That would mean if an artist or band sold 1,00,000 copies of their album, at an average of $10 an album (and hardly any artist is selling that many nowadays), the artist or band walks away with $234,000. Not bad, huh? That’s a decent living. A band would have to split that four ways, which is about $60k, and that’s way better than working at Starbucks.

BUT — today’s artist’s are selling an average of 200,000 albums. That’s a take home value of $46,800. If you’re a solo artist, that’s still not bad. However, if you’re in a band with four members, you’re bringing home $11,700. Suddenly, Starbucks doesn’t sound so bad.

NOW — If you’re an independent artist, who has mediocre record sales of about 15,000, that’s about $150,000 in income. No doubt you’ll have expenses, but even with $50k in operating costs, you’re still coming home with a nice chunk of change. Now, you can open up your own Starbucks chain and live off that income — IF you don’t go out and buy a $100,000 gold chain instead.

Just saying….

On the flipside, some of you artists may still want to sign with a major label thinking that’s what’s best for you, which could also be correct. Again, props to Bruce Houghton over at Hypebot:

1. Bank - The bigger record labels may not have as much money as they used to, but they probably have a lot more than you do. Money will not solve all your problems or make you a star, but it can be expensive to tour or to stop touring and concentrate on writing and recording, for example.

2. Distribution – Yes, TuneCore, CD Baby and others can put your music for sale online, but you still need a record label and their distribution arm to get you CD’s into stores, and while the scales are tipping toward digital, a third to a half of all sales still come from physical goods.

3. Team - You can’t do it all yourself; you must build a team. Record labels come with a built in team.

4. Experience - Passion can only take you so far. “Been there, done that” can help avoid a lot of mistakes and focus resources where they are like to do the most good.

5. Relationships – It’s not as bad as it used to be; but who you know – or at least get on the phone – sometimes matters. Labels have history and relationships with the media, producers, managers, agents and others that can help you.

I was speaking with a jazz drummer yesterday and we spoke at length about the industry and where it’s been, and it’s future, and what we concluded was nothing has changed in the last 40 years. Artist still want to be signed, others want to do it themselves, and there’s always a crisis within the record industry.

The real question is, do you want to live and breathe music with the small chance that you will not make any money at all? If money is your only motivation, then there are plenty of jobs out there that need another cog in their wheel. The choice is yours….

1. Competition for Attention – Music artists are already forced to compete for the attention and interest of fans; they shouldn’t have to compete for that attention within their own record label. Labels divvy up their focus between multiple signed artists. Whereas an artist may be giving 100% to developing their music career, a label can only allocate a fraction.

4. Out of Touch – Labels have a toxic fixation on record sales. This is an anomaly in today’s low record-selling music industry. With the easy access to cheap or free music online, labels are rapidly losing their relevance for turning their focus more towards the importance of live performances. Even major bands like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails addressed their labels’ irrelevance by selling recent albums directly to fans online.

5. Trade-Offs of Contracts – What does an artist really get in return for signing with a label? Lack of creative control? A portion of their own paychecks? Restrictions and inflexible deadlines? Binding obligations to labels leave much to be desired when artists can now rely on themselves to get their music produced, promoted and purchased.

Props to Bruce Houghton and likeZebra.

Last night, hip hop lost one of its pioneers who defined the sound of Brooklyn music as one-half of the duo, Gang Starr. Guru and Premier will always be, in my honest opinion, one of the best, if not the best rap group to come out of New York in the 80′s and 90′s. Guru’s monotone delivery backed by Primo’s solid production was the backdrop of New York underground hip hop music, and one of the reason’s why I moved to Brooklyn. He will always be missed.

Every blog has been copying and pasting the letter that Solar Guru wrote before he passed, but I will spare you the wackness. In turn, here are some of the fond memories I have of Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal. Hopefully now, Guru will find some peace.

Rest in Peace my dude.

FUCK SOLAR!

What did we learn from this boys and girls? We learned that the grass is not always greener on the other side. Stay independent and make your money honey.

Jae Brook: The Wait Is Over EP (FREE DOWNLOAD!!) by CEmuzik

Along with a bad year of sales and music, there were a slew of horrendous album covers that filled the bins at Best Buy and Walmart, the only two stores left in America still stocking CD’s. Here are 10 of those covers:

10. Clipse – Til The Casket Drops
Who drew this cover, the same people who draw the Simpsons? I respect Kaws work, but this is lazy.

9. Kiss – Sonic Boom
This takes terrible to a whole new level. Outdated, generic, and corny pretty much sums up this cover. Does Kiss even sign off on these things anymore?

8. Kid Cudi – Man On The Moon: The End of Day
Fam, you got a big ass head. I bet you get headaches “this big”

7. Flo-Rida – Roots
Attention all rappers: You gotta stop with the shirtless torso pictures, it’s played out! Unless you’re promoting homo-eroticism, keep your shirt on… and brush your teeth.

6. KRS-One & Buckshot – Survival Skills
I love these dudes, but they should have went with being in a forest with fatigues and bows and arrows, or being in a forest with a photo-shopped dead deer, or being in a forest around a campfire with marshmellows on sticks. (Get it, survival skills?)

5. Mannie Fresh – Return of the Ballin
Mannie’s return seems like a reminder that he was the mastermind behind Weezy. And that he loved Transformers. And he knows his cars. So don’t you forget it!

4. Joss Stone – Colour Me Free
Umm, I seriously have no words for this

3. Adam Lambert – For Your Entertainment
This cover looks gay. Wait, what? He is gay?? Oh, well nevermind then, it’s perfect!

2. Brooke Hogan – The Redemption
Two words: Prison Art

1. Chris Brown – Graffiti
Chris Breezy had a rough 2009 with all the backlash of backhanding Ri-Ri. His manager could have told him to throw a Big Bird outfit on for the cover and he would have done it, anything to get back to his Wrigley’s winning ways. But with this cover, he looking like he about to swat those cartoons characters after he sprays them with that can of Raid. Stop the violence ya’ll!

I couldn’t run through these bad mamma-jamma’s without giving you what I felt were some of the better covers of 2009. And here we go:

6. Dinosaur Jr. – Farm
I love Dinosaur Jr, and I was hyped about their 2009 release. As usual, they brought a funky artistic cover as well. The green guys look like giant buds and the smokestacks look like bongs with smoke coming out of them. Dope!

5. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – It’s Blitz
I love the simplicity of this cover. No words, no logos. Just a split second before someone has to clean it up.

4. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
If you’ve sat in front of a computer in the last 12 months, you can appreciate this cover. Proof that the internet is what unites us all.

3. Weezer – Raditude
I’m a sucker for dogs, especially dogs in action!

2. Jay Z – The Blueprint 3
Did ya’ll see that commercial where they reproduced all of Jay’s covers live? That was awesome, and so is this. Jay has become the unofficial mayor of hip hop, and to me this cover represents all the music that he’s created over the years. Very artistic.

1. Susan Boyle – I Dreamed a Dream
You can clown me if you want, but going from a person who’s never been kissed before to looking like she just stepped out of “O” magazine, this cover has gotta win some kind of award, or at least the make up artist does. Good job!

So there you have it, the highs and lows of 2009. If you have any other winners and losers from last year, feel free to let me know!

As you might have suspected, the artist gets the least. Hell, even the lawyer gets more!

Stay independent, you’ll earn more.

Skeet, skeet, skeet it up..