[atlantaprog] The cost of CDS

Yes, it's cheap to record music and press CDs now, but it is NOT any 
cheaper to distribute and market music nationwide or world-wide like 
major labels do.
If you make an album with a major label, they can and do spend far more 
on distribution and marketing than they do on recording or duplication. 
I'm talking $100,000 to record an album and $3,000,000 to distribute, 
market and promote it. And guess what? If they don't spend millions to 
market it, the artists don't go gold or platinum and don't become 
stars. It still works that way.

It's changing, slowly, but it will always require millions and millions 
of dollars from a deep-pocketed international record company over many 
years to make a King Crimson or David Bowie or Led Zepplin into stars. 
Artists will never be able to do that on their own with their own 
financial resources.

On Tuesday, October 28, 2003, at 02:05  AM, FreeLists Mailing List 
Manager wrote:

> From: UncleEggsy@xxxxxxx
> Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2003 09:05:09 EST
> Subject: [atlantaprog] Re: Cheapness
>
> Technology has made music far cheaper and easier to record and 
> produce.  It
> wasn't that long ago that a local band artist even having their own 
> album was
> unusual and a *big deal*.  Now you can go to any open mic night in 
> town and
> half the people there will be more than happy to sell you copies of 
> their CD,
> many of which are extremely professional in both sound and packaging, 
> out of
> their trunk.  If The Joe Blow Experience can record and produce their 
> own album
> for a few grand with no label support, then what excuse do the labels 
> have for
> blowing hundreds of millions of dollars recording and promoting the 
> swill that
> they're mostly pumping out these days?  What excuse do they have for 
> whining
> that they are losing money when the easy solution is staring them in 
> the face?
> Step one: Sign artists who will develop loyal followings and be 
> successful
> over the long haul instead of *flash in the pan" image whores.  Step 
> two:  Spend
> *less money* on recording, promotion, cocaine etc. and pass some of 
> that
> savings on to the customer.  Step three: Legitimize music on the 
> internet with
> cheap pay downloads and targeted free downloads.
>
> CH
>
Wheat Williams
5345 Pinnacle Peak Lane
Norcross, GA 30071-4914

770-448-9734
wheat@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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