Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

Heyy, for those who don't know, which is probably just about everyone, I run Oprhic Records, a small independant record Label in England.

Woot, woot, so I'm a millionaire who drives a ferarri and will pay all musical artists $500,000 advances and sign them to my label right?

Oh, how I wish that was true!

Orphic Records was founded a few years ago now by a group of musicians and bands frustrated with the music industry.

We don't run things like a normal record label does.

Let me expand on that with the aid of a few articles.

the problem with music
by steve albini
excerpted from Baffler No. 5
(with permissions)

Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end, holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed.

Nobody can see what's printed on the contract. It's too far away, and besides, the shit stench is making everybody's eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the shit. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there's only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says, "Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim it again, please. Backstroke."

And he does, of course.

I. A&R Scouts

Every major label involved in the hunt for new bands now has on staff a high-profile point man, an "A&R" rep who can present a comfortable face to any prospective band. The initials stand for "Artist and Repertoire," because historically, the A&R staff would select artists to record music that they had also selected, out of an available pool of each. This is still the case, though not openly.

These guys are universally young [about the same age as the bands being wooed], and nowadays they always have some obvious underground rock credibility flag they can wave. Lyle Preslar, former guitarist for Minor Threat, is one of them. Terry Tolkin, former NY independent booking agent and assistant manager at Touch and Go is one of them. Al Smith, former soundman at CBGB is one of them. Mike Gitter, former editor of XXX fanzine and contributor to Rip, Kerrang and other lowbrow rags is one of them. Many of the annoying turds who used to staff college radio stations are in their ranks as well.

There are several reasons A&R scouts are always young. The explanation usually copped-to is that the scout will be "hip" to the current musical "scene." A more important reason is that the bands will intuitively trust someone they think is a peer, and who speaks fondly of the same formative rock and roll experiences.

The A&R person is the first person to make contact with the band, and as such is the first person to promise them the moon. Who better to promise them the moon than an idealistic young turk who expects to be calling the shots in a few years, and who has had no previous experience with a big record company. Hell, he's as naive as the band he's duping. When he tells them no one will interfere in their creative process, he probably even believes it.

When he sits down with the band for the first time, over a plate of angel hair pasta, he can tell them with all sincerity that when they sign with company X, they're really signing with him and he's on their side. Remember that great, gig I saw you at in '85? Didn't we have a blast.

By now all rock bands are wise enough to be suspicious of music industry scum. There is a pervasive caricature in popular culture of a portly, middle aged ex-hipster talking a mile-a-minute, using outdated jargon and calling everybody "baby." After meeting "their" A&R guy, the band will say to themselves and everyone else, "He's not like a record company guy at all! He's like one of us." And they will be right. That's one of the reasons he was hired.

II. There's This Band

There's this band. They're pretty ordinary, but they're also pretty good, so they've attracted some attention. They're signed to a moderate-sized "independent" label owned by a distribution company, and they have another two albums owed to the label.

They're a little ambitious. They'd like to get signed by a major label so they can have some security—you know, get some good equipment, tour in a proper tour bus—nothing fancy, just a little reward for all the hard work.

To that end, they got a manager. He knows some of the label guys, and he can shop their next project to all the right people. He takes his cut, sure, but it's only 15%, and if he can get them signed then it's money well spent. Anyway, it doesn't cost them any thing if it doesn't work. 15% of nothing isn't much!

One day an A&R scout calls them, says he's "been following them for a while now," and when their manager mentioned them to him, it just "clicked." Would they like to meet with him about the possibility of working out a deal with his label? Wow. Big Break time.

They meet the guy, and y'know what—he's not what they expected from a label guy. He's young and dresses pretty much like the band does. He knows all their favorite bands. He's like one of them. He tells them he wants to go to bat for them, to try to get them everything they want. He says anything is possible with the right attitude. They conclude the evening by taking home a copy of a deal memo they wrote out and signed on the spot.

The A&R guy was full of great ideas, even talked about using a name producer. Butch Vig is out of the question—he wants 100 g's and three points, but they can get Don Fleming for $30,000 plus three points. Even that's a little steep, so maybe they'll go with that guy who used to be in David Letterman's band. He only wants three points. Or they can have just anybody record it [like Warton Tiers, maybe—cost you 5 or 10 grand] and have Andy Wallace remix it for 4 grand a track plus 2 points. It was a lot to think about.

Well, they like this guy and they trust him. Besides, they already signed the deal memo. He must have been serious about wanting them to sign. They break the news to their current label, and the label manager says he wants them to succeed, so they have his blessing. He will need to be compensated, of course, for the remaining albums left on their contract, but he'll work it out with the label himself. Sub Pop made millions from selling off Nirvana, and Twin Tone hasn't done bad either: 50 grand for the Babes and 60 grand for the Poster Children—without having to sell a single additional record. It'll be something modest. The new label doesn't mind, so long as it's recoupable out of royalties.

Well, they get the final contract, and it's not quite what they expected. They figure it's better to be safe than sorry and they turn it over to a lawyer—one who says he's experienced in entertainment law—and he hammers out a few bugs. They're still not sure about it, but the lawyer says he's seen a lot of contracts, and theirs is pretty good. They'll be getting a great royalty: 13% [less a 10% packaging deduction]. Wasn't it Buffalo Tom that were only getting 12% less 10? Whatever.

The old label only wants 50 grand, and no points. Hell, Sub Pop got 3 points when they let Nirvana go. They're signed for four years, with options on each year, for a total of over a million dollars! That's a lot of money in any man's English. The first year's advance alone is $250,000. Just think about it, a quarter-million, just for being in a rock band!

Their manager thinks it's a great deal, especially the large advance. Besides, he knows a publishing company that will take the band on if they get signed, and even give them an advance of 20 grand, so they'll be making that money too. The manager says publishing is pretty mysterious, and nobody really knows where all the money comes from, but the lawyer can look that contract over too. Hell, it's free money.

Their booking agent is excited about the band signing to a major. He says they can maybe average $1,000 or $2,000 a night from now on. That's enough to justify a five week tour, and with tour support, they can use a proper crew, buy some good equipment and even get a tour bus! Buses are pretty expensive, but if you figure in the price of a hotel room for everybody in the band and crew, they're actually about the same cost. Some bands (like Therapy? and Sloan and Stereolab) use buses on their tours even when they're getting paid only a couple hundred bucks a night, and this tour should earn at least a grand or two every night. It'll be worth it. The band will be more comfortable and will play better.

The agent says a band on a major label can get a merchandising company to pay them an advance on t-shirt sales! Ridiculous! There's a gold mine here! The lawyer should look over the merchandising contract, just to be safe.

They get drunk at the signing party. Polaroids are taken and everybody looks thrilled. The label picked them up in a limo.

They decided to go with the producer who used to be in Letterman's band. He had these technicians come in and tune the drums for them and tweak their amps and guitars. He had a guy bring in a slew of expensive old vintage microphones. Boy, were they "warm." He even had a guy come in and check the phase of all the equipment in the control room! Boy, was he professional. He used a bunch of equipment on them and by the end of it, they all agreed that it sounded very "punchy," yet "warm."

All that hard work paid off. With the help of a video, the album went like hotcakes! They sold a quarter million copies!

Here is the math that will explain just how fucked they are:

These figures are representative of amounts that appear in record contracts daily. There's no need to skew the figures to make the scenario look bad, since real-life examples more than abound. Income is underlined, expenses are not.

Advance: $250,000
Manager's cut: $37,500
Legal fees: $10,000

Recording Budget: $150,000
Producer's advance: $50,000
Studio fee: $52,500
Drum, Amp, Mic and Phase "Doctors": $3,000
Recording tape: $8,000
Equipment rental: $5,000
Cartage and Transportation: $5,000
Lodgings while in studio: $10,000
Catering: $3,000
Mastering: $10,000
Tape copies, reference CDs, shipping tapes, misc expenses: $2,000

Video budget: $30,000
Cameras: $8,000
Crew: $5,000
Processing and transfers: $3,000
Offline: $2,000
Online editing: $3,000
Catering: $1,000
Stage and construction: $3,000
Copies, couriers, transportation: $2,000
Director's fee: $3,000

Album Artwork: $5,000
Promotional photo shoot and duplication: $2,000

Band fund: $15,000
New fancy professional drum kit: $5,000
New fancy professional guitars (2): $3,000
New fancy professional guitar amp rigs (2): $4,000
New fancy potato-shaped bass guitar: $1,000
New fancy rack of lights bass amp: $1,000
Rehearsal space rental: $500
Big blowout party for their friends: $500

Tour expense (5 weeks): $50,875
Bus: $25,000
Crew (3): $7,500
Food and per diems: $7,875

Fuel: $3,000
Consumable supplies: $3,500
Wardrobe: $1,000
Promotion: $3,000

Tour gross income: $50,000
Agent s cut: $7,500
Manager's cut: $7,500

Merchandising advance: $20,000
Manager's cut: $3,000
Lawyer's fee: $1,000

Publishing advance: $20,000
Manager's cut: $3,000
Lawyer's fee: $1,000

Record sales: 250,000 @ $12 = $3,000,000 gross retail revenue Royalty (13% of 90% of retail): $351,000
Less advance: $250,000
Producer's points: (3% less $50,000 advance) $40,000
Promotional budget: $25,000
Recoupable buyout from previous label: $50,000
Net royalty: (-$14,000)

Record company income:
Record wholesale price $6.50 x 250,000 = $1,625,000 gross income
Artist Royalties: $351,000
Deficit from royalties: $14,000
Manufacturing, packaging and distribution @ $2.20 per record: $550,000
Gross profit: $710,000

The Balance Sheet: This is how much each player got paid at the end of the game.

Record company: $710,000
Producer: $90,000
Manager: $51,000
Studio: $52,500
Previous label: $50,000
Agent: $7,500
Lawyer: $12,000
Band member net income each: $4,031.25

The band is now 1/4 of the way through its contract, has made the music industry more than 3 millon dollars richer, but is in the hole $14,000 on royalties. The band members have each earned about 1/3 as much as they would working at a 7-11, but they got to ride in a tour bus for a month.

The next album will be about the same, except that the record company will insist they spend more time and money on it. Since the previous one never "recouped," the band will have no leverage, and will oblige.

The next tour will be about the same, except the merchandising advance will have already been paid, and the band, strangely enough, won't have earned any royalties from their t-shirts yet. Maybe the t-shirt guys have figured out how to count money like record company guys.

Some of your friends are probably already this fucked.

The Truth About Major Labels
by David Hooper - Kathode Ray Music

The Pinnacle of a Music Career....
When I was growing up, I always thought that being signed to a major label was the pinnacle of a music career. It was my dream at the time to one day get a record deal, play arenas throughout the world, and earn millions. The media made it look so carefree and easy! All it would take is that one A&R guy to see me at the club down the street, that one demo tape I'd blindly send out, or my friend of a friend who had an uncle that worked in the accounting department at Warner Bros.

Of course, I'd sometimes see bands like Men at Work or Culture Club on MTV talk about never seeing any of the millions of dollars their music was earning and basically being broke. How could it be that somebody with a Top 10 album and air-play all over the place is broke? I didn't believe it and choked it up to the probability that Boy George and I just had a different opinion on what exactly a ton of money was.

Fortunately, I eventually gave up the pipe dream that a major label deal is the key to a successful career. Surprisingly enough, many musicians have not. It still amazes me to this day the number of clients I get that think
they are ready to take on the world with a major label after only selling 1000-2000 discs...and how many of them have the same friend of a friend with an uncle at Warner Bros! Those bands don't understand what a major label really is.

Although I prefer independent music, I am definitely not anti-major label by any means. In fact, I really think major labels are the best thing for some artists. I also think they're perhaps the worst thing for many others. Jumping to a major label before you're ready can kill your career before it really starts. It doesn't look bad to get dropped from an indie, but getting kicked to the curb by a major label and coming back home to your gig as the house band of the hole down the street is humiliating!


A Major Label is an Extension of Your Band
They're basically going to be doing the exact same thing that you're doing now (or should be doing now), but on a much larger scale. While you're only able to earn one fan at a time, a major label can help you earn hundreds. While you're only able to get a small endorsement with a local music store, a major label can get you hooked up with national sponsors.
While you're only able to get in a regional music magazine, a major label can get you in something nationwide. A lot of doors can open up.


A Major Label is not a Magic Pill!
There are always exceptions, but most bands don't just come out of nowhere. There really isn't such thing as "artist development" these days and major labels are picking up bands who already have the fan base, musicianship, songwriting skills, and professionalism in place.

Major labels don't care about music...they care about selling "units." They're big corporations who look at numbers rather than the people behind them. If your band started a buzz by farting and belching, a major label would release a CD of you if they thought they could make any money.

You've probably heard the saying that banks don't like to give out loans to people who really need money. Those with good credit get good rates, while those that don't have good credit have all kinds of extra charges and hoops to jump through. The same could be true for major labels and record deals. Those who don't really need the deal can get a good one with a major while those who are in need of SOMETHING to help them make a
living get can really get the short end of the stick...if they get anything at all.

Labels love to pick up acts that already have a good foundation in place. It's less work for them as well as less chance of losing money. You have to show the majors that you don't need them in order to get their attention and get a good deal. Dave Matthews, KC and the Sunshine Band, Def Leppard, Ani DiFranco, and Hootie have all put out their own releases and done very well on their own without major label help. Those who have decided to move on to major labels have gotten great deals that have made them megastars. Those who haven't signed on with a major are still making a very good living.

You can't go wrong with a good foundation! Nobody is going to care about your career until you start caring about it yourself. A major label is great to jump you from 50, 000 in sales to 500, 000 because you've already done a lot of the leg work at that point. They're not going to be that great at getting you up from the 2000 level though. For those guys, they're just throwing it out there to see if it will stick. Most of the time it doesn't. Even if it does, that still doesn't mean you'll see any money. If you don't mind those odds, go ahead and sign. If you'd like to hold out for more of a sure thing, get out there and start building that foundation one fan at a time. Your deal will come in time.

by the power of satan...lee diamond

(almost) everything you ever wanted to know about major labels that they never told you

Most people live under the mistaken assumption that the only real way to make money off of music is to sign a contract with a major label. This is an attempt to prove how extraordinarily fucked that notion is. No one will put you in debt quicker than a major label.

The myths behind the supposed wisdom attached to signing with a major label are easy to dispel. Most of these myths are not even the deliberate work of the labels themselves, as much as they are the assumptions that people have of rock stars and music performers. In the artificial world of rock video and paparazi, everyone is rich.

When one goes to an "alternative" concert, one is bound to see tour busses, groupies, roadies, techs, lighting engineers, sound engineers, stage props, and endless supplies of guitars, basses, drum heads, Sticks, strings, and what not. The automatic impression is that 1. the label is picking up the tab, and 2. the band is swimming in bucks.

Sorry, wrong answer, but thanks for playing!

Let's start at the very beginning. This is a treaty. It is a declaration of my commitment to the underground, my sincere devotion to punk rock. Though I make it a rule to never say never, I am now proclaiming I will never sign to a major label. I have researched this area considerably, and I believe that major labels are rip-off artists to a huge degree, that they cheapen art and artists, and for these reasons are an evil entity in this world, and I will not sign a deal with such a company.

Separating fact from fiction, it is important to investigate what the majors say or imply and compare it to what they mean. By no means is it the same thing. They will tell you what you want to hear, but that isn't what will necessarily take place.

A common belief with most people is that majors will "stand behind" the band, provide tour support, do promo work and so forth. All that is true, but the unspoken glitch is that it is paid for by the band, not the label.

A band on a major label is paid via royalties. For every record sold, they get a certain percentage, or points. Usually, the royalties are in the neighborhood of 10 to 15 points. Huge stars like Michael Jackson, Madonna, or Guns and Roses can get near 30 points. There are numerous other factors involved and other opportunities for income. Some artists are on salary instead of points. This guarantees them an income if the record should do poorly and in that case is a pretty good deal, but if the record really takes off, it is a disaster.

The label usually takes in 70 to 90 points less production costs, advertising, shipping, and miscellaneous expenses. The average cost for a single CD (including CD, mastering, printing, packaging, inserts, jewel box and shrink wrapping) in a press of over 10, 000 is a round $1.50 per CD. For a large release (over 100, 000 pressed) the price drops considerably so that a single CD of say Nirvana's "In Utero, " costs the label as little as 90 cents per unit, and in turn sells in a store for $12 to $16 plus tax.

Aside from production, advertising, and a few miscellaneous things, the rest of the expenses including promo CDs to publications and radio stations, promo packaging, recording costs, artwork, producers, engineers, and technical assistance are the responsibility of the band. All the label does is act as coordinator for the band. They arrange the promos that get sent out and what goes in a promo package, but the band pays for it.

Usually, the method labels use to lure bands is to provide the band with an initial advance. This is a huge sum of money advanced to the band from their expected royalties. It is not given to the band, it is loaned to the band. Thus, when you hear that Nirvana signed for a million bucks, or Urge Overkill signed for $250, 000 or Helmet signed for $500, 000, what that really means is that they were loaned that money from their cut of the royalties before the record is produced. This is where most bands get into real serious trouble.

Say that you are in a band. You've got the typical problems of a band, and maybe you're traveling to shows in a broken down van or a couple of cars. Suddenly, you have a cashiers check for $100, 000 from the major label you just signed with. It seems about time to buy a real nice new Econoline XL or Clubwagon van. Maybe even a bus!

As long as all of that money is lying around, it might also be nice to take a little of that money to buy some new equipment (assuming that like most bands, you don't get full instrument endorsement) and of course there are personal expenses, needs, wants.

About one or two months after you've signed, it's time to take those songs into the studio. Time to get cracking. Time to get fucked

It is around now that the band finds out its real expenses. The band, if they were well disciplined might have 1/2 to 3/4 of their advance money left. This money must cover the following expenses in most contracts: manager's cut, legal fees, recording (including: producer's fees, studio rental, engineer's fees, technical assistance, equipment rental, tape, mastering, etc.), video expenses (even though bands maybe contractually obligated by the label to do one or more videos, the band still picks up the tab, including: cameras, crew, pre-production costs, postproduction costs, props, stage, director's fee and so forth), album artwork, band photos, promo shots, promo material for tours, record stores, radio stations, clubs, and industry people, all tour expenses, merchandise expenses, and endless miscellaneous expenses.

This is the responsibility of the band. Yes, the band. Obviously, as bands rise in popularity, they inevitably make more money (or get less in debt) and when a band gets huge (filling arenas), they can renegotiate contracts and force the label to pick up recording costs, video shoots, etc. That's great for them, but not so wonderful for the average "alternative" band.

If you're thinking you can avoid all of this by signing a better contract, forget it. Not only is the opportunity for improvement on the basic contract limited, it is also highly unlikely. Consider that bands like Superchunk, Jesus Lizard, Jawbreaker, Liz Phair, Tar, and Fugazi are about as large as one can get in the underground, and they would not get everything they want on a major label contract (assuming they would even want one), what makes you think that you and your dinky little band can do better?

NO person or band in the industry has a contract that allows them complete artistic control. NO ONE. Major labels must protect their corporate interests, so if an artist was about to do something that might jeopardize the label's standing with another industry, corporation, politician, etc., they must be able to take action. They have full veto power over any aspect of an artist's work.

Nirvana was refused permission to release "In Utero" with the production they wanted. Numerous other bands have had to cut song length, remove songs from records, change lyrics, alter album covers, or do other things that compromised their personal integrity. Even in videos, the label has full approval of the final product even though they did not pay for its production.

A major label contract averages over 100 pages. This is a contract created by dozens of high priced lawyers which is designed to make the label as much money as possible, which in turn means giving as little as they can to the band. The average person presented with such a contract would be utterly lost. It would be impossible for the layman to understand over 100 pages of cross-referenced, complex legal jargon. It is safe to assume that the average band would be clueless, and in serious potential danger if they signed such a contract without a lawyer.

So, the band hires a lawyer. Let's say its a cheap lawyer and he or she only gets about $50 an hour. How long would it take the lawyer to go over a hundred pages carefully? Let's underestimate and say 10 hours. So in 10 hours, the lawyer finds the contract is not OK. That just cost the band $500.

On the other hand, maybe the lawyer says that the contract seems good and the band believes him. It is inconceivable that in a few hours a single low budget lawyer is going to be able to see every potential liability, responsibility, and loophole present in a contract perfected over years by some of the best lawyers in the country.

There are further technicalities, techniques, and methods used by the major labels to play you like a sucker. A&R reps (Artist and Repertoire) are a valuable tool in the industry. These are folks just like you. They're young, they're hip, they know the bands you know, they dress like you, they talk like you. These folks are the buffer elite of the music industry.

A&R reps usually contact a band after reading about them in CMJ, Spin, Rolling Stone, or MRR. (If you think that the majors don't keep an eye on the underground right at the source then you are extraordinarily naive.) Poobah got over a dozen letters and calls from major labels due to a single paragraph about us in the CMJ.

When a label is interested in a band, a scout might come to check out one ot their shows. If they are REALLY interested, the label will fly down to discuss stuff or fly the band to Los Angeles or New York to talk. The band will then talk to one of the rebellious young A & R reps who will convince the band what a great deal they are going to get.

The band often feels at this point that life couldn't be better. The A & R rep was so cool! He/she wasn't at all like a typical industry type! He/she is on our side!

Major labels hold all the cards in terms of distribution and connections. It appears that major labels can help you so much because they act as arrangers. Most of the things that major labels do for their bands is get them in the door. Sure, major labels will give you tour support, promo posters, and so forth, but remember that it is on YOUR tab, just like an independent.

The truth of the matter is that a band who wants to get a fair shake and make some money can only do this on an independent label. On a large independent label, you can still have the label put buttloads of promo out, help you with your bookings, and all sorts of shit, and just like with the majors, you pay for it. The difference is that you also have control over where it goes, and when it stops. On a major label, you pick up the tab, but they make the decisions.

Independent labels as a general rule are also not interested in holding the band in some type of legal vice. An independent will let you sing about what you want to sing about. They aren't going to tell you that you must put a lime warning sticker on your CD, or that the cover is too graphic, that the lyrics are too anti-establishment, that the third song on the CD sucks so it's coming off, that you have to go to Camelot Music to do a promo, that you better have that video at their offices by next week, that you can't use a certain producer, that you have to tour with Therapy? whether you like it or not, or that you better get on your knees and start sucking.

With an independent, obviously the audience is smaller, thanks to the major label's choke-hold on distribution, however the percentage that you make back off of what is sold is much larger. Independent labels rely on the underground to sell their records. If an independent were to fuck over a band, the band will damage their reputation with the underground and the label will lose their audience. For this reason, it is in their own best interest to not do such a thing.

Each band from the punk scene that signs to a major label has sold us out. When a band on an indie sells 50, 000 copies of their album, it is good for everyone in the scene. It opens new distribution doors, it strengthens the label, and it puts more people in touch with the underground without compromising! When a band reaches this point, they are probably making more money on the independent then they would on a major label anyway.

When a band signs to a major label, they are abandoning the people that got them to where they are now. Signing to a major hurts the entire indie scene, not just the individual label that they were on. The band is proclaiming that their underground base of fans that bought their records, went to their shows, and got them to where they are now, were OK, but they got a better offer. This sounds a lot like dumping your girlfriend or boyfriend because a better looking one came along.

Another issue which really gets me foaming at the mouth is the Columbus-esque manner in which the major labels have acted as if they have created or discovered this "brand new" form of music. Needless to say, punk has been around in some form for a long fucking time. It was about 1979 when the majors declared it to be dead and it kept going without them, and thrived in spite of their best efforts to ignore and destroy it.

Now, MTV, Spin, Rolling Stone, and so forth act as if they discovered these bands playing in their garage. People without a fucking clue about where everything came from think that THEY are the underground. If you read an article in one of those big-time music magazines, you can see endless homage paid to bands like Minor Threat, Black Flag, Mission of Burma, Halo Of Flies, Big Black and a million other bands that they ignored while they were in existence. The impression is that the labels and MTV and magazines and so forth are rebellious, anti-establishment, revolutionaries rejecting pop culture, even though they are pop culture.

There are so many more reasons why this situation is so fucked, but going into all of them would take a billion years and make this already wordy diatribe dangerously similar in length to a Russian novel.

Take care of the music, & don't worry about the bussiness, just wait till you find the RIGHT Indie label, and then you can prosper.

Above are some of the problems with the music industry, lack of interest in artists who havent already done the ground work, && a much to greedy cut of things most of the time.

Here at Orphic Records, being all ex, or existing artists, our first priority is to the artists first, && only after that to profits.

We want to promote the music, not just to run a financial machine, so there are little or no advances, hidden charges etc. && we'll take a band or artist from day one, and build thier fan base for them, do the ground work, not sit back and wait for them to do it, and hopefully propel them to bigger and better things.

Don't get us wrong, we're not a charity, we'll take a healthy cut, but we love music, and the promotion of good music, and the protection of our artists is very important to us.

We have a few mp3 tunes up at the moment at http://myspace.com/orphicrecords for anyone interested.

Please remember that Myspace is predominately a young persons forum, so the choice of records we have up there are based upon the sites demographics, but we do work with most genres.

We don't believe in most of these silly divisons in music these days, good music is good music, regardless of genres.

&& if anyone wants to know more, either about Orphic Records, or working in the music industry, productions, promotions, sales, etc., then please feel free to post some questions here, I'll try to answer as much as I can.

As a footnote to the article "the problem with music" by steve albini, I should point out that steve albini is a well known and succesful person in the music industry, both as a performer, writer and producer, perhaps his most notable work was as the producer for the Nirvana album "In Utero" Nirvana's highly acclaimed second major-label release.

If you slip over to Myspace, and search through my friends list you can find Steves latest project linked there.

I figures seeing as I'd used his article here it was only fair to give him a little publicity in return.

It's the way we like to work.

Orphic,

Thanks for the interesting articles and
Welcome to Studio Eight.
I look forward to following your musical adventures.

lrod