For over 15 years I made my living sitting behind a large pane of glass. It’s the glass you see in a recording studio, the one that separates the performer from people like me: the engineer and the producer. I have worked with hundreds of recording artists in this way, cutting their demos and seeing the hope in their eyes, right through the final mixes of tunes that became huge hits for them. Through it all, I have always found this “separating glass” the perfect analogy for a business that works so hard at separating the artist from their money. Conjure this image: the novice performer sits blissfully in a darkened vocal booth, while on the other side, protected by soundproof walls and expensive machinery, bean counters and executives decide their fate.
Over the years, and in the dim, smoky light of a 2 A.M. recording session, many artists have confessed to me, “If I’d only known better when I signed my first deal.” In this moment of crisis, when their manager isn’t returning their calls, their girl- or boyfriend is angry with them, their sidemen are getting wasted, the producer is on the phone, and the label won’t give them more money, they have turned to me, the unassuming technician, in hopes of a sympathetic ear. They spoke and I listened. This book is the result. It probably comes as no surprise that these artists feel taken advantage of by the very companies they’ve made millions for. Are they paranoid, or were their expectations perhaps too high? You will decide for yourself as you learn every trick, scam, and lie they were told—and told back.
What separates this book from the scores of other books on this business is the fact that most other books are written by attorneys and discuss the music business in theory. Certainly there’s value in that. But unfortunately attorneys are not always in the best position to speak openly about their clients’ business practices. I’m not an attorney. I have no allegiances to protect. I won’t bore you with anal interpretations of how things are supposed to work. Here you will only read how things did work when applied to real-life situations. Plus, you will see real dollar numbers showing what everyone makes at the end of the day, from the record company to the recording engineer.
Every account in this book is real. They’re designed to illustrate strong examples of how money can slip away from the artist who is not savvy to the way things really work, and give the artist strong ammunition to help them preserve their assets.
The first part of this website looks at the typical recording deal from three distinct points of view: (1) the artist, (2) the producer, and (3) the record label. After reading each section, you will understand why record deals are so complex, and thus whatever phase of the business you’re thinking about entering, you will be well–armed for a negotiation. The second part of the website can be thought of as an encyclopedia of skullduggery—the first volume ever assembled that catalogues every known way to swindle artists, producers, and even labels out of their hard-earned cash.
It’s my guess that most of you reading this website are thinking about a long and successful career in the music industry. Will this website make you paranoid? Well, hopefully it will make you cautious, but will it try to discourage you from getting into the business? Absolutely not. This website is no more than a tool. It’s designed to empower you to go forward and deal from a position of strength. Ultimately, it’s your talent, passion, and determination that will push you toward a life in music, and that passion will be the beacon for your success.
Within these pages I address the concerns and frustrations of many in this industry—an industry once mired in corruption, but which in the last decade has traded its “family” ties for ones with multinational conglomerates. The trade-offs are sometimes less noticeable than one might expect.
Tomorrow’s music industry has the potential to be the most spiritually powerful business in the world. It is my hope that this website can be part of its growth as the industry moves through the new millennium and on to realize the spiritual image it so realistically feigns. It is my sincerest wish that this website will someday be obsolete.