I think that what’s important here is to review the position of the artist and the label. The label is taking a somewhat non-tangible product, music, and making it a solid thing, a record. Their business is to sell records. Anytime there’s a reason for people not to buy records, they start sweating. “Oh shit! Last year we made 72 million in sales and this year we’re only forecasting 59 million! What’ll we do???” Personally, I’m not touched by their plight. Artists, on the other hand, have plenty more going for them than just record sales. If you go by our friend Mr. Albini, record sales rarely turn into cash at all. Organizations like SOCAN in Canada, or ASCAP, SESAC, and BMI in the US issue royalties for airplay, public performance, and are starting to recognize Internet radio. If you have a smash hit, these royalties can be a more than decent revenue source.
Take Canadian airplay: three times a year all radio stations submit detailed playlists of one week’s worth of radio material to SOCAN, which (hopefully) thus garners a good idea of what’s getting played. For every time a band shows up on the list, they get roughly $16.00. This does not count the CBC, which pays for ALL songs played. Live radio or TV performance pays even more. So do videos.
For other revenues, bands sell T-shirts, stickers, posters, and other merchandise– not to mention, the most lucrative part of a successful music career, touring. So, if your friend tells you about a band and you download their music (but don’t buy the CD) and end up loving their tunes, you’ll probably end up at their next live show in your town. It’s a strike against big business and a small victory for the little guy.
Alternative radio and sales charts do exist, my favourite being the Atlantic Satellite airplay chart. Owned by a chain of resort hotels in Cairo, they provide a mish-mash list of the top 2500 songs played around the world regardless of genre or language. Also, they provide useful details regarding general licensors and just how the song got played in the first place. I’m wild about that part because it exposes the fact that a large number of the top tunes (usually the top 1200 or so) appear because someone has paid for it. Many, however, are plucked from what are referred to as “promo libraries” or “electronic music services.” These are services provided both by independent companies and general licensors in which you upload one of your songs and they make it available to FM and satellite radio stations the world over. This is how major labels test out new tracks now, because the cost is far lower than manufacturing a promo single and mailing it out with press packages. Usually, the service costs about four to six hundred dollars per song. An interesting fact to note is that the process and cost remain the same for absolutely everyone, and could be an efficient way of reaching thousands of radio stations before a CD is even manufactured. One of the safest ways to pull it off is through a huge licensor like Koch Canada. Check out the chart at www.atlantic-satellite.com, and inquire about the promo library service at www.kochcan.com.
Awhile ago, I started up a record label with some friends of mine, called Querin Records. Doing this brought to mind something I was told years ago by a family member (who used to front a first-wave punk-rock band in the late 70s/early 80s called Ronnie Razor & the Blades.) He had attended a conference on the recording industry at which one of the lectures was given by producer/ arranger Bob Ezrin. To paraphrase, he said that you have to make a distinction between the Music Business and the Record Business, and that the two industries seek to do completely different things and will never see eye to eye.
I now agree completely.
Making music is something pure and noble, something of integrity, magic even. The record business is run largely by people who couldn’t give a rat’s ass for music, often forsaking purity, nobility and integrity along with it. Trying to get anywhere in the biz while sticking to your artistic guns is a lot like running out into a thunder storm and trying to get hit by lightning. To a large extent, you have to play ball if you aim to get your music from your brain to other human beings.

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