answered question
2
Votes
Votes
5
Answers
Answers
M$1.00
How can I support bands signed to major labels without supporting the labels?
While I listen to a lot of indie music, some of my favorite bands are signed to majors, and I want to support them by buying their products. The problem is that I don't want my money to go to the RIAA lawsuits or other equally wasteful ventures.
voted interesting: pmacdon1, phillipluther
|
Report
answers (5)
Attend concerts, buy t-shirts, cds, hats at the concerts. Buy stuff from their website if you can figure out that it's actually the bands site and not their labels.
Actually, if you really just want to support them, buy tickets and give them away; the band gets the money, the band gets new fans.
Actually, if you really just want to support them, buy tickets and give them away; the band gets the money, the band gets new fans.
| Asker's rating: |
True. Where the bands make their money in in touring. Only a small portion of the money you spend on a CD goes to the band.
Tip mac5150 for this comment
|
Report
Definitely buy merch and/or content that compensates the band as directly as possible (without going through a label/other middlemen). Spreading the word about the band to help them find new fans is a great way to help the band transition into the new age of more money for the artists and less money for middlemen like lables/distributors/etc...it's happening right now.
Tip eliratner for this comment
|
Report
One thing you could do is join their fan page which most bands
would have .
would have .
voted unhelpful: dillona
I would think that the easiest way is to mail them a check. In fact, I think that someone should start a website dedicated to that so people can bypass the labels. You could pay through Paypal, and maybe the members of the band could be paid through Paypal.
It depends on the contract. Historically, labels get most of the money from record sales and the artists get most of the money from live performances and everything else. But with the sharp decline in record sales, a more even split seems to be the new norm. So if the contract was signed within the past 24 months, I would say the best bet is buying merchandise funded by the band. And of course you can do non-monetary things like promoting the band.
You shouldn't worry much about funding RIAA lawsuits. They publicly abandoned that strategy months ago and haven't filed any new lawsuits this calendar year. Instead, they're looking to have ISPs cut off repeat offenders. If that doesn't work, I hear they're going to start killing kittens.
You shouldn't worry much about funding RIAA lawsuits. They publicly abandoned that strategy months ago and haven't filed any new lawsuits this calendar year. Instead, they're looking to have ISPs cut off repeat offenders. If that doesn't work, I hear they're going to start killing kittens.
The only reason you are able to enjoy these major label bands is because the label signed them, recorded them, and promoted them. The band also CHOSE to be signed to the label, so the band itself by definition supports the label by signing a contract with it as opposed to another label or no label. By not supporting the label, you are not supporting the band, because they could easily be dropped from the label and the act may simply dissolve.
There is no way you can simply predict what types of "deals" these bands have with their labels, but you can assume unless it is a band with a long history that is a proven commodity that has perhaps switched labels over their history that they are basically getting screwed.
Buying tickets for a show does not necessarily put any money directly in the pockets of bands. Sure, huge bands may get a small percentage of ticket sales, but many artists are simply booked for a fee. The promoter hires the band for a negotiated price set by themselves and the agent. This price has to cover ALL of the expenses, and sometimes the profits can be far slimmer than one would expect. I've even heard of some promoters putting in clauses that state that if a certain number of ticket sales are not reached, the gig will be cancelled, or the fee for the band will be reduced.
The merch thing - again, there is no guarantee that buying murch is going to directly go into the pockets of artists. Most labels have controlling interests in the merch as part of the contract with the artist, and they simply farm out the merch duties to merch companies. The band gets a merch advance, and then a small percent of merch sales after the advance is paid back.
My point is, for major lable bands especially, the relationship between the band and label is symbiotic; take one away, and you are left with nothing.
Support the band by supporting the band. In order of effectiveness, buy albums and songs on iTunes (to ensure the label keeps supporting and promoting the band - this is their lifeline), tickets (again, to make sure the band is generating interest and profits for promoters so that the label will keep supporting them), and then merchandise.
But don't fool yourself into thinking that the vast majority of this money is not going into the pockets of the labels.
And if I may be so bold, if we extrapolate this to its conclusion, these RIAA lawsuits you wish to avoid are designed to keep the labels afloat as well as the artists, and to protect the property of the artists you wish to support. I don't see why you think protecting the music you so desperately wish to support is a "wasteful venture."
I think the reason that people are so quick to attack the RIAA or the labels is because they don't have the slighted idea of the mammoth costs and risks associated with the music business.
There is no way you can simply predict what types of "deals" these bands have with their labels, but you can assume unless it is a band with a long history that is a proven commodity that has perhaps switched labels over their history that they are basically getting screwed.
Buying tickets for a show does not necessarily put any money directly in the pockets of bands. Sure, huge bands may get a small percentage of ticket sales, but many artists are simply booked for a fee. The promoter hires the band for a negotiated price set by themselves and the agent. This price has to cover ALL of the expenses, and sometimes the profits can be far slimmer than one would expect. I've even heard of some promoters putting in clauses that state that if a certain number of ticket sales are not reached, the gig will be cancelled, or the fee for the band will be reduced.
The merch thing - again, there is no guarantee that buying murch is going to directly go into the pockets of artists. Most labels have controlling interests in the merch as part of the contract with the artist, and they simply farm out the merch duties to merch companies. The band gets a merch advance, and then a small percent of merch sales after the advance is paid back.
My point is, for major lable bands especially, the relationship between the band and label is symbiotic; take one away, and you are left with nothing.
Support the band by supporting the band. In order of effectiveness, buy albums and songs on iTunes (to ensure the label keeps supporting and promoting the band - this is their lifeline), tickets (again, to make sure the band is generating interest and profits for promoters so that the label will keep supporting them), and then merchandise.
But don't fool yourself into thinking that the vast majority of this money is not going into the pockets of the labels.
And if I may be so bold, if we extrapolate this to its conclusion, these RIAA lawsuits you wish to avoid are designed to keep the labels afloat as well as the artists, and to protect the property of the artists you wish to support. I don't see why you think protecting the music you so desperately wish to support is a "wasteful venture."
I think the reason that people are so quick to attack the RIAA or the labels is because they don't have the slighted idea of the mammoth costs and risks associated with the music business.
Related questions
140 characters left
ask any question
