Is there a point where you think a rapper DOESN'T NEED A RECORD LABEL anymore
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r.prince18
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in The Reason
Is there a point where you think a rapper can forgo signing with a label and with the way the internet is now if a rapper has a big enough fan base he can make on his own by going on tour and maybe doing a partnership with youtube and maybe selling their music off amazon or itunes?
I know T.I. contract is coming up and i know he's looking for a label and their a rumor i heard about drake contract maybe coming up and maybe trying to sign with jigga but do you think these guy have enough star power were they can do it there self
I know T.I. contract is coming up and i know he's looking for a label and their a rumor i heard about drake contract maybe coming up and maybe trying to sign with jigga but do you think these guy have enough star power were they can do it there self
Comments
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possibly but record labels give rappers lots of exposure which is needed in hip hop. we all know how quickly rappers fade out and become irrelevant.
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T.I. isn't viable as a mainstream artist anymore he should go independent but that would mean his radio play would disappear and his record sales would dwindle but ultimately he'd make more money touring and releasing new material.
I think a lot of artists are scared to step away from the machine but YES there should come a time where you realize your days as a top star are gone and that you need to take your career in your own hands, even if that means sacrificing radio play and record sales.
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A lot of these rappers ain't that smart
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Drake could've went indie before he signed to YMCMB. His buzz and connects were great enough to where he could've been a force on his own, which is the case now anyway. Unless you're underdeveloped as an artist, there really is no need for a label anymore. Youtube killed the A&R, and today's rappers are a lot more knowledgeable on the music biz.
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Rappers haven't needed labels for the last 10 years. The only thing a label offers is fame and promo (when you do what they say). Look at Yo Gotti and Gucci Mane. Dudes been multimillionaires without major label support because they treat music like a 9 to 5 and are willing to clock in every day.
Most rappers want to be on 106 with Bow Wow, MTV Awards, Grammy nod, extra famous ? instead of the money. -
T.I. isn't viable as a mainstream artist anymore he should go independent but that would mean his radio play would disappear and his record sales would dwindle but ultimately he'd make more money touring and releasing new material.
I think a lot of artists are scared to step away from the machine but YES there should come a time where you realize your days as a top star are gone and that you need to take your career in your own hands, even if that means sacrificing radio play and record sales.
The ? ? How would he make more money if his sales and radio play slowed down? You do know that rappers make more money from appearances and touring if they get alot of radio play, press, awards etc? Plus, how would he make more money touring? He would actually get less.
Problem is you ? talk as if yall make sense when yall dont. Being indie actually cost more money, alot of which artist don't have. Don't let the lifestyle yall see fool yall. Plus being indie isnt a viable investment, especially with hip-hop. If you gonna spend money and only make a few bucks then why do it.
Like i said, media, press, radio play is marketing. It gives artist a chance to require more money at the gate, opens the doors for sponsors, opens the door for large business ventures, opens the doors for more sales of merchandize, royalty checks, movie/TV checks and so on. Yall sound naive in here.
The reason why someone like a Tech9 can do indie is cuz he has a core fanbase. If you wanna be honest most of his fans are the type of cats that listen to metal and ? like that. Theyy actually go and support his shows too. I'm pretty sure he makes most of his money from merchandizing too cuz he has alot of products, which cost money for shipments, storage etc.
Now ask yourself, who you think makes more money a year, Tech9 (indie) or a T.I. (major)?
And there you have it.. -
CirocObama wrote: »T.I. isn't viable as a mainstream artist anymore he should go independent but that would mean his radio play would disappear and his record sales would dwindle but ultimately he'd make more money touring and releasing new material.
I think a lot of artists are scared to step away from the machine but YES there should come a time where you realize your days as a top star are gone and that you need to take your career in your own hands, even if that means sacrificing radio play and record sales.
The ? ? How would he make more money if his sales and radio play slowed down? You do know that rappers make more money from appearances and touring if they get alot of radio play, press, awards etc? Plus, how would he make more money touring? He would actually get less.
Problem is you ? talk as if yall make sense when yall dont. Being indie actually cost more money, alot of which artist don't have. Don't let the lifestyle yall see fool yall. Plus being indie isnt a viable investment, especially with hip-hop. If you gonna spend money and only make a few bucks then why do it.
Like i said, media, press, radio play is marketing. It gives artist a chance to require more money at the gate, opens the doors for sponsors, opens the door for large business ventures, opens the doors for selling merchandize and so on. Yall sound naive in here.
The reason why someone like a Tech9 can do indie is cuz he has a core fanbase. If you wanna be honest most of his fans are the type of cats that listen to metal and ? like that. Theyy actually go and support his shows too. I'm pretty sure he makes most of his money from merchandizing too cuz he has alot of products, which cost money for shipments, storage etc.
Now ask yourself, who you think got more money Tech9 (indie) or a T.I. (major)?
And there you have it..
You make more off what you sell. TI can't sell ? anymore anyway so he might as well make what he can while his name still good, in a few more years he gonna be doing AZ numbers on the charts. If on a major you making $7 an album a move on indie he can make more than that, plus he can already tour forever because he got hits to tour on. The got a recognizable name and a reputation he can make money off of, he don't need a major label.
And one last thing that's for certain: Tech N9ne publishing is Tech N9ne's, he don't split ? with anyone and still doing good. Kweli is the same way, platinum plaques and ? like that is for show. I don't know either homies bank records but if its even close that shows you Tech's way of doing this stuff works. Master P, Baby all them ? got rich indie first and while relatively unknown, then made the majors shell out huge sums of money to them to sign on. There's no reason an established artist can't do the same.
Independent artists only struggle when they can't get heard and are too new to the game. They got no reputation, no hits, no political clout, and nothing to tour by himself on. So MC Such-N-Such would struggle for awhile on the indie scene until his fan base grows. T.I. and other artists are beyond that already. -
If you wanna be a working artist, no
If you wanna be a pop star,yeah, u need a label
Many rappers can make a living jus like bands make a living but its all about having a team.
If you can have a solid team to promote your music then u dont need a big label.
Problem is that alotta that team money goes to trap rappers and non-rappers.
Dudes that jus invest the money in themselves or their nephews or someone else they know who cant rap for ? . -
Scarface. Dude has got a brand, a loyal fan base, and enough respect/clout to get the features & production he needs. And he ain't a dude that could get a huge single going if a label helped him push it.
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Unless an artist can afford to:
1) Distribute their own music to all their major retailers
2) Come out of pocket for studio time, promo, sample clearances, guest spots, production, art work, etc.
then they will still need a deal no matter how big of a brand they have.
The best thing an established artist (or up and coming artist can do) is have their music distributed digitally through CD Baby (or something similar)
Even then, an artist is still paying for everything out of pocket. -
CirocObama wrote: »T.I. isn't viable as a mainstream artist anymore he should go independent but that would mean his radio play would disappear and his record sales would dwindle but ultimately he'd make more money touring and releasing new material.
I think a lot of artists are scared to step away from the machine but YES there should come a time where you realize your days as a top star are gone and that you need to take your career in your own hands, even if that means sacrificing radio play and record sales.
The ? ? How would he make more money if his sales and radio play slowed down? You do know that rappers make more money from appearances and touring if they get alot of radio play, press, awards etc? Plus, how would he make more money touring? He would actually get less.
Problem is you ? talk as if yall make sense when yall dont. Being indie actually cost more money, alot of which artist don't have. Don't let the lifestyle yall see fool yall. Plus being indie isnt a viable investment, especially with hip-hop. If you gonna spend money and only make a few bucks then why do it.
Like i said, media, press, radio play is marketing. It gives artist a chance to require more money at the gate, opens the doors for sponsors, opens the door for large business ventures, opens the doors for selling merchandize and so on. Yall sound naive in here.
The reason why someone like a Tech9 can do indie is cuz he has a core fanbase. If you wanna be honest most of his fans are the type of cats that listen to metal and ? like that. Theyy actually go and support his shows too. I'm pretty sure he makes most of his money from merchandizing too cuz he has alot of products, which cost money for shipments, storage etc.
Now ask yourself, who you think got more money Tech9 (indie) or a T.I. (major)?
And there you have it..
You make more off what you sell. TI can't sell ? anymore anyway so he might as well make what he can while his name still good, in a few more years he gonna be doing AZ numbers on the charts. If on a major you making $7 an album a move on indie he can make more than that, plus he can already tour forever because he got hits to tour on. The got a recognizable name and a reputation he can make money off of, he don't need a major label.
And one last thing that's for certain: Tech N9ne publishing is Tech N9ne's, he don't split ? with anyone and still doing good. Kweli is the same way, platinum plaques and ? like that is for show. I don't know either homies bank records but if its even close that shows you Tech's way of doing this stuff works. Master P, Baby all them ? got rich indie first and while relatively unknown, then made the majors shell out huge sums of money to them to sign on. There's no reason an established artist can't do the same.
Independent artists only struggle when they can't get heard and are too new to the game. They got no reputation, no hits, no political clout, and nothing to tour by himself on. So MC Such-N-Such would struggle for awhile on the indie scene until his fan base grows. T.I. and other artists are beyond that already.
T.I. is almost @ 400K in 2 months time. There wasn't a platinum album in 2012 and 500K-700K was a reach for most (even rappers considered the hottest in the game). Only Kendrick Lamar and Nicki Minaj were able to exceed that.
Making $7 per CD sold on an independent is nice, but that's definitely not the norm for most indy artists. Many indy labels will take 40% of every unit sold just for distribution. An album would have to priced at around $12 to see that $7. Then the artist has to financially back his or her own project on top of being the A&R, executive producer, manager, lawyer etc. (if they don't have people filling those positions). That model worked for Master P because he had $10,000 of his own money to invest in himself. On top of that, he really knew his market. He was then able to politic a distribution deal w/ Priority where he kept 75% and they had 25%. -
To put it simple the 1st lesson in business is use other ppl's money
The overhead for breaking an artist costs a lot indie or major -
Actually being a Rapper isn't as expensive as it once was with technology being cheap and All. U don't have to be on a Major to LIVE off music in 2013. Now if u want to be a Pop Star and Make couple million quickly then yea Major it is.
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The machine is still the machine. Just because you don't see it working doesn't mean it's not...
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r.prince18 wrote: »Is there a point where you think a rapper can forgo signing with a label and with the way the internet is now if a rapper has a big enough fan base he can make on his own by going on tour and maybe doing a partnership with youtube and maybe selling their music off amazon or itunes?
I know T.I. contract is coming up and i know he's looking for a label and their a rumor i heard about drake contract maybe coming up and maybe trying to sign with jigga but do you think these guy have enough star power were they can do it there self
they have more than enuff star power to do so ... even guys coming up dont need labels these days ... IE Joey Badass and Macklemoore .... but more tradional artist with a crazy track record like Drake or TI may stay major because they can draw in the bags of money and have the label pretty much pay for EVERYTHING and just make profit without risking thier own money ................ something guys like Macklemoore or Joeybadass will never get unless they go Gold to Plat indy ....... -
All labels do is press up ? and put it in stores now.There's no guarentee they can get you on your local radio stations anymore even.
I would stay indy tell I get that underground smash and just sign a joint venture.Never saw the point in anything else but nowadays especially.
P.S. Is still somewhat relevant IMO. -
^I meant to say TIP is still somewhat relevant imo.
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Hell yea, not sure if you know or not but you can still get ? poppin in the streets.. Just keep it moving and eventually you'll meet 10,100,1000K people willing to support your cause.
Its not easy but selling indy will get you alot more profit then having to pay back a record label for big time promo on small time talent that has minimal chances of recouping. -
somebody like tip could raise capital from private investors to put out an indie album. a tip single would end up getting radio play regardless because of his name recognition.
its too many free tools out here for any artist, established or not, to put out a body of work independent. You still need money to invest in promo though -
@ptowndonte is dead on point. a lotta these rappers out here are good rappers but horrible businessmen. the two are not the same. It's not the labels fault at aIl. If you ain't never been exposed to any other investments or business type deals, all of your money will be spent on sneakers, weed and hoes before you know it. so don't feel sorry for these bums that you love on the mic, when they ? can't even balance a checkbook or expand their horizons..lol
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CirocObama wrote: »T.I. isn't viable as a mainstream artist anymore he should go independent but that would mean his radio play would disappear and his record sales would dwindle but ultimately he'd make more money touring and releasing new material.
I think a lot of artists are scared to step away from the machine but YES there should come a time where you realize your days as a top star are gone and that you need to take your career in your own hands, even if that means sacrificing radio play and record sales.
The ? ? How would he make more money if his sales and radio play slowed down? You do know that rappers make more money from appearances and touring if they get alot of radio play, press, awards etc? Plus, how would he make more money touring? He would actually get less.
Problem is you ? talk as if yall make sense when yall dont. Being indie actually cost more money, alot of which artist don't have. Don't let the lifestyle yall see fool yall. Plus being indie isnt a viable investment, especially with hip-hop. If you gonna spend money and only make a few bucks then why do it.
Like i said, media, press, radio play is marketing. It gives artist a chance to require more money at the gate, opens the doors for sponsors, opens the door for large business ventures, opens the doors for more sales of merchandize, royalty checks, movie/TV checks and so on. Yall sound naive in here.
The reason why someone like a Tech9 can do indie is cuz he has a core fanbase. If you wanna be honest most of his fans are the type of cats that listen to metal and ? like that. Theyy actually go and support his shows too. I'm pretty sure he makes most of his money from merchandizing too cuz he has alot of products, which cost money for shipments, storage etc.
Now ask yourself, who you think makes more money a year, Tech9 (indie) or a T.I. (major)?
And there you have it..
This is where you ? up at.
Rappers and most muscians always made their money off touring. Minus the cost of the tour, the rappers pocketed all of that tour money pre-360 deal, which is why it was such a big deal that they couldn't book big venues without paying crazy insurance fees.
With the internet, what marketing team budget do they need aside from hard work? I wouldn't even mess with Budden's music if it weren't for the internet. Or Royce. Or Joell. Or Chamillionaire. And on and on. I wrote their mainstream ? off as garbage and kept pushing until their internet soldiers made me take a second look.
Distribution is a ? , but it can and has been done. No one said the ? was easy. Also, the route chosen is also about priorities: Tip might clear more than Tech in a year, but Tech can walk outside without restriction most anywhere because a "fan" or hater-ass dude might one take his top off. Independent means freedom, so maybe the freedom to be human and not a star 24/7 outweighs those few extra 0's on the checks.
Might not push a Phantom or Bugatti, but he'll still get to the same destination in a Lexus just fine. -
Actually, tech been on Benz smokey since like 06. People sleep on how mich money Strange Music generate every year
