In a rare moment of inter-web based wackiness, I logged in to Second Life this morning and found not one, but two Scam-o-grams.The first being a second hand Scam-o-gram from a fellow performer asking everybody he or she knew to vote for her. I really have to wonder what the prize might be in this scam in order for somebody to throw their dignity in the trash can.
The second Scam-o-gram was one of those “Fill in the blank-Idol” things. The prize being inclusion in some compilation record that would bring you from Second Life, to REAL LIFE!!!!!
I've come to embrace the opinion the inter-web is both a blessing and a curse to musicians. To the intelligent well grounded artist the inter-web is a myriad of opportunities, however to the clueless dreamer sure that fame and fortune is just one lucky break away is an ocean of quick stand waiting to swallow them up.
For those of you new to the realities of the music biz, there is no such thing as the Lucky break that makes you rich and famous. Say you got discovered tomorrow and signed to a real record contract, you would have a 90% probability of never earning back your advance. Of course, and write this down if you have to, that 10% chance at success is NOT a matter of luck. It's a matter of hard work, good planing, picture perfect execution and then … luck.
It's safe to say any offer you get from a resident of Second Life to enhance your real life music career is nothing but smoke and mirrors. I'm relatively sure they mean well, but can't do well. Oddly, it seems those in Second Life operating scams are as much clueless dreamers as the people they pray upon.
Pointing fingers at those self imagined “Movers and Shakers” in the “So-called” Music scene in Second Life is pretty easy. But they are not the most exploitative scam artist on the inter-web.
One of the most heinous of exploiters would have to be “I-tunes”.
I-tunes claims to have over 750,000 independent artist listed among their Files for sale. While this may seem like a supportive move on I-tunes part, almost altruistic, it's actually quite a scam, and a really profitable scam. They actually are betting the artist listed won't ever make enough in sales to require I-tunes to cut them a check. Each MP3 aggregation has a minimum amount the artist must earn in royalties before they get paid. The vast majority never earn enough to get paid, but most do mention they have MP3s available on I-tunes.
Let say 50,000 independent artist do make enough to get paid, that leaves 700,000 that that do not get paid. Lets say those 700,000 artist make 5 sales each (Friends and relatives “Bob has a song on the I-Tunes), This means I-tunes make millions... and more to the point, keep the other millions they should have paid the artist.
The bet against the success of the independent artist and even when they lose that bet... I-tunes still gets paid. Why don't they cut a check for even one sale? Because they don't have to. People allow themselves to get ripped off so I-tunes gladly oblige them.
I started my own record company in 2004, “ColaRolla records” and since year one I've made a profit. Each month I make money selling recorded music, and do so without handing a slice of the pie to some third party leach. I have in the past sold actual CDs at Live shows, but for the last two years I've been selling nothing but MP3s and making enough money to make it worth my while.
I'm not rich, I'm not famous.
But everyday I do what I love doing and manage to keep the lights on. Compromise is not a prominent feature on my artistic landscape. I live primarily on tips and MP3 sales.
I see every so-called break as nothing more then a tool to further my ends. Every opportunity is just a step towards the goal of living a life of artistic fulfillment. I rise and fall on my ability and talent.
3 comments:
I got that same notecard today - and discarded it. There are a zillion "opportunities" like that around and even if you never sank a dollar or a linden in one you could still eat up all your TIME. For NOTHING.
But are you sure about the iTunes thing? I have digital distribution through cdbaby.com and that includes iTunes. I don't sell piles of songs via iTunes, but I do see the payments from those, even if it's a small amount.
I've not checked recently about I-tunes minimum pay out policy, so I'm not sure what the current amount is to cause them to generate a check for payment. But as far as I know (and yes I've looked around) all MP3 delivery portals have a minimum pay out amount.
CD baby's digital distribution package is 35$ per album and gets you posted to I-tunes, Amazon MP3 and Rhapsody. CD baby also operates an aggretator's license I-tunes Amazon and Rhapsody which give's them the kind of leverage that enforces a penny perfect recoupment.
However, you do pay them 35$ just to set up the account.
I don't consider CD baby a scam. They are a service and you do get what you pay for. While they do market primary to dreamers, they do provide the services offered.
Got both of those cards, round-filed both, and wasn't sure whether to laugh or be completely offended, for myself in response to the "you COULD be a RL star", and for my fellow musician's sake, bumming and begging for votes in a "competition" that's just another friend-whore scam.
What I keep coming back to is this deeply entrenched idea so many people have that every musician- on the grid and on the planet- are really all just attention whores desperate for their chance to "be a star". I can't tell you how many times a week I am forced to smile and nod while some well-intended fan assures me I should be on "Get your friends to rack up phone-votes so that YOU can be a star!" (you know the shows by name, by heart... we don't have to utter them aloud.) Most mean this simply as a compliment, and I try to be good-natured and accept them as such, but some are quite persistent, and those I am forced to repeatedly explain to: "I don't want to "Be A Star". I have been a musician in RL all my life. I have fought for the gigs, hauled the gear, failed to sleep, and partied in strange hotel rooms til I was ill. I have watched the Corporations enslave talents and bleed them dry, and I have seen them buy artists, then bury them, just to protect some other competitive interest. In SL, I play what I love. I write when I can. I know my followers by name. All of them. They know me. Most are in my friendslist. And I have privacy and my own life at the click of a button. Who could ask for more?
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