Joni Mitchell did a radio interview on the CBC in Canada quite a few years ago and I never forgot what she said, " Everybody knows the music business is run by crooks. At least in the old days, the crooks liked music" What a memorable quote.

@JohnnyArtPavlou

2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant!

@sanfernvalley619

2 жыл бұрын

Tragically true

@IggyWhite

2 жыл бұрын

The same Joni Mitchell who's against free speech and who pulled her music from Spotify over Joe Rogan "controversy"? Irony is obviously lost on her.

@zxbc1

2 жыл бұрын

@@IggyWhite How is protesting against what she perceives to be dangerous speech to society "against free speech"? Are the people protesting against Netflix's Cuties also against free speech? Are people asking ISIS propaganda to be removed from social media also against free speech? Surely if speech is absolutely free you ought to allow ALL speech, not just speech you like? People blow it out of proportion in the most silly ways. Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences. If you produce harmful or hateful speech, expect societal backlash including boycott and protests. That's not against free speech at all. That's just society working as intended.

@justaguy2365

2 жыл бұрын

@@IggyWhite The same bad ass lady.

Rick sits in the sweet spot between a massive first-hand knowledge of everything music for the past 40+yrs and a deep understanding of how newest technologies affect the industry. This man is a rare kin and most people don't realise.

@fenatic7484

2 жыл бұрын

None better said!

@TinaReggie

2 жыл бұрын

So true.

@DavidLazarus

2 жыл бұрын

Rick is phenomenal! I'd have bought his bundles and such ages ago if I wasn't in such financial distress. I love Rick's channel! I mention his name to people a lot! I also try to promote him on other channels when appropriate.

@cajunlightning

2 жыл бұрын

That's what is so great ... He knows all the bullshit going on in the music busy from yesterday and today.

@notbraindead7298

2 жыл бұрын

Rick is addicted. No matter how shitty the music business is, Rick loves music. The musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers, etc., etc., etc.. Rick lives in the music world.

It's really ironic. She actually did what the label asked for: She created a viral moment on TikTok.

@KM_1983

Жыл бұрын

Was that her plan in the first place is the question…. Or is it pure irony?

I am an independent artist and my husband is my Manager, Recording Engineer, Mastering Engineer (we produce my work together as a team) and we LOVE your rants about the music industry! We find your insights and critiques of the music industry incredibly valuable. Keep the videos coming!

As Hunter Thompson once said: "The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."

@tmackie1694

2 жыл бұрын

Yep.

@ikesweat8749

2 жыл бұрын

And Martin Mull said, "writing about music is like dancing about architecture. "

@Naksuu

2 жыл бұрын

@@ikesweat8749 He also meant it for critics..

@AirQuotes

2 жыл бұрын

Damn that man had such wit

@ikesweat8749

2 жыл бұрын

He was wise but he did test drive most of the psychedelic vehicles he happened to seek out. And he was an avid seeker. But don't quote me on that-just the wisdom remark. Okay, bye!

Like Frank Zappa said: "Learn how to publish and then create your own publishing company for your own music"

@Snarkapotamus

2 жыл бұрын

And that's the entire key to this mess...you should always self-publish!

@lonewolffullmoon

2 жыл бұрын

In the beginning Prince made that mistake

@MaddesG1

2 жыл бұрын

Periphery did this.

@felipepestana

2 жыл бұрын

@@lonewolffullmoon mistake?

@FloydYESterZep

2 жыл бұрын

Id love to hear Franks take on the industry today. Maybe we could have had "Return to Joe's Garage: Parasites and Viruses"

The music industry's equivalent of self checkout.

@Bomber411

2 жыл бұрын

Most underrated comment 👏 👏 👏

As a guy with over 3 million followers on tiktok it never ceases to amaze me how often record labels will contact me offering to pay me to include music in my videos. In many cases they are offering obscene amounts of money to video creators on the platform to get them to do what they want

@ZackAngelMusic

5 ай бұрын

Coming back to this video after having to make all this content he's talking about... The decentralization of music is a huge problem. Musicians and artist should be focusing on making some of the best music of these times. Todays music is extremely lacking in substance especially mainstream, which is what most people are going to end up hearing

The more time goes by, the more Prince was correct about all of this.

@FuriousGeorge_

2 жыл бұрын

What did prince say about this?

@garethfairclough8715

2 жыл бұрын

Andy Partridge and XTC said it way before.

@richardshoults1047

2 жыл бұрын

@@FuriousGeorge_ George-this is taken from a NYT article about the Prince rebellion from Warner Music. “The music, for me, doesn’t come on a schedule,” Prince told The New York Times in 1996. “The main idea is not supposed to be, ‘How many different ways can we sell it?’ That’s so far away from the true spirit of what music is.” The whole documentary is brilliant but it just talks about the artists retaining control. Granted Prince had the money and power to act in ways Halsey may not be able to.

@c.a.d.w.a5573

2 жыл бұрын

Also George micheal

@UncleKennysPlace

2 жыл бұрын

@@FuriousGeorge_ It's the raison d'être for the name change.

John Mayer's last record went through the same hostage situation and got delayed several times, and now he's left Columbia Records. It is ridiculous that proven artists have to undergo these situations.

@jarecl

2 жыл бұрын

Unbelievable. How could they do that to him when he made great music for their label for 20 YEARS?

@JasonSmith-os2wm

2 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, cause “what have you done for me lately?” Same if you’ve ever been in a commission sales job. Alas.

@FreakingOutWithBillyHume

2 жыл бұрын

It's crazy how many times this sort of thing happens.

@andrewcgs

2 жыл бұрын

It's ridiculous that ANY artist have to undergo this. But it is INSANE that even proven artists have to suffer the same fate!

@memopinzon

2 жыл бұрын

I immediately thought of Mayer when I saw this video's title. He didn't want to do disingenuous Tiktoks and was quite pissed.

Rick, you are the man! 👑

In the '60s I was a drummer for a Chicago group called The Cryan' Shames. The band had three albums on Columbia Records. If I do say so myself, the albums were pretty good and we were a great live band. I played on the 3rd (last) record called "Synthesis". The reason some (or many) of you may not have heard about us is twofold. One, the A&R man at the time was Mitch Miller (of TV fame) who hated rock music. and I mean really hated it. Two, the label had Simon and Garfunkel, Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan, to name but a few, and had built in sales from all of them, so they had no reason to spend money promoting us, although we did do a lot of visits to radio and TV stations. This was a time when every band and their uncles were getting signed by major labels and I'm guessing 90% were ignored by the big labels. This kind of stuff was the reason indy labels sprang up as artists were tired of getting screwed by the big labels. Of course some of the indy labels became big and the cycle began anew. The music business has always been designed to make money for the labels and publishers and not the artists. It's the same now with the streaming services. An artist can have millions of plays and still make basically nothing. The only real way to make money is through live gigs and even that is hard to do, given the elaborate stage shows audiences seem to expect these days and the club owners not wanting to pay. I have a friend whose band was hired to play at a local club and were fired after the first set for the ridicules reason that they weren't selling drinks at the bar. When did it become the responsibility of the talent to do the club owners job? Do they fire the bartenders or the wait staff if no one is buying drinks?

@freefallin6871

2 жыл бұрын

That's some great incite Al, and I don't think anyone can truly understand unless they're in the machinery. Labels have always engaged in exploitation, extortion and malfeasance. There's a new challenge these days simply due to the nature of music itself. Decades ago, many genres were commercially viable and marketed heavily, but what have you now? Many producers don't even need musicians- that concept alone is anathema to me. Supporting musicians now may have to be a grassroots thing. Cheers!

@michaelrochester48

2 жыл бұрын

You’re a big hit was “Sugar and spice” that hit the billboard top 50. Great song

@michaelrochester48

2 жыл бұрын

Mitch Miller was from Rochester NY like Rick!

@billsanderson1442

2 жыл бұрын

Many years back the Scottish folk-rock band Capercaillie played in my home town. The first set was supposed to go at 9pm but the bar owners pushed back the start time until they had sold enough booze. So the set started at 1030 to a very disgruntled crowd. Capercaillie told them the reason why there was a late start and they were never invited back.

@violetssm

2 жыл бұрын

All the Mega bands and most of our faves from that era got taken advantage of AND stolen from, by bottomfeeder 'suits' that claimed to be responsible for getting them to the TOP. You have a lot to be proud of. And you didn't suffer the Heartache and anger that some of those really resilient bands did.... must be some constellation in hindsight? And You and Your mates and Family know how big you were / are... most of those got lost along the way by our Rock hero's too. Well done musical man.

Rick, I would appreciate it if you would do an in-depth video about why an artist should want a record contract these days or why they shouldn't. What exactly does the record companies do for an artist anymore in this world of internet distribution services, social media and streaming? What's the benefit? And is it still worth it?

@FreakingOutWithBillyHume

2 жыл бұрын

I'd like to see that too. Rick definitely knows a lot about labels and how they work - or don't work. Rick, you should tell the story about when you were signed to a certain label, they were dragging their feet and avoiding your band and then you met up with some of the top guys from the label at a showcase of a band you had produced.

@johnfoster7823

2 жыл бұрын

I would also like to see that.

@goneflyin

2 жыл бұрын

Amen to that. At this point, what does a contract bring to an artist? Maybe it’s also time for someone - Rick, or any big artist who has learned the hard way - to do some public education. Some guides for “So you can make good music - now what?” Teach new musicians of today a better way. Teach them how to avoid the music business pitfalls entirely. There’s just gotta be a way…

@chicomp

2 жыл бұрын

David Byrne wrote an article a couple of years ago (i think It was on Wired) analyzing this subject, Very interesting. would love to read an update of that article today, with social media added in that analysis

@ramspencer5492

2 жыл бұрын

In theory, to be promoted in order to reach a large audience.... In practice, maybe not.... It's gross

The industry is a massive scam. I learned the hard way. I managed to get a distribution deal through one of the majors who I will not name. They did absolutely nothing. It was incumbent upon me to do all the promotion, marketing etc and all costs incurred came directly out of my pocket. Yet I had to pay them a percentage of my sales. The only work they did was the physical distribution of the cd to retail stores. I fare much better financially as an autonomous indie without major distribution. In a lot of respects, the internet emancipated artists. That is, until Apple and Spotify (to name a few) gamed the system...

@kristopherloviska9042

2 жыл бұрын

And did we tell you the name of the game boy? We call it riding the gravy train.

@marialuciagubolin7964

2 жыл бұрын

I've been thinking about this a lot lately: What if the music industry is killing the music industry? I thought this when I realized that Tom Jobin's Wave and Fly me to the Moon were basically the same song. AND THAT'S FUCKING FINE. Copyright is killing the music industry. The music industry is killing itself.

@ChrisCorrigan

2 жыл бұрын

@@marialuciagubolin7964 Technology And financial companies turn everything into technology or financial plays. As a result, art, public services like transportation, hospitality, real estate and yes, music, have all been destroyed as industries in their own right in favour of the business models of tech and finance...eyeballs and assets. That's it.

@Chris_Stanley007

2 жыл бұрын

@@ChrisCorrigan definitely bleeds into and takes over everything these days.

@hauntluma5380

2 жыл бұрын

@@ChrisCorrigan Well said!

we're in the age of the independent producers. Just use these platforms yourself to promote your music. That's all a label would do anyway. Labels used to put big money behind marketing artists. The trade off was that the label would put millions of dollars into marketing and operating an artist in exchange for owning everything the artist produces. Now they put the pressure all on the artists and sit back and wait. It's an absolute bargain for the record company. This will change though. Stuff like this collapses eventually.

@MemphiStig

2 жыл бұрын

you're right. no one needs the labels anymore. no one needs a&r people or distributors. you can do more for yourself now, more easily, cheaply, and honestly than any label would ever do. the music industry is obsolete. all they want is the money *you* earn and the rights to all your work. so eff em. do it yourself.

@jasonjon

2 жыл бұрын

“collapses eventually” … it’s been this way since the beginning and doesn’t change. if its profitable, it grows. which it is and has

@MyRealityIsProof

2 жыл бұрын

@@jasonjon The internet has changed the game.

@alternativeharvey7

2 жыл бұрын

@@javiceres good point

I remember reading an interview with John Meloncamp a long time ago, when he first got signed he went to the record company offices to meet the executives, he was under the impression that it would be a lot of guys like him - young, music loving cool people, was shocked to find out it was a bunch of old guys wearing suits. I always thought that was funny.

@eyeheartsushi2212

2 жыл бұрын

LOL yup. I think he vented about it on his song Pop Singer.

@mrz80

2 жыл бұрын

The band is just fantastic that is really what I think Oh by the way, which one's Pink?

@bojangles6444

2 жыл бұрын

I met his original drummer Kenny Aronoff. Went to music school gave up a symphony job to play in that band. Really nice guy.

@NJGuy1973

2 жыл бұрын

Frank Zappa said that the music business was better when it was run by old guys in suits who chewed cigars. The old guys didn't know about rock 'n roll, and didn't claim to. They just told the artists, "Do whatever will make money." And they did. Now the industry is run by people who think they know more than the artists.

@bojangles6444

2 жыл бұрын

@@NJGuy1973 dude I dunno what it’s run by. They are playing the same rock music as 20 years ago. The pop stuff my younger gf listens to is so bad she gets mad at me for telling her the truth about it lol. The kids who are 20-35 have no stage presence, no personality. So we are stuck with old farts until someone better shows up. God help us.

This is NOT a rant. This is intelligent commentary on a most awful yet omnipresent danger for any musician/artist of any sort.

@jussitikkuri6991

2 жыл бұрын

True ... A rant is what my wife does to me when it takes me 4X longer to mow the lawn behind the garage than it actually should "If I were actually mowing the grass " behind the garage instead of firing up some grass behind the garage . Now that it's legal to recreationally "fire up the grass" behind the garage the platform she bullies me from is getting exponentially smaller and smaller as do her "RANTS" . Free America

@SpotDeezNutz

2 жыл бұрын

Any human really. Social media is a scourge of the earth.

All major artists should just go independent as soon as their record contracts leap out and build their own teams through self music distribution. It's the future and what makes sense.

@hobojoe9717

2 жыл бұрын

Yep. At that point if the only marketing their songs require is to make TikToks, they might as well just cut the record companies out and keep all the profit.

@onlyoneofhiskind

2 жыл бұрын

@@hobojoe9717 If their songs need a marketing maybe they should write better songs in a first place.

@MaidenOfMusic

2 жыл бұрын

​@@onlyoneofhiskind 60,000 songs are uploaded to Spotify every single day; it'll be very difficult to make your song go viral organically, no matter how good it is.

@hobojoe9717

2 жыл бұрын

@@onlyoneofhiskind I responded to this but apparently my comment was deleted 🙄 even though I basically just said what the person above me said. The music industry is very saturated due to the easier accessibility to DAWs and the variety of services/apps where people can upload their music. If you think that it’s as simple as “make good music and you will get noticed,” you are obviously completely naive/ignorant on how the music industry works.

@onlyoneofhiskind

2 жыл бұрын

@@MaidenOfMusic The point is to build your fan base and develop yourself as an artist not a product.

I feel for you Halsey! Halsey has a friend in Rick Beato, and I loved this take on this current state of the music business and social media.

Rick..." I make shows about people and music I find interesting" YES! and THANK YOU Rick! I have learned so much about music from you. Your Rant was on target and well said.

@mrz80

2 жыл бұрын

Your enthusiasm is sometimes frightening in its intensity. :D We will never NOT watch your stuff! :D

I love how passionate you are about showing the bullshit that occurs in the music industry. Really reveals that you are a good soul

I don't use TikTok. I don't need to be entertained by TikTok.

This rings true with me. I've recently completed my debut solo album, a Dream fulfilled. I hired an A&R company for promotion and marketing, a 10 week campaign, but I've found them to be seemingly businesslike, unimaginative and lacking any real passion, even though they approached me. I do what marketing I can through social media. However, I'm happy just to be creating, and whatever will be will be, at least I have a legacy now. Keep up the fantastic work, I'm building to buying your books, so I actually understand what I write by ear 😂😂 Cheers Harro 😁🤘

You are a light . Your enthusiasm for many areas of music is a blessing to us wanting to be enlightened

You’re a gem Rick. It’s really cool to see an industry veteran calling the new ways artists are getting screwed so the audience can see what’s really happening. 👍

@ericsartanahorner

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly. Being a newer artist these days is frustrating. Most musicians are terrible at self promo. Labels def need to step up... This whole algorithm system is horrible and flawed, too...

Well, she created a viral moment now. Time to release the song. I loved _If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power_ and I am interested in hearing what she might have in store.

@danielhoulemarde

2 жыл бұрын

@@CraigScottFrost What if all of this....was the actual PLAN. Maybe the whole thing is a effectively a false flag marketing operation orchestrated by Halsey and the label. if that's the case then it's Mission Complete.

@scottfauber

2 жыл бұрын

Isn’t Halsey doing exactly what her label asked her to and aren’t we all falling for it?

@GodParticleZero

2 жыл бұрын

Almost like it was the plan all along and the "drama" was manufactured for clicks just like that tiktok song he mentioned

@musicbro8225

2 жыл бұрын

I think you have it there, just like that phony slap from Will Smith on Chris Rock. And now I think back looking at her sad face from this perspective and I feel contempt welling up... It's a sad world... No one and I mean NO ONE has any integrity anymore.

@Thesportsmusicgod

2 жыл бұрын

Agreed

This is sad for me, I want to make it with me and my band, but the game is always changing and I can't predict ways to get around it. Great video, very informational.

@jasehadleymusic9245

2 жыл бұрын

@@profvonshredder2563 At the cost of my dignity... it might work 😂

"You know so much of the music we here today is preprogrammed electronic disco. You never get a chance to hear master bluesmen practicing their craft anymore. By the year 2006 the music known today as the blues will exist only in the classical records department in your local public library." Holds true today.

Record labels are doing everything to assure their own demise. For decades they’ve unwittingly been encouraging artists to come up with ways to make them redundant. We’re almost there!

@jasonjon

2 жыл бұрын

pure delusion. theyve created a highly profitable system that benefits everyone, including the artist. look at the background of halseys videos… shes rich and famous. she’s just not allowed to do whatever she wants which no artist enjoys. but thats how any money-making job goes

@PatrickJWenzel

2 жыл бұрын

@@jasonjon You’ve got your opinion, and I’ve got mine.

So Halsy made a TikTok that has everyone talking about her new release... Brilliantly done.

@tonyevans9999

2 жыл бұрын

kinda part of the problem right there, isn't it?

@tonyevans9999

2 жыл бұрын

@@HeadbangoO yes, she's trapped

Literally my favorite KZread channel. Every single video is so engaging and good. Keep ‘em coming Rick- I love your content !

I'm reminded of the time the station manager of WKRP, Big Guy, found a record that a promoter had dropped off for Johnny Fever. Big Guy thought the package of white powder in the record sleeve was foot powder so he dusted it in his shoe to clear up a foot condition he had. His foot became numb and Johnny had to admit that it was a cocaine bribe intended to get him to play the record. Big Guy sat down and lifted his numb foot up with both hands and started banging it on the desk shouting "I've got a monkey on my foot." Promoting records is different and cheaper now.

Back in the early 2000s, one of the bands I played in had some minor label interest. The contract we initially saw was basically an R&D contract- we were to basically self-fund everything, the label got a cut, and they also got a say in our look, sound, and songwriting. It was a pretty shitty contract. We consulted a local entertainment lawyer that pretty much confirmed how shitty it was, and they recommended we not pursue any negotiations with that label. It was an eye-opening and educational experience. We already were pretty wary of contracts and deals, as our first CD was self-recorded and funded, we had our "look" pretty well set, and we were getting a following. Sad to see that record companies have become even cheaper, and seem to only be interested in the money, not the artists. Short-term thinking gives us what he have today on the radio airwaves...

@nerdcave0

2 жыл бұрын

> entertainment lawyer that pretty much confirmed how shitty it was, and they recommended we not pursue any negotiations with that label. This is a really good point because that kind of deal tells you it would really suck working with these people, even if you could negotiate better terms. Good will goes such a long way in telling you how people and businesses operate.

@willybones3890

2 жыл бұрын

Problem lies in the relationships between the radio stations or media companies and the labels. They control what does and doesn't get exposure.

Rick. Love the nitty gritty inside perspective you have on the music biz and REALLY appreciate you sharing it with us. I AM PROUDLY SUBSCRIBED! Keep doing what you're doing!

Hi Ric, I am completely on board- what is interesting to you is totally interesting to me because you are a Music Educator that has no Bounds to what is important to share. BTW- I love the John Dowland and Bach videos and Jazz is so important, if a person can't appreciate Jazz then they lack a understanding of the history of the last century of very important music! Please keep them all coming

Keep the Jazz videos coming, some of us love them!

Honestly, it's sad at this point. It's been happening for ages, but it's worse than ever. I dreamed about being signed when I was younger but nowadays I would much rather take it more slowly, build my KZread channel and other social media pages, build a dedicated fan base and have something Mary Spender has. Her songs are completely hers, nobody has to tell her to change anything or to prove they will go viral. Heck, she build a great fan base and now her original songs sometimes do better than covers or vlogs that she does. Now that's a good way to go on about it! People can get connected to her through her videos when she's telling stories, and people who appreciate music will more likely listen to her songs knowing a bit about her personality than just listening to a random musician. Most labels are really useless nowadays.

@jana_d2264

2 жыл бұрын

This is the reason why Dears are happy that Dimash Qudaibergen is independent artist, he is his own boss. Nowdays he is more composing his own songs or he works only with composers he wants and I believe he even producing his latest songs. You know he works with composer Igor Krutoy, they work together without any contract. Anyway Dimash is too stubborn to be under record label, before first episode of singing competition The Singer, producers of the show offered him arrangement for SOS song, but he didn´t like it and argued with producers about it, he stood his ground and you know how it ended. He has his fan who try to promote him. On the other hand there is band Nightwish. Mastermind behind this band is keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen which composing at least 95% of music for Nightwish. He with his wife Johanna and Troy (also from Nightwish) created side project Auri and they wrote, produced and arranged 100% of songs. Last year they released their second album and Tuomas said, that they had absolute freedom in creating music, their record label even didn´t want to hear demo, they just said to send them finished copy of the album and they will release it. They know Tuomas is music genius (we call him metal Mozart).

@TheSeeking2know

2 жыл бұрын

@@jana_d2264 Great point on Dimash and Nightwish. So are they under a label and I guess Floors solo work is all hers?

@HofTheStage

2 жыл бұрын

@@jana_d2264 exactly!

@markblot1180

2 жыл бұрын

Same.

@dukeofearl4117

2 жыл бұрын

Mary is awesome. I love her content.

Anyone else suspect this is a marketing stunt? Trust no one... trust no two for that matter.

Thank you very much for all your great work, Rick!! People like you really make the Internet and the world a better place! I wish you all the best!!

I had the pleasure of meeting Carly Simon a while back when I worked at Nobody Beats the Wiz in NYC, only because she came in asking us permission to put up some posters and a stand marketing her album because her manager and the record company refused to do so. This is not a new problem for the artist.

Thank you for shedding light on the shady business of the music industry.

Thank you for throwing punches for the artists, Rick. Your audience respects you just as highly. You're a legend.

As a musician I couldn't think of anything worse than being told you can't release a track when you want to. At the end of the day your making music because it's something you enjoy doing, it's spontaneous, your not writing something hoping it'll be a hit, your writing something because it gives you a feeling and your excited to make the track. It might not be everyone's cup of tea but as long as you enjoy it that's what music is or at least should be about. I used to think being on a label would be a good thing for artists but now I think it's the worse thing for an artist. To be completely stripped of your creativity and everything that made you get into music in the first place sounds like an absolutely soul destroying experience.

Love you Rick. Your videos have become a necessity for me.

This is very sad, but at the same time, I'm happy that big people from the industry started to talk about this issue

@g4brielb0nfim

2 жыл бұрын

@@ryangunwitch-black Hmmm, I don't know if it is that simple, but I'm not an expert to tell the solution

@peterkelley6344

2 жыл бұрын

Have they really started talking or are they manufacturing MORE excuses to not releasing records.

@sozeytozey

2 жыл бұрын

Halsey isn't big, that's why she's talking out. Day by day she has less to lose and more to gain through pulling something like this.

@sozeytozey

2 жыл бұрын

@@ryangunwitch-black If that's where the audience is, that's where the money is. Use your head.

@g4brielb0nfim

2 жыл бұрын

@@sozeytozey Idk, 1 billion streams seems kinda big to me. But I do agree with your point

That is what record labels do. They sell music as if it was a product. It doesn't matter how bad the music is, they'll make it a hit because they have the power to do it and people will listen to that because they don't decide what music they like, the record labels decide for them. They just mindlessly listen to whatever you play for them on the radio.

@tubester4567

2 жыл бұрын

I seriously doubt she has sold 160 million records,

Your content is always interesting Rick, keep up the terrific work. Cheers from Oz.

Her last album she made with Trent Reznor was dope. Especially Bells in Santa Fe

@MK2396E

2 жыл бұрын

Trent Reznor, alongside with Jack Wall made Black Ops 2 soundtrack with Skrillex and Avenged Sevenfold.

The way the music industry is with success today feels like the way the world is with money and everything else nowadays. You can't have it unless you prove you deserve it by having it already.

Everyone watching this video should like it immediately, that way it can be recommended to even more people. I really hope that someday people will listen Rick or anyone else that is telling the truth and having the courage to criticise the terrible suituation that has been going on for the past years because of the explosion of the media

@TempleGuitars

2 жыл бұрын

Likes, dislikes, positive comments, and negative comments are all equal, in that they all amount to engagement. This is the metric that matters most to KZread, apart from watch hours. If you hate a bunch of videos and leave comments, KZread will promote more videos to you that you will hate, because you engaged.

Another great rant Rick, many of us are interested in your videos and appreciate what you believe in and have the same convictions. Truly hope that your message gets out and that we as a public can find better vehicles for our art.

I appreciate Rick’s knowledge of music, not just the intricacies of the business, but as one that truly understands the science, the art, the nuances of playing the tools. Even more, I can relate to how ecstatic he gets when a line of notes, a mood created, a heart thing attempted from an artist, which defies words, gets defined. When this outline, this guide, then allows individual sets of ears to take that journey with them as a partner - yeah, it gets you high naturally; it supersedes humanity! I dabble, I may not know much about playing, but I get it!

Wait … can Halsey’s complaining video count as her viral TikTok video? Is it creating buzz around the album? You gotta admire the ever increasing efficiency of the A&R people, who now go straight from signing an artist to stealing their money, with nothing in between to gum up the works.

@michael_r

2 жыл бұрын

It’s very Charlie Kaufman “Adaptation”.

@brownmonkeybananayellow

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly my thought. Can’t trust what we seen anymore.

@Micah_4D

2 жыл бұрын

✅

Thank you so much for addressing this Rick. Labels over the years have always taken a mile when given an inch (in this instance Tiktok & it’s algorithm). Their musicians are already overworked as it is (many underpaid too) and now they’re expected to put out viral content on top of all of this too? It’s just pure exploitation - and there needs to be regulation on the matter. Label contracts are one of the only ways to get consistent income from making music and it’s really sad.. so there’s literally no other options for musicians than this 😔

We’re definitely interested in your videos Rick. Keep them coming!!!

Rick you are an excellent teacher, scholar and gifted musician. You are a gift! Thank you!

Love what you do Rick. So eye opening. I’m neck deep in indie rock obscurity

I have honestly never heard of her.

@UroboricNate

2 жыл бұрын

Me neither, if the story is real and everyone including Rick isnt in on making this viral then i really sympathize with her, wont be checking her music out regardless though.

This is why I'm in tech and not the music biz. I love songwriting and performing, but every time I dip my toes into the biz, I am reminded what a lousy place to make a living it appears to be. And that's a bummer because music gives so much joy.

@Sam-cq9us

2 жыл бұрын

Yea it's a game at this point. who can make the record label more money me or you?

@rizamoriza9931

2 жыл бұрын

Same experience here

@Bomber411

2 жыл бұрын

Same here.

@alluringbliss4165

Жыл бұрын

wish I knew that when I went go college. Would have majored in Business instead of music.

Always love your passion Rick... fight the good fight... keep music real

Her rant technically satisfy the "viral moment" criterion and definitely makes the fans want the song ASAP. I think this was a big-brain play and both she and the label are winning from it I love it tbh, people are playing right into it because people crave controversy and being part of a protesting mob

@ThisBirdHasFlown

2 жыл бұрын

Yes

@Scottocaster6668

2 жыл бұрын

I was thinking the same thing. It's all about controversy and likes/ views.

@pemker

2 жыл бұрын

Working in marketing (not music) I have to be suspecting that this is just a next level promotion move. As long as it feels authentic it will work. After, this there will be more rants;)

@kamacazi8

2 жыл бұрын

... well yeah.. all they do is controversy marketing.. she does it all the time, this was nothing new.. I wouldn't say big brain play. It's always a complaint or a nip slip or lashing out against another artist.. all done by them.. not even the labels. Easier to promote than to focus solely on the music, don't think any 'new' artist has a balance with those nowadays.

@SeanFrayne

2 жыл бұрын

Rick, I think you just did her job for her!

Yes labels are lazy. You’ve given me another great idea on how to throw off the record label chains. As always YOU ROCK!!!

Love all your jazz interviews!

Thank you... for the *wisdom, knowledge & understanding* ... blessings to you and yours.

Reminds me of bars/venues requiring bands to buy a certain number of tickets that they could sell in order to book the place... as Rick is saying, this stuff has been going on for a long time!

Thank you Rick for your rich and worthful content!

Love your Rants Rick and your content! ; )

I worked for a Record Promoter in the 80s. (His name was Peter Svendsen). Here's how that worked; Artist records a song. Artist pays Promoter to promote the song and call all of the top radio stations in the genre of the song (it was country for our Promotor). My job was to call every single radio station, every single week, and talk to their Traffic Managers to try to get them to put the song into rotation. Once it got into rotation at said radio stations, it would start to move up each station's playlist week by week. These playlists were picked up by Billboard's Top 100 charts. As they moved up the individual radio stations lists, it would move up the Billboard Charts until hopefully we could get it to #1. It was a LOT of work every week for sometimes months on end. Things sure have changed.

@sammywirya6253

Жыл бұрын

Now this, this is an actually professional work. Tiring perhaps, but still better to me

I said back in the 90's I would not want a recording contract. I don't think the bands or producer I was working with liked that and it hindered me but it was the truth. Myself and some others really tried to help independent bands nationally in the 10's but it was so hard to get enough backing and sponsorship for our tours and award shows despite the amazing response from bands from small locals to internationally known. I am not sure where we go from here but I do know that artists need to emote and music will still be getting made. Thank goodness because we need it more than ever!

The Dutch rock band Vandenberg got a deal to tour in the US in the 80s and they got paid very well. The catch was that they had to pay for everything during the tour and in essence they did not make one dime. The record label OTOH...

@rick, your “I make videos” part is what I digged. I watch your channel, Rhett’s, and others and deliberately do not subscribe simply out of principle of the YT algs and privacy of data … however, I will subscribe to your channel, and hit the bell, tonight. You moved me sir! Keep up the amazing work.

@theeoddname

2 жыл бұрын

Ha! There’s no bell anymore 🤷‍♂️ Well, that’s how long I have been not paying attention to those calls on YT. You now have a new sub to your channel - great videos and I’ve been watching you for about two years now. Thank you. I’ve learned a great deal.

love your content Rick ... keep Rockin' it !!!

And we have tremendous respect for you RB. Keep making a difference.

This has been happening in the book/publishing business, too. Publishers have all but stopped promoting new books/authors. They expect the author to do EVERYTHING.

@ninjaturdle69

2 жыл бұрын

Woah I didn’t know this was also the case for books

Nailed it Rick!! So glad I'm doe with those guys!

Hey man. I friggin live you’re content and I am constantly spreading the good word of Beato. Love ya Brotha.

Thank goodness for Rick Beato. He's often the lone voice of truth about the way it is.

I don’t understand why they prevent artists from releasing music unless they market it themselves with social… which would require promoting work that hasn’t been released. Very confusing and ridiculous. Although I don’t listen to Halsey’s music I think the industry’s behavior is unprofessional & degrades the industry overall. Do better!

@Crowbar11115

2 жыл бұрын

They prevent it because musicians keep signing contracts that allow that. This is 100% on the artists. They are choosing that route. It's like voting. People insist on participating in the expansion of Government then act stunned when tyrants appear. Haha. If artists took all of 20 minutes to read the contract they would set it down unsigned. If people took all of 20 minutes to look at the History of Government they would do everything in their power to completely remove it from their lives. Sadly, taking a few minutes to get a grip on reality is just too much of an ask these days.

@Sharpened_Spoon

2 жыл бұрын

Answer to 99/100 questions is Money. They know they can hold her work from release and force her to make them and tiktok extra money by creating viral videos. As Rick says, they're being lazy and getting someone else to to their job by leveraging them with the contract. The Artist ultimately has to comply if they want a cent paid to them, so the sleazebag in an office can put their feet up.

@danicee

2 жыл бұрын

@@Crowbar11115 I actually work in tv and contracts for talent are pretty lengthy, sometimes can be up to 100 pages of agreement to read through and it takes months to renegotiate when they end. As for how long a contracted artist must work under a label depends on what the contract. The issue - based on my experience in the industry I work in - is that artists cannot afford to hire management or pay for legal counsel when they start out and usually don't understand terms of their contracts. But lawyers that represent the music labels deliberately make these documents long knowing that the talent won't read through it, and if they do they most likely will not understand the terms because of the language used. Artists don't have a say in the terms of a contract unless they have the savings/income to pay for legal counsel to review and propose changes. The industry thrives on ignorance, prestige and exploitation - they view artists as "investments" that only matter if they make a profit.

@Crowbar11115

2 жыл бұрын

@@danicee 100 pages is shorter than a book. Sit down and read it. End of story I'm a Voice Actor. I received a contract from a potential Agent. It was long. I read through it in full. They wanted $250 to put my headshot on their website and any gigs I booked that would require a Studio resulted in an additional 15% going to the Agent. I didn't sign the contract. Like I said...read it.

@danicee

2 жыл бұрын

​@@Crowbar11115 Agents represent their clients so if someone feels that they help get more work it could be profitable with representation despite that percentage - but agents don't always have a background in law so I try not to assume they understand every agreement. Large agencies have lawyers on staff to review contracts for them. Sometimes agents are starved for income and will push jobs on clients because they rely on those opportunities, as well. 15% is considered the industry standard for work acquired when you have an agent representing you, but if someone isn't an actor most will hire a manager or a lawyer to review agreements for them. Lawyers charge by the hour and most I have met charge $200+/hour for work. Sitting down and reading 100 pages might be doable in regards to length or time but I try not to assume that every person fully understands the language/terms of a contract. So if you feel capable of reading and understanding contracts, great. Not everyone is. I care more about changing industry standards rather than educating people on how to protect themselves because it emboldens related industries to adopt similar practices, encouraging exploitation of workers in general. It's a vicious cycle.

I appreciate what you do Rick. I feel like you do a service for younger people like me.

Ur the king, Rick!!! Thank you for all the great stuff u bring to us

I expect this antiquated "record label" bubble will burst at some point. It feels like we're reaching a critical mass with social media and music in general, and sooner or later everything is going to be turned on its head like music was in the 1990s when grunge took over but perhaps even in a more significant way. I totally could be wrong, but it REALLY does feel like that to me.

@MyRealityIsProof

2 жыл бұрын

All it takes in one artist making it big without ever signing a record deal to bring it all down.

It honestly did cross my mind when this story broke that the record label does not feel like the song is strong enough to warrant more investment, instead they are pushing for as much free organic reach as possible on TikTok to push it along for a better ROI. It’s still a crap thing to do to a top selling artist.

you are the best Rick, love your channel

Long time subscriber her. Much respect for you Rick Beato. Thank you for all you do. Happy Father’s Day.

Vertical Horizon had released 2 albums before "Everything You Want" shot them into the stratosphere. First one was in 1992, and the second one is 1995. Everything you want was 1999. 7 years and 3 albums before they became a name. Can you imagine having support for 3 albums and not getting dropped in 2022?

@rebldr67

2 жыл бұрын

Also. Promoting a rock artist or band is much more difficult today. Digital marketing transformed all businesses, and the music business still hasn't found a way to thrive. Major labels don't want to sign bands these days. They want solo artists, if for any reason they don't want to deal with people they don't know or care to know. If there is a band they want to sign, they want the person or persons who write the songs or the singer. For example, you are the singer and songwiter and you are the only name signed on the label contract. Your drummer needs to take time away to go rehab because of alcoholism. You petition the label to give money to the drummer...and the A&R folks then tell you "NO. We don't know who that guy is. That's on him!" The business is real cold.

@eyeheartsushi2212

2 жыл бұрын

@@rebldr67 Correct. The artist IS the product these days. The music is a way to sell the artist so that’s why they prefer solo artists.

I'm screaming this since years but musicians keep signing with shady labels. You said there is nothing she can do about it, well there is: don't sign with majors. Nowadays you can put your music out there with an internet connection without the need of pleasing whoever bureaucrat at the top of a marketing team. Possibilities are endless, impossible 30 years ago when disgusting things like 360 deals were a thing and signing was the only way to distribute, when the industry was just an ugly oligopoly. We still live the best time to be musicians but it is time to shake artists so they retake the ownership of their music, as it always should have been.

@MisterMunkki

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, put it out there and no one will ever listen to it... That's why people sign those deals they know are shitty

@shawnmcvey7789

2 жыл бұрын

Artists like this need a record company to hire 10 writers and 3 ghost singers.

@felipepestana

2 жыл бұрын

@@MisterMunkki it reaaaaaaally depends. You have Tame Impala, Billie Eillish or a lot of other examples of people who have great audience, contacts with famous industry people, and so on, but still maintain their catalogue and major decisions on their hands. That's the best natural way to work, major record labels tend more and more to be lazy bloodsuckers

@MaddesG1

2 жыл бұрын

The major labels give these people the major bucks.

@kodykindhart5644

2 жыл бұрын

Not

Thank you Rick Beato for the videos you make! I agree with you 100 percent!

Fantastic as always Rick!!

Thank you Rick, love your passion. You forgot to mention the artists had to pay back every penny the label put into them on top of everything else. Keep up the great content.

@mrz80

2 жыл бұрын

Take a look at some of the music that's coming out around the world and compare/contrast to the tripe that comes out of Nashville and LA nowadays. That'd be an interesting video. :D

Tik Tok has had a negative effect on literally every facet of life.

Well said Rick, really enjoy your content! Yes, I'm subscribed! Cheers to you!

Great channel ! Keep up the good work.

Goddamn it, this is so on point. We’re a young rock band from LA, and it would be comical if it wasn’t so accurate…the (mainstream) music business has become the furthest thing from fostering and promoting genuinely interesting / good music. Major record labels are a joke - we’re never going to see the next Beatles or Nirvana, bc labels right now will NEVER touch artists that refuse to conform artistically and just be who they are and do what they do!

@MrIATaylor

2 жыл бұрын

Lava records signed a 5 album deal with a band a few years back with the contract giving artistic and wardrobe control fully to the band. Plus allowing the band to continue to run their Patreon site. The band writes all their own lyrics, writes all their own songs, plays all their own instruments, storyboards all their music videos, release independent music videos on top of the official label ones, pick their own clothing, picked their album producer. Evidence of a good music deal from a US label in modern times. The band is The Warning from Mexico and they play The Troubadour in LA tonight.

2 жыл бұрын

@@MrIATaylor They did the same thing with Greta Van Fleet!! There's nothing more inspiring than seeing a band do their own thing

@TempleGuitars

2 жыл бұрын

I believe we will still see game changing artists in future. The onus of responsibility for artist development has shifted to forward-thinking producers.

@AnalogParty

2 жыл бұрын

@@TempleGuitars I agree that’s it’s also the responsibility of unsigned / indie artists in positions not unlike my own haha, to challenge themselves to delve deep and really hone their craft artistically, and put out great tunes. It’s only frustrating as a smaller artist when it feels there’s no room for the OPPORTUNITY to share that on a bigger scale. Of course, music is subjective, but I can name a bunch of bands off the top of my head that are truly amazing imo, and have such a little platform bc it’s not “sellable” by today’s very narrow / trend-based standards. Standards which are primarily based more on social media analytics, rather than any sort of musical quality

@TempleGuitars

2 жыл бұрын

@@AnalogParty I wish you the best of luck. Trends change, we can all bank on that. If you truly release quality music, your time will come.

I think the record companies (like a lot of things) will be obsolete in the near future. I do wonder what will happen to the classics that they own as I believe artists will opt for "ethically sourced" music in the future+ for example the new top companies won't license classic music anymore in which case I wonder what will happen to it. Then again if a partner company is the one that owns the music then I'm sure it will find it's way in. Maybe I'm just hopeful the consumer will eventually become educated and make more ethical (truly ethical- not a product tagline) decisions. Then again advertising is quite powerful. Great rant!

Always thoughtful , thank you

Rick, I have allot of respect for what your doing. You are surly a trained and educated musician, addressing so many important, diverse and controversial subjects. Knowledge is power, people in power can change the tides just by exposure. Information can make people think or better re-think. Bravo.

GO RICK!! Shine that floodlight of truth about the music business.

The elephant in the room: do artists really need record labels in 2022 when they aren't doing their job of promoting artists anymore? If they even drop this bs on artists like Halsey with a proven track record of success the space for new artists is getting smaller and smaller. People like Dan Vasc (currently carving his own path in the power metal genre) seem to make it work without signing contracts. Your thoughts, Rick? I think this topic is big, might even be big enough for a video series because there are people who make it work and some who couldn't make it work, would be super interesting to hear what you have to say about this.

@lukewalker3905

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly, I wonder why artists can’t just hit upload to Spotify, no middleman or anything.

@Trendyflute

2 жыл бұрын

@@lukewalker3905 Spotify is its own middleman sadly...this is one of the problems with our 21st century economy, particularly when it comes to media distribution. There are few popular platforms that are controlled by a handful of large companies that take a lot more money out of the process than they deserve. Amazon Music, iTunes, KZread; all take a cut, control outputs, bow to the legal departments of big labels, etc. Turns out trusting a handful of corporations to deliver the future for us wasn't the greatest idea.

@MrIATaylor

2 жыл бұрын

It would be an extra hundred jobs for an artist to go mainstream whilst fully independent. The business acumen, the industry smarts, the time required to invest in non music matters. This is a huge burden on an artist. Like a small business they need to be there every day all day to be successful. If the artist doesn't have the business side in their skillset then they need to pay other people to do that.

Thank you for this knowledge!

Hello Rick ! I've been watching your videos since a long time now (Writing for string video in 2016) . Just wanna say thank you for the quality of your interventions and your kindness. You represent for me what makes the Internet interesting: making the knowledge and critical view of a passionate expert accessible to everyone. See you around or in a studio dear master !