Poll: What would you do if you got signed?

[Stackimo]

It seems there are so many stipulations being applied by my fellow Lowdowners. I am really surprised.

 

Simply, yes, I would. In your 20's still, you have plenty of time to live the mundane life of going to work on a schedule and coming home to just do it over again. Whether its over-rated or not, it will bring(you get what you put into it) experiences and possible opportunities you would never have otherwise.

 

I have done plenty of things in my past that may not have had anything to do with what my career offers now(and I have a great career), but it makes me unique.

 

YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE.

[Bass_god_offspring]

lets see, in three days i'll be 17....i don't have a job,.....i have a car, i've got a good band going...and my dream is to play infront of thousands of kids who can spend one night completely engulfed in the passion of music.....

 

 

.....yeah...i'd take the deal.

 

 

it's interesting, that could probably happen to my band, of course, it'd be a while, but still, it's a dream!

 

 

even though u may have to sleep in a van, eat mcdonalds everyday, and be around the same three other people everyday, i think that the pure excitment and feeling one gets from music is worth it.

 

my biggest fear in my life is regret. they say its the strongest emotion, but man, that's an understatement for me. sometimes i won't sleep at night if i regret something.

 

why not take a chance, after all, where did playing it safe get anyone?

(My personal philosophy)

 

 

nice question btw!

[jeremy c]

I'm in my late 50's.

 

I'd go when I was in my 20's and I'd go now.

 

You only get chances like this once.

 

Perhaps affecting my decision is that I didn't have a job of any kind (other than music) when I was in my twenties (or 30's or 40's) so there was nothing secure to give up....and that's exactly the way I wanted to live my life.

[Big Red 67]

If the money was good enough I would build a studio instead of paying a studio to record an album first off. I already got tatoos and such, so going on the road would be a foregone outcome.

[_Sweet Willie_]

Clever thread.

 

Not sure what I'd do. Let me think on it a bit.

 

Peace.

--SW

[Dave Brown]

It gets really tricky for a guy like me.

 

First of all, I'd have to truly believe in Third Henry's music.

 

At this point in my life, I have to be really careful not to mess up my retirement. I am opted out of Social Security (as a school teacher) and will only get a few hundred a month from them for the first 25 years of my working life. My teacher retirement is based on my years of service. I will get about half my final years salary for my entire retirement. That's half of a Texas teacher's salary. Most teachers have worked since their mid 20's, and get a substantially larger percentage. I was 39 when I started teaching.

 

If I were to leave for a year, it would potentially mess up my retirement.

 

So I'd have to make a ton of money in the band. Which is why I'd have to believe in the music a lot.

 

Still, it'd be fun.

[omegamike]

I fall in the same boat with most everyone else here. I'm 30, have a 4 year old son, a wife and a mortgage. I do have a band and I'd love nothing better than for it to explode and hit the road with it for thousands of fans. But the farther away I get from age 25 the more I realize that I have as much chance of this happening as getting struck by lightning twice.

 

I wouldn't be able to put my family out without some minimum weekly/monthly guarantee - without that I doubt my bills would stay afloat. I wouldn't be happy on the road knowing that by being there I'm causing financial ruination for my family.

 

It would be awesome to bring the family along for the ride, but only the weathiest bands can afford such extravagances. So I'd probably have to stick with the dayjob and the mostly weekend gigs doing the original music I'm doing right now!

 

But if I was even five years younger without the wife/kid/mortgage I'd jump at the chance even if it did end up fizzling out.

[ATM]

Hell, I moved to England because of an engagement. Adventure, man. You've got to live life. Of course, I do suffer from wanderlust. Benn in one place almost two years and I'm itching for a change again.

 

My father gave me advice that his father gave him: Life hands you only so many opportunities, you've got to recognize them and grab hold.

 

Now, if I had a family to support, that'd be a different story.

 

ATM

[Basshappi]

Paartyy like it's 1999!!....Oh,wait..

[Seamy ALB]

Show me the bus, I'm on it I can always rebuild the career!!

[Max Valentino]

An interesting dilemma, indeed: security vs. the "glory" of stardom....

A lot of interesting opinions (and some well placed advice as well) on all of this, but let me throw in another wrench.

 

I think there may be a little something off with your math. First, I doubt, due to current production costs and the nature of the artist-label relationship, that recouplable costs could be met within a mere 7,000 units. Let us take into account recordig costs: Engineer, second engineer, producer and studio would all be taken from a (pricey) list which the label provides (btw, this is standard and usually NOT a subject of negotiation). Then, there is always the matter of the "advance", which provides not only some of the production costs (of course the band inevitably runs out of money and so must borrow more from the label...) as well as money simply for the band to live on in the interim of recording (and then somebody in the band will do something stupid like buy an $8000 guitar or a new car...)

...then there is the requisite video (at an average of 3.2 million in production costs), and the subsequent touring which ranges from a cost of $10k to $500,000 per week in total costs.

 

All of this is tallied on the band's "tab"...and the standard interest rate (which, fortunately for the band is placed a somewhere just below the prime rate) adjusted for. All of this must be recouped by the label before any royalties are paid.

 

It is doubtful, in fact very improable, that any money would be made from the first CD a band makes. And so, to offset the debt, they must make another...but, alas, this only creates more debt....

 

I recently had a chat with a bass player from a fairly "big" new band. Their first album was a fair hit...and had the tour and video to go with it. The second did not fair quite as well, but would still be considered substantial. The label just dropped them as they were recording their third album.....he is now "jobless" and 2.6 million in debt to a huge multi-national corporation.

 

Getting "signed" is not the bounty many of us think it is. The system is, and has always been, corrupt and lopsided (and guess in who's favor?).

 

Quite a few years ago, I had the opportu ity to be signed as part of a band. I left the band and became a studio musician. The band fell into oblivion (each member racking up sizeable debt quickly followed by bankruptcy and divorce..)

I own my own home (on acreage in the country), studio, have money in the bank,a wife of 10 years and two healthy and happy kids. I get paid by the job....not "rock star wages", but a comfortable income.....

...and I even have health insurance!

 

What is so great about being "signed"......

or what is so great about being a "rock star"?

 

Max

[Davo-London]

Do you have any objectives in life?

Do you have any aspirations?

Why do you play music?

What makes you happy?

 

Only you can answer these questions. Generally, it's very rare to hear someone say. "I wish I had never taken the opportunity."

 

I sit on the Nike side of the fence.

Davo

[Chad Thorne]

Originally posted by jeremy c:

I'm in my late 50's.

 

I'd go when I was in my 20's and I'd go now.

 

You only get chances like this once.

 

Perhaps affecting my decision is that I didn't have a job of any kind (other than music) when I was in my twenties (or 30's or 40's) so there was nothing secure to give up....and that's exactly the way I wanted to live my life.

Early 50s here, same answer. Roll the dang dice. Win, lose or draw it's an experience relatively few people get.

[EZ]

I am 49 y/o, I had the chance when I was young, but didnt take it I took the safe rout, I stop playing, and all, but I always wonder what would have happen if I took my shot. Now, I am a single parent, I just started playing again about a year now, and I am with a band., if the opportunity presented it self now I couldnt do it even if I wanted to. If this bass player can maintain his life style for a few months with the band, so he, or she can see if this is going to work then go for it. This person is still young and can start over if need be, but if they do not they will always wonder.

[Danzilla]

I couldn't answer the poll. Yes, I would go on tour; but I refuse to get inked up, pierced, and act like Lemmy.

[Jimbroni]

Spend as much as you can on Cocaine, so that way you always have a large collection of Groupies on hand.

 

 

Seriously, I've thought about this conflict my whole life. I've essentially chosen the easy life. Not that its easy being a workin stiff, but I've made the conscious decision that life on the road is something I couldn't handle at least not permanently. That said I've considered the Benloy option of taking a leave from work. If I were to get signed today, I wouldn't be able to swing it but if I were planning ahead for it I could probably pool my resources together enough to be able to afford a 6 month or year long stint on the road. As Jeremy said though, these things don't come around too often so you have keep that in mind also.

[bc_dup1]

I haven't been in quite that situation but I have been in one that was like it in some ways.

 

When I was at university I formed a band that built up a big local following. In those days the next step for ambitious Scottish bands was to move to London. But I had two problems. I had one year left of a 4 year degree course. I loved my subject (English Literature) and I'd worked very hard towards a good degree. I was also in love with someone I couldn't reasonably expect to move to London at that point in her life.

 

I made my decision - the band went to London without me and a few months later signed a major deal. Adjusting for inflation their advance from the record company would have been more than two million dollars in today's money. Admittedly this wasn't as glamorous as it sounds: they each got a very modest weekly allowance and everything else went on equipment and studio time. Recording was a really expensive business in those days. And of course, if they made it, the record company would have wanted their money back.

 

They didn't make it big. A couple of singles didn't sell and the record company lost interest and didn't push their album. They managed to get signed to another label but it still didn't happen for them. None of the guys were great all-round instrumentalists so they didn't have ambitions to become pro musicians in London: they were there to make it as a band, or not at all. After a few years in London on minimal income they gave up. Any non-musical career they might have had obviously been on hold for a couple of years so they had some catching up to do in their careers.

 

Obviously I think, what if? At the time I left I was more or less co-leader along with the singer. When I left and he became sole leader, the band became poppier - I had slightly less mainstream tastes. I played guitar in those days and I was never replaced, which meant that they didn't have a "proper" guitarist (the singer played a bit of guitar but basic rhythm and riffs would have been about his limit). For better or worse, if I'd stayed in the band it'd have been a different band. The obvious fantasy question - would I have made the crucial difference so the band made it big? (Answer, very unlikely. But the thought has still inspired the occasional daydream).

[Danzilla]

Oh, come on, bc- tell us who it is! Then we can either say, "Cool- bc was with them back in the day"; or "who?"

[bc_dup1]

Believe me, you'd say "who?". I think of this band as "getting close" because they got the big advance, but in public awareness terms they never even got started. I did a Google search on the name just now and didn't get a single hit. They weren't signed on the basis of having built up a following or a critical reputation, they were talent spotted by a record company keen to spot bands early -they'd only played 2 or 3 London gigs. Nothing much happened to make their name recognisable after that (apart from a bit of press on their singles, including lukewarm reviews). They then sank without a ripple.

[Danzilla]

Fair enough...

 

But if you posted their name here, then they'd get at least 1 Google hit; possibly spurring a "What Ever Happened To" segment; maybe even a full-fledged revival and reunion tour! And it would all be thanks to you, so you'd finally get some recognition (and royalties). Maybe even a cover of BP Magazine...

 

Why are you laughing? It could happen!

[Tom Capasso]

As an old guy with a family, I'd stay home. I had two years of traveling for my job. I was OK with the hotels, the work, the people, etc. I didn't have any trouble behaving myself. But I missed out big time at home (and the kids are home but grown).

 

Of course, the job/career thing may be the only thing I have in common with Third Henry's bassist. So I harken back to when I was 24, newly married, and rebuilding appliance parts (a "career" I could pick up later). I was in a band that had written 20-30 songs I loved (to dbb's point), and we were doing a mix of covers and originals. We had no clue but still knew that playing small bars on Long Island wasn't going to get us anywhere. The band decided to persue playing in NYC, picturing ourselves in CBGBs at 1 in the morning. I left at that point. No label deal, no traveling.

 

Some posters have hit on the types of fulfillment people want in their lives. I am a musician, but crave something of the "Leave It To Beaver" family life. I've been lucky enough to have both.

 

That said, I'm waiting (in vain) for that low risk opportunity to get me into an outstanding gig for a brief period. So I will take a leave of absence and ask the family to live without me for 2 months if Weezer or Sarah McLachlan (to name just two).

 

That significant other thing is tough. My wife wouldn't have been the right type for me to be a F/T musician or on the road. I've met Third Henry's bassist fiance. She just might be someone who could work this out. Having given that opinion, I can understand why that guy would want to stay home.

 

Nice thread.

Tom

[Jasebass]

My band that I have just moved to Liverpool (UK) with have got a one-off record deal for one song to be released on 7" vinyl in february, publishing deal with Pinnacle. Its all good if the contract isn't trying to trick you out, get it checked out by a lawyer. There are so many phrases that can catch you out. So it kind of depends on the contract, and whether if meets your requirements, for instance - whether they are going to pay enough money for the band to live for the year (or however long the recording contract is for).

 

Jase

[getz out]

Thanks everyone for the responses. It has been very interested to see how diverse they have been.

 

Tom, if Third Henry's bassist's fiance is anything like mine, he's lucky.

[getz out]

Max,

 

Actually, this deal isn't that uncommon in the indie-release world. The band is not going to be advanced anything for a tour; they're on their own. Live with 3 other guys in a van and eek out a living on merchandise sales and performance fees. Good luck, kids!

 

Production costs usually involve something in the $20k range for recording and mastering and $20-25k for promotion.

 

Obviously, 99% of these things are money losing for everyone involved. However, the indie-label finds a hit, and has the band signed on for 2 more records; sell the rights to Sony, and the indie-label smiles all the way to the band.

[Bottomgottem]

I took my leave of a band about 18 months before they signed to Mercury. Had I stayed, I would have been in the same financial mess that those guys wound up in when the deal went sour.

 

That was about 15 years ago. It would take a very good deal indeed for me to jump on the bus. My obligations just would not allow it.

[mcbn]

No balls no blue chips.

 

That being said, I like my 9-5. At 26, I've worked very hard to get to where I am at today and am 10 years ahead of most of my peers. I have had to turn down a few opportunities in music and quick cash, short-term jobs to get here today. I really don't think that I'd be willing to drop everything and hit the road.

 

Of course the Army Reserves did send me on an all expense paid trip to beautiful historic Iraq in 2003, so I've seen the world, lived in a van... errrr... Humvee, and been on a tour (of duty). I like sleeping in a bed, showering once a day (instead of once a week), and eating real meals.

 

Your... errr... his choice bro.

[lukebass]

Great question.

I wonder about this myself. I think people look at leaving work like it's the end of the career. If you have a good education and are good at what you do, you can always find another job (if needed). People start colleges in their 30's and when they finish you look at them being 10 yrs younger then them and feel like you're the same age, them being your buddy's and all. If the girl you're going to marry is willing to support you and live on the poor side (or more like unpredictable side) for a bit (2-3yrs) till things kick in or you return to a day job go for it otherwise you'll regret it your whole life! One advice is to try and end your job on a good note. If your boss isn't an asshole, be honest telling him that this is something your life needs to try and leave and in peace. Who knows you might get hired back if you need to go back. How could someone not understand your decision..it's everyone's secret dream to make it big.

[getz out]

Originally posted by lukebass:

it's everyone's secret dream to make it big.

I think that is a false assumption.

[lukebass]

yeah it is. what i meant that if you're actualy thinking of leaving your life behind to go for something like that then you can look at it is being a dream that is being washed away be certain fears