I'm Giving EMI the "Hootie" Treatment....

Continuing my assault all that is corrupt and wrong with the music industry, we move on to phase three. But first, let's recap. We've made our major label debut album, toured the globe to promote the living hell out of the thing to boost sales, and FINALLY broke even (and made a little cash) to cover our fronted money from the label. So...now what do we do? Since the band is still under contract for a few more albums it's time to record some more. This is the make or break point for many bands. Most times, it'd be the "sophomore slump" thing that pressures bands into getting more fronted money from the label and you're back to step one and repeating the process all over again. But there are alternatives.

OPTION 1: I'M GOING UNDERGROUND. Your first album was SO bad that the label decides, now that you've broken even, that you aren't worth any more of their time and money, and drop you from the label. In many aspects this could be a blessing in disguise. For instance, let's say that commercially, the album sold terribly and was critically torn down; but the kids LOVE it. You have quite a few songs that are played all over college radio. There is still the groundswell of fans you had before the deal, and now you've added the music snobs (like me) and college kids who have found a home fitting in with the indie crowd. So you stay indie and underground, and use the residuals from your album and subsequent self-funded, small bar/club "tour" to record a new album without the pressure of the label on your neck. You sell your albums as online downloads only and make quite a nice living....more on this option in subsequent posts. The downside is that you aren't a rich rock star and you have to deal with music snobs who want to talk about the comparisons between your new album and The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper" album.

OPTION 2: THE "FAIRWEATHER JOHNSON" METHOD. You make a HORRID second album (see Hootie and The Blowfish's second album Fairweather Johnson) that is so bad that you are dropped from the label and try to reclaim what fans you had before the release of the album with a tour of intimate venues playing NOTHING from the crappy album. You can claim that the album was you and the rest of the band attempting to experiment with new influences or that you were paying homage to . Most intelligent people will call bullshit, and realize that the album just sucked; but you will find a few people who are thinking "wow, I loved said 90s indie band, even though this album was lackluster, I'd still follow this band". The plus side is you have another album whose residual checks will keep you flooded in RV gas money and Taco Bell for the next year until you record your next album. The negative is that your RV money and Taco Bell rations are about all you have to show for all your hard work and you risk being labeled as "has-beens" or "never-weres".

OPTION 3: READ YOUR CONTRACT!! If for some reason you're legally savvy and in a band, read your contract! If there is no clause indicating exclusive rights to publication (not the rights to the songs themselves, those almost always belong to the album), just work a 1 album deal with a different label that provides better terms and more creative control over your music. You will be sued by your original label, but you've read your contract and you're safe, so fuck 'em, take the money and run.

OPTION 4: HONOR THE DAMN THING! What better way to take down the man than from the inside. Record your next album, make it better than your first, gain more fans, money and artistic acclaim. In this business money=power; if you're making the empty suits money, then you have some power. This option, like all the others, has pros and cons. Pros: hmmm, you're a rock star now....you figure out the perks. Cons: You could stand to lose some of your original fans and a piece of the hardcore indie crowd who have now labeled you a "corporate slave". But who cares? You're rich now, sellout.

In the next few blogs we will look at the options and where your band is headed with each one.