(07-21-2014, 07:32 PM)mercfan3 Wrote: You know, I'm not sure that's the case. I think there are just different ways to make money off of artists.
For instance, I think singles are more of a big deal than albums. Katy Perry is probably the biggest pop star at the moment, but I think most people would be surprised at her album sales numbers. It's not that they are bad, but they are far under what people would expect.
Merc - It varies artist to artist whether they do better w/ single sales or album sales, but they're both important. And like PotterFan said, Katy Perry sells a lot of LPs too.
There are a lot of other ways recording artists make money though & their label probably takes a % of some of these other revenue sources as well.
Concert tickets & Merch Sales
Licensing Fees from commercials, movies, & TV shows
Also artists get paid when their music is played in commercial establishments. That $7500 Touch Tunes donated to Haley's Indiegogo was probably a signing bonus.
Royalties from Youtube & (other sites) - If they allow ads to play B4 their vid. The amount they're paid is based on how many views they're getting.
Royalites from radio airplay. Yep, artists get paid per spin. In fact Keith Phelps mentioned on Twitter that if Youtube paid as well as Radio, everyone (musicians) would be rich. He then said YT counts 1,000,000 views as one spin on the radio. If that's right then IMO YT is getting away w/ murder because there are very few stations w/ 1 million listeners & only a fraction of them are listening at any given time.
Sponsorships & Endorsements - Musical Instrument manufacturers & clothing lines are a couple of common ones & it's not just the mega stars that get them.
TV appearances - Musical guests on talk shows etc., are paid. Some maybe paid more than others, probably IDK. Just like w/ radio airplay, even though it helps them to sell more records, concert tickets etc., they are still the entertainment. They're what's attracting the audience. Advertising is what pays the bills.
That's I can think of right now, but there's probably more.
