Almost ten years ago, I met a rapper doing his thing on the indie tip. He was selling his CDs in pretty decent numbers. I tried shopping him a deal to no avail. None of the labels were interested, which was odd because he had a powerful attorney (he was also mine at the time, which is how we met) and a track record of pretty decent success.
The artist ended up taking a bullshit deal with a new label that had no distribution yet and no track record of success. I tried to talk him out of it. The artist signed because he said he needed the money (I guess getting a job and staying true to his music until a better situation came along was not an option). No surprise that the label went bust and the artist never had any success.
Fast forward to 2006. The artist gets out of his bullshit deal and decides getting radio spins is the way to get a record deal and have success. He called me and asked me to shop him a deal. I passed, because I have yet to see an artist get a favorable record deal that leads to success, based on the limited leverage of just radio play (radio is no guarentee to the labels that an artist will sell well--but sales are great leverage, so I shop deals based on regional sales). I introduced him to my attorney (different guy than before) knowing at least he wouldn't get jerked.
So the artist hires one of the best radio promoters in the country and talks him into getting the spins on spec (meaning the artist will pay the radio guy once he gets a deal). I think you know where I am going with this... so the artist gets a deal (another new label with no track record of success) and forgets to pay the radio guy. Oops...
So he neglected to pay his radio team (ya know, the ones responsible for getting him that deal) and they have now cut him off. Let me explain what happens when an artist decides to skip that pesky outlay of cash--the radio spins go from 100+ a week, to ZERO. Once a song comes to a screeching halt, it's next to impossible to get it started again. Once radio is burned, it's hard to get the artist started again.
Meanwhile, the artist rented a Ferrari for his video shoot and was seen driving all over town by the guy who never got paid. Well, I don't need to tell you what happened... the artist is done at radio. If this kid is able to get ANY spins at radio in the south, it will be a fucking miracle. How can one person be so stupid?!
Guess what all this drama is over? $5,000. He couldn't pay his radio guy just 5 grand out of his $300,000 advance. Unbelievable...
The artist ended up taking a bullshit deal with a new label that had no distribution yet and no track record of success. I tried to talk him out of it. The artist signed because he said he needed the money (I guess getting a job and staying true to his music until a better situation came along was not an option). No surprise that the label went bust and the artist never had any success.
Fast forward to 2006. The artist gets out of his bullshit deal and decides getting radio spins is the way to get a record deal and have success. He called me and asked me to shop him a deal. I passed, because I have yet to see an artist get a favorable record deal that leads to success, based on the limited leverage of just radio play (radio is no guarentee to the labels that an artist will sell well--but sales are great leverage, so I shop deals based on regional sales). I introduced him to my attorney (different guy than before) knowing at least he wouldn't get jerked.
So the artist hires one of the best radio promoters in the country and talks him into getting the spins on spec (meaning the artist will pay the radio guy once he gets a deal). I think you know where I am going with this... so the artist gets a deal (another new label with no track record of success) and forgets to pay the radio guy. Oops...
So he neglected to pay his radio team (ya know, the ones responsible for getting him that deal) and they have now cut him off. Let me explain what happens when an artist decides to skip that pesky outlay of cash--the radio spins go from 100+ a week, to ZERO. Once a song comes to a screeching halt, it's next to impossible to get it started again. Once radio is burned, it's hard to get the artist started again.
Meanwhile, the artist rented a Ferrari for his video shoot and was seen driving all over town by the guy who never got paid. Well, I don't need to tell you what happened... the artist is done at radio. If this kid is able to get ANY spins at radio in the south, it will be a fucking miracle. How can one person be so stupid?!
Guess what all this drama is over? $5,000. He couldn't pay his radio guy just 5 grand out of his $300,000 advance. Unbelievable...
posted by Ricky Ross at 6:54 PM
4 Comments:
Wendy
10 years ago why couldn't someone with a decent sales record and powerful lawyer get a deal?
Day...you may as well take your blog excerpts and put it in a book and sell it...you are too d-mn free! "Dr. Groove" LOL
There are a host of reasons why someone would not get a deal with a sales track record. If a label thinks they bought soundscan or are a one hit wonder, or if they think the artist is hard to work with or has a team behind them that they don't want to do business with, or maybe they don't thinkt he artist will sell well outside of their region (Swisha House proved all the labels wrong on that one--know how many majors told me they won't sell well outside of Houston?).
Deals I shopped for artists that I could not get signed, but they've sold enough CDs to get a major deal: Lil Keke, Cormega, Freddie Foxxx, Remedy, Nuwine, etc--oh and the guy mentioned in my Blog, who shall remain nameless.
I'm shocked that dude got so many chances and screwed up on each one of them.
L dot
oh yea wendy, you are the best. you always drop jewels.
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