It seems like even if your song is produced, mixed & mastered perfectly and your voice sounds amazing that is not enough to grab the attention of people now and days.

It is why big names spend so much on extremely film like music videos, and under the radar influencer marketing.

I think this stems to a deeper issue of society. We live in times where we idolize and glamorize luxury so much that we don't even give attention to the actual life we live in and come from anymore.

Ask yourself what was the last amazing short film, or song you heard from a unknown creative. I bet you they had a better idea and concept than some of these big guys. You know what they are missing? The money to buy the expensive gear for the music videos and photos and influencer marketing.

At the end of the day we all have ideas. What truly separates us in these times is the money and there is no way around it. You can know how to make a great record all day, or direct and plan out a great movie or film but if you don't have the money for the gear (camera) and marketing it's pointless because of how short everyone's attention span is these days.

 

its either you know somebody or your talent is so vibrant and consistent that its impossible to ignore , I think the first one is easier and more probable

 

"IT is why" you say? What is why, exactly?
In context of your first sentence the "it" you mention would seem to be that the "big names spend so much" etc because they don't have the things you mentioned?
Or I just don't understand what you are saying there. That's totally possible.

The fact is all video fees are recoupable by the record company, so that is not the reason they do it!
Also, you can't beat synchronised worlwide license agreements and promotion. It's that simple.
Not that it actually means the sales figures are true (or as large as you may think!), but hey.

You should only speak for yourself.

This just isn't true.
edit: unless the song is shit!

 

Last edited: Feb 17, 2021

See that is the issue. No matter how talented you are you have to rely on getting found and pimped by basically a corporation in disguise.

See that is why I don't fuck with this crony capitalism bullshit. No matter how big your jet is and how hard you worked as a individual. You will never be able to buy a bigger jet than a assembled team of wealthy oligarchs.

As a individual you just can't compete with these oligarchs. You can't even afford the price of a lens of one these fucking cameras let alone all the camera and all gear they have in total + cpu and prices for gfx etc.

They will shred any creative small biz trying to pull attention from them. Yet we support them and worship them and give them power as if they are on our team because they brand themselves with one fucking ignorant sellout who use to be one of us.

 

This is very true. I'm starting to learn that it takes more than just a good record to break in the music industry. That alone just doesn't cut it anymore.

 

Agreed.

If your tune is good, they will be your friend! So this just isn't fair to say it's 100% true.

Do we?
I'd say that if you are in this business, take a more postive viewpoint and don't project outward all this negativity, because this is what you create in your life when you do that.
Yes, it's all fuct, I agree.
The trick is to deal with it positively!

But you still Disagreed with my comment, even though you say it's true? Okay.
I'm still trying to work out what you meant in the first few sentences of your op.
Any chance you could clarify?

 

Jake, you are agreeing with something ^ because you think it sounds right to you right now.
I've been involved in this industry for many decades, and it's not just "either" of these things at all.
But it's very easy for armchair experts to believe whatever they want, having had no experience of the industry.
No disrespect to Zeyad who I respect.

Did it ever "cut it"?
No.

 

The goal is to get attention. Attention is then transferred into monetization for profit. 50-30 years ago before the internet all you needed was a great record to get the attention and profit.

These days to really break without knowing someone and getting someone to sign you is hard because they are hardly taking a chance on guys that are unknown even if they have great sounding records. You have to have a decent buzz and following to get the cash advance form these guys. It makes sense on their part but getting a following and attention is getting harder and harder especially if you don't sell out. Tik tok has made this easier but songs on that platform are mostly dance songs and it would be hard to grow a following making real music that talked about deep issues getting listeners to really reflect.

Even growing a small legit buzz on tik tok and Ig these days is getting harder. You got gorilla glue girl and other bizzare videos that get 10x the attention and buzz then the best of the small local amazing artist. It's like what lil wayne said in a interview, music use to have all eyes when artist dropped and new artist was coming up but these days why go hard and go so deep on this music when these days it don't matter what you do, there is always some other crazy video that will get what you aspiring to get in a much shorter time period?

When you have to submit and rely on any person, that lets me know that market have a serious issue in my opinion. You need good rules and can not rely on people because people are not reliable and they will always have their vison and bias blurring their filter.

The fact that in the entertainment industry we have to rely and pray on getting picked up and pimped by these guys urks the living hell out of me because it is us who are at the heart of engine of this whole operation.

I am positive but I am also very real and I tell it how it is.

 

I think we agree up to the point where you are okay with the fact that these guys have to find us and help us "bring out our vision".

Are they really brining out our vision or are they taking advantage of a rigged oligarchy?

If I want their help I think it should be my right to want it or not. People shouldn't be forced to submit and join them in order to compete. I don't even care if their vision aligns with mine.

You seem fine with it because maybe in your experience you and others have been cool and great people, but the people in power may be cool now but what about in 20-30 years when the people and roster changes?

 

Last edited: Feb 17, 2021

can you explain why you disagree with what I said

 

Is it possible to promote your music efficiently and gain new real fans with 0 dollars?

This is a rhetoric question because the only possible answer is NO, it is not possible. How can you promote an artist or yourself without spending any money. No matter how cheap you go, you end up spending some money. To give you an idea, it will cost to a label between US$500,000 and US$2,000,000 to break an artist. Of that amount, a label spends $200,000 to $700,000 on marketing and promotion. As you said, what separate us is the money.

You are wrong. It is the other way around. Nowadays it is easier than ever for independent artists to grab someone's or mass attention. Any song/video can go viral (as they say) in a matter of hours. Moreover, profit has never been easy for new artist because labels end up with 70%-80% of monies the record brings.

 

Can we stop saying label and use the term corporation/ oligarch/ monopoly?

 

If you are in the industry tell me how it truly is then. I am all ears. Tell me where I am mistaken.

 

Name a artist in the last 7 years you know who blew up solely on his own and was NOT backed or signed to a label and is a consistent global artist right now.

 

Without getting off topic and into business law, I dont use the term corporation because for business and legal issues the artist is signing with a label that could be a subsidiary of a corporation. Furthermore, there is no monopoly in the music industry but an oligopoly. It is controlled by a handful of major labels.

 

You should change the word efficiently to effectively in the title. I agree with The Pirate. No, you can't get anywhere with no expenditure. I spent the minimum amount that allowed the distribution of an album to gain access to all major platforms. I don't have the resources to do any other promotion. On its own, my songs languish, unheard, unplayed with no listeners. I don't kid myself that I have written any masterpieces that are going unnoticed, but even if I did have a genuine "hit" song, it wouldn't matter because it's a needle in a haystack. The market is flooded with product from home studio producers. I have been through the old process with my band back in 1981 when it was different and you made it on the strength of good songs and a good live show. You'd get a manager, he'd arrange for an A & R guy to see you perform, demo's were recorded, deals done, videos produced, photo shoots, in store appearances, radio interviews.... etc. etc...
Not like that now.

 

If a handful of people control the market and rebrand themselves with new fresh talent that resembles their buyers over the years as they stay hidden in the shadows and remain in power. Why does the public support these sellouts?

It doesn't make sense then. People need to be aware of what's going on and wake up. It don't matter if your fav singer/rapper was from your hometown and you watched him blow up. He is now on the opposing team of your best interest as a small biz owner when he signs that deal.

 

Chancelor Johnathan Bennett? Want more? Read this article:

https://www.complex.com/music/2015/...uccess-without-major-labels/chance-the-rapper

 

I did. And it was the rest of the sentence you quoted, but for some reason you edited it out!
Here it is in full.

That's why I gave a neutral Disagree. I don't have to justify this, but seeing as you didn't actually read it, there it is.

You are just re-telling what "lil wayne said in an interview" and talking about something called tiktok.
Is that "very real"?
I'm talking as a person who was playing at 5, promoting at 16, and working for a #1 international Sony artist at 18.
I am now nearly 48, having worked with so many names it often seems like a dream or a film to me.
It is very hard just listening and accepting your diatribe against the music industry and I am happy that The Pirate is here now to back me up.

I can't possibly "seem" fine with it because I'm not! And I witnessed the 'changeover' from the old boys to the young, fresh-out-of business-school, newbs of 21 who started running the publishing and licensing side of things in the mid 00s.
And so your "maybe" is totally hypothetical. This is not very scientific of you, and I hope you haven't looked at everything you are saying with the same lack of logic...

I already did (my personal experience); it seems like you weren't; and I already have.

 

Last edited: Feb 17, 2021

Chance the Rapper is NOT and never was independent. His dad is Ken Bennett aka the aide to Chicago mayor Harold Washington and then-Senator Barack Obama. His mother, Lisa Bennett, worked for the Illinois Attorney General.

In 2017 Apple paid Chance the Rapper $500,000 to put his album on Apple Music exclusively for 2 weeks. He is a undercover plant my guy. Anyone with the backing of a company worth $700 billion — several times more than all the major labels combined — can’t be considered independent.

https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-paid-chance-the-rapper-500000-for-apple-music-exclusive-2017-3