Stat Quo: 50 Cent Leaving Interscope Was Smart & Breaks Down The Independent Game

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mark Kenneth Jr.
  • Start date Start date
M

Mark Kenneth Jr.

New member
On the advantages of being independent



You can put your own music on iTunes. iTunes takes 30% of it. That means essentially they sell it for $9.99. You're getting $7.00. Even if you go through an indy online distributor. Let's say they take 20% and you get 80% of it, you're still winning. So, if I sell a CD... say I just put it on iTunes. I'm getting $7.00 in my pocket for every CD I sell. Whereas if you go through a [major] label, they give you a dollar. Some change? A label is only good at building your brand to where you can go all over the world, and be who you are.

 
Last edited:
Been saying this for a while, the recording industry is a fools game.

Major acts for the last few years (mostly rock and alternative music) have figured it out, just read interviews with people like Billy Corban from Smashing Pumpkins about why he is recording at home and releasing completely independent of any label.

The Steve Jones interview touches on it a bit and worth the watch as well


There are a lot of big names that have left and gone truly independent, but you don't hear much from them because the press effectively boycotts them as being bad for business/industry, when in reality it is the better business model and allows better music to come through...the music the artist wants to put out without the labels putting their noses into it or taking a huge chunk.

This letter from Courtney Love broke it down years ago, I can't stand her as a person but she presents the real at a time when this was a revolutionary concept.

Courtney Love's Letter to Recording Artists

There are more examples but these are two examples of it that I can think of off the top of my head.
 
Mark Kenneth Jr. said:
On the advantages of being independent



A label is only good at building your brand to where you can go all over the world, and be who you are.
Click to expand...


That's the labels job. To make you famous. It's up to you to make yourself rich.



If you're not famous, then who's gonna buy your records??


1% of $1,000,000 > 100% of $0.
 
But nobody is making money off of records these days, its product promotion, the tours, and merchandise stuff. I gotta give it to 50 his income stream is pretty good outside of the rap game.
 
Honestly, i don't even understand why they talk about itunes and online distributors... are people oblivious to the fact that you can create a system yourself and sell it on your own website?

Why would i give itunes 30% or even 10% to an online distributor when i can keep ALL the revenue for myself?
 
Zonic said:
Honestly, i don't even understand why they talk about itunes and online distributors... are people oblivious to the fact that you can create a system yourself and sell it on your own website?

Why would i give itunes 30% or even 10% to an online distributor when i can keep ALL the revenue for myself?
Click to expand...


Stuck in the old distribution methods mode, tough thing to shake.

What should happen is someone should build a site with....hmmm maybe I better keep this one to myself and just make it happen instead.
 
Nightshade said:
Stuck in the old distribution methods mode, tough thing to shake.

What should happen is someone should build a site with....hmmm maybe I better keep this one to myself and just make it happen instead.
Click to expand...

I remember Busta Rhymes talking about how he hated the "internet generation" because he felt they were the reason his label wasn't giving him a big enough budget.

lol...
 
Zonic said:
I remember Busta Rhymes talking about how he hated the "internet generation" because he felt they were the reason his label wasn't giving him a big enough budget.

lol...
Click to expand...

I find that to be funny because he is just barely younger than I am and yet I can see the writing on the wall and am on the outside looking in, but he is absolutely blind to how to adapt and profit on the internet generation.
 
Nightshade said:
I find that to be funny because he is just barely younger than I am and yet I can see the writing on the wall and am on the outside looking in, but he is absolutely blind to how to adapt and profit on the internet generation.
Click to expand...
The bulk of these cats are addicted to the old model. They want advance money ( I mean the label loan) to do there thing cause they never really invested properly to become independent.
It ain't hard to do, but you really miss the label push if you ain't big.

For example, Talib dropped 2 albums last year, and the second (Gravitas)was without any label or distribution connection, he did it though bandcamp.
Now a lot of people don't even know, but his fan base is big enough globally that he can tour and eat.
Jean Grae did the same thing, but I don't know how well she did.
 
Last edited:
mwandishi said:
The bulk of these cats are addicted to the old model. They want advance money ( I mean the label loan) to do there thing cause they never really invested properly to become independent.
It ain't hard to do, but you really miss the label push if you ain't big.

For example, Talib dropped 2 albums last year, and the second (Gravitas)was without any label or distribution connection, he did it though bandcamp.
Now a lot of people don't even know, but his fan base is big enough globally that he can tour and eat.
Jean Grae did the same thing, but I don't know how well she did.
Click to expand...

Those Gotham joints were pretty hot, had a few misses on em but what album doesn't?

I know R.A. the rugged Man has been completely independent and is really starting to gain some ground especially with his last release (Talib, Eamon, Masta Ace and Krizz Kalico all appeared on it) and it was a solid album throughout.

I would love to see artists jump ship completely, right now it is a few here and there so it can be brushed off as a fluke since it isn't a large number all at once, but I would love to see them all tell the labels to piss off when it comes time to re-up on the signatures. It would be nice also to see these cats invested in other artists without multi-album contracts. Something along the lines of, "Here is 50k and my studio for a month, cut an album, I get my money back out of it and 3 points on sales the rest is yours, I will show you how to promote this album after this you are responsible for re-investing in yourself and using this information to make your fortune."

It will never happen I know, but just imagine if it did.
 
^^Ya Jean is one of my favorite MCs, I like the album a lot but I thought a lot people slept on it.

Speaking of indie and label issues, I just saw that itunes is offering this joint about 30 seconds to mars label struggles, u can rent it for 99 cents
 
mwandishi said:
^^Ya Jean is one of my favorite MCs, I like the album a lot but I thought a lot people slept on it.

Speaking of indie and label issues, I just saw that itunes is offering this joint about 30 seconds to mars label struggles, u can rent it for 99 cents
Click to expand...


LMAO...why should I spend money to watch a doc about a band whose music I listen to but never paid for?
 
^^Well if that's the case u should know how to get the documentary for free also (its out there):cool:
 
Don't listen to that indie game. Fat Joe, Jim Jones, Prodigy and all of those other "indie" cats ain't popping no more. Indie is best for mid level talent that wants to stay where they are. Superstars are not meant for the indie grind.

True stars need to be on a real label. You get that gloss and polish. That is what differentiates a star from a superstar. You think Kanye West, Rihanna, Drake, Beyonce, or Justin Timberlake are about to sign to Koch?

Either you shining or shamming.
 
Desire Inspires said:
Don't listen to that indie game. Fat Joe, Jim Jones, Prodigy and all of those other "indie" cats ain't popping no more. Indie is best for mid level talent that wants to stay where they are. Superstars are not meant for the indie grind.

True stars need to be on a real label. You get that gloss and polish. That is what differentiates a star from a superstar. You think Kanye West, Rihanna, Drake, Beyonce, or Justin Timberlake are about to sign to Koch?

Either you shining or shamming.
Click to expand...

Like I said, stuck in that "gotta have a major label" mindset.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top