Your right you do not have to spend that much.
But labels, and Artists Ego almost demand it.
and to sell an album on a National and even International level YOU DO HAVE TO SPEND A MILLION DOLLARS. If you on a label like Columbia, or Arista.
I am a Recording Engineer. And I work on Albums with muscians. A single Album could literally take months if not years of constant work in a Studio. Good studio Equipment is VERY expensive. A Good Microphone for example is atleast 100 Dollars. A Good Mixing Console, that a label will send an act to costs atleast half a million up to 3 million. Then you have out board gear (The best Reverb unit costs somewhere near 20,000 and all it does is reverb), 2" Analog tape machines (good ones like a Studer cost 200,000), The tape for the analog recorder (arround $150 for less then 1hr of recording.), then you need a DAW(Digital Audio Workstation), Pro-Tools (basicly industry standard) can cost you well beyond 50,000. Not to mention all the free stuff Big artists get, Like food, candy, Drinks, yes... even Krystal.
After this you have to get it mastered with a bunch of other equipment. And you have to pay the Talented Engineers who run all the equipment. The Producer's who help decide the sound. The Duplication company who makes the CD's, Marketing, License-ing for any samples used. It go's on and on.
People do not realise how many people that Stinking 99 cents or 16.99 pay's. Its alot more then just saying "Label" or "Artist".
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Your right you do not have to spend that much. But labels, and Artists Ego almost demand it. and to sell an album on a National and even International level YOU DO HAVE TO SPEND A MILLION DOLLARS. If you on a label like Columbia, or Arista.
I am a Recording Engineer. And I work on Albums with muscians. A single Album could literally take months if not years of constant work in a Studio. Good studio Equipment is VERY expensive. A Good Microphone for example is atleast 100 Dollars. A Good Mixing Console, that a label will send an act to costs atleast half a million up to 3 million. Then you have out board gear (The best Reverb unit costs somewhere near 20,000 and all it does is reverb), 2" Analog tape machines (good ones like a Studer cost 200,000), The tape for the analog recorder (arround $150 for less then 1hr of recording.), then you need a DAW(Digital Audio Workstation), Pro-Tools (basicly industry standard) can cost you well beyond 50,000. Not to mention all the free stuff Big artists get, Like food, candy, Drinks, yes... even Krystal. After this you have to get it mastered with a bunch of other equipment. And you have to pay the Talented Engineers who run all the equipment. The Producer's who help decide the sound. The Duplication company who makes the CD's, Marketing, License-ing for any samples used. It go's on and on. People do not realise how many people that Stinking 99 cents or 16.99 pay's. Its alot more then just saying "Label" or "Artist".