Mika, thanks so much for both your links, as different as they are, they were both fascinating.
For all those interested in the business model behind music industry, this posted by Mika a couple posts back (
thetrichordist.wordpress.com/2012....boss-full-post/ ) is a very valuable article. Just be prepared to read about business models and numbers and percentages for a while.
I really think you should post that on the daily thread or at least numbers thread too, there are many who will be interested in this and who are not down here in the catacombs. Also, Hoppers somewhere started a music biz thread and I think we should link that there too...but I don't know where she has this thread. Perhaps she can help us with this.
In the end many of us are wondering how both label as well as artist can ever make any money and especially, how Adam will ever make any. I always roll my eyes at some of the interviewers talking about how Adam is now making the big bucks and want to shout: 'DJ-whoever, the 70s are over!' Big eye-roll!
He has a number 1 album in the country and if I go with the ca. $2 rate quoted as artist revenue in this article for 2012 digital album, then his first week total artist revenue was roughly 154K (US sales for digital and hard-copy combined). Obviously that money is fully retained right now, so nothing outside of the advance he was given is actually reaching his bank account, but it reduces and offsets the costs.
So, lets just make an example:
1) I assume based on other articles I read that the average AL track costs 100K to make and produce and finish.
2) Given that Adam according to his own statements does not write quietly in his own chamber, but rather is an artist who writes together with others in the studio, I make the assumption that a track that gets written and demo track produced, but does not get finished costs on average half of this: 50K. I am picking this number out of thin air, but I do know that 3-4 producers/ song-writers and a studio don't cost zero. So you pick your own number, if you don't like mine. No problem.
So, if Adam made about 50 songs and 15 made the album, just production of the album is 15*100K + 35* 50K = 2.25 mil USD.
So, after week one he earned 154K back. You do the math of how the retainer will ever be paid off. And I have not even added any of the whole promotion, distribution, etc. cost that the label doles out, because I also have not included label revenue either at this point.
I know, international sales is going to be added to that. I know that this album will be selling for a long time to come...but man, he better find a movie that uses one of his tracks or something, because from record sales, this is not likely to break even any time soon.
And that is the situation of the number one album in the country!
I only dare to post this in the dark thread here, but thank goodness Adam can sing with Queen and sell out concerts. Just saying.
This article really sheds a light on both how the industry works and why it is presently not working and where the money is going. So, if you want to follow along with all this, grab a quiet hour and read the article.
Your second link (
vimeo.com/42372767) is a graduation speech given at an arts college and is humorous and motivational at the same time. It was a good change of pace after the first read. I think Adam is following a lot of his advice, that is why I think success will come, it is already showing. I love how interviewers are treating him with so much more respect this time around. And the situation of the music biz overall is not one that only Adam can cure, that involves everybody.
Thanks so much for posting both links.