5 ms·
The system is obviously flawed, but the example is not very convincing. $85k a year to do what you love, for alot less hours than a regular job (it doesn't tak
by efsavage 16y ago
The system is obviously flawed, but the example is not very convincing. $85k a year to do what you love, for alot less hours than a regular job (it doesn't take 2000 hours to make a record), whether the record is a dud or not? That seems pretty good to me.
So give me 85k salary, a half million dollar budget to spend on production, and tell me I need to make a website of my choosing sometime within the next year, which you'll then spend potentially millions of dollars promoting. I don't have much upside in this unless it's a mega-success, but I have no downside and can choose to shoot for the stars or make something important and useful. Is it me or does this sound like a far better deal than most developers have?
Perhaps musicians should stop feeling that being able to sing or play is a golden ticket and anything that blocks them from being a member of the idle rich is the acme of economic injustice.
- gwern 16y ago> $85k a year to do what you love, for alot less hours than a regular job (it doesn't take 2000 hours to make a record), whether the record is a dud or not? If it takes that little time to make a good record, why aren't there artists or bands churning out dozens of records a year? Surely they can't all be libertine sybarites. > "It is known that Whistler when asked how long it took him to paint one of his 'nocturnes' answered: 'All of my life.'" --Jorge Luis Borges, "Gauchesque Poetry", <i>Discussion</i> (1932)
- efsavage 16y agoI'd guess that there are strongly diminishing returns on putting out albums frequently. And who said anything about good? By Borges' logic, the hibernate mapping file I just wrote took me "my whole career" to write.
- gwern 16y agoBorges then goes on to point out exactly that; but his philosophical point, as valid as it was, is not the point of interest in this discussion.
- aplusbi 16y agoRecording the album is the easy part, promoting it is a full time job.
- DougBTX 16y agoWhere did you get the $85k salary from? The article mentions $45k, which has to be paid back to the record company.
- efsavage 16y ago85k before taxes. And no, advances in the music industry are not paid back. You won't see any royalties until they've exceeded your gross advance, but so long as you've delivered the record the company won't come to you and demand repayment.
- DougBTX 16y agoWhere did you get the $85k salary from? The article mentions $45k, which has to be paid back to the record company.