Posts by Tomorrowpeople
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Did you know that writers get a tiny, little bit of performance rights money every time you listen to an iTunes preview?
No I didn't - wow that's actually kinda cool.
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Same - so I'll take Simon Grigg's stats over your opinions about album sales trends, if that's all the same.
I wouldn't trust anything that guy says.
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Tom - I'm not seeing red in any regard.
Just so you know... lolRe iTunes - I use it as a first call 'pre-listen' source for new (and old) albums etc.
Great for getting an idea about something before hand. -
You do know what market segment buys almost all the music, right? Here is a clue: A lot of them have a crush on Justin Beiber.
Actually, we are told those young kids get it for free - what gives?
I 'spose their mums buy it for them.
Hence that 'market segment' is probably anywhere upward of 35 years old.'Popular' has always sold the most.
The Partridge Family would have sold more albums than Gram Parsons at the time etc.Nothing much has changed there.
Thanks Tom but I'll stick to the more informed pundits on here.
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Flash should die - agreed.
It's buggy, greedy, can be used very effectively for viruses and is used far too much for a bunch of websites that tend to be style over functionality.'Flash' is actually quite an apt word to describe it.
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No one buys albums anymore.
This has to be the lamest line trotted-out regarding the music business in recent times.
Sorry but people do still "buy albums".
Possibly 18-21 year olds prefer singles ie. they can't afford a whole album or do not have the attention span to listen to a full 11 tracks.Sure, there's the newer model of an artist releasing several EPs over a shorter period instead of a full length album, but an album – and we are talking about a collection of consistently good songs which run together as a whole – is an album!
Tom - you obviously have lost your passion for the tactile nature of the physical side of music - fair enough. Luckily that is not the case for many people who love reading the liner notes (iPads excluded lol) and flicking through LPs or even god-forbid CDs.
Hell I hell there is even a cassette revival going on!All of us will be buying some music on-line these days - that's a given - but many of us will continue to go into a good shop and buy it too.
And those kids now, who only download "free stuff" and don't go to record stores? Remember one day they will be adults with more income who may want to discover what all the fuss was about and get into record collecting.
It's far too early to write off the physical product right now.
Even if physical exists only as niche in the future, some niches can be pretty huge.On the subject of record stores - The Warehouse NEVER had a decent selection of music to start with.
Sure it was the biggest retailer of music but of what kind - mass market fluff essentially.
At one point the Warehouse even dictated parts of my job.
I had record company people saying "Oh you can't do this (title) as a digipak/put the title there - the Warehouse don't like that sort of thing."
Well f@#k that!
I'm glad those days are gone (and you don't need to leave space on a cover for a digital store!).Funnily enough JB Hi-Fi tends to have employees who are ex-workers from indie record stores that have since closed....
In Auckland at least, Marbecks and Real Groovy still have a loyalty card scheme offering discounts/bonus points/freebies which is great. I'll shop there please.
JB has a good selection at cheap prices (great for back catalogue stuff) and reminds me of Tower Record stores in the US in the 90s.I think the Warehouse should stick to selling other things - I'll buy my music from a record store thanks.
PS: I'm about to release a 32 track double CD with a 24 page booklet for an artist on my own label - physical and digital.
All the above points make good reading and give me some faith in the record buyers out there despite the cries "music biz is dead" camp.Only opportunities present themselves AFAI can see.
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Duncan - yeah no probs man.
I figured that is what has happened.
Second album is still in production - goes to show it's not all about flicking someone some dough and album album popping out of the conveyor belt. Can take a while.Really like the new issue of Real Groove and the direction - nice to see some 'writing' - more emphasis back on music instead of video games et al
PS: Please don't blacklist me - I need some stuff reviewed in the future - lol -
No apology needed.
Russell and Duncan - you guys both do stellar jobs - love your work.
The problem with 'leaked' 'facts' is that the leaker stuffed up.I was wrong though - the Real Groove graph actually puts the CD value at $70 per unit (based on 1,000 units) not $60 - lol
I just noticed I said stellar - maybe it should be stellar* to keep in with the theme.
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I'd like to bring something to you attention.
As stated in the Real Groove article....
Donald Reid and his '$60 per-CD tax-payer' album "In A Taxi Home".
Disclaimer: let me state for those that don't know me, I'm Andrew B. White. I've known Donald for several years and play bass in his live band amongst other things.
Whoever 'leaked' the info of funding to Duncan about the cost of Donald's album was WAY off track.
"In A Taxi Home' RECEIVED NO NZ ON AIR FUNDING.
ZERO.
The album and its production was entirely self-funded.
By Donald.
This included the studio time, the session players, the mixing, mastering... the artwork (I know as I did the art for Donald and charged him 'mates rates' for it).
Released on an independent label and distributed by Shock NZ.
The only thing that was not paid for upfront was manufacturing (paid for by Shock Records) and these costs come out of any sales.
Anybody can go to kiwihits.co.nz and have a look at all NZoA funding that has been allocated since day dot. Simply enter in an artist name in the search box and away you go.
Any good researcher could have done that in two minutes.
Donald HAS received NZoA funding in the form of video grants and radio play refunds and has been featured on the Kiwi HitDisc several times, most recently in early 2010 for this:
http://www.youtube.com/user/donaldreid#p/u/1/0epW5kbuwgo
But no funding was received for "In A Taxi Home".
In 2006 funding was approved by NZoA for a second (as yet uncompleted) album and no, he hasn't been given anything like $50k or $100k as part of that deal.
In fact we'd like a few grand to finish the album off please.
Any takers?
It'd be for love and kudos.
So, no tax payers' money has been spent on Donald's "In A Taxi Home" album.
In fact a lot of money was paid TO the IRD in the making of it.
GST, provisional tax etc etc - everyone who worked on the album in a professional business sense and who got paid ended up paying the IRD from their proceeds.
You could say their tax contribution went in to NZoA to help fund.... music.
And the cost of personal time and free help from people can't be quantified in money terms.
This method of funding is called "FYOP" (From Your Own Pocket ) and it's what you do if you are serious about what you do. You find a way and work hard at it.
You don't sit around waiting for funding and give up if you don't get it.
NZoA is a luxury. As far as I'm aware if you get $50k from NZoA YOU HAVE TO MATCH THAT FIGURE..... Not many people can do that except majors. Then you have to market it...... NZoA doesn't give you money for that, or to pay a publicist or a manager.. NZoA certainly don't give money out for artwork costs. I had one Phase 4 act come to me (via a major) for an album cover design with a $500 budget... the cheek!
That aside, Donald reckons he's sold close to 2,000 copies of "In A Taxi Home" over the last several years.
He's happy with that in this day and age of the album not being the be-all and end-all of the music revenue stream.
Not Gin Wigmore figures but it didn't cost $100k of tax payer money (not to mention the extra few hundred grand a major would have invested in such a large project).
Success is measured in many ways.
Donald has had help from NZoA but they didn't make his album, they didn't write the songs, they don't do all the live shows and carry gear around. The artist does.
Donald is a pro, hard worker and a good guy to boot.
No one is forced to like his music.
I do, and so do many others.
I'm not going to have a discussion here about the merits (or not) of NZoA.
I'm setting the record (no pun intended) straight re the misinformation.
May as well ride the wave and try and generate some free press at the same time don't you think?
We could start a facebook page titled "Can this feijoa get more funding than a Donald Reid album".
Any press out there - give us a call - Donald could do with some free primetime press and he has a radio single/video out right now than might move up the charts as a result.
Some decent live shows would be great too.
Cheers.
I'd also like to commend Duncan and Real Groove on their article and the debate, if for anything to see music journalism focusing on issues rather than recycling press releases or having 'censored' interviews with 'artists'.
Maybe it's time for John Russell to make a return.
He probably would have hated Donald's record though - lol.
PS: Serious about the money we need to finish the album.
Call me. -
What I meant to add, is that TradeMe is often full of cheap-ass tyre kickers.
ebay is where the real buyers are at.