album. They're some of the good people. But the label we were with when releasing our first album, made so much off us - it's a joke. Our Spotify has earned nearly 300k, and my bandmate and I have seen about 10k of that each. When recouping the advance and expenses, the label took only our 50% to cover the recouping, and their 50% was income. So by the time we started making any money off our music, they had earned double. It's set up for artists to fail and it's heartbreaking. (What's even more frustrating, is the song that blew up on Spotify and made them all their money - WE actually paid for, as they didn't want it on the EP and we did. Kill me.) Luckily, I stay clear from any third parties now and make a very decent living off music. I won't go near labels or publishers again. They're just pie pinchers. You can do EVERYTHING yourself now - so why give your art away? Never. Again.
Yes NFTs has helped quite a few independent artists. Buying music NFTs complete cuts out the middleman. An artist doesn't have to sign their lives away in a contract to post an NFT where they get direct funds from fans who buy it
I am signed to a major record label and I have not been paid in 2 years. This video is very accurate They have made $1 million from my song and have never been paid me a single cent. These are the people that are destroying the music industry. Stay Independent
Why don’t you distribute the music yourself Check out Symphonic distribution that’s what I use I get to keep all my royalties all of them you only pay a $20 membership fee once and then you pay approximately $20 per album as a one time fee as well but you keep everything to yourself
@@trix1227you must have missed the part where they said they're signed.... they can't just start publishing their music independently when they're signed to a label
The crazy thing is that Kpop labels are actually very transparent about all of this happening. Once a person gets cut off from a Kpop label they can’t use their stage name (it’s owned by the company), they can’t re-debut with the same band name (also owned by the company - see Gfriend after being cut off from Source Music/Hybe), and it’s unclear whether they can sing their own songs (see Hyuna after being cut from Cube). Even worse: loads of Kpop artists have repeatedly come forward to say they weren’t paid until after 3/4/5 years after debut. There’s the whole trainee debt too, but everything Jake said about the “label/writer/producer cut” also applies.
@@davm97 that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If they control their artists’ images and mold them to their liking/to suit market trends, the likelihood of making money shoots up. It’s just business.
We really feel this. Luckily in 2022 its much easier to make it as an independent artist without record deals. But Spotify and other streaming services are still fucking us. If you love a local band, share the shit out of their music. It means the world to them.
Completely agreed with everything you said! And yes, Spotify and other streaming services pay miserably, but it means a world to us independents to to see our music shared
@@poiuytrewq3546 well aware. Was merely remarking that Jake has to find a way to mention it in every video despite having a video about NFT's being a scam.
@@lbks16 NFTs are Non Fungible Tokens and are essentially used for money laundering via cryptocurrency. As far as how it would benefit music, it could but probably will make it worse
One of the sad things is that artists have to spend more time being video producers and social media marketers now than just being artists, which is probably why most new music sucks now.
The music industry was jacked up bank then, but the internet made it even worse, in my opinion, because now the market is extremely saturated and it's impossibly hard to stand out from everyone else 🤦
And people get mad for pirating music when these streaming services are around. 😂 This is why, and it's why it's never going to stop. If you want to support an artist, but their merch, if they're arent famous, buy their albums and/or merch and do whatever you can to support them!
@Kevin S Yeah, it's not bad, it's worse. Now, if you want to create and promote your music, it depends on pre-curated albums, they decide if your music reaches the audience you wish to, and if your music gets ever played/found/listened to. It used to be bad enough with the labels and contracts and stuff, but now it's not even that. We have seen the world change the way it consumes music, But that change brought a lot of unintended consequences. Now the music labels are in control of these bigger "streaming" platforms, They became the gatekeeper of the music you and I listen to. Essentially, who controls these platforms, controls the entire industry... And at the end of the day the artist got even more crushed. Previously you did not need to get through these platforms to release your music into the world, but now if you want the fame you essentially have to do that...
The music industry is a joke. Quite literally. The fact that they use the artist in order to get more money for themselves makes me wonder if the artists actually want to make music for themselves or to get money.
They pick the weak because they manipulable hence why musicians are dysfunctional. The real artists are the ghostwriters, songwriters and others in the background. The folks in the foreground are just the face a performer performing a script
Fr. Man makes a whole semi decent essay video only to promote NFTs for what seems like a sketchy company. Literally he could’ve mentioned something like bandcamp where artist can be independent and make money directly from their community but didn’t.
EVERY artist has the desire to express themselves creatively. The minute a musician signs a label the opposite happens. They become slaves to greedy companies who want to re-design everything about them. Controlled mind and body, overworked and in debt. NO artist wants to be told how to create! Independent seems the way to go.
I worked in the industry up until this year. So first thing Jake you got something wrong or worded it wrong, which is that 360 deals did not first appear after the pandemic, as I have known about them from 2010 so they are at least a decade old, I wager they probably go back to the mid 2000s when piratebay became a thing. That aside, this video is great but still underestimating how much of a scam the industry is lmao. Even if you do everything independently and away from shitty contracts, your brand is still going to be locked out of the juicy algorithms that prioritise major label publishing online. The only platform that doesn't do this currently is tiktok but they have their own nefarious reasons as to why that is (CCP data mining for one). And I'll go further and get into a personal conspiracy theory I have. You know how when big companies buy smaller competitors out but don't liquidate and instead keep a drooling husk of a company around instead? I swear to god that the major labels do this to indie labels. I once produced for a band, and we ended up with some great masters, they looked like they were going to do VERY well, but then got signed to some local label. They asked the label to continue working with me but the label insisted on using their in house studio and locks them in with the signing. Ok, shit happens. BUT here's the thing, the label then proceeds to drag their feet at every turn, band ends up losing all its members who get demotivated and tired of waiting, and they whittle down to the singer who then has to start from scratch, and doesn't get any return calls from the label anymore. That's just one instance, so I didn't think anything of it, then I see it two more times. I start sharing this story with other small time industry folk, filmographers, promos etc and turns out this happens often. I think that these indie labels are bought out and meant to wear down upcoming acts to eliminate the threat of spontaneous grassroots scenes sprouting up which would force the major labels to adapt. Think about it, ever wonder why there hasn't been any cool new styles coming out lately? Maybe lo fi or vaporware? But beyond that, it's no way near as exciting as the 90s.
Huh, interesting I just wrote a paragraph reply to confirm your comment and when quickly editing it to correct me saying 'company' instead of 'corperation' I got a returned error which deleted my comment. Imma try to retype it but leaving this here for archive.
Damn. I thought by the end of the video they would get to the part that's like 'But here's the good news: there are still many healthy, sound avenues to release your music independently.' But instead they were like 'Here's the good news: OUR SPONSOR!!!' Lol
Small correction: I know this guy probably doesn’t read comments, but I work in the industry, and I found it quite comical when this video made it seem like 360 deals were a consequence of the pandemic. I’m afraid that’s factually incorrect. 360 deals have been in operation since the early 2000s and were introduced as a reactionary panic to the historic YoY losses the industry was making due to factors like piracy, changing consumer habits, and labels not being proactive about the internet age - they were asleep at the wheel and paid for it dearly. A lot of labels were going under back then, a lot of people lost their jobs, budgets got SLASHED. Even after implementing 360 deals, global music industry revenues would continue to decline every year until the mid 2010s. The mass adoption of streaming revived the music business and made labels flush with cash again. We’re actually talking about with music revenues surpassing the heights of the late 1990s in the next few years - and it’s because of streaming. Wall St has been watching, and the industry is becoming a valuable financial prospect again, especially with regard to publishing, with billions currently being spent by all sorts of capital investment firms and holdings groups willing to buy up music publishing rights to catalogues as they foresee enormous growth in the future. David Bowie’s catalog was recently sold to Warner for $250M.
But it makes 250M to who? That’s the point of this video. Bowie is dead he’s not making any money himself, someone is making that money on his expense. But unlike Bowie, living artists need to make a living, and deserve the high profit of their music is highly profitable. That’s the point.
Kind of disappointed this channel made this into a giant commercial. It makes the story seem disingenuous. Just the way this guy was talking about his "startup" there were a lot of red flags that that's kind of a shady thing as well.
It's really starting concern me honestly. If everything is a scam, how is the world actually operating. There has to be legitimate operations holding the world together right?
@@obilifts3319 Yes, there are. Mostly grey areas, though. Like business offering real services, but not quite as efficiently as they could because they don't have much competition due to over-regulation.
My wife works for a music publisher in Nashville. She sees the checks that come in and how/where they get split up and go to. It's disgusting how incredibly wealthy the publisher & board are and how little the creators receive. Nashville music industry and other industries like it is what's wrong with our country and I believe the reason it will ultimately fail unless drastic changes are made.
360 contracts have been existing for more than 15 years. Also, you can promote your music through distributors and earn most of the revenue. If you're going to make an 18 minute ad, make it true and updated at least.
The music industry has been a scam since long before streaming. Plenty of artists have signed similarly parasitic contracts with record labels over the years. It's undoubtedly worse now, but it's a real stretch to say that record deals used to be 'symbiotic'.
It's sorta depressing to know that my decision to go into music education is probably the best decision I ever made in terms of what to do with my musical skill. I probably make more money than 95% of signed artists, and my stress level is nothing compared to what it was when I was making records and playing regular gigs with a "celebrity." You make more as a nobody than you do as a star, and you get to live your life without all that chaos and drama from others. So glad I turned my back on all of that nonsense back in the day. I have yet to hear any stories that make me regret my decision to stop pursuing that stupid golden nugget that's always just out of reach.
this is just touching the surface of the industry, it gets much darker than this.. wish jake would have touched on the life insurance scam the labels pull on the artists which can be linked to the deaths of some artists.
@@yvannayllon9877basically when someone famous dies they get put on the news TH-cam n media platforms so people check out they songs tryna see who they are which make they streams go up significantly which of course brings more and with the artist dead they can do wte they want with the unreleased music without any interference so they actually be wanting they artist to die after being under the label awhile cause it will bring more money
After the six minute mark when it started talking about new record deals, the one thought that instantly came to mind was John Fogerty and CCR's music.
I have been a professional musician for the past three decades, and have been involved on many different levels of the game, from being a “hired gun”, road crew, instrument repairman and builder, solo artist, band member, and producer. This experience taught me early on that the major and even smaller labels are doing everything that they can to maximize their profits at the expense of the artists. I could drop all kinds of names regarding the people and projects that I have been involved with, but the most relevant thing to this video was my stint as the drummer for a band in 1994 that was offered a recording deal with Sub-Pop records, the advance was $300k, and when I read the contract I saw what it for what it really was and refused to sign as a band member. I was then let go from the band and the rest of the members signed while getting a string of replacement drummers until they found one that could replace me, but now those band members either still have thousands of dollars that they still owe, or are bankrupt, and I continued on as an independent, earning thousands of dollars per month, even though it it was nearly as much work as two full time jobs. Yet I felt more fulfilled with the limited amount of “fame” because I knew that the control was with the artists rather than selling our souls to line the pockets of the machine. Every artist should be wary of any “deal” that seems to be a fast track to fame and fortune.
@@spartan114m I just re-read my rant (this video definitely was a bit of a trigger for me 😂) and realized how long winded it was, so maybe not many people were willing to read the whole thing.🤔
It was also quite obvious from how the music industry keeps sweeping famous acts for new ones seasonally, even on radio. Remember how it was Linkin Park and Nu Metal in the early 2000s, then it was Lady Gaga and the likes in the late 2000s, and so on? Just to name some examples.
great video but a lot of misconceptions throughout. yes bad deals do happen in the music industry but independent artists today have more access to information out there and also more leverage than ever before to avoid them. also if you are an artist getting real attention from labels, i.e. offers actually being sent, at this point it is extremely easy to get a lawyer on your side who won't charge you a penny in fees and in turn will take a % of your deal once negotiated. another misconception about the advance structure noted in this video is that your % split on royalties is what will be accounted for when recouping (example used in video was 20%). This isn't the case and the reason that you can recoup quicker at times if you have even one hit go viral. if you have traction in these negotiations you can even take less money up front for more % splits on the backend to recoup quicker and be better off long-term. worst case you don't recoup by end of your deal term, if you play your cards right you will have built a way larger audience and have leverage going into another situation or the label will have an option to bring you back for another term. there are also marketing and recording budgets separate from your advance that labels put in place that are also recoupable but are more flexible so they can be proactive and add fuel to fire when a song or release is working. labels will receive full 100% of royalties until recoupment and then at that point whatever royalty terms you negotiated you will start receiving. Also, 360 deals have been around way before covid. Lyor Cohen coined them during his time as a label head and funny enough he is now head of this platforms music. The biggest misconception imo in this video is that you need a label to get your music on all platforms. there are digital distributors that your guest just breezed past such as distrokid, tunecore, stem, unitedmasters, etc. that artists can use to get their music on all digital platforms for a very small yearly fee, or per track/upload. It is very cheap to get your music out there nowadays in actuality, the hard work is building a team around you that believes in your vision and can help you market the releases. Videos rarely cost 300k as noted in this video, if you're an aspiring musician you can find a friend, film yourself, or hire someone to shoot something for under 1k and even less lots of times to amazing creators who want to build a portfolio or build with you from the ground up. I think the biggest takeaway imo in this video is that it is important if you are getting major label interest as an indie artist to shop around and talk to everyone and let them offer you something and then negotiate from there. Build a team around you you trust, and you will be ok. There are a multitude of deal types today that resonate with streaming. record deals themselves are pretty rare. more in tune with the times are distribution deals that give more fair splits to the artist. Streaming is very lucrative if you can build an engaged fanbase that is the hardest part. More and more indie musicians are making 5-6 figures a month than ever before thanks to streaming alone. With so much music out there and the market being so saturated, building a brand is more important than ever. There's a reason why private equity firms are paying crazy multiples for huge older gen artists catalogues. It's because they see streaming on multiple platforms as passive income forever. Think youtube money, but multiply that by 10's of other revenue generating platforms.
Recordings of music have only been around about 100 years. For several centuries before that, music was shared with printed sheet music and live performances. Long before that, music had to be shared by live singing and playing instruments. Those who enjoy creating music must make the creative journey their joy and not chase a mirage of fame and a pile of gold. The creative spirit is where the joy comes to the heart of the music creator. There is no price tag on that and your worth is not determined by the number of fans you may or may not attract.
That's why being an independent artist with some business sense is key. If you can blow on your own, you don't need a label. Be intentional with your marketing and you will be fine.
Tech jobs are just as bad. Recruiter contracts include language that they don't have to pay you at all. Things like, if the client does not approve your time... And NOT, if the client does not pay the agency. Clients only go through them because they discount your rate, but say things like..." we pay them $150.00 an hour, you get $75.00." When your getting $50. If they do pay you they can take as long as they want; 30, 60, 90 or more.
Hey dude, love the work you put into your videos. Speaking as an artist though, we get shilled every single kind of scam to garner fans and plays and shit like that basically exclusively. Hardly any of my interactions come from real fans, most are messages from people who have ulterior motives. There’s a huge black market for plays and follows and it’s become so insane that most of us have no idea what’s real and not and mostly everyone who has been making music for more than a few years has become cynical and won’t even look into any of this stuff cause it’s all so scammy. As much as i respect you and dig your videos, i have to be honest and say that this tune fm platform appears to be just another way to steal potential profits from artists. There’s no way forward, parasites are everywhere
Exactlyyy thisss, and I feel you bro, I am cynical and after over a decade have given up this pointless rat race. I'd still love to perform (but selectively from now on) and write tracks therapeutically. I might even just upload tracks youtube and stop paying distribution companies a yearly pay as well at this point
To be fair artists doesn't sign record deals only for the money, also to get exposure. Artists can release music by their own, but they will never get as exposure, views or money as they would get by signing a record deal. Record labels spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing, sometime millions and that guarantees hundreds of thousands of views, likes and positive comments. Artists can buy views, likes and comments by themselves but most of the artists are broke. There are insane amount of artist performing on street and begging for money who are lot better than most of the biggest artists now, its really sad they will never get exposure or become successful unless they get a record deal. Lot of the artists making music as a hobby by spending their own money. But most of the artists are broke and miserable, something is better than nothing for them I guess.
If you haven't heard how Billboard and others keep actual independent artists out, I suggest you go to Tom McDonald's YT channel and find out how they keep independent artists down as much as they can.
They fail to mention that 90% of “artists” do not create their own material, they are cover artists. They are spoon fed songs, and are paid to perform them. Also, no one should feel sorry for someone who makes the choice to sign a contract without knowing what is contained in it. The music industry preys on ignorance, you can’t blame them for doing so. Want to make a change? Learn how to read and understand contracts.
Let’s not forget this important fact. That $500k would go a lot further if you could hire your own team of writers, producers, engineers, lawyers, promoters, etc. But the catch is, many record labels will only authorize/approve of certain professional which already have ties to the label. It’s really an inside job.
TH-camrs are making insane amount of money 💰 just by explaining ... How other artists are getting ripped off by corporate world .... But reality is that world is not so simple... If you are creative and have Knowledge about how business works it's best time to be an artist
And the music has suffered exponentially, when I was a teen there were several new tracks every week by top artists and newcomers alike. The greedy have strangled their own cash cow as usual.
One of my oldest friends was in a band in the early 2000´s, that had a few minor hits over here in Europe and toured the continent many times over. He finally got done paying back what they owed their record company LAST YEAR! I won´t "out him" by saying what band it was, but his story is far from unusual, especially for those in bands, who aren´t credited as songwriters. We used to both dream of being musicians and even played in a few bands together, but it makes me glad that none of the bands I played in ever got signed, because the same thing could easily have happened to me too, back when I was young and naive, as many of the musicians are.
@@zaniah8270 There's always someone trying to exploit you. Plenty of scummy people who see what you do as so easy a kid can do it and that they're doing you a favor by paying you pennies on the dollar.
Editorial playlists control almost all traffic which is monopolized by the streaming platform. Spotify can virtually shadow ban an artist from algorithmic and editorial playlists, killing their career.
Ah…. replace “artists” & “labels” with “truckers” and “the FMCSA” and it’s the same scam story. Those that do, produce & create getting screwed by the management & government class. Support your artists & small businesses, folks.
FMCSA is a corrupt organization that's is built by big truck cops to destroy the independent owners. If you are in the trucking industry, you know exactly what i'm talking about.
Yeah I always thought about how much truckers actually get paid versus how much their deliveries are worth to the company they work for. I see why so many people go owner operator. It’s literally not worth working for someone else as a trucker.
Heck, even software developers live lives of indentured servitude half the time, spending dozens of hours per week creating awesome software until they burn out and get replaced by someone else, while management reaps most of the rewards. The only way to reap the rewards for yourself, most of the time, is to become your own boss and start your own company. Otherwise, you're almost always getting screwed / abused by whoever is reaping the rewards of your work.
I just finished guns and roses' biography. Those were the good old days. They were dumb as rocks, always drunk/high and was super unprofessional in the record room but their label didn't own their music and souls. (probably because they earned so much money in a regular deal anyway)
Its sad to imagine all the artists who got exploited back in the day and there was no awareness of it in public, they get exploited today too but the times are changing. Social media, NFTs etc are changing the dynamics
You'd be surprised how many normal people working at 9:00 to 5:00 have more money than some of their favorite musicians. A lot of that luxurious lifestyle is cap!
Some of this is not true, you can still upload to spotify through a site like distrokid which lets you keep all your rights and earnings, you just have to pay an annual membership to distrokid but that's only like 20 dollars
regarding the album advance (of which most of it has to go towards the production of the album) it should be added that often the label has a list of which studios, engineers, etc. the artist can work with, and these studios are also tied to the label, so basically, in addition to the already impossible task of paying it back, the borrowed money is being spent on the same people that are lending it
Yeah, and often this limits the creative freedom one can have as an artist too, with the same people often reproducing and repackaging their formulas over and over again on different tracks.
I have a good family friend who has been a world class recording engineer since the 80's, he commented recently that he has never seen so little money in the industry. New artists haven't a hope in realising anything more than virtually playing for free and touring at a loss. The labels have no one else to blame but themselves when artists like Swift can kick her label in the balls, unfortunately, she is basically the only one who can. The only option is to stay indie, the 360 deals consume every aspect of revenue of a artist, labels have just become banks full of shysters
Build following through live acts and promote through TH-cam, Instagram etc. Bands also need to do more to promote one another by using shared channels. Also, don't be afraid to turn down a lousy offer from a studio. Lastly government should appreciate the value of music to a country and should facilitate the creation of a no profit streaming service which guarantees the artists a decent percentage of the revenue.
Been doing fine as an independent producer out of my bedroom for 4 and a half years. Things just take time to build but making a living off of this is 100% doable. I'm greatful to be in such a position, if you have a plan you can too.
If I had to say, actors and musicians in theory is what really makes the world go around, we as listeners and watchers of both music and movies get inspired from those creations, and without creations you have nothing, things just don’t seem to work anymore. So I thank all of those people for your works.
I wish my music would get more attention. Every time I turn around I’m getting shadowbanned. I’m not conforming to the system just to get noticed- my soul isn’t worth it.
Paris Hilton super rich and had a record deal! Same for Brooke Hogan, 3T, and Michael Jackson's daughter! Not everyone who signs are poor or middle class!
I am on a contract job right now. It is barely the same. A lot of tech jobs are contract style because tech is a militarized field. A lot of tech giants are serviced by the military, staffed by ex military and operate for the military. Every FAANG/MAANG company and most of the other top companies like Twitter, salesforce, Microsoft, etc, have high ranking military personnel on their boards and in IT departments. This helps offset the need to bolster body numbers by supercharging tech, which Silicon valley was specifically made for the military. Anyways, TLDR: contracting for some pays better because of the legal obligations companies have to pay to governments and rules to adhere to. Some make bank, while others get shafted.
Agreed. I accepted a lowball salary "contract to hire" before my current job. I only accepted it because they we're supposed to hire me. SIKE. I am still a consultant now but luckily I make a lot more money compared to when I started two years ago.
The big music industry we know now began with the precursor of MCA providing entertainment for mafia ran speakeasies during prohibition, so it was always mob ran, even before the mob got involved with Hollywood th-cam.com/video/Z_y_zeql7pc/w-d-xo.html
"Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end, holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed. Nobody can see what’s printed on the contract. It’s too far away, and besides, the shit stench is making everybody’s eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the shit. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there’s only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says, “Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim it again, please. Backstroke.” -- The Problem with Music by Steve Albini for The Baffler (1993)
*woah... as an artist who has written over 2000 songs in my lifetime... I feel that with the amount of music in the world... the glut of profit over art... it determines me to stay true to myself... and just make music for the LOVE of making music... if the world comes along to finally notice... then I will decide how much I want to share... a record deal has always been the dream... but not worth selling my soul for it... I have created my own personal soundtrack for my life... and no dangling carrot of fame and fortune made by some label or manager is going to lure me away from my core beliefs... and who needs the world when God is there to listen to your art... when you don't chase them... they will chase you... especially if you succeed without their help...*
Finally!! Was really hoping for a video on this subject from Jake, thank you! Honestly, as a relative newcomer to the field, I was quickly disillusioned by how things worked, though I was very lucky to avoid some bullets thrown at artists described in this video. Back in 2020, when I started considering publishing my songs, I was offered an album deal under the lable's guise of "COVID scheme", which they painted as a donation to artists through these tough times, only to quickly realise it was just the usual advance after glancing at the contract. One of their representatives even mentioned how they were like 'covid fairies' helping musicians, when in reality it's everything described here. I really wonder how many young, fresh faces fell prey to that. I politely declined and started doing independent stuff, only to find the state of Spotify as it is, investing a lot on ads only to get mere 0.03 cents per stream. Not doing this for the money anyway, at least I'm enjoying the freedom to experiment and have been lucky to learn new skills, from producing/mixing, all the way to business and marketing side of things. I also get to choose my collaborators including musicians, dancers, writers, animators, etc. Though it's a bit frustrating that I can't compete with artists that have major lables backing them, I get to truly enjoy the creative freedom and I guess each to their own.
Coming up as a new musician and being told by friends and others that I have talent, It really puts into perspective how to make the most of it. ARTISTS: You can pay monthly for distribution sites that will put your music on all platforms, most of which only keep around 10% of what you make, and with the internet being so vast, don’t be afraid to look up beats on youtube and make relationships with those engineers. We can do this.
I use Symphonic distribution it’s only a $20 one time membership fee and approximately $20 per album also a one time fee but you keep all of your money
The music industry and the media create rifts between members through unequal treatment. Bands typically break up afterwards. This happened in the “Greed is Good” 80s too.
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🎧 Get 100 JAM tokens for free and stream music to support artists at tune.fm/
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No.
Hey
no
At least, Moon promotes something that is not NFT-intergrated everytime he makes a video, and some other sponsors.
has anyone heard of Masterworks. I did not
Jake why on earth did you edit Blackpink video on this video? Do you think kpop labels are like loan sharks like the shitty western music labels is?? Don't confuse okay. Don't put kpop labels on the same standards as western music companies. In Korea, the govt. Provide 2percent of its annual gdp as subsidies to kpop labels. So kpop labels are not so broke like western music labels that they don't need to employ shitty contracts to suck dry the artist under there labels. I hope you are now enlightened about the differences between kpop labels and western music labels.🙏
As an aspiring musician. The only way I see music being viable these days is to do it independently. Everything the record label offers these days can be done yourself. Artists now gotta diversify their skillsets to push out their songs.
True but not all music labels are bad
@@Bru21424 lol
@@Bru21424 that's like finding a unicorn
@@Bru21424 Yeah they are not all bad the artist just sells their human rights to the labels and the labels work them to death
@@lep3984 ok I know that it's seems doulisonal but what about joji's musical label he is working for.
I am beginning to think that everything is a scam.
Scamming is human nature, so yeah, everything that involve humans is a scam
Capitalism be like that.
@@wintermint77 all pure systems be like that
Communism : instant enslavement by whoever distributes the goods and services. Also almost evrything stagnates and barely changes for decades.
Socialism : Needs a shit ton of money to start and a decent amount to maintain, tax heavy so isnt realistic for pre developed countries.
Capitalism : only pro is innovation through competition and creativity.plus the freemarket aspect is true. Cons, when anyone grows too big its technically run by the biggest monopoly present in the system
@@Fu3g0.100 😂 tell me you’ve never read political theory without telling me you’ve never read political theory
How does Communism/Socialism result in “instant enslavement” when it’s the workers who own the means of production?
@@wintermint77 it doesnt actually work that way when practiced, the people own the production but theres always some sort of distribution party, this is usually the government.
This is where the corruption always starts and eventually when the resources can no longer support the population because of unnecessary even distribution
Whoever was distributing becomes the oppresser.
Because they had the power all along
There was never a golden era for artists and songwriters. Deals have always been structured to benefit labels.
Why would record labels exist if not for that reason? It should be clear to everyone at this point that businesses exist to maximize their own profits, not to hold back, share, or provide anything more to anyone than they have to. Everyone who wants to make money off you should be assumed to be trying to do so to the greatest extent they possibly can, even if it means being deceptive or sneaky about certain things. This should just always be assumed on the part of the consumer. You can’t get all whiny and moralistic about the fact that no one is actually altruistic. You just have to acknowledge that they are serving their own interests and figure out a way to serve yours.
Not for Led Zeppelin. They had the best deal of all the bands.
LedHed Pb 207.20 🎶 🎸 🎹
According to Paul McCartney, not even the Beatles really got the money their records made (that's what their song "You never give me your money" is about). And they infamously didn't get the publishing rights. Michael Jackson later bought them, which drove Paul insane.
I don't buy a single bit of the glorified presentation of 80s record labels in this video.
@@aheendwhz1 Paul did alright. He's just a control freak.. The Beatles would never have been what they were without EMI, George Martin and the crew provided to them. Half the effects you can buy on VST today were invented at, or by people working in Abbey Road studios, not to mention the promotion they got from their crappy publishing deal.
@@alfsmith4936 That's right. But there are still artists doing alright.
A group as successful as the Beatles wouldn't be worse off these days.
There are still labels that invest huge amounts into the production of an album.
One difference is that it was easier back then to get a foot into the door of a label if you're not yet successful or well-known. But that's only because there was no way back then to get successful without a label. You couldn't get a record into the stores without a label. These days you can, so labels wait for your records to be successful before they sign you.
Is this the golden ara of music, because basically eveyone can produce music even with advanced effects and sound design an publish it online, and you're not fucked if no label signs you? Or was the 20th centuary the golden age of music, because labels signed more artists?
Given it was still unlikely for any single person to be signed in the 60s, I'd argue that these days are much more golden, as you can at least produce your stuff and listen to it with your friends.
One argument for the 60s/70s/80s being the "golden age of pop music" I see is that labels didn't yet recognise the importance of style, personality and other factors for the commercial success of a music act. So in the beginning of the music industry, they looked much more on the music itself. This was an economical fallacy, but artistry profited from that fallacy.
However, this already changed in the 80s and 90s. It has nothing to do with the technical advancements coming with the Internet and stuff.
As an engineer I would advise ALL artists to have a lawyer present while signing any documents
As a person living in 2022, I would advise not signing any documents. Ever, if possible.
7/10 they’ll cut the lawyer a deal themselves
Some of these deals actually provide an incentive for the lawyer to talk you into signing.
what does being an engineer have to do with it lol
@@aram00001
Might be cause they force bonds or something to get jobs that then pay low?
Bruh, for someone that talks about scams and scummy practices its really bold of you yo promote a "Crypto powered" service. As a software developer I know how beneficial decentralized technology could be, but right now its just a waste land of scammers that call themselves "Entrepreneurs". Crypto right now isn't a way of gaining independence from controlled currency, but an easier mean to scam and steal.
agreed!
your basing your opinion on assumptions and not facts.... just like regular life crypto has scams too but there are plenty of innovative protocols out there with legit usecases.... you can hate all you want but nft music will become the norm in the coming years (5-10 years maybe) as it makes so much more sense than traditional record labels
@@anilmenon3927 To be fair he qualified his comment with 'right now'. And he made a strong ethos point from the perspective of a software developer. You may be right down the road but he's not wrong about the current landscape.
True and crypto is also terrible for the environment
@@Iron-Bridge yeah but thats thing....he is wrong about the current landscape.... crypto is not a wasteland of scammers... ofcourse scams are prevalent but there a plenty of dapps and protocols which solve real problems and can be of use to masses....
The music industry is truly DEMONIC. They do everything they can to push away those who are TRULY talented, in lieu of easily manipulatable, auto-tunable, no talent low lifes that can be controlled by the industry. Then, once in, the industry goes to great lengths to make sure the artist brings in the most profit, while they squelch their talent. And EVERYTHING comes out of the artists pocket : air travel, hotels, catering, payroll of the myriad people working for/with them, booking fees, manager fees, you name it. Then, because albums/records/CDs are now passe, the promotions team puts the artist on brutally long-winded tour dates, where they don't even have time to catch a breath between shows, which are usually back-to-back-to-back night after night, making the artist exhausted and soon worthless on stage. Then, when they're used up, and squeezed out, they're kicked to the curb to turn around and find a new sucker for the evil same ride. It looks oh-so-glamorous from the outside, but it's a nightmare for the artist once they've made it. It's truly a wonder ANY artist can make any money at all the way things are nowadays.
Where is the artist though.
This from someone who knows nothing about it😂
I was pumped to see a non-NFT pushing video, and then it hit me : For the music industry- the TuneFM token is the middleman and the owners who pre-mined the coins are where the profits will go.
Theres always a middle man my guy. Unless you hand the money directly to the artist.
The NFT pushing (let’s not sugar coat it Pyramid Scheme…) really removed a lot of my trust in this channel.
Great content but I really lost most of my trust.
Agreed. I was digging the video until the shady dude in sunglasses started his "pitch" and ended with "you'll never lose" nahhh this video didn't even highlight any other alternatives - just a straight plug for TuneFM. so lame
@@LarpingSupply here's a better lesson: don't trust strangers on the internet. This channel is his livelihood and getting sponsors is just business.
@@LarpingSupply one day, Jake Tran will do a video on the shady business of Jake Tran.
it's incredible how many artists don't view the 'album advance' as a loan..
th-cam.com/video/3WgcQxwIWfk/w-d-xo.html🔥
Makes sense that the Devil own’s the music industry it’s evil
@@BargerClan Then why are you here? Shouldn't you be somewhere listening to sermons?
@@KKelly-ng1ni Lol calm ya tits mate.
Yeah it's supposed to cover your living costs and costs of making an album for example which is going to be a loooooot
As much as artists don't want to learn the business - they have to. Take a play from Lauv. He started his own label and built his own team around him to build up a business structure that they mostly control - he still has a publishing deal but that's for writing only and not distribution of his own music as an artist.
Would you rather have 1 million fans and make hardly any money or have 100k fans and make a killer living?
Don't need to have a million fans to make a fantastic career when you own 100% of what you do. But sadly most creatives hate the business side so much that they are willing to make a deal with the devil to avoid it.
The industry is changing so much that smart artists and creators are finding people to either partner with them or give them a percentage to run their business. That is way smarter than giving away masters.
This is a really good take tbh
A lot of Christian music artist own their own.
Please wake up ..... All music artists worship the devil. Just listen to what they sing about it. The only reason they have some artists claim they are "self-made" or "self managed" is because they want people to believe in the lie and not look for the truth. Everyone is an actor and they all get the same check. And it's based on how you worship, not on your talent. That's why you see critically acclaimed musicians/actors eventually FLOP. They should technically have more experience so be even more successful right??? But no, it has nothing to do with talent. Which is why they usually disappear after a few years unless they are deep in the occult and can last longer. The music has no power over us unless the artist worships when it's released. That's why you hear average songs top the charts and songs that should technically be famous never go anywhere
I'd rather have millions of fans that way I get plenty of endorsement deals and plenty of money
@@markwilson8981 th-cam.com/video/3WgcQxwIWfk/w-d-xo.html💫
Jake is such inclusive. From high level govt organizations to celebrity singers. The hitlist keeps on growing.
To be fair though there is detail documentary in youtube which jake make. He basically makes a summary of detail document and it is good.
@@aymanjc4146 where he fins these docs?
Inclusive is the wrong word. Eclectic would we better
His name on hitlists keep growing too
It was an Ad this whole time 🤣
Prince was shouting this from the rooftops decades ago.
Yess!
And Now he quiet as a mouse
@@dollalalalalotsagaming.8276 He's dead!
And you wonder why he was taken from us out of nowhere when he was just 57
So was George Michael
The fact that Elvis Presley, who people held more in awe than anyone else at one point, was screwed almost throughout his career by not just his manager but also the big record labels is a testament of how powerful big music was and still is.
The fact he never wrote a song and we still think of him as a legend just shows how the music business works. Everyone did well out of Elvis. Even with the screwing, he had everything he wanted, until he screwed himself.
Yeah he didn't write so he did pretty good.
Jake how can you push this bs man. Such a phenomenal video only to end it with a platform that will reward the people who own the token to use the platform first… it’s a scam and you know it. I love your content but you gotta choose your sponsors wisely.
thanks for watching text me there's a new opportunity you're missing out on📝📝📲📲👆👆👆.....
@@carlosdavy327 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
How's it a scam ? Can someone explain?
@@pradhanan9413 The people who own the token which is being used to pay the artists have control over the market. So although it may be ok now, sooner or later that power will be exploited to the artists and by extension the listeners to drain every last bit of cash from all parties involved and because the token is 'owned' there's likely not much that artists will be able to do once the token owners begin bleeding them dry.
@@taronhadlames84 ohh thanks for the explanation
Bruh I actually feel like tune fm is a scam, wtf
The UI is completely broken, the first song I played literally blasted my ears, the stop button didn't even work and neither did the volume slider
It's more like an underdeveloped music platform than scam. This will only became scam if they don't stick in their promise that artists will be paid more.
"LISTEN TO THIS SONG!!!"
"No pls make it stop"
"LISTEN!!!"
Literally couldn’t do shit in the website
It definitely is.
the whole website looks like it was made in India by scammers 😂
Prince noticed this back in the 80's and started his own label in the 90's, changed his name to that symbol. He was the man!
Watching this boils my blood. Thankfully, the label we've been with recently let us go when we asked them to. They released us out of our contract as we had such a mentally draining time recording our second album. They're some of the good people. But the label we were with when releasing our first album, made so much off us - it's a joke. Our Spotify has earned nearly 300k, and my bandmate and I have seen about 10k of that each. When recouping the advance and expenses, the label took only our 50% to cover the recouping, and their 50% was income. So by the time we started making any money off our music, they had earned double. It's set up for artists to fail and it's heartbreaking. (What's even more frustrating, is the song that blew up on Spotify and made them all their money - WE actually paid for, as they didn't want it on the EP and we did. Kill me.) Luckily, I stay clear from any third parties now and make a very decent living off music. I won't go near labels or publishers again. They're just pie pinchers. You can do EVERYTHING yourself now - so why give your art away? Never. Again.
Yaaa i see ya independent artist noww So chill&play Guitar 🎻
That sucks! How do you wish the label industry be? Any thoughts on how you think they must do instead?
Wow, thanks for sharing your story. That's terrible what you all experienced. Good you're better off now. ❤
Just subscribed, keep making good art. Cheese!
Can u start a chords for independent artists
I’m all for making it easier for artists to get paid fairly… but NFTs? Seriously?
Yes NFTs has helped quite a few independent artists. Buying music NFTs complete cuts out the middleman. An artist doesn't have to sign their lives away in a contract to post an NFT where they get direct funds from fans who buy it
I am signed to a major record label and I have not been paid in 2 years. This video is very accurate
They have made $1 million from my song and have never been paid me a single cent.
These are the people that are destroying the music industry. Stay Independent
Why don’t you distribute the music yourself Check out Symphonic distribution that’s what I use I get to keep all my royalties all of them you only pay a $20 membership fee once and then you pay approximately $20 per album as a one time fee as well but you keep everything to yourself
@Raunak Mitra - Hyper-ion nah that's juice wrld
@@trix1227you must have missed the part where they said they're signed.... they can't just start publishing their music independently when they're signed to a label
The crazy thing is that Kpop labels are actually very transparent about all of this happening.
Once a person gets cut off from a Kpop label they can’t use their stage name (it’s owned by the company), they can’t re-debut with the same band name (also owned by the company - see Gfriend after being cut off from Source Music/Hybe), and it’s unclear whether they can sing their own songs (see Hyuna after being cut from Cube).
Even worse: loads of Kpop artists have repeatedly come forward to say they weren’t paid until after 3/4/5 years after debut. There’s the whole trainee debt too, but everything Jake said about the “label/writer/producer cut” also applies.
What sucks the most is you gotta pay so much to train for a couple years and not even debut or you do debut but your group flops
@@fluffybunchy not much different than western artist. They get paid upfront and then work like a slave. It’s why they get paid last
They have factories for K popers, lmao
@@davm97 that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If they control their artists’ images and mold them to their liking/to suit market trends, the likelihood of making money shoots up. It’s just business.
Even worse: kpop
We really feel this. Luckily in 2022 its much easier to make it as an independent artist without record deals. But Spotify and other streaming services are still fucking us.
If you love a local band, share the shit out of their music. It means the world to them.
Completely agreed with everything you said! And yes, Spotify and other streaming services pay miserably, but it means a world to us independents to to see our music shared
Get a better job than playing sounds
@@yourmomhello7695 At least we work towards our own passion and not at the hands of bigger corporations like you do
@@gi7685 love my job. Music industry is for cucks
@@yourmomhello7695 ok so dont listen to music anymore 😆
NOW I understand why Rihanna didn't put out any album thus far. it wasn't worth the effort. She became billionaire alone from FENTY
It took 15 minutes, but I knew that eventually NFT's would be brought up. Still on that NFT grind.
nfts are a scam
@@poiuytrewq3546 well aware. Was merely remarking that Jake has to find a way to mention it in every video despite having a video about NFT's being a scam.
What is nft's And how does it benefit music maker?
@@lbks16 NFTs are Non Fungible Tokens and are essentially used for money laundering via cryptocurrency. As far as how it would benefit music, it could but probably will make it worse
One of the sad things is that artists have to spend more time being video producers and social media marketers now than just being artists, which is probably why most new music sucks now.
Yes
And that make it easy for the mainstream to track them and rip off their ideas
The music industry was jacked up bank then, but the internet made it even worse, in my opinion, because now the market is extremely saturated and it's impossibly hard to stand out from everyone else 🤦
And people get mad for pirating music when these streaming services are around. 😂 This is why, and it's why it's never going to stop. If you want to support an artist, but their merch, if they're arent famous, buy their albums and/or merch and do whatever you can to support them!
@Zentosi the fast majority of labels take 100% of merch sales.
The best way to support artists is going to their concerts, they are the biggest form of income for musicians
@Kevin S Yeah, it's not bad, it's worse. Now, if you want to create and promote your music, it depends on pre-curated albums, they decide if your music reaches the audience you wish to, and if your music gets ever played/found/listened to.
It used to be bad enough with the labels and contracts and stuff, but now it's not even that. We have seen the world change the way it consumes music, But that change brought a lot of unintended consequences. Now the music labels are in control of these bigger "streaming" platforms, They became the gatekeeper of the music you and I listen to.
Essentially, who controls these platforms, controls the entire industry... And at the end of the day the artist got even more crushed.
Previously you did not need to get through these platforms to release your music into the world, but now if you want the fame you essentially have to do that...
Jake video process: 1. find a new scam. 2. make a video describing how the old scams are so bad. 3. profit.
🤣 bingo.... its just that simple
Wow, so I just spent 18 minutes I'll never get back watching a commercial for a platform that just takes the same practices to a new level
The music industry is a joke. Quite literally. The fact that they use the artist in order to get more money for themselves makes me wonder if the artists actually want to make music for themselves or to get money.
They pick the weak because they manipulable hence why musicians are dysfunctional. The real artists are the ghostwriters, songwriters and others in the background. The folks in the foreground are just the face a performer performing a script
@@getsmartquick That is deep, but unfortunately true.
You don't have to wonder. Actions speak loudest.
@@ducodarling What's your take on project paperclip I think it's called where the military and CIA control media
@@getsmartquick lmao thats the post ww2 codename for getting the nazi scientists to america
"The number one music NFT Marketplace"
excuse me, can you roll that back?
Fr. Man makes a whole semi decent essay video only to promote NFTs for what seems like a sketchy company. Literally he could’ve mentioned something like bandcamp where artist can be independent and make money directly from their community but didn’t.
So sad to see him push this scam garbage
As soon as I got to this part of the video, I paused it and immediately went to the comments. I'm not the only one!
EVERY artist has the desire to express themselves creatively. The minute a musician signs a label the opposite happens. They become slaves to greedy companies who want to re-design everything about them. Controlled mind and body, overworked and in debt. NO artist wants to be told how to create! Independent seems the way to go.
Like almost everything in life, it is generally good to live self sufficient.
I worked in the industry up until this year.
So first thing Jake you got something wrong or worded it wrong, which is that 360 deals did not first appear after the pandemic, as I have known about them from 2010 so they are at least a decade old, I wager they probably go back to the mid 2000s when piratebay became a thing.
That aside, this video is great but still underestimating how much of a scam the industry is lmao. Even if you do everything independently and away from shitty contracts, your brand is still going to be locked out of the juicy algorithms that prioritise major label publishing online. The only platform that doesn't do this currently is tiktok but they have their own nefarious reasons as to why that is (CCP data mining for one).
And I'll go further and get into a personal conspiracy theory I have. You know how when big companies buy smaller competitors out but don't liquidate and instead keep a drooling husk of a company around instead? I swear to god that the major labels do this to indie labels. I once produced for a band, and we ended up with some great masters, they looked like they were going to do VERY well, but then got signed to some local label. They asked the label to continue working with me but the label insisted on using their in house studio and locks them in with the signing. Ok, shit happens. BUT here's the thing, the label then proceeds to drag their feet at every turn, band ends up losing all its members who get demotivated and tired of waiting, and they whittle down to the singer who then has to start from scratch, and doesn't get any return calls from the label anymore.
That's just one instance, so I didn't think anything of it, then I see it two more times. I start sharing this story with other small time industry folk, filmographers, promos etc and turns out this happens often. I think that these indie labels are bought out and meant to wear down upcoming acts to eliminate the threat of spontaneous grassroots scenes sprouting up which would force the major labels to adapt.
Think about it, ever wonder why there hasn't been any cool new styles coming out lately? Maybe lo fi or vaporware? But beyond that, it's no way near as exciting as the 90s.
You need to make your own video at this point
Amy Klobuchar: "Monopolies Are Bullies When It Comes To The Economy"
Start a channel!!!
@@vinyasa748 true 😁
Huh, interesting I just wrote a paragraph reply to confirm your comment and when quickly editing it to correct me saying 'company' instead of 'corperation' I got a returned error which deleted my comment. Imma try to retype it but leaving this here for archive.
The tune fm is literally a scam
lol
Damn. I thought by the end of the video they would get to the part that's like 'But here's the good news: there are still many healthy, sound avenues to release your music independently.' But instead they were like 'Here's the good news: OUR SPONSOR!!!' Lol
So happy more people have been exposing the music industry lately
On top of the bad deals they blow the money on materialistic items that don't hold any real value.
These record labels are evil 💯
How when there rappers balling out there
Some are actually good like Rimas entertainment
They signed Bad bunny for a contract of 80% to him and 20% to the record
As a music producer, I can confirm this is all true.
Small correction: I know this guy probably doesn’t read comments, but I work in the industry, and I found it quite comical when this video made it seem like 360 deals were a consequence of the pandemic. I’m afraid that’s factually incorrect. 360 deals have been in operation since the early 2000s and were introduced as a reactionary panic to the historic YoY losses the industry was making due to factors like piracy, changing consumer habits, and labels not being proactive about the internet age - they were asleep at the wheel and paid for it dearly. A lot of labels were going under back then, a lot of people lost their jobs, budgets got SLASHED. Even after implementing 360 deals, global music industry revenues would continue to decline every year until the mid 2010s. The mass adoption of streaming revived the music business and made labels flush with cash again. We’re actually talking about with music revenues surpassing the heights of the late 1990s in the next few years - and it’s because of streaming. Wall St has been watching, and the industry is becoming a valuable financial prospect again, especially with regard to publishing, with billions currently being spent by all sorts of capital investment firms and holdings groups willing to buy up music publishing rights to catalogues as they foresee enormous growth in the future. David Bowie’s catalog was recently sold to Warner for $250M.
But it makes 250M to who? That’s the point of this video. Bowie is dead he’s not making any money himself, someone is making that money on his expense. But unlike Bowie, living artists need to make a living, and deserve the high profit of their music is highly profitable. That’s the point.
I do not stream nor pay for music. only a fool does. I always get my music free
Wait... everyone kept calling Michael Jackson paranoid for saying he could be murdered for his 1 billion dollar Sony/ publishing catalogue?
They still believe he was a m*lester which is sad. They framed him first and eventually killed him
Michael Jackson was DEMONIC
Kind of disappointed this channel made this into a giant commercial. It makes the story seem disingenuous. Just the way this guy was talking about his "startup" there were a lot of red flags that that's kind of a shady thing as well.
Jake is boring me out, just another greedy soul
@@Kobs.A okay cryb
Ye, but.. personally I take the view that I’m getting good info about alot of stuff he covers whilst realising the guy needs to make an income.
Everything is a FREAKING SCAMMMM 😭
The air: am i a joke to you🤣🤣
@itsZ 4747 my bad bro.best wishes👍👍
@@emmanuelboakye1124considering the amount of glyphosate and plastic in the air yes it is a joke and part of the scam! lol
It's really starting concern me honestly. If everything is a scam, how is the world actually operating. There has to be legitimate operations holding the world together right?
@@obilifts3319 Yes, there are. Mostly grey areas, though. Like business offering real services, but not quite as efficiently as they could because they don't have much competition due to over-regulation.
My wife works for a music publisher in Nashville. She sees the checks that come in and how/where they get split up and go to. It's disgusting how incredibly wealthy the publisher & board are and how little the creators receive. Nashville music industry and other industries like it is what's wrong with our country and I believe the reason it will ultimately fail unless drastic changes are made.
15:40 when I hear “we’re the only ones…” the only thing I hear is “we’re trying to make an early monopoly before the market gets too saturated”
Im copying this thought process lol
360 contracts have been existing for more than 15 years. Also, you can promote your music through distributors and earn most of the revenue.
If you're going to make an 18 minute ad, make it true and updated at least.
Who are you?
@@gogurtgooru989 No, who are you?
@@1337-i3v I asked first
The music industry has been a scam since long before streaming. Plenty of artists have signed similarly parasitic contracts with record labels over the years. It's undoubtedly worse now, but it's a real stretch to say that record deals used to be 'symbiotic'.
my grandpa told me at a young age everythings a scam just some scams are hidden better than others
That's capitalism and that's true. He was indeed correct 💯
Now I get why so many artists have such a problematic life (mainly addiction)
It's sorta depressing to know that my decision to go into music education is probably the best decision I ever made in terms of what to do with my musical skill. I probably make more money than 95% of signed artists, and my stress level is nothing compared to what it was when I was making records and playing regular gigs with a "celebrity." You make more as a nobody than you do as a star, and you get to live your life without all that chaos and drama from others. So glad I turned my back on all of that nonsense back in the day. I have yet to hear any stories that make me regret my decision to stop pursuing that stupid golden nugget that's always just out of reach.
this is just touching the surface of the industry, it gets much darker than this.. wish jake would have touched on the life insurance scam the labels pull on the artists which can be linked to the deaths of some artists.
What?
Elaborate please??
@@yvannayllon9877basically when someone famous dies they get put on the news TH-cam n media platforms so people check out they songs tryna see who they are which make they streams go up significantly which of course brings more and with the artist dead they can do wte they want with the unreleased music without any interference so they actually be wanting they artist to die after being under the label awhile cause it will bring more money
I'm glad you are talking about this , the amount of penny pinching is wild
Seems anti zemitic
@@kevtom1686 learn to spell and go back to Twitter
@@DavidNwokoye I have a speech impediment. Dont be such an athole.
yeah then he tries to shill some BS for some dude that paid him a ton for the sponsor at the end lmao
After the six minute mark when it started talking about new record deals, the one thought that instantly came to mind was John Fogerty and CCR's music.
Well look at that, never thought I'd watch an 18 mins ad, but here I am.
I have been a professional musician for the past three decades, and have been involved on many different levels of the game, from being a “hired gun”, road crew, instrument repairman and builder, solo artist, band member, and producer. This experience taught me early on that the major and even smaller labels are doing everything that they can to maximize their profits at the expense of the artists. I could drop all kinds of names regarding the people and projects that I have been involved with, but the most relevant thing to this video was my stint as the drummer for a band in 1994 that was offered a recording deal with Sub-Pop records, the advance was $300k, and when I read the contract I saw what it for what it really was and refused to sign as a band member. I was then let go from the band and the rest of the members signed while getting a string of replacement drummers until they found one that could replace me, but now those band members either still have thousands of dollars that they still owe, or are bankrupt, and I continued on as an independent, earning thousands of dollars per month, even though it it was nearly as much work as two full time jobs. Yet I felt more fulfilled with the limited amount of “fame” because I knew that the control was with the artists rather than selling our souls to line the pockets of the machine. Every artist should be wary of any “deal” that seems to be a fast track to fame and fortune.
I cant believe this comment that you dropped had no response.
@@spartan114m I just re-read my rant (this video definitely was a bit of a trigger for me 😂) and realized how long winded it was, so maybe not many people were willing to read the whole thing.🤔
Artists are being treated as money making machines, including those megastars. With or without internet, this problem has always been the norm.
It was also quite obvious from how the music industry keeps sweeping famous acts for new ones seasonally, even on radio. Remember how it was Linkin Park and Nu Metal in the early 2000s, then it was Lady Gaga and the likes in the late 2000s, and so on? Just to name some examples.
great video but a lot of misconceptions throughout. yes bad deals do happen in the music industry but independent artists today have more access to information out there and also more leverage than ever before to avoid them.
also if you are an artist getting real attention from labels, i.e. offers actually being sent, at this point it is extremely easy to get a lawyer on your side who won't charge you a penny in fees and in turn will take a % of your deal once negotiated.
another misconception about the advance structure noted in this video is that your % split on royalties is what will be accounted for when recouping (example used in video was 20%). This isn't the case and the reason that you can recoup quicker at times if you have even one hit go viral. if you have traction in these negotiations you can even take less money up front for more % splits on the backend to recoup quicker and be better off long-term. worst case you don't recoup by end of your deal term, if you play your cards right you will have built a way larger audience and have leverage going into another situation or the label will have an option to bring you back for another term. there are also marketing and recording budgets separate from your advance that labels put in place that are also recoupable but are more flexible so they can be proactive and add fuel to fire when a song or release is working. labels will receive full 100% of royalties until recoupment and then at that point whatever royalty terms you negotiated you will start receiving.
Also, 360 deals have been around way before covid. Lyor Cohen coined them during his time as a label head and funny enough he is now head of this platforms music.
The biggest misconception imo in this video is that you need a label to get your music on all platforms. there are digital distributors that your guest just breezed past such as distrokid, tunecore, stem, unitedmasters, etc. that artists can use to get their music on all digital platforms for a very small yearly fee, or per track/upload. It is very cheap to get your music out there nowadays in actuality, the hard work is building a team around you that believes in your vision and can help you market the releases. Videos rarely cost 300k as noted in this video, if you're an aspiring musician you can find a friend, film yourself, or hire someone to shoot something for under 1k and even less lots of times to amazing creators who want to build a portfolio or build with you from the ground up.
I think the biggest takeaway imo in this video is that it is important if you are getting major label interest as an indie artist to shop around and talk to everyone and let them offer you something and then negotiate from there. Build a team around you you trust, and you will be ok. There are a multitude of deal types today that resonate with streaming. record deals themselves are pretty rare. more in tune with the times are distribution deals that give more fair splits to the artist. Streaming is very lucrative if you can build an engaged fanbase that is the hardest part. More and more indie musicians are making 5-6 figures a month than ever before thanks to streaming alone. With so much music out there and the market being so saturated, building a brand is more important than ever. There's a reason why private equity firms are paying crazy multiples for huge older gen artists catalogues. It's because they see streaming on multiple platforms as passive income forever. Think youtube money, but multiply that by 10's of other revenue generating platforms.
super insightful thanks for this breadth of info good luck on your journey
woah
Completely agree. Lots of gems in this comment! Good looking fam
thank you. very insightful
Thanks you for sharing this info.👍
Recordings of music have only been around about 100 years. For several centuries before that, music was shared with printed sheet music and live performances. Long before that, music had to be shared by live singing and playing instruments. Those who enjoy creating music must make the creative journey their joy and not chase a mirage of fame and a pile of gold. The creative spirit is where the joy comes to the heart of the music creator. There is no price tag on that and your worth is not determined by the number of fans you may or may not attract.
That's why being an independent artist with some business sense is key. If you can blow on your own, you don't need a label. Be intentional with your marketing and you will be fine.
Exactly. Plus, if you fuck things up it’s your own fault, you can’t accuse someone else, BUT if you actually succeed everything will be yours.
@@amdiary7 exactly
Bandcamp has been around for a while as well, they give about 80% to artists, you can stream and it's DRM free!
Tech jobs are just as bad. Recruiter contracts include language that they don't have to pay you at all. Things like, if the client does not approve your time... And NOT, if the client does not pay the agency. Clients only go through them because they discount your rate, but say things like..." we pay them $150.00 an hour, you get $75.00." When your getting $50. If they do pay you they can take as long as they want; 30, 60, 90 or more.
Hey dude, love the work you put into your videos. Speaking as an artist though, we get shilled every single kind of scam to garner fans and plays and shit like that basically exclusively. Hardly any of my interactions come from real fans, most are messages from people who have ulterior motives. There’s a huge black market for plays and follows and it’s become so insane that most of us have no idea what’s real and not and mostly everyone who has been making music for more than a few years has become cynical and won’t even look into any of this stuff cause it’s all so scammy. As much as i respect you and dig your videos, i have to be honest and say that this tune fm platform appears to be just another way to steal potential profits from artists. There’s no way forward, parasites are everywhere
Exactlyyy thisss, and I feel you bro, I am cynical and after over a decade have given up this pointless rat race. I'd still love to perform (but selectively from now on) and write tracks therapeutically. I might even just upload tracks youtube and stop paying distribution companies a yearly pay as well at this point
To be fair artists doesn't sign record deals only for the money, also to get exposure. Artists can release music by their own, but they will never get as exposure, views or money as they would get by signing a record deal. Record labels spends hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing, sometime millions and that guarantees hundreds of thousands of views, likes and positive comments. Artists can buy views, likes and comments by themselves but most of the artists are broke. There are insane amount of artist performing on street and begging for money who are lot better than most of the biggest artists now, its really sad they will never get exposure or become successful unless they get a record deal. Lot of the artists making music as a hobby by spending their own money. But most of the artists are broke and miserable, something is better than nothing for them I guess.
Tom MacDonald!
Apparently the record labels that own gangsta rap music be the same people that own prisons I think it's the vanguard group
If you haven't heard how Billboard and others keep actual independent artists out, I suggest you go to Tom McDonald's YT channel and find out how they keep independent artists down as much as they can.
@@stop.juststop Who even pays attention to billboard?
@@agirlisnoone5953 A fellow Many Faced God would tell you no one.
They fail to mention that 90% of “artists” do not create their own material, they are cover artists. They are spoon fed songs, and are paid to perform them. Also, no one should feel sorry for someone who makes the choice to sign a contract without knowing what is contained in it. The music industry preys on ignorance, you can’t blame them for doing so. Want to make a change? Learn how to read and understand contracts.
Let’s not forget this important fact. That $500k would go a lot further if you could hire your own team of writers, producers, engineers, lawyers, promoters, etc. But the catch is, many record labels will only authorize/approve of certain professional which already have ties to the label. It’s really an inside job.
This is the longest NFT ad I have watched.
"descentralized" is another word for "scam-ready" , and you should know that
TH-camrs are making insane amount of money 💰 just by explaining ... How other artists are getting ripped off by corporate world ....
But reality is that world is not so simple...
If you are creative and have Knowledge about how business works it's best time to be an artist
And the music has suffered exponentially, when I was a teen there were several new tracks every week by top artists and newcomers alike. The greedy have strangled their own cash cow as usual.
One of my oldest friends was in a band in the early 2000´s, that had a few minor hits over here in Europe and toured the continent many times over. He finally got done paying back what they owed their record company LAST YEAR! I won´t "out him" by saying what band it was, but his story is far from unusual, especially for those in bands, who aren´t credited as songwriters. We used to both dream of being musicians and even played in a few bands together, but it makes me glad that none of the bands I played in ever got signed, because the same thing could easily have happened to me too, back when I was young and naive, as many of the musicians are.
Ah there was a time when software engineers were treated like this.
It’s still like that.. getting worse
software engineers? Really? Can you write more please? I though they are getting really well paid...
@@anmbiosnik3694 explain more.
@@zaniah8270 There's always someone trying to exploit you. Plenty of scummy people who see what you do as so easy a kid can do it and that they're doing you a favor by paying you pennies on the dollar.
Im curious as well. 18 year software engineering veteran here. Wondering how the artists getting screwed parallel software engineers 🤔🤔🤔
Editorial playlists control almost all traffic which is monopolized by the streaming platform. Spotify can virtually shadow ban an artist from algorithmic and editorial playlists, killing their career.
Centralization of MONEY 💰, INFORMATION, MEDICINE AND NOW MUSIC. So much to learn!
Ah…. replace “artists” & “labels” with “truckers” and “the FMCSA” and it’s the same scam story. Those that do, produce & create getting screwed by the management & government class. Support your artists & small businesses, folks.
FMCSA is a corrupt organization that's is built by big truck cops to destroy the independent owners.
If you are in the trucking industry, you know exactly what i'm talking about.
Yeah I always thought about how much truckers actually get paid versus how much their deliveries are worth to the company they work for. I see why so many people go owner operator. It’s literally not worth working for someone else as a trucker.
Heck, even software developers live lives of indentured servitude half the time, spending dozens of hours per week creating awesome software until they burn out and get replaced by someone else, while management reaps most of the rewards.
The only way to reap the rewards for yourself, most of the time, is to become your own boss and start your own company. Otherwise, you're almost always getting screwed / abused by whoever is reaping the rewards of your work.
I just finished guns and roses' biography. Those were the good old days. They were dumb as rocks, always drunk/high and was super unprofessional in the record room but their label didn't own their music and souls. (probably because they earned so much money in a regular deal anyway)
Its sad to imagine all the artists who got exploited back in the day and there was no awareness of it in public, they get exploited today too but the times are changing. Social media, NFTs etc are changing the dynamics
You'd be surprised how many normal people working at 9:00 to 5:00 have more money than some of their favorite musicians. A lot of that luxurious lifestyle is cap!
Some of this is not true, you can still upload to spotify through a site like distrokid which lets you keep all your rights and earnings, you just have to pay an annual membership to distrokid but that's only like 20 dollars
I use symphonic distribution it’s a $20 one time fee for membership and $20 per album one time payment as well and you keep all of your money
At this point everything is a scam
Jake makes documentaries on random topics so interesting. Appreciate the hard work. 👍
regarding the album advance (of which most of it has to go towards the production of the album) it should be added that often the label has a list of which studios, engineers, etc. the artist can work with, and these studios are also tied to the label, so basically, in addition to the already impossible task of paying it back, the borrowed money is being spent on the same people that are lending it
Yeah, and often this limits the creative freedom one can have as an artist too, with the same people often reproducing and repackaging their formulas over and over again on different tracks.
I have a good family friend who has been a world class recording engineer since the 80's, he commented recently that he has never seen so little money in the industry. New artists haven't a hope in realising anything more than virtually playing for free and touring at a loss. The labels have no one else to blame but themselves when artists like Swift can kick her label in the balls, unfortunately, she is basically the only one who can. The only option is to stay indie, the 360 deals consume every aspect of revenue of a artist, labels have just become banks full of shysters
Build following through live acts and promote through TH-cam, Instagram etc. Bands also need to do more to promote one another by using shared channels. Also, don't be afraid to turn down a lousy offer from a studio. Lastly government should appreciate the value of music to a country and should facilitate the creation of a no profit streaming service which guarantees the artists a decent percentage of the revenue.
Been doing fine as an independent producer out of my bedroom for 4 and a half years. Things just take time to build but making a living off of this is 100% doable. I'm greatful to be in such a position, if you have a plan you can too.
when something sounds too good to be true…. something ain’t right.
If I had to say, actors and musicians in theory is what really makes the world go around, we as listeners and watchers of both music and movies get inspired from those creations, and without creations you have nothing, things just don’t seem to work anymore. So I thank all of those people for your works.
I wish my music would get more attention. Every time I turn around I’m getting shadowbanned. I’m not conforming to the system just to get noticed- my soul isn’t worth it.
Paris Hilton super rich and had a record deal! Same for Brooke Hogan, 3T, and Michael Jackson's daughter! Not everyone who signs are poor or middle class!
This actually makes me think of tech jobs, lots of them are contracted now and enslave people into low ball salary
How? Can you write more please?
I am on a contract job right now. It is barely the same. A lot of tech jobs are contract style because tech is a militarized field. A lot of tech giants are serviced by the military, staffed by ex military and operate for the military. Every FAANG/MAANG company and most of the other top companies like Twitter, salesforce, Microsoft, etc, have high ranking military personnel on their boards and in IT departments. This helps offset the need to bolster body numbers by supercharging tech, which Silicon valley was specifically made for the military. Anyways, TLDR: contracting for some pays better because of the legal obligations companies have to pay to governments and rules to adhere to. Some make bank, while others get shafted.
Just like with this video, just because some get to be Britney Spears and Justin Bieber , there are still many that get abused.
Tech oligarchs want new feudalism.
Agreed. I accepted a lowball salary "contract to hire" before my current job. I only accepted it because they we're supposed to hire me. SIKE. I am still a consultant now but luckily I make a lot more money compared to when I started two years ago.
Signing a deal with a record deal has now become literally a deal with the devil.
Always has been
The big music industry we know now began with the precursor of MCA providing entertainment for mafia ran speakeasies during prohibition, so it was always mob ran, even before the mob got involved with Hollywood
th-cam.com/video/Z_y_zeql7pc/w-d-xo.html
Napster was so much fun to use!!! Thankyou Napster for being so awesome!!
"Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end, holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed.
Nobody can see what’s printed on the contract. It’s too far away, and besides, the shit stench is making everybody’s eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the shit. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there’s only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says, “Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim it again, please. Backstroke.” -- The Problem with Music by Steve Albini for The Baffler (1993)
lol
So half of this video was the sponsor of it telling us how bad his competition is.
Like why Jake
*woah... as an artist who has written over 2000 songs in my lifetime... I feel that with the amount of music in the world... the glut of profit over art... it determines me to stay true to myself... and just make music for the LOVE of making music... if the world comes along to finally notice... then I will decide how much I want to share... a record deal has always been the dream... but not worth selling my soul for it... I have created my own personal soundtrack for my life... and no dangling carrot of fame and fortune made by some label or manager is going to lure me away from my core beliefs... and who needs the world when God is there to listen to your art... when you don't chase them... they will chase you... especially if you succeed without their help...*
Finally!! Was really hoping for a video on this subject from Jake, thank you!
Honestly, as a relative newcomer to the field, I was quickly disillusioned by how things worked, though I was very lucky to avoid some bullets thrown at artists described in this video.
Back in 2020, when I started considering publishing my songs, I was offered an album deal under the lable's guise of "COVID scheme", which they painted as a donation to artists through these tough times, only to quickly realise it was just the usual advance after glancing at the contract. One of their representatives even mentioned how they were like 'covid fairies' helping musicians, when in reality it's everything described here. I really wonder how many young, fresh faces fell prey to that. I politely declined and started doing independent stuff, only to find the state of Spotify as it is, investing a lot on ads only to get mere 0.03 cents per stream.
Not doing this for the money anyway, at least I'm enjoying the freedom to experiment and have been lucky to learn new skills, from producing/mixing, all the way to business and marketing side of things. I also get to choose my collaborators including musicians, dancers, writers, animators, etc. Though it's a bit frustrating that I can't compete with artists that have major lables backing them, I get to truly enjoy the creative freedom and I guess each to their own.
I have subscribed to your channel and I would love to have some words with you too
So am a fan of yours now be mine too ✌️
I feel most of the good music these days is made by independent creators.
Never knew it is some music out there like this and great video man :]
Stay independent, hone your craft, build a fanbase, get a discography and gain leverage.
Coming up as a new musician and being told by friends and others that I have talent, It really puts into perspective how to make the most of it. ARTISTS: You can pay monthly for distribution sites that will put your music on all platforms, most of which only keep around 10% of what you make, and with the internet being so vast, don’t be afraid to look up beats on youtube and make relationships with those engineers. We can do this.
if anybody wants to know i use beatchain, there are others like distrokid, tunecore, ditto, & bandcamp
I use Symphonic distribution it’s only a $20 one time membership fee and approximately $20 per album also a one time fee but you keep all of your money
The music industry and the media create rifts between members through unequal treatment. Bands typically break up afterwards. This happened in the “Greed is Good” 80s too.