Music Banter - View Single Post - Why does the mainstream industry only want a select few to be popular?

Urban Hat€monger ? · 09-20-2014, 04:31 PM

I don't know why people think this is some big conspiracy, it isn't.

Record companies have a limited advertising budget, it makes much more sense to use it on the most marketable artists with a more mainstream appeal from people who don't usually listen to music outside the charts.

Let's say you're running the record company that Miley Cyrus is signed to. Do you put your money into putting her record out while she's all over the media or do you put it to some obscure indie band you just signed who might sell 50,000 copies if you're lucky, mostly to people who would have already bought the album regardless of if you promoted it or not anyway.

I remember reading some interview with this high up at EMI records, he said that they were only able to sign the Sex Pistols because they'd hit big with a Shirley Bassey album earlier that year and used the profits from that to fund them. I remember hearing the same thing at CBS when Judas Priest were signed.

The big mainstream stars have been bankrolling the lesser more niche and less commercial bands on record company rosters for years but people want to ignore that side of it.

09-20-2014, 04:31 PM	#149 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,626	I don't know why people think this is some big conspiracy, it isn't. Record companies have a limited advertising budget, it makes much more sense to use it on the most marketable artists with a more mainstream appeal from people who don't usually listen to music outside the charts. Let's say you're running the record company that Miley Cyrus is signed to. Do you put your money into putting her record out while she's all over the media or do you put it to some obscure indie band you just signed who might sell 50,000 copies if you're lucky, mostly to people who would have already bought the album regardless of if you promoted it or not anyway. I remember reading some interview with this high up at EMI records, he said that they were only able to sign the Sex Pistols because they'd hit big with a Shirley Bassey album earlier that year and used the profits from that to fund them. I remember hearing the same thing at CBS when Judas Priest were signed. The big mainstream stars have been bankrolling the lesser more niche and less commercial bands on record company rosters for years but people want to ignore that side of it. __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.