The music investor

I have read about several websites that have this idea of investing into the artists music, and I have written something about it awhile ago that I have actually removed by accident. I will say it again that it’s almost like the entertainment stock market. You find a artist you like, and you put money into them hoping they can do something with it that could possible get you money as well. It’s all good until you realize the state of the industry and the fact that this artist is working on art… NOT a business. Music is a business, but most artists do not see it as such, and dissipate after awhile for steady income jobs elsewhere. Lets say you have a favorite artist and you invest a large amount, lets say $20,000. The artist goes to the studio and records a nice EP that is fully mastered, has a great marketing plan, and the album goes on iTunes and sells under 5,000 single sale copies, with a few hundred album copies. Lets say the artist we’ll call, The Electric Italiano, makes around $2-3000 in a month. Thats a good months salary and now you want your money back. You make just under a grand back with a $-19,000 mark in your checkbook.  Now what?

I have been blogging, talking about how the major industry is going to shit and indies are the future, individual artists are coming through tough times, and there is a future for music yet. I have worked out a few idea’s than and out, but now I want to do something as well. I won’t get into detail, but I would like to make a social networking site (waiting for gasps as something so revolutionary as that), but instead of joining networks, you join artists. We allow artists for a one time fee to build a full fan site with different levels and we put a price on the levels. Fans can join for free for the basic, but for different prices or “investments” they can receive benefits such such as a free concert tickets, free cd’s, free posters, tee’s, and more. This is a new idea to my head that has probably been done but I will do more research.

If a fan who enjoys an artists music so much that they purchase an album, why can’t they get to know the artist more? Know why the artist wrote each song, the background of the artist past their bio, a chance to speak to the artist such as The Electric Italiano (a combination of The Electric Fetus (a record store here), and Italiano Coffee… words that I randomly saw on the wall here), and possible a chance to meet up with other fans of the artist. I want to bring fan interaction to a whole new level but set it up as a template like a social networking site that would litterally be for networking instead of picking up underage kids by the likes of copykat michael jacksons (myspace). I will have a full blueprint that I will work on, and hope nobody takes this idea because it is only partial on what I have an idea for in the back of my head.

Remember music is a way to express your soul, and it can get to be expensive. Most fall out the game because of money problems, but those who stick it out and call music a career and not a hobby will prosper. Its a matter of patience and perseverance, for outlasting this depression in the music industry will be difficult but if we can find a way to settle differences we can do this. Music will once again be a source of enjoyment instead of stress soon. We just have to work together.
From the mind of

Keveeno Reeverts

A Blanket license to keep warm or spread disease?

There has been talk about a blanket license to cover all music everywhere. So instead of 99 cents a song it would be added to your taxes or possible your internet charges as a way to pay the labels, managers, ISP, and maybe the artists. Now I don’t know anybody like this, but maybe you do. Somebody who just does not like music, they prefer silence over something like soothing jazz like Coltrane, classical music like yo yo ma, conscious hip hop like Talib Kweli, Indie rock like White Light Riot or even nature sounds like the forest and you. I believe other countries are trying out an optional blanket license from what I read here at ars technica.

Now if they are successful we may not know for awhile, but I believe that if we payed a music tax, or something called a Creativity tax we could allow artists to be payed by the government and allow more time to the art of creating music rather than contracts and lawyers. Figure out an algorithm to add the radio plays, restaurant plays, cd sales, internet sales/ plays and pay them to the indie or major labels where they would have a new department where they figure out their percentage of the figures the government gives. Billboards top artists in plays across the board would finally mean something, rather then this artist got 1.6 million downloads with 5 thousand legit downloads. All downloads would be legit, and would all be paid out by the government by the creativity tax. I’m sure they can make it sound better, but technically this would take the majors pull that prevents breakouts of usually better artists.

The downsize is of course the tax part. Like i said before about the people who do not like music, (If you know anybody like this get them help, a psychiatrist or maybe an ear transplant) they may resist the tax. Another maajor downsize would be how much is the right amount? Take a percentage of how much you make or have a standard amount? In the website I mentioned above they have also been trying a 3 strike rule; Where if they catch you downloading illegally 3 times they sue you. This is where it gets difficult and all the benefits get thrown off the 35W bridge. How would you regulate who pays and who doesn’t? There will be people who fight the tax, fight the 3 strikes, fight the man, fight the bull, and even the artists who will fight for the excess of money that they have seen in the past.
The only way to see change is to start over. New plan and new strategy. Possible an overhaul of the whole system, and not just small changes of the body that could lead to ugly results… right Michael Jackson? I don’t have the statistics at hand to get into detail about how much this plan would either keep the artists nice and warm at night, or prevent further growth that could spread like disease. I’m just saying that it would be a great idea and help fight against what the industry part is trying to blame for the fall of music, when in reality it is jsut the fall of excess money in their laps

From the mind of

Keveeno Reeverts