Why don't cats like Jay/50 Cent/Kanye release their own ****? How much would it cost?

[Ninjaz In Paris]

Good Thread...

They would pretty much have to pay everybody to do things a label would have to do anyway so why not just be on a label? You know how many phone calls he would have to make to set up shows? How many people he would have to talk to on an hourly basis just to maintain enough relationships to push his albums? Do people really understand that it is *IMPOSSIBLE* for someone of Jay/Kanye's status to put out an album & push it like an album?

It's not so much the money that is the problem... it's the groundwork it takes to actually push an album that a lot of people never get to see. These artists don't have time to do everything themselves, it's not possible... they're too big for an Indie push...

Cats really think all you have to do is upload songs to Datpiff & shyt happens...

 

[YBE]

I think it's simple, they don't want to play with their own money, the way many business people raise investments instead of putting up their own money for a new venture

but when it comes to physical CDs I think you guys are right about the distribution issue. The labels all have relationships with the stores, radio stations etc so a new player will have to build that kinda thing and practice over a few years

I get that. Lupe is worth $10 million. Would it really hurt dudes pockets to risk $500,000 on his own vanity project. Just once to see what it was. If it works If not, tour to make it back No more crying on the radio about creative control. You're already visible to consumers. You know how the game works. You've forged relationships with the right people. I think these nikkas LIKE to be slaves to the labels.



Cats out here buying Bugattis but, get all when the concept of investing in themselves comes up.

 

[zerozero]

Good Thread...

They would pretty much have to pay everybody to do things a label would have to do anyway so why not just be on a label? You know how many phone calls he would have to make to set up shows? How many people he would have to talk to on an hourly basis just to maintain enough relationships to push his albums? Do people really understand that it is *IMPOSSIBLE* for someone of Jay/Kanye's status to put out an album & push it like an album?

It's not so much the money that is the problem... it's the groundwork it takes to actually push an album that a lot of people never get to see. These artists don't have time to do everything themselves, it's not possible... they're too big for an Indie push...

Cats really think all you have to do is upload songs to Datpiff & shyt happens...

It exposes the fact though that many of these 'hustling' ass rappers aren't really business execs.. they just do cross promotion deals on someone else's real business (Ciroc, Vitamin water)

It'll take a real business minded long term thinker to build a side alternative to the label system for major artists

 

[boskey]

I think it's simple, they don't want to play with their own money, the way many business people raise investments instead of putting up their own money for a new venture

That used to be a valid excuse but not anymore. Distribution is free on the internet. And with the amount of young artists getting famous on the internet, marketing is much cheaper than it used to be too...

The problem (if you consider it a problem) is with Jay, Kanye, 50...every famous artist. They are products of the system so why would they want to change it; thats what got them rich in the first place?

Artists usually don't start thinking outside of the box until theyre washed up. Thats when you hear about how their label is shady or how somebody stole from them. But by then its too late cuz their considered "bitter" or broke. But when theyre hot and actually have leverage its all

Thats human nature. When you have millions rolling in how can anyone say " lets switch it up"? Probably the only person who made a bold move while they still had some clout was Prince...

 

[zerozero]

Artists usually don't start thinking outside of the box until theyre washed up. Thats when you hear about how their label is shady or how somebody stole from them. But by then its too late cuz their considered "bitter" or broke. But when theyre hot and actually have leverage its all

yeah.. that's why I said it also exposes the hustlers as not really being hustlers.. like if you look at the tech world, cats who were early founders of facebook & twitter have already left and already are doing other startups and sites.. whereas someone like LL Cool J stayed on Def Jam till the very end. They're just entertainers/performers in the end. There's a lack of real business minded people like Chris Lighty & Steve Stoute in hip hop

 

[boskey]

Good Thread...

They would pretty much have to pay everybody to do things a label would have to do anyway so why not just be on a label? You know how many phone calls he would have to make to set up shows? How many people he would have to talk to on an hourly basis just to maintain enough relationships to push his albums? Do people really understand that it is *IMPOSSIBLE* for someone of Jay/Kanye's status to put out an album & push it like an album?

It's not so much the money that is the problem... it's the groundwork it takes to actually push an album that a lot of people never get to see. These artists don't have time to do everything themselves, it's not possible... they're too big for an Indie push...

Cats really think all you have to do is upload songs to Datpiff & shyt happens...

This whole post is a massive exaggeration, we're talking about selling music not sending rockets to Mars. Especially when plenty of these guys have "run" their own labels for years. You think it took thousands of man-hours and complex strategy to get Big Sean's wackass album into stores?

If rappers can sell 10,000 copies from the trunk of their car. Think about what they could do with a couple dollars invested...

 

[Capitol]

You mean handling the whole operation from the music, to studio, pressing, and all that?

 

[Wacky D]

they dont release their own stuff because they dont want to end up like suge knight, irv gotti & j.prince.

 

[boskey]

They're just entertainers/performers in the end. There's a lack of real business minded people like Chris Lighty & Steve Stoute in hip hop

Yup. Probably by design. I've said it

Thats part of the reason the quality in the music fell of too. Artist have to try to be marketable now. But in the past artist could be just artists, it was up to somebody else to figure out how to sell it, whether it was a manager like Puff or Russell Simmons or an A&R at a label like Irv Gotti...

 

[YBE]

Good Thread...

They would pretty much have to pay everybody to do things a label would have to do anyway so why not just be on a label? You know how many phone calls he would have to make to set up shows? How many people he would have to talk to on an hourly basis just to maintain enough relationships to push his albums? Do people really understand that it is *IMPOSSIBLE* for someone of Jay/Kanye's status to put out an album & push it like an album?

It's not so much the money that is the problem... it's the groundwork it takes to actually push an album that a lot of people never get to see. These artists don't have time to do everything themselves, it's not possible... they're too big for an Indie push...

Cats really think all you have to do is upload songs to Datpiff & shyt happens...

You dont got to school us on comparative advantage or economies of scale. We get it. I'm saying, anyone of the cats I named have enough money to hire whoever they need to get shyt done & focus solely on the creative side. It might cost more because you dont have the same synergies labels do but, if its successful, you'll be taking home more. We're not talking about building Def Jam here. Just one artist releasing his own project. You dont need all the overhead a label requires because you not releasing 20 records a year. You're team can be nimble. In fact, most of these "rap labels" today already handle most of these things you stated, just not distribution. I say fukk the labels & figure out how to distribute too. Like for real, what's a mil to Kanye to do his own shyt?




From my interpretation, the way label deals are set up, nikkas front you 300k-1.5M to do the record & give you points on it. Your record comes out & sells whatever amount. That 300k-1.5M advance doesn't get paid back from the total revenue of your album, which would make sense It's coming from the tiny percentage points (royalties) awarded to you To put it on the most basic of levels, 90% of the revenue will go to the label, as mostly profit & 10% to artist but, before the artist sees a dime, all the expenses incurred (advance/budget) gets debited from that 10% first Why can't the labels bill the expenses from their end? Nope. They're taking those large margins, covering their bloated overhead, giving out huge executive salaries & nice div payouts to their boys Eating good off your record, then turning around & telling you that you owe



Now they want 360 deals too?

 

[Wacky D]

not to burst any bubbles but niccas is wasting they time in here debating about numbers.

its deeper than rap.

 

[YBE]

not to burst any bubbles but niccas is wasting they time in here debating about numbers.

its deeper than rap.

I do agree about that.

 

[zerozero]

not to burst any bubbles but niccas is wasting they time in here debating about numbers.

its deeper than rap.

maybe suge, irv gotti and j prince shouldn't have had the criminal ties in the first place? It's hard for me to believe this conspiracy theory when these guys already set themselves up for a fall

 

[boskey]

You dont got to school us on comparative advantage or economies of scale. We get it. I'm saying, anyone of the cats I named have enough money to hire whoever they need to get shyt done & focus solely on the creative side. It might cost more because you dont have the same synergies labels do but, if its successful, you'll be taking home more. We're not talking about building Def Jam here. Just one artist releasing his own project. You dont need all the overhead a label requires because you not releasing 20 records a year. You're team can be nimble. In fact, most of these "rap labels" today already handle most of these things you stated, just not distribution. I say fukk the labels & figure out how to distribute too. Like for real, what's a mil to Kanye to do his own shyt?




From my interpretation, the way label deals are set up, nikkas front you 300k-1.5M to do the record & give you points on it. Your record comes out & sells whatever amount. That 300k-1.5M advance doesn't get paid back from the total revenue of your album, which would make sense It's coming from the tiny percentage points (royalties) awarded to you To put it on the most basic of levels, 90% of the revenue will go to the label, as mostly profit & 10% to artist but, before the artist sees a dime, all the expenses incurred (advance/budget) gets debited from that 10% first Why can't the labels bill the expenses from their end? Nope. They're taking those large margins, covering their bloated overhead, giving out huge executive salaries & nice div payouts to their boys Eating good off your record, then turning around & telling you that you owe



Now they want 360 deals too?

Wait artists have to recoup an advance from their royalties? . Never thought of that but it makes perfect sense.

Otherwise nikkas like Styles P could sell 30,000 and still . But we know that isn't happening...

 

[Wacky D]

zero zero, obviously, theyre gonna get you one way or the other.

lol @ trying to defend this chit.