OT: record companies

[Kristian Erik Hermansen]

On Feb 4, 2008 5:23 PM, Matt Shields <mattboston at gmail.com> wrote:
> this is were the math gets complicated.  If this is a new artist (3-4
> or less albums), they are usually already in the hole from money
> prepaid upon signing, plus all sorts of costs that the labels can come
> up with.  What it comes down to is usually the first 2 albums the
> artist doesn't make very much to live off of, usually because the
> artist has sold his soul to the devil (the labels).  So the way they

One of the singers in my old band Texas Pink (Aaron Norrell) was
offered a million dollar contract when he lived in California.  He
refused to sign (due to the conditions) and I had the pleasure of
playing with him when he moved to Boston.  We played for about a year,
but everyone was so busy with their lives that it is hard to keep a
band together (as anyone who plays in bands knows).  I then moved to
California and they got a new drummer.

>From what Aaron told me, basically you owe the record company a lot of
money if your album does not sell to recoup the costs.  It's
essentially a very hefty loan!  Now, that's just crazy to owe one
million back to a record company :-)

You can see our old band, Texas Pink, at the link below  The drummer
in the video is the guy who eventually took my place when I moved to
California.  In the video, he is playing my drums, which I ended up
donating to charity when I moved (too hefty for 3000 miles!).  I am
not sure what Aaron is doing or if they are still playing out in
Boston.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=GrC1WnR8cmY

I also had the pleasure of playing guitar for Herb Plimpton in San
Francisco in The Rogue Signs.  The guy has an amazing voice, and I
think he should be on the radio.  If anyone deserves a shot at a
record contract, it is this guy.  Apparently he says the guys in the
band Tonic gave him the start to land the EP deal he got, at the link
below.  He also has some Green Day contacts in Berkley, but even this
is not enough to make it.  It seems almost an incredible battle to get
record companies to release quality music.  It seems all they are
interested in are guaranteed sales from poppy female artists with
boobs (imho).  I don't mean to be sexist here, but it seems that
breasts sell (see madonna, brit spears, spice girls, etc).  A link to
The Rogue Signs music is here.  This guy really does deserve a cut at
a full length studio album, so if anyone has contacts, please let me
know!
http://www.kristian-hermansen.com/wordpress/2007/11/12/the-rogue-signs-my-new-band/

Music has reserved a very dear place in my heart ahead of Linux, but
it is very difficult to make a living in comparison to the technology
field :-)  My brother Jon is also known to play
drums/guitar/bass/sing, so if you are looking to start a Linux geek
rawk band in Boston (highly unlikely), maybe some people could form a
jam session ... lol (remember the Mini Bosses that played at DEFCON
one year?).  Jon also enjoys teh punk, emo, and metal varieties...
-- 
Kristian Erik Hermansen
"Know something about everything and everything about something."

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