3 ms·

Not just these days - even before streaming got big. Most artists have always made pennies from sales and most of their money from tours and merch not to mentio

Not just these days - even before streaming got big. Most artists have always made pennies from sales and most of their money from tours and merch not to mention other unfavorable conditions imposed by record labels. Even the huge EDM artists and rappers make most of their money from charging 6 figures a show, not from record sales. I would argue that now is a better time than ever to be a musician given that with the internet, a record label is not strictly necessary and you can market and sell merch to a massive audience and make money with just an internet connection.

coldtea 9y ago
>Not just these days - even before streaming got big. Most artists have always made pennies from sales and most of their money from tours and merch In the last 10-15 years maybe, but up until the nineties or so, merch (even t-shirts) wasn't much a thing for most indie musicians -- except in the metal world perhaps. As for tours, they were seen as loss-leaders for album sales. Some select concerts in big cities could get money, but the expenses of touring around e.g. the US where big too, and in the end it was a bet in getting even. On the other hand, in the vinyl era, indie musicians (which had better profit-sharing deals and recorded cheaply, not spending $200,000 for farting around in the studio for 6 months) could sell 30.000 - 50.000 albums or so and be able pay the rent from that.