All I ever find in my pudding is a spoon, and it’s not even silver.
Where did that saying come from anyway? It must have made sense centuries ago.
Edit: I guess it did make sense centuries ago:
The Scoop on 'The Proof Is in the Pudding'.
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I really don't understand how we are supposed to afford this
- Thread starter socialleper
- Start date
Where did that saying come from anyway? It must have made sense centuries ago.
Edit: I guess it did make sense centuries ago:
The Scoop on 'The Proof Is in the Pudding'.
Hahah... Sure, except they apparently are excellent with money - all of their families are comfortable.
They made a lot of money, their families should be comfortable whether they are good, bad or indifferent with managing their money.
I'm sure there was a tax/financial advantage to giving him that car. Those guys in that band have a whole team of business accountants - that band is a business and not just some bunch of hooligans who throws money around - It wasn't just some random "feel good" thing...
I don't doubt it. That band made a business decision to play the kind of music they played, and they are still remarkably profitable to this day. They all seem like solid, decent guys, pro-quality musicians, etc., and they don't all hate each other after 25 years of doing business. Solid W for them.
The point I hoped to make is that for bands that do enjoy that level of success, there are people who get paid on a scale that grossly outpaces the work they do. Steve Albini and other notable industry people have commented on this ad nauseum.
Albini is an interesting guy. There are a lot of things he has said and done over the years that got him work, but there's a LOT of work out there that would never touch him. Luckily there is choice. Besides, the music business has changed a lot since the days of Nirvana and the Pixies... He has that whole 70s mock counter-culture vibe that he's still clinging to. I don't think he's really in a position to comment on how a band chooses to reward one of their staff.
If he was their assistant manager, then they were his boss... They either found serious value in him, or they paid him dearly to go away... right?
Albini walks his talk. He's also pretty much fully acknowledged his troublesome past. He's not for everyone, though. Kinda like Nickleback!
The problem with this is that there are hundreds if not thousands of bands/artists who have had success, but not the degree of success that provides generational wealth, and they still have to pay out the multiple layers of management/representation/production/label at the same percentage.
Nobody from the Funky Meters is financially secure enough to retire, for example. Same is true of countless bands/artists who made huge contributions to the American music tradition, and made a lot of money for a lot of other people.
It is extremely difficult to make a living wage playing original music, and when you do there are countless people with their hands in your pocket for amounts/percentages of money that dwarf what a similar job would pay in a Fortune 500 company.
That does sound like he's done well financially, but it may or may not mean multi-millionaire. Most people's homes are worth several times more than their annual income. The band giving him a fancy car speaks to their wealth, again, may or may not to his - the gift is itself a hefty one-time chunk of income, but leaves unclear if he could have afforded to buy one himself out of his salary. Maybe he could, and at any rate it sounds like he's proud of it, so all good.
$1.5 mil in Malibu would maybe get you a shack. Or a tiny condo. There are houses on my street selling for close to a million, and I'm 3 hours from the closest beach.
Regarding the car, a lot of businesses that make money (music or otherwise) are actually encouraged to spend it to keep from paying taxes on it. Nickelback is Canadian, so they're taxed much higher than we are in the states. Yes, no doubt that band has made some money, but everyone knows that in this business, the band members are the last people in the chain to get paid.
TL;DR BUTT --
Venues getting a cut of the MERCH now?!?! No f'in way, my man. Have a significant other out on the sidewalk, fer cryin' out LOUD. How can they tell just how much YOU sell? Do they inventory what comes in vs what goes out? Is there a hall monitor watching your table and counting every transaction? SO many more questions.... So very much, NO.
Venues getting a cut of the MERCH now?!?! No f'in way, my man. Have a significant other out on the sidewalk, fer cryin' out LOUD. How can they tell just how much YOU sell? Do they inventory what comes in vs what goes out? Is there a hall monitor watching your table and counting every transaction? SO many more questions.... So very much, NO.
As much as 20% if they are doing the selling. 10-15% is common. They count your inventory in when you setup you spot and charge after. Some are also charging gross, not net.
Yes, have a QR code to buy online, and hand them out on the parking lot.
Otherwise don't play at these venues. There are more than enough that don't do this.
This I think is the new definition of success for a musician. I don’t see that there is a business model anymore for a full time musician/band doing mostly original material…..the industry has been demonized for the artist's, I’m speaking from personal experience. I’ve long accepted the fact that I’ll never be a full time musician, however I have a good day job, play locally on the weekends jamming with friends and come home with a few extra $ in my pocket. I’m as successful as I want or need to be
Subscription model (Patreon) after getting viral on social media. This is what will be appealing to the new generations of listeners.
Interesting, so a publish and subscribe model? Hadn’t thought of that angle, less appealing for me personally.
After not attending any ticketed shows for original live music for years, i ended up going to see Butcher Brown(jazz/hip hop/fusion) the day after Thanksgiving. $30 a head. Place was packed until the last note was played. There is apparently some recipe that can still work to get people out to pay and see a band. The band in question here plays music at the highest level, and has great original compositions. It kind of has me thinking that the bar is just really high for original music and live performance these days, and if you can't hit that standard then you just have to get better to get the following you desire.