dennis roadman
nuclear war in my bag
2 bombs dropped in one post
Jean Grae needs to let go of the hopes she'll blow up
- Thread starter The Unknown Hype
- Start date
2 bombs dropped in one post
You didn't have to lie to defend your home girl
Hand to God, fam. Adjua Francis, Columbus Academy. I don't think the school exists anymore, it was some experimental shyt. It was in a building with like 4 other schools.
I have no connection with shorty, we weren't even acquainted with each other back then.
Ant McQueen
Rookie
It's not as farfetched as you'd assume.
Let's say she's doing a minimum of 50 shows a year for at least $2,000 a show. That alone is generating $100K. Some of these places may be smaller venues which have bars; in those situations she can negotiate her rate, plus per diem, and some of the proceeds from the bar & door.
Album sales have to be factored in as well, I'm sure she can sell at least 10,000 copies. The average CD cost is anywhere from $10-$13. That's another $100K (plus a little extra) being generated. Since she's on an independent she's also seeing a bit more from album sales than the average major label artist would.
I also wouldn't be surprised if she did a bit of behind the scenes work (mainly writing) for other people. That could be some nice change on the side as well.
Now I'm not this is her situation to a T, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were a bit similar.
I. I'm not assuming. Been around rap/rappers a lot of my life.
II. Jean Grae is not packing shows, man. She's just not. Period. Like, on what fukking planet is Jean fukking Grae selling enough tickets to 50 shows every year to make that much? Even rappers who are riding a wave of current popularity don't make $2,000 a show unless they have some serious fukking buzz.
III. I'm kind of surprised @Tuanimator is giving this the c/s given his knowledge of promotions. I'll say it one final time - my cousin is like, I don't know, 100,000 times more famous and legendary than Jean Grae and he doesn't clear 100K without some good fortune and serious hustling. Rap is not a lane that allows its minor artists to clear 100K a year unless there are some very rare and unusual circumstances.
IV. Jean Grae is not selling no damn 10,000 copies of a CD and keeping $10 of profit per CD. What in the world kind of wild imagination do y'all have? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Who's your cousin?
Kool Keith aka Dr. Octagon.
Who's your cousin?
Kylie minogue.
you can say what you want about the woman, and believe me im NOT a fan, but she never came across as anyone who wanted mainstream success
Jacksonville Swaguar
BANNED
Ant McQueen
Rookie
1. If you don't know the ins and outs of her situation, you're doing exactly what I'm doing - speculating.
2. $2,000 isn't a ton of my money. That's peanuts compared to what some of these people make per night. It's very possible for her to be in that vicinity. I'm not saying that she's performing in arenas or anything like that. Also, shows don't begin or end with just her either; she could open for or tour with with other artists.
I'd also like to say that I was low balling when I said 50 shows per year. There are 365 days in a year, I'm sure she could play at least 75 of those days. So even if she was to be seeing about $1,500 per show; she'd still be clearing $100K with a bit extra on top.
3. It depends on the artist and how they manage their situation.
4. Would I expect Jean Grae to sell an astronomical amount of copies in her first week? No, but I wouldn't doubt that her album(s) can clear 10K over time. She has a niche and her fans have supported her enough for her to sustain a career up until this point.
Also, I never said that she herself would pocket every dime. I said the average CD price is anywhere from $10-$13. If her album sold at least 10K copies within a year, that would be at the least another $100K generated. Being that she's on an indie, she would more than likely be seeing more money per sale than the average major label artist.
Well, no. Not all speculation is created equal. It's a specious and cliche debate tactic to say "at the end of the day neither of us knows for sure, so who knows what's true?" I have a family member who is a MLB scout. If I kick it with him about how much some random player from the Atlanta Braves makes in the offseason from the autograph hustle, and he tells me that based on his personal knowledge of what players on his taam cake off that hustle that I'm way off, I can't be like "well we both speculating, fam." His is an informed opinion. Mine is very basic speculation.
$2,000 is a shytload of money for an hour or two of work. Who are "some of these people," fam? In hip hop you make real show dough two ways: you have to be an established artists with years of proven drawing power or you have too be a popular of-the-moment rapper with a buzz that makes your show bonafide events i.e. nikkas and bytches come out, pay a decent amount for a ticket, and buy drinks for that shyt because it's like going to thee club or being at a party.
Hip hop ain't like jazz, where you can count on 5-10 dates at the Blue Note with a wealthy white and bougie black clientele that will make a classy evening out of your show. Hip hop just doesn't have that kind of culture or fanbase. Now some of those old jazz musicians make real good cake, because they are viewed by a wealthier subset of America and Europe as artsy, and therefore paying for their shows is, in a way, validation of the audience's notion of their own sophistication.
Jean Grae ain't the Rolling Stones, fam. She can't roll out of bed one day and decide to do an extra 30 shows for the year and it just happens. It just doesn't work that way, period. Management has to secure booking; the small venue owners have to determine there's sufficient interest; figures have to be worked out in terms of expected revenue and whether she'll be paid a flat fee or paid based on people who show up and how much liquor sells. Jean Grae is not someone who can just throw together 75 show dates across America and expect enough clubs to be interested and enough fans to be in each location for her to make an average of $1,500 a show. That's a preposterous notion.
Jean is a borderline irrelevant artist. She's a female m.c. with zero buzz and a very small following who would have to play small venues, mostly local ones to draw a crowd, and occasionally could be part of a list of opening acts. Her friendships with other, more famous rappers might throw some extra work her way, and maybe her father - who is a famous jazz musician - still has connections that would benefit her too. But Jean would need to put out an album every year and sell a shytload of copies of that album for that to generate serious income. There are taxes, there are expenses, there are different pieces the pie has to be cut. The world in which Jean can clear 100k per year off hip hop is pretty much such a Utopian one that it's comical. Maybe she makes money as a ghostwriter. I hope so for her sake.
