Guru Project :: Career Development Resources

Articles

Courtney Love Does The Math
By Courtney Love

Today I want to talk about piracy and music. What is piracy? Piracy is the act of stealing an artist's work without any intention of paying for it. I'm not talking about Napster-type software. I'm talking about major label recording contracts. I want to start with a story about rock bands and record companies, and do some recording-contract math. Read the article...

Rights issue rocks the music world
By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY

Record companies see it as mutiny. Musicians call it an overdue rebellion. Either way, the artists' rights movement has set the stage for combat that could revolutionize the music industry. "We're on the threshold of a whole new system," says Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. "The time where accountants decide what music people hear is coming to an end. Accountants may be good at numbers, but they have terrible taste in music. I don't know how I'm going to get paid, but I'd rather go out into the brave new world than live with dinosaurs that are far too big for their boots." Read the article...

The Money Sponge - Why the Major Labels Can’t Sell Enough Records
Opinion article by Rob Cumberland

The music business is changing - it’s always changing. But now, for the first time, artists now have direct access to affordable high quality recording, cheap record duplication and the global market. The music industry is losing its monopoly on broadcasting and distribution. Traditional mass media audiences are falling as technology and entertainment options diverge. Right now the new players are missing opportunities by copying the old players, and the old players think sales are falling because of downloaders. There is, of course, a more likely explanation for poor sales. Meanwhile the cost of entry keeps falling and the options for distribution keep diverging. Will the fuzzy cartel keep their grip on the throat of commercial music? They currently burn more than 95% of the turnover and at 100% they’re bankrupt. Read the article...

Becoming a 'Priority' at a Record Label
By Christopher Knab, MUSICDISH

In an effort to educate artists and bands that still think signing a record label contract is the be-all and end-all of their existence, this month's column is about the challenges of staying in the label's good graces once they have signed you. In past columns I have written about the huge risk so many aspiring artists are willing to take to get the almighty recording contract. This month I take you on a journey inside the mysterious world of becoming a priority release at a label, once the label has decided to release your recording. Read the article...

LABEL OR INDEPENDENT?
By Heather Dale

Food for thought when choosing between going through a label or independent. Read the article...