"At Interscope, it felt like we were one of 50 bands, and we didn't sell as much as Eminem, so no one cared about us" - Trent Reznor, 2013

[Amir]

I've had my eye on Daisy/Beats Music for a while, some real talent behind it. If they play their cards right, they could beat Spotify (though that's not that hard since Spotify never has and probably never will turn a profit, as much as I love it as a service).

[eye2eye]

I really hate music industry as it is now ironically internet didn't help new artist but created possibility for records labels to promote more talentless "artists" becasue it's cheaper and easier to controll them then somebody with talent and vision. I don't see any up and coming bands that have a shot at making it in music industry as they won't get any airplay and any press. And downloading really hurts new artits as they can't obviously sell any show and shows along with commercial are almost only sources of income for bands. So in a long term , internet killed new artists and made them record industry puppets.

[Rustycage]

^Tours and merch have always been the main source of income for bands. Even before the internet.

Downloading only cut out the middle man and a very tiny source of income for artists. The only negative side effect has been that bands wanting to make it big have to work their ass off unless they use the supposed demon(the internet) to gain word of mouth. If bands are too stupid or lazy, that's their problem. They have the chance now to create what they want exactly how they want instead of being a slave to the labels' producers and current fads.

There's plenty of new acts out there that are "underground." It seems like many people expect to have the good stuff spoonfed to them by the labels and are too lazy to find the good stuff themselves. The days of anti-corporate music being sponsored by "corporate" are over. It's only logical.

Edited September 7, 2013 by Rustycage

[axlrod]

Nine Inch Nails Exert Brutal Intensity at Troubadour

[The Glow Inc.]

There is one major difference between Trent and Axl : Trent is working his ass off and has every right to be pissed when the label sabotages his efforts.

[eye2eye]

^Tours and merch have always been the main source of income for bands. Even before the internet.

Downloading only cut out the middle man and a very tiny source of income for artists. The only negative side effect has been that bands wanting to make it big have to work their ass off unless they use the supposed demon(the internet) to gain word of mouth. If bands are too stupid or lazy, that's their problem. They have the chance now to create what they want exactly how they want instead of being a slave to the labels' producers and current fads.

There's plenty of new acts out there that are "underground." It seems like many people expect to have the good stuff spoonfed to them by the labels and are too lazy to find the good stuff themselves. The days of anti-corporate music being sponsored by "corporate" are over. It's only logical.

It's not that easy to gain word of mouth as it seems as majority of popular music sites are controlled by music industry anyway, yes there are underground acts and yes they can produce awesome music but on the other hand majority of them die pretty easily as they are not able to generate enough income to make a living. Take guy like Reignwolf he is touring his ass off, has all that internet possibilites like youtube,facebook etc even got some press here or there but I don't see him making it without label help and with label he would have to compromise his sounds a lot.

[Rustycage]

You can't expect to be come a millionaire in the industry controlled by them unless you sell your integrity for em. It only makes sense to choose one or the other. I'd rather have fewer good bands that actually like what they are doing instead a shit load of fake bands doing what the big wigs feel is marketable at the current time.

Just throw some more distortion on the guitar, heavier drums and a little less autotune to Justin Bieber if you want what would be the current popular rock scene.

Corporate rock is dead.

Fake dangerous bands are dead.

I'm glad that the good shit isn't being drooled on by teeny boppers just because it's on the tv.

[eye2eye]

I'm not talking about being millionaire but about making an average living out of it and majority of new bands struggle to achieve that. Almost everyone acknowledges that. I've read interview with Jerry Cantrell few months ago and he was talking how it is close to impossible for new bands to break through nowadays without strong label support with record sales being almost non existent.

[Amir]

There is one major difference between Trent and Axl : Trent is working his ass off and has every right to be pissed when the label sabotages his efforts.

Marc said Axl was working a lot during ChiDem years, and worked on a lot of songs. We all know the plan was a trilogy, or at least a double with a bonus tracks CD. Part of the blame can be put on the label, part of it on Axl's perfectionism/insecurity, part of it on pressure from outside, part of it from members leaving due to those factors...

[Rustycage]

I'm not talking about being millionaire but about making an average living out of it and majority of new bands struggle to achieve that. Almost everyone acknowledges that. I've read interview with Jerry Cantrell few months ago and he was talking how it is close to impossible for new bands to break through nowadays without strong label support with record sales being almost non existent.

It depends on what someone considers a decent living. They can't expect the rockstar lifestyle. Developing a decent following and playing gigs to live comfortably in the middle class isn't impossible with today's outlets. A decent living doesn't mean 100k or more a year. It's a different era with different outlets. The demand for certain kinds of music is what has dictated what is successful today, not piracy.

If labels AND bands want to be viable with the state of media sharing, they need to catch up to the times, not blame the evolution of technology. That's such a chickenshit way out.

[wasted]

If the band is really good thwy will break through eventually.

Whether they sell 20 mil cds is less likely.

Rock seems played out, same wirh hip hop.

One of those Call of Duty games sold 25 million copies. It made 1 billion dollars in 6 weeks. Puts it into perspective.

Edited September 8, 2013 by wasted

[eye2eye]

Rock is played out ? Maybe but why metal isn't ? Metal isn't really losing on popularity and metal bands have a lot of help from their labels and seem to me like they've been doing well for years.

I don't know about that there are many really good bands which never broke through, you must be good in the first place but you must be also quite lucky to break through.

Yeah Call of Duty sold 25mln copies because there is almost no piracy as far as consoles are considered so you must actually buy it (and it isn't cheap) , you don't really want to or can share it for particular amount of time and with new generation of consoles games will be even more expensive.

And RustyCage I can't agree with that "The demand for certain kinds of music is what has dictated what is successful today, not piracy."

Record industry dictates what is successful they can pormote shit out of some talentless fuckheads and people will buy it. You can tell that there is demand for a new great rock band (even within industry read Chris Cornell interview where he states that he hoped that there would be next generation of great bands but it didn't happen and people look at Soundgarden or Alice in Chains as saviours of genre) but for wahtever reason it is not coming.

Back in 80s there was a lot of pop music as well, but bands like Duran Duran could play instruments, could write songs they were musicians, even artist like MJ or Madonna they had some kind of vision now world is all about Bieber, Rihanna or Nicki Minaj. The gap in quality even within pop music his huge.

[wasted]

I think a lot of rock was authenticity. Metal is often theatre. Rock n roll needs shaman and its harder to believe it. Rock n roll is uncontrollable labels dont want that.

You can bootleg games as easy, video games juat hit their peak.

[dalsh327]

You can't expect to be come a millionaire in the industry controlled by them unless you sell your integrity for em. It only makes sense to choose one or the other. I'd rather have fewer good bands that actually like what they are doing instead a shit load of fake bands doing what the big wigs feel is marketable at the current time.

Just throw some more distortion on the guitar, heavier drums and a little less autotune to Justin Bieber if you want what would be the current popular rock scene.

Corporate rock is dead.

Fake dangerous bands are dead.

I'm glad that the good shit isn't being drooled on by teeny boppers just because it's on the tv.

Ian MacKaye of Fugazi and Minor Threat's net worth is estimated at 25 million dollars, he kept ticket prices and album prices controllable and had no tolerance for rowdy fans, but he was always business minded at when they toured like crazy.

Joan Jett is another one, she got rejected by every label and started her own. She was a millionaire from self-releasing her first albums, had a hit on MTV, and a #1 single, plus touring to packed houses. The record labels came to her with a blank check, but she never gave in to what they wanted. Bieber could have stuck with self-distribution because he had a You Tube following, and he's one of the first musicians who saw the power of Twitter firsthand. I'm sure he has a sweet deal where he has his own label, complete creative control, and can pick artists he wants to sign to the label and get his cut from, and it was all worked out when he was 16.

Ani DiFranco had to tour like crazy, but she's done very well for herself over 20 years without major label help, her songs get licensed out to movies and covered, but she also has to take care of other artists on her label.

Axl probably thought about going with an indie label for GNR, but they may have been poorly run at the time, and he wanted the album in every record store. Same reason why Rage Against the Machine chose to have a major label, but from what Morello said, the label would back them when it came to controversial songs and not censor them. That was his and Zach's big concern, but they also wanted the records in every record store. It's no different than a writer wanting to have his book sold in Barnes and Noble and not just Book Soup.

Corporate rock is kind of fiction, it's mostly the pop world where the producers run what artists do.

Creed was on an independent label, they just sound corporate. If some band is being marketed in such a way that they're changing their looks, it's a compromise and whoring themselves out, but it's not prefabricated. The Monkees were TV entertainers that became a real band, but I've never ever considered them as a prefab band when they had to go out and play live. I'm sure DJ, Frank and Fortus were on albums by "real bands" but brought in because the producer needed to fix things.

Current rock has no real support system or know who the band members are. Groups like New Direction are marketed in a way so girls have their favorite Beatle, so to speak.

[Modano09]

Business wise what value does GNR have? As a record company the only thing Axl can do that they'll be excited about and get behind is a reunion. That's where the significant money is.

[cheesecake]

You can't expect to be come a millionaire in the industry controlled by them unless you sell your integrity for em. It only makes sense to choose one or the other. I'd rather have fewer good bands that actually like what they are doing instead a shit load of fake bands doing what the big wigs feel is marketable at the current time.

Just throw some more distortion on the guitar, heavier drums and a little less autotune to Justin Bieber if you want what would be the current popular rock scene.

Corporate rock is dead.

Fake dangerous bands are dead.

I'm glad that the good shit isn't being drooled on by teeny boppers just because it's on the tv.

Current rock has no real support system or know who the band members are. Groups like New Direction are marketed in a way so girls have their favorite Beatle, so to speak.

New Direction? You mean, One Direction?

[dalsh327]

You can't expect to be come a millionaire in the industry controlled by them unless you sell your integrity for em. It only makes sense to choose one or the other. I'd rather have fewer good bands that actually like what they are doing instead a shit load of fake bands doing what the big wigs feel is marketable at the current time.

Just throw some more distortion on the guitar, heavier drums and a little less autotune to Justin Bieber if you want what would be the current popular rock scene.

Corporate rock is dead.

Fake dangerous bands are dead.

I'm glad that the good shit isn't being drooled on by teeny boppers just because it's on the tv.

Current rock has no real support system or know who the band members are. Groups like New Direction are marketed in a way so girls have their favorite Beatle, so to speak.

New Direction? You mean, One Direction?

I'm glad I fucked it up, to tell you the truth. Hairy Styles..

Edited September 9, 2013 by dalsh327

[cheesecake]

You can't expect to be come a millionaire in the industry controlled by them unless you sell your integrity for em. It only makes sense to choose one or the other. I'd rather have fewer good bands that actually like what they are doing instead a shit load of fake bands doing what the big wigs feel is marketable at the current time.

Just throw some more distortion on the guitar, heavier drums and a little less autotune to Justin Bieber if you want what would be the current popular rock scene.

Corporate rock is dead.

Fake dangerous bands are dead.

I'm glad that the good shit isn't being drooled on by teeny boppers just because it's on the tv.

Current rock has no real support system or know who the band members are. Groups like New Direction are marketed in a way so girls have their favorite Beatle, so to speak.

New Direction? You mean, One Direction?

I'm glad I fucked it up, to tell you the truth. Hairy Styles..

ROTFL

[wasted]

I think a new GNR record sells 3 mil world wide. 30 Million dollars for the label say 10 mil to make and promote the record tops. The band has to tour their ass off tho and the material to get some credit. But i do think its a bigger project than we know. Theres expectations both commercial and Axl doesnt have to do anything.