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So, when you want to perform music, you pay all three of these organizations. [ASCAP, BMI, SESAC] Rather than asking you which particular songs you're playing, they just charge you a blanket rate for access to their entire catalog; and then they make their own decision on how much of your money to pass along to the various copyright holders. They do this statistically, by looking at the popular music charts: rather than paying the particular artists you've played, they just assume that almost all of your money should go to the most popular stars.

I'm not shedding a tear. People act as if labels are the only way to do things. Don't want to sign with Universal? Don't. Publish on your own. Don't use the labels. You still have a choice.

Music labels are all about marketing. And that doesn't just mean marketing to you, it means marketing to all those up anc coming independent bands, saying that the big label is the only way to go. Have a read of Some of Your Friends are Already this Fucked by Steve Albini (a man who certanly knows the business). The big labels go to great lengths to keep the general populace, and the bands and musicians out there, as misinformed as possible about how the labels work, and what your other options are. They've managed to sell themselves to the majority of the population as the definition of success for a band. Success is when you get signed by a big label right? I wonder if there's any collusion with the MPAA on this - certainly Hollywood films are one of the major pushers of this point of view: The band has always "made it" when they get signed - not when they get popular.

Now, I admit, regardless of what big label propaganda you've had shoved down your throat, you still have a choice. To some extent I also don't have too much sympathy for those artists getting screwed. I do have a little pity for them, because they have been very expertly misguided.

Jedidiah.

The computer industry's answer to the music industry should be to write better singing synthesizers. Don't steal their stuff, obsolete it.

Try this country and western MP3s generated with Festival Singer: "The Easy Way" No human performers were involved in the making of this recording. You put MIDI, lyrics, and a singer definition in, and out comes music.

The technology needs improvement. A lot of improvement. But it's clearly possible. This would be a good Open Source project.

Production of a record is a minor expense, whether it's 15,000 or 750,000. The big money is spent in the marketing of the record. Product placement, touring, radio play, and massive marketing budgets make up the lion's share of the cost of goods sold. Record companies use a shotgun approach. You throw money at 100 records and maybe 1 hits. The margins on the one that hits need to be huge in order to pay for the loss on the 99 that don't. Better question: How can a band sell 75,000 records and be considered a failure? Check out Some of Your Friends are Already This Fucked by Steve Albini on the financial machinations of a record label.

...is that the band usually ends up footing the bill for the studio time. So ultimately, all this leads to is the band being out less money to start out. This doesn't affect the studio because honestly, the studio doesn't pay for it, your studio time comes out of your advance.

It gets posted here all the time, but Steve Albini has a great article about the economics of recording that's worth a read.

I also have to wonder if one of the big reasons behind the decrease in recording costs has to do with the rise of hiphop. An average hiphop record can be recorded in just a few days (you have no live musicians to track) whereas even a really productive, organized band (if such a thing exists ;) will spend a minimum of 3 or 4 weeks in the studio tracking and mixing.

A good description of this process has been made by Steve Albini, in Some of your friends are already this fscked.

Please. Don't sugar coat it for nerds. The word is 'fucked'.

If you'd ever spent any, er, "quality" time with fsck(8) , you'd know that it's not a sugar-coating...

Ole

(Whaddaya know, my sig is actually relevant.)

That's right, I was hoping somebody would point that out. A good description of this process has been made by Steve Albini, in Some of your friends are already this fscked.

It's not the last place pressing. I get all my records pressed at Erika. There are others, too, such as Alberti in California, Europadisk in New York, Rainbo in Berkely.

For a list of a bunch of record pressing plants, check out indiecentre.com.

This topic is getting so damn boring.

*The difference between CD and DVD prices: This argument would be fine if you were comparing CD piracy with a rash of people sneaking into movie theaters without paying. By the time most movies are DVDs they've already recouped their costs. Thus the DVD is all profit. Shit, the movie theaters would sell them to you for 3 bucks and just jam them full of adverts for their next features coming out. Example: the point of the Fellowship of the Ring DVD is to get you to go and see The Two Towers in the theater ten times.

* Think there is a Problem with Music? There always has been. Welcome to the real world. This article is by Steve Albini. If you don't know who he is you shouldn't even be a part of this conversation.

* Do you know who is even on a major? What, you think that the label your favorite artist created is an indie? *heh* Yeah... right. If you think this I bet you also believe in Santa Claus and reach-arounds.

* Here is how to start an indie label.

Final Verdict All this comes down to people going to a swingers party, bending over and being surprised when they take it in the ass. What? Don't like the Major Labels??? Then DON'T BUY THEIR MUSIC. DON'T SUPPORT THEIR ARTISTS. DON'T BUY MAGAZINES THAT THEY ADVERTISE IN. DON'T WATCH MTV/VH-1/BET/etc. DON'T MAKE THEM MONEY.

Jesus. You would think people would realize this. But no. They keep on going out and throwing money at the Majors. So how is it that they are supposed to change? If you really cared you would only buy indie stuff anyway. Go out, buy Our Band Could Be Your Life , crank on your Fugazi and don't pay attention anymore.

Actually, this is totally wrong. Price out some of the lower end Digidesign or MOTU cards/racks, then tell me how far that amount would have gotten you 25 years ago (adjusted for inflation, of course). The big difference is that your home recorded music can end up on CD sounding good rather than a self released cassette. Remember those?

Since, the "near death" of Apple a couple years ago, most major third party hardware and software is available for both Windows and Mac OS, with the same functionality. And yes, you do need third party hardware, even on the Mac. To name a few of the major players: Steinberg, Emagic, Opcode, Sonic Foundry, etc.

A short history on music production and distribution:
blah, blah, blah

This amusingly myopic regurgitation of dated rock critic wisdom is so terrible that I'll bring up only the worst points of it and then point you to some good resources so you can get a better handle on things.

The major problem with your "history" is that it neglects to mention black people until Public Enemy and NWA. Don't forget that the black community has played a major role in the invention of every American music, from jazz to rap to techno. Furthermore, they've had their own distribution channels in the past, and still do today.

While perhaps making for convenient comparisons to Britney, et al. , your explanation of the differences between AM/FM and 33/45 are grossly exagerated and, in some cases, incorrect. A lot of this has to do with the fact that you forgot black people, whose music is often more appropriately presented in a singles format.

Perhaps you best check out these places:
All Music
The Mechanic's Guide to Putting Out Records, Cassettes and CDs
Home Recording at About.com

I don't need an excuse to download mp3s. . .i have a reason. To me, mp3s are a form of protest. . .but not a protest against something as silly as the high prices of CDs. CD prices are ridiculously high, but that's not why i sometimes use napster to download those few songs i've been itching to hear. . .it's because i don't think the recording industry is worthy of my support (money). The RIAA, the lawyers, and the industry execs are all leeches who suck on the talent of the artists and who insist on trying to squeeze as much money as possible out of an antiquated distribution model.

And no, this isn't about disrespecting the artists. Even though i don't think it's a right (as many music industry lawyers would have youbelieve), I think that musicians should be able to be compensated for their work. This is one reason why i buy as many independantly released lps and cds as i can afford. This is not only because indies generally put out (in my opinion) better music, but because they actually treat thier artists well. If you want proof of how majors shit on thier artists, read this.

So please, before you post another reactionary rant, think about the fact that there are actually people out there using napster who are not whiny, spoiled little kids and who have put more thought into the implications of thier use of mp3s than the fact that if they download rather than buying, they'll have more of mommy and daddy's money left over to buy pot.