Sydal - "Fuck Rap"
- Thread starter Sydal
- Start date
There was no definite "We WILL sign you if you change your shit." It was more like, "Are you willing to do A, B, and C for a record deal?" My answer was no.
You have to see it from my perspective. Rappers aren't selling like they were, labels take a huge chunk of the money, and at the end of the day you might go platinum and receive $20,000. But it's not likely, because rappers don't really go platinum anymore. The main dudes still might, but new cats just don't. So is it worth it to change who I am for less money than I'd make at a 9-5? No.
Would it be worth it to hand over most (if not all) of my songwriter rights? No. If I sold 3,000 units on iTunes and got some radio play on major or minor stations, I'd be making a lot more than I would if I sold 500,000 on a major, right?
You have to see it from my perspective. Rappers aren't selling like they were, labels take a huge chunk of the money, and at the end of the day you might go platinum and receive $20,000. But it's not likely, because rappers don't really go platinum anymore. The main dudes still might, but new cats just don't. So is it worth it to change who I am for less money than I'd make at a 9-5? No.
Would it be worth it to hand over most (if not all) of my songwriter rights? No. If I sold 3,000 units on iTunes and got some radio play on major or minor stations, I'd be making a lot more than I would if I sold 500,000 on a major, right?
What ever happened to keeping it real to your immediate family and signing away. Fuck the street shit, if the street kept your family fed then it would be understandable. I think people fail to understand that at the end of it all, it's every man for himself.
If artist like Ritchie Valenz kept it real to his Homies he never would of did shit. He chose his family over his friends & even though it's a movie, that's what everybody should live by.
I know, I know there is gonna be a rebuttal on how real it is and how one has more pride within oneself etc or whatever else used as an excuse. I don't care how it's sliced and diced it's a stupid reason not to sign. In the end, it's not about you and your pride. It's about your kids and family. Fuck the rest of the shit. And when the day comes that my kids grow and ask why I sold out, I could look them in the eyes and say, "You like how your living right? When opportunity knocks, take it! Look at it this way, you could be working a regular job pretending you love it. And taking shit from your boss, so why not do it the same shit on a higher level? It's the same shit, your living a lie and always wanting more. That's why I signed, to give you and your brothers and sisters a better life."
I call bluff on signing due to anybody in their right mind would of went for it & played Gusto for the right price.
If artist like Ritchie Valenz kept it real to his Homies he never would of did shit. He chose his family over his friends & even though it's a movie, that's what everybody should live by.
I know, I know there is gonna be a rebuttal on how real it is and how one has more pride within oneself etc or whatever else used as an excuse. I don't care how it's sliced and diced it's a stupid reason not to sign. In the end, it's not about you and your pride. It's about your kids and family. Fuck the rest of the shit. And when the day comes that my kids grow and ask why I sold out, I could look them in the eyes and say, "You like how your living right? When opportunity knocks, take it! Look at it this way, you could be working a regular job pretending you love it. And taking shit from your boss, so why not do it the same shit on a higher level? It's the same shit, your living a lie and always wanting more. That's why I signed, to give you and your brothers and sisters a better life."
I call bluff on signing due to anybody in their right mind would of went for it & played Gusto for the right price.
Did you not read my reasoning? Do the math, pimp. I make more money sitting in the same city and going to work every day...and watching the stock market. Am I going to gamble with my family's security? Absolutely not. Game is a multi-platinum artist who was on Twitter happy as shit for selling 90K. He has his own shit goin', so he's going to see more money for his records.
IF you're lucky enough to make 12% of your record sales and IF you sell a million records (not likely), you won't even make 6 figures at the end of it all. Add that to the fact that the record labels are now looking for a cut of performance revenue, own your masters, and control publishing...it's not worth it. Like I said, if I sell 3K on iTunes and get spins (even on college radio), I will be taking home a lot more money at the end of it all...and I control my masters.
Nelly made 8% off his first record...8%. After selling millions of records, I don't even think he walked with $20,000. He ended up making a lot of money because he broke through at a time when people still bought records and labels weren't diving into the artists pocket on EVERYTHING. But his breakthrough record did not pay him shit.
You sit here talking about keeping it real and this and that, but that wasn't my reasoning whatsoever. My reasoning was I will make more money at a 9-5 with benefits and 401K...which will be beneficial to my family in the future. Now if they let me have a fair share of my publishing rights (as well as master ownership), I'd reconsider.
IF you're lucky enough to make 12% of your record sales and IF you sell a million records (not likely), you won't even make 6 figures at the end of it all. Add that to the fact that the record labels are now looking for a cut of performance revenue, own your masters, and control publishing...it's not worth it. Like I said, if I sell 3K on iTunes and get spins (even on college radio), I will be taking home a lot more money at the end of it all...and I control my masters.
Nelly made 8% off his first record...8%. After selling millions of records, I don't even think he walked with $20,000. He ended up making a lot of money because he broke through at a time when people still bought records and labels weren't diving into the artists pocket on EVERYTHING. But his breakthrough record did not pay him shit.
You sit here talking about keeping it real and this and that, but that wasn't my reasoning whatsoever. My reasoning was I will make more money at a 9-5 with benefits and 401K...which will be beneficial to my family in the future. Now if they let me have a fair share of my publishing rights (as well as master ownership), I'd reconsider.
If the label really wants you bad enough they'll make an offer you can't refuse. It's not what the label can do for you, it's what YOU can do for that label.
Where do people get this delusional idea that if your sign to a popular major label your automatically tight? People still get to dreaming the 2Pac / Death Row shit, but fail to remember 2pac was truly talented & was of value to Death Row. He already had number one hits and was already a name out there when he signed to D.R.
who is saying that?
bro you are living in the past. its 2011. unless you justin bieber, lil wayne, drake, or a huge country star, you are not going to make that much money off of a major deal, period. and now these fucks are making the newer acts sign 360 deals.
if this was the early 2000's, sure, and thats even a stretch. like sydal is saying, if i'm making good money at my 9-5, with benefits, 401k, stock options, i'm not gonna give that up for a gamble of making it in the music industry. gotta think smart, not hard. we all in it for the love of music, but we also in it to make money.
bro you are living in the past. its 2011. unless you justin bieber, lil wayne, drake, or a huge country star, you are not going to make that much money off of a major deal, period. and now these fucks are making the newer acts sign 360 deals.
if this was the early 2000's, sure, and thats even a stretch. like sydal is saying, if i'm making good money at my 9-5, with benefits, 401k, stock options, i'm not gonna give that up for a gamble of making it in the music industry. gotta think smart, not hard. we all in it for the love of music, but we also in it to make money.