An Artist Worth $60M Exposes Music Industry Secrets #musicmarketing #musicindustrysecrets

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An Artist Worth $ 60M Exposes Music Industry Secrets #musicmarketing #musicindustrysecrets

You struggle to get the contract, and then the contract is, sort of, you know, an indentured servitude type of thing. Our first contract was for seven albums, essentially 14 years. So I signed that contract when I was 23.

That's crazy, okay? So I'm signing at 23 years old; I'm signing a contract that's supposed to take me until 37. You're signing a contract for more than half your life. And if you look at the shelf life of most artists, it's four to five years. So they are basically anticipating your entire arc. That's okay.

You don't have any leverage, you know, other than that they want to sign you. You sign the deal, and then it becomes this weird dance of like: Can I sustain success? If you get success and have leverage, they'll get out of your way because you're making them a lot of money. But the minute you're not making them as much money, then they step in and start playing these Jedi mind tricks on you: "We know what to do... the public's going to forget about you." I mean, I've heard all these things.

Keywords

  • Music industry
  • Contract
  • Artists' shelf life
  • Leverage
  • Success
  • Jedi mind tricks
  • Public perception

FAQs

Q: What type of contracts do artists typically sign in the music industry? A: Contracts often span several albums and many years, effectively binding artists for a significant portion of their careers.

Q: At what age did the artist in this article sign their contract? A: The artist signed their contract at the age of 23.

Q: How long was the artist's contract? A: The contract was for seven albums, which equates to roughly 14 years.

Q: What is the usual shelf life of an artist in the music industry? A: The typical shelf life of an artist is around four to five years.

Q: How do record labels exert control over artists? A: Labels tend to give artists more freedom when they are making a lot of money but start imposing control and using psychological tactics when the artists' profitability declines.

Q: What are some psychological tactics used by record labels? A: Labels often use fear-based tactics, such as suggesting the public will forget about the artist, to exert control.