RIAA sues Usenet.com

I make my prediction right now -- 18 months before the virtual collapse of the music industry as we know it today.

You guys don't deal with the music industry like I do. These guys are hurting -- BAD. Ten years ago, even a marginal act with moderate radio play could probably work their sales up to 900-1,200,000 easy.

In hip-hop, you had artists like Busta Rhymes going to Elektra Records and securing 3 to 4 million dollar recording budgets, plus obscene amounts for music video production. Rock bands, obviously due to the nature of their craft, probably could command even larger budgets. This was a time when major record labels would actually support an album and actively promote 3 and 4 singles, which allowed an artist who didn't have a monster single right out of the gate to still be successful because they kept on pushing records out there.

No longer. Back in the gap, labels used to actually try and mold an artist. Now, indie artists have to mold themselves. It's no longer about creating a hot album, it's about creating a catchy single that will get people to buy ringtones. Just to show you how crazy shit is -- go to Itunes and buy any song off anyone's album and it's $.99 cents. Buy a ringtone from your cellular phone and it's anywhere from $1.99 to 2.99.

What the FUCK?

I was offered a full-fledged recording contract a year ago that I declined because the record labels are hurting so badly that they're starting to demand obscene royalties from everything. Used to, they got the merchandising, a huge chunk of record royalties, half the publishing, and owned your entire catalogue. However, whatever you earned from touring was yours. So here I am, sitting in an office in Atlanta, GA looking at a contract that wants me to give up 50 percent of all touring revenue. Needless to say, I'm still working a regular job and recording on the side, trying to do it independently, where there's more money.

So when you see these guys go after P2P networks and individuals, it's a last gasp of a dying giant. So don't fret, keep bootlegging.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Quote:

I realize that I'm talking about a niche market, but hearing someone who supposedly wants to break into the industry and support bootlegging makes me wonder about you, man.

I don't support bootlegging at all, that's the thing. I'm just fully aware that the business model of the record industry is doomed to failure. Especially for hip-hop, which is so oversaturated that if I were to sign a major record label deal today, even with all the promotion in the world, I'd be lucky to sell 500,000 copies -- and that would require me to have a monster first single and at least a moderately successful second single.

Indie is the way to go, plain and simple.

There's nowhere I can't reach.