Did White Light Break Even?

[middle class gangster]

did it make money or what? and if it did make money, did it make more than avalanche.

 

p.s is it posible for me to change the title to did instead of was.

 

Edited to change title, as...sorta requested.

-Sparq

Edited January 25, 2005 by Sparq

[Crusader]

It got gold in Canada.

[Antipop]

It had a much less publicized release. There was nowhere near as much publicity as there was on Avalanche, which was what made people consider it a failure. Its all relative.

[Sparq]

I'd be interested to know what it costs to produce something like this...studio time, CD pressing, packaging art and fabrication, distribution...gotta assume the record company is going to pay for most of that.

[derek.]

from what i understand unless your selling millions of copies the artist isnt making their money off the record. i think touring is where they make money.

[mrs jesus]

from what i understand unless your selling millions of copies the artist isnt making their money off the record. i think touring is where they make money.

youre a smart guy, thats absolutely right

 

;)

[evan]

I'd be interested to know what it costs to produce something like this...studio time, CD pressing, packaging art and fabrication, distribution...gotta assume the record company is going to pay for most of that.

the record company (in this case, universal) fronts matt the money, he spends it making the record, and then pays it back with sales and what not.

 

last i heard, matt made around $0.25 per album (split between band members) and around $10,000 per show (plus all expenses paid for). the band members get their own seperate cheques for the shows, and also have to pay for their own food (outside the venue) and boarding (if needed). i know a girl who's friends with mark ollexson (keyboard on part of the avalanche tour) and he apparently made only $500 per show, and had to sleep on the tour bus' couch, as matt's luggage got the 5th and final bunk.

 

 

so yes, touring is better for money making, but you cant really tour without a record.

 

but you also have to keep in mind that matt makes money in royalties (whenever his songs are played for public listening, they pay a fee) and also on merchandise.

Edited January 25, 2005 by evan

[Kayriss]

The above post may have more insider info than I do, but I think there's a small difference. I play in a band and we recorded our album with a fairly experienced engineer. (He's frequently on the Juno Judges - I'm not boasting, this has nothing to do with my band in the slightest.) This guy said he attended a conferance in Vancouver where Matt spoke, and he said it was riveting. Matt said (to a room full of industry execs) that industry execs are loan sharks, only out to make money off the backs of artists and nothing else.

 

As a result, Matt self-finances all of his own records. He doesn't take money from the company, who with interest and such can make it much harder for an artist to "break even" on a record. Thats why its so difficult from an artist's point of view. By self-financing he's able to guage the true cost of making a record, and when he's made the costs back, he actually has made the money back.

 

Someome may read this and say "wow is that guy wrong, where'd he get his info" - and it is second hand. But admittedly, it sounds like something Matt would do, and my source is very respectable.

 

[edit-sp]

Edited January 25, 2005 by Kayriss

[troy]

you can make a high quality record fairly cheap these days. i think there's still a lot of factors involved in making a "good" record, like talent, but with todays tools, big budget records having to be backed by a major label is almost a thing of the past. i did a record with a band last year for roughly $10,000 and the guys at radio said it was possibly the best record to ever come out of this area. not to toot horns or anything, just saying you can make a great record for decent prices. i'm not sure of the exact break down, but i think producer fee's/recording was in the $4500 range, and mastering/duplication was around $5000 ish. the band wasn't fronted cash from any companies either and is still footing the bill on their own. and over time, all money will be re-couped from touring/cd sales, which in my experience doesn't take long. if you record on that type of budget, sell 6-800 cd's you should be in the clear. so it just kind of shows that you can, as an indie artist, make a record that can compete with the big labels and not put yourself into a massive debt hole for 20 years. but then again, this all depends on if you have the balls to give everything up and go whole hogg, because in order to do the above, nothing else can matter except making a musicaly sound cd and touring the snot out of it. anyways, i could talk all day on this shit, but i need a coffee and that takes priority right now. cheers.

-Troy-

[Anthony77]

It got gold in Canada.

it shipped gold, but that doesn't necessarily mean it scanned gold, I don't think?

[supersoakerjapan]

It probably sold gold. I remember it was the number 1 selling product at amazon.ca for a little while.

 

 

 

*shrugs*

[Anthony77]

last I saw a couple months ago it had scanned under 40 000.

[OWJeeves]

Are we talking about WLRRR or Avalanche here?

 

Avalanche shipped Gold.

 

Last I heard WLRRR had sold something in the 20-30 range. Don't remember hearing it shipped Gold.

[OWJeeves]

edit: double post.

Edited January 25, 2005 by pavan

[Anthony77]

Are we talking about WLRRR or Avalanche here?

 

Avalanche shipped Gold.

 

Last I heard WLRRR had sold something in the 20-30 range. Don't remember hearing it shipped Gold.

Avlanche sold gold too, I think. White Light shipped gold a few months ago, but I think you're right about the scans, mid to upper 30K range.

[penismightier]

How about Ryan Dahles guitar anthony? GOLD!?

 

my memory is like an elephant's

Edited January 25, 2005 by penismightier

[Anthony77]

jeez dude I sent you 2 PM's on the Metro, but the second was the day it died I suppose. I have the info at home and I'll PM you again.

 

Silly Penis.

[penismightier]

ahaha. that sounds funny

"silly penis, nuts are for squirrels"

 

on a serious note

oh fuck

on a dumb note

thanks

[Sparq]

So does Matt get paid for what the retailers buy, or what the retailers sell? Not much of a distinction, I know...but...well...might as well learn about this.

[phantomzero]

Here is the best article that I've ever came across on the music industry and "making it big".

 

The Problem With Music by Steve Albini

Posted by Steve Albini on February 06, 1998

 

"Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed. "

 

See the Whole article at

 

http://mitvma.mit.edu/~mhb/ALBINI.HTML

 

Steve Albini

 

Steve Albini outlines all of the costs and incomes for a band signing to a label.

 

Later,

 

Chad

[middle class gangster]

So does Matt get paid for what the retailers buy, or what the retailers sell? Not much of a distinction, I know...but...well...might as well learn about this.

i would imagine he gets paid for what the company buys, because CD stores and whatnot seem to hold on to CD's and wait for them to sell, that way they have more selection than if the store sent the CD's back for a refund.

[Anthony77]

artists also get royalties for songs played on the radio.

[howiepea]

Wow. That article by Steve Albini seemed horribly harsh. I know the record industry is evil and all. And in Canada its even harder to turn profits for the artist. But that article made me cry man. I truly hope things aren't that bad.

[SuperMe]

artists also get royalties for songs played on the radio.

but you also have to keep in mind that matt makes money in royalties (whenever his songs are played for public listening, they pay a fee) and also on merchandise.

 

Read the thread next time?

[Truffle Pigs]

wow,interesting stuff...... :angry: ....rock on!! ;)