From: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org (alloy-digest) To: alloy-digest@smoe.org Subject: alloy-digest V4 #268 Reply-To: alloy@smoe.org Sender: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "alloy-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. alloy-digest Monday, October 4 1999 Volume 04 : Number 268 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Alloy: Dolby says it's payback time! [Robyn Moore ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 00:09:32 -0700 From: Robyn Moore Subject: Re: Alloy: Dolby says it's payback time! At 06:22 PM 9/9/99 , you wrote: > >zero at Pulp Culture has given us the heads-up on an article featuring Thomas >at the Digital Distribution and the Music Industry '99 conference in LA: > >http://www.wired.com/news/news/culture/story/21644.html > I read that article and the semi related one from the EFF commenting on the Secured Digital Music Initiative (they think it's the big dogs' attempt to keep control over the 'music industry' and that the piracy issue is just a smokescreen) at the same conference, and I think they've both got extremely valid points. I've been thinking about the treatment of musicians by music companies for a few days now. I was semi-watching the Goo Goo Dolls episode of Behind The Music on VH1 the other day, and heard something that set me off on the periphery of my attention. (Interestingly enough, I just discovered it's on now, so I can double-check my facts as I write this.) Apparently, after "A Boy Named Goo" sold over TWO MILLION copies, the band discovered they were $115,000 in debt to their label, Metal Blade Records. According to their lawyer, their royalty rate was $.30/record. A quote from Metal Blade Records' lawyer, who also asserted that the royalty rate was more than fair - - "The band, I think, naievely assumed that just because they'd sold, in their minds, two million records, they were entitled to a substantial sum of money, which was entirely untrue." Apparently, the label's intent was to suck out every bit of 'recoverable costs' before giving the band a single cent in royalties, as they hadn't yet "recouped their investment" (advances for recording costs, video production costs, etc.) in the band. All of this boggles me in ways I'm not sure I can even begin to express. @ Robyn Moore @ http://www.alveus.com/kbrm/robyn.html @ You knew the job was dangerous when you took it. - S.C. ------------------------------ End of alloy-digest V4 #268 ***************************