Music Survey Results

TuneCore Artists and music advocates weighed in on last week's poll.  Check out what everyone had to say about copyright, the value of a record label, iTunes access, and much more...

(To view results larger, as a PDF, click here!)

What do you think about the results?

Comments

[[email protected]]

the music industry is there to pimp artist or potential artist....while only -5 % of artist actually get a chance....the rest of us must constantly be hustled and pimped and soliscited by every vendor manufacturer ..or fame merchants....

[bdrhythm]

So true! And only select artists are allowed in the arena any more. The record companies have been sunk, but along with it is "music for sale". I've gotten a number of requests from people as to the status of my music with the question, "Is it free?". I usually send no response (what's the point, really). For the few times I have responded "No, it's not free," I received back no comment and, of course, no sale. If this is going to be a free market system then quality artists must somehow be paid. I only have one tried and true venue to sell my cds and that's at my concerts. The internet has NOT proved to be any better than the record companies--with torrents, now it's even worse.

[lisa]

Here a crack there a crack everywhere a crack crack... Between the pre-teen hackers overseas and in the states, the free flood gates will drown us all. Years ago I was asked to join a company's songwriting team. Upon arrival I noticed these packages faced down in front of the seats. What it basically wanted us to do was give up all publishing rights, royalties, any type of credit etc. because your name wouldn't be included as the creator. The nerve!! No one could understand why I refused to sign it. All I could see was me saying "I wrote that song" and hearing "yeah, yeah there she goes again".

[paul]

The survey results is the worst display of information I have seen on the internet in a long time. Its too small to read and then you click on number 8 and you can't get it. the page won't scroll.
Otherwise... in general if your music is a hit it will rise through the trash. If it is crappy music you can get it to float on tons of money pumping it to the top.
I would rather make a thousand playing to 10 people any day. If I played lousy music to 20,000 people... I wouldn't pay a thousand bucks for that bit of "glory" if you call it that. Glory of boring 20,000 people. Its better to go work on your music and if you ever get there... the music will rise on its own.

I have a bad habit of dumping rough drafts on youtube .. but some of them are ok. They don't get noticed, but i have to figure out ways to prime the pump.

[TuneCore]

Hey - we posted a PDF version (link above the current results) that should be a little easier to read.

Sorry about that!

[primo]

PDF wouldn't load for me.

[Dre Malik]

I'd play to 10 people who are loyal and appreciate my art than 20,000 people who are maybe 50% into the set. I have to overcome some issues I have with this new model of internet sacrifice of good to potentially great music. Giving away free music is only good for the fan never the artist.

[JORGE BARREIRO]

Musicians should get used to accept that recorded music is no longer a business. Sooner o later it'll be like that, no mater what they could technically or legally do to stop it.
The gates are open and butterflies are free,
We should use the recordings as a marketing, advertising, teasing, hooking or rewards for fans and expect to make money in other ways. Just wait and see...

[JORGE BARREIRO]

Musicians should get used to accept that recorded music is no longer a business. Sooner o later it'll be like that, no mater what they could technically or legally do to stop it.
The gates are open and butterflies are free,
We should use the recordings as a marketing, advertising, teasing, hooking or rewards for fans and expect to make money in other ways. Just wait and see...

[Papanate]

Weird in-conclusive results. A lot of skips too.
In it's own way this 'survey' defines what's happened in the business of music. Everyone is lost without the kings on top directing traffic - so as much as everyone dislikes record companies most don't seem competent enough to manage their careers or music.

The weirdest results:

10 people = $5000 versus 20,000 people and losing $1000. If you didn't pick the $5K go learn to flip burgers right now before you are too old to do so.

Second weirdest skewed results:

'Other' as a music finding choice???? Sorry but that is nonsensical. There are only about 8 practical music
finding sources...list them and stop pussyfooting around with responses that tell us nothing.

[Pepe]

The questions are slanted on some of this poll to achieve a certain answer. But I find also that by studying the answers, you will notice that the majority of the people answering these questions would be 15 to 25 years of age. Having never recorded anything in a real recording studio and more than likely never having performed for a crowd of more than 25 people. In other words, the same ones that helped the demise of the industry by stealing, copying, and distributing copyrighted material that belonged to someone else.

The stage is set for people with lots of the money to be the only "stars" that today's market will see. It is not just the fault of downloads and file sharing but also recording equipment manufacturers taking advantage of people more-so than anyone else. They want you to think you can buy a $200 recorder and make a hit song in your bedroom. It can't be done in your basement either people. Look at ebay. Ebay is full of people that buy this junk hoping to make their hit record. They never finish even one song. Even the manuals for this equipment are made so that you never get the hang of it. You learn to do just enough to go out and buy more gear, and more gear and more gear but you never get to the end of the yellow brick road. It was said the cream rises to the top and the good music will shine through.... the key words are "good music".

Good music is made by a musician. Crappy music most times is made by an "artist". It's art man, how can it be wrong? Watch the beginning of American Idol. It's wrong any way you look at it.

[Brian]

I agree. I have what I think is one of my best-ever songs for sale on Itunes for $.99/download. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-beast-that-ate-dennis/id400615442
Everyone that I play it for likes it and some go out of their way to tell me so. I had the song played 107 times on Jango airplay and had hundreds of 'hits' on myspace advertising. The result of this- not ONE person would buy the song for even $.99! Why pay for (or even bother listening to) an unknown's music when you can listen to just about any music you want online or download it for free? I'd thought when I bought my computer 10 years ago that internet marketing would be key to making an end-run around the music industry but since everyone else thought the same thing it now seems that it's just easier to get lost in the shuffle. It's like a Ponzi scheme. I feel that the music has been greatly 'cheapened' because of mp3s and Napster-like sites. I love the technology and the ability to record and market myself, but internet marketing has been a great disappointment. Through the learning experience of trouble-shooting my computer, I did get a job in IT though- even though I'm much more qualified as a musician/songwriter. People are much more willing to pay me to fix their computer so they can listen to free music than they are to pay me for the music I make.

[Jesse]

Yeah not fussed I have a full time job and music to me is a hobby. But I guess if you choose to make music your career then research is vital and knowing the tools and the market is essential. If you find it tough to make moeny out of music then I suggest you find a nine to five job. When money is involved there is only ever going to be a select few who really make it.

[Marilyn Carino]

Every time I read a Tunecore article I end up with shaking head and rolling eyes, I mean, what business are they in anyway? Was this survey meant to confirm that musicians are a bunch of ignorant dumbasses who will willingly be taken advantage of at any opportunity?

What kind of questions are these, and what purpose do they serve? Is it in any way helpful or relevant to suggest that its even an option for musicians to license songs in movies for no money? Or perform for free, in addition to giving away (or waving bye-bye to stolen) music endlessly?

When in the hell will some entity, or musicians as a group, begin ADVOCATING FOR musicians and assisting them in a meaningful way? Tunecore gets its money when you sign up for distribution, so they're done after that, and what're ya gonna do, NOT have your songs on iTunes, eMusic, etc.??

As long as musicians keep approaching their blood-and-sweat craft as beggars, they will remain beggars. I know few musicians who demand contracts, few who can negotiate gig pay, they all are sooooo enamored of "exposure" they dumb the whole business down for the rest of us who do see this as a way to earn a living (I get money from licensing to film and tv, from gigs and other creative merch).

We don't have a union like actors, nobody wants to advocate for us because we are so gullible and vain we freely give money away and accept that we will always need some sort of crappy day job. The music biz is the shittiest, most corrupt business on the planet and few are willing to educate themselves in its ways so they can have a chance to compete.

Wake up friends, let's not accept a second-rate fate. Its a whole new ballgame out there now, let's try and demand some respect (and $$$) and we just may get it!

[Plumbe8]

I should be saying something deep and profound but, really most of us responding are wanna bes or has beens. I'm 49 now,have a nice home studio....1/2 ton of musical equipment...and as one of the responders said its just a hobby.....I mean I got remarried got a " REAL" job.. didn't give up on the dream though...I just want more than my family to recognize and enjoy my efforts.....thats what making music is about....even if someone feels its their right to steal it...it means some one is listening.

[Frank Serafine]

Do you even know what you're saying, Jorge?

[Frank Serafine]

And what should the companies do to make up for the lost revenue if recorded music is all free? Hike up concert prices? $300 for general admission on the balcony level to see the ant-sized musicians from above? $50 per t-shirt? No more free meet-and-greets? $20 to say "Hi" to the band, $20 more to get an autograph from the vocalist?

You, sir, have clearly never been in business.

What other ways are there to make money in the music business? Your product is MUSIC -- live music, recorded music, and merchandise. If you make $0 from recorded music and don't compensate by jacking the merch or live music price, what's left isn't music at all. You're left with selling a person or a service. That's business, but it's not MUSIC business.

[Frank Serafine]

What's a measurable value of someone listening? What does a person listening to a song equate to? For you, it might make you happy to know someone's listening to you and that's all the value you need, but happiness or interest does not equal money at the end of the day unless there's a sale to accompany it.

That's how you can tell the hobby people from the business people. If you make music for a hobby, the most you can expect to make is personal happiness. If you make music for business, there's no way you can support piracy.

[JORGE BARREIRO]

Mr Frank Serafine, I don't know your credits or who you are, neither your knowledge or experience in life.
First of all, your assumption that I don't know the Music Business is quite funny. I've got over 40 albums produced, released and sold in this country, South America and Europe. I've been Artistic Director at CBS Columbia, as an independent producer (And I'm also a musician, arranger with a school degree, recording engineer, I've got four #1 Hit Records, about 7 in the top 40's, (if you're in the Recording Business you may know some of my tunes), a Broadway musical play in the works and several concert productions.
If you want to know what your company should do to make some money, I'm available as a consultant, for a price, of course.
Your second option is try to change the course of the world and the minds of people, especially kids, including the technicians coming up every day of the year with some new ways to copy, steal, borrow, pier to pier transfers, mp3's, mp4's and what's coming up.
Dude, you have to find another business. Your old one is finished!!!

[Bob Wineshank]

Does anyone have any "positive suggestions" how one can sell recorded music in general via the internet. Is it really so hopeless as some of us feel?

[John S]

I reckon, globally all songwriters should go on strike!! That's right .... never allow anyone to record your song, so that there will never be new music to listen to outside songwriters home/studios.
After a while radio stations would become boring with everyone listening to past hits and the general public would become hungry for new music!! At that point and only then might the artist/songwriter perhaps gain back some respect and once again become a wanted commodity instead of a source of income for all the greedy and ruthless seagulls out there, desperate to make a buck out of the songwriter's hard graft. Truth is once your music is online anywhere,the public will scan, listen (maybe even a few times), then move on to the next free sample without ever buying!!
Just like the winery cruises where you go round sampling everyones wine for free, get pissed and never buy anyone's wine! So there is the answer!!
Songwriters worldwide have to strike for 2 years (by that I mean never let anyone hear anything for two years but keep writing like mad in the meantime and also take down everything you ever put up online so that the seagulls cant eat while we starve!)

[TPIA]

Music has become more like vanity.Who,s so vain?

[RW]

it all sounds very sad as if music has been reduced to an internet blog. i'm sure people will make money if the songs are good, but if not, its still enough to have an opportunity to release music which was not even possible just 10 years ago.