I am sick of all the hate directed towards the Record Industry, Record Execs, Artists (including Ashlee Simpson), and the RIAA.
I am a struggling artist who writes music, produces, and tries to make a living doing the one thing I love. It is the ignorance of listeners and the general public that make this dream so hard on us.
You say record companies make 12 dollars a CD? YOU ARE CRAZY. There is much more money put into promotions for single song than there is for an entire line of ipods, yet apple making 45 bucks on the nano doesn't get any complaints. A song can really sell well for about a month tops. That goes for an album too. That's it. Other products can reap the benefits from marketing for years to come.
You say record execs are greedy bastards. I ask, what CEO in this day is not a greedy bastard? You think Steve Jobs really cares about YOU? If you do, you have really fallen to all the marketing hype and need to stop watching all those keynotes.... saying that is like saying Bush did the right thing.... brainwash...
You say, I will pay for the good artists but will download Ashlee, Britney, etc..... Do you know how much it costs to develop an artist? If the process was so simple as writing, recording, and pressing a cd, then i would have to agree with you. However, developing a quality act and developing a pop act costs about the same amount intially. But once a pop act goes big, it brings in cash for companies to go and search for and develop more "real" artists. Therefore, if you take away the pop artist revenues, there goes the R&D for some great new bands and artists.
If you think i am lying, think about this. Would you even know of good music if it was not introduced to you? How would you find it? Searching old record bins? Downloading illegally? The fact of the matter is, we all rely on marketing and the development of an artists because that is how we get to know them and listen to their music....
my point is, next time you download or support the download of the Neptunes, remember that you are killing the career of Bilal.
Letter From the Recording Industry: Please Send Money