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the math is pretty easy. if your self-released album grosses $50,000, you'll make $40,000-45,000 (factoring in distribution fees, usually around 10-20%). that's 5,000 $10 sales on Bandcamp, or around 13m Spotify streams, or 5 $10k syncs. or a mix.
the math is pretty easy. if your self-released album grosses $50,000, you'll make $40,000-45,000 (factoring in distribution fees, usually around 10-20%). that's 5,000 $10 sales on Bandcamp, or around 13m Spotify streams, or 5 $10k syncs. or a mix.
if you're on an indie with standard 50-50 profit split, the numbers get way worse. yr $50,000 album will earn you $20,000-$22,500: distro fees of 10-20% come "off the top," followed by the label's 50%. and that assumes no cash advance or other recoupable costs like PR, radio etc.
if yr on a major, they pay an advance up front instead of paying you profits. say it's $50k for simplicity. you recoup that "against" a royalty of 15-20%. that means your 15-20% has to add up to $50k BEFORE you earn more: the record must earn $250k against 20% BEFORE you make $1
this code has already been cracked in hip-hop and that's why you see the chances and 21s and russes in distribution deals instead of record deals. yet in the indie/alt space artists still shop for deals that are financially upside down.
and sure maybe sometimes labels contribute value above and beyond the share of profits they take. but ask the Sales and Vulfpecks of the world if any label could do for them more than they do for themselves
