Why is there a prevailing notion that record companies don't cheat artists?

[mj_frenzy]

People do buy from itunes or it would be out of business. Charity getting noticed isn't necessarily the intent of the artist. In Michael's case, he was being slandered, so his friends defended him by mentioning charity. His intentions were pure, but in order to defend his image, he had to fight the slanderous accusations. His charity getting mentioned doesn't take from the purity of it. Thirdly, you're arguing for the sake of argument. Like I said, I could name artists who are living well without being money obsessed. There is no blurred line, between contentment and money obsession. That line is clearly distinctive. You keep blanketing people, then when I mention it, you deny it. You say more money can easily be obtained, yet you say a record label is paramount. Well, if money's easily obtained, for obsessive purposes, who needs the help of a record label? Joey said his profession can be a struggle. Doesn't sound easy to me. Yet he's not selling out. He enjoys his craft. He stated he has success. If he was truly money-obsessed, he would never admit to any success at the present moment.

I honestly believe that there are some artists who are really not money-obsessed (& subsequently do not care at all about mainstream success). But this number is a drop in the ocean (as compared to the number of those artists who think about money/mainstream success). So, my disagreement has to do with the quintessence of your argument, rather than arguing for the sake of it.

Also, artists can obtain money easily when they are under (major) record labels’ contracts. There are innumerable, clear examples of artists who have made a lot of money because of effective marketing/public exposure rather than due to their music itself. For the most part (& in terms of monetary benefits) it is a win-win situation for both parties (artist & record labels/companies).

 

[wendijane]

i didn't put words in your mouth. i had to check you before you made the distinction about artists wanting millions, that not all of them are that way. Many of them are not that way. Mainstream success is far from what many artists are seeking. I could name a lot of artists who avoid the mainstream. Furthermore there's no big practical blockade from artistry in today's market. Just perform and put your stuff on itunes. That's easy. No deadlines. Nobody looking over your shoulder. The only barrier is simply not getting yourself out there. Charity being about business sense? You have to explain that. What charity will do, is assure you that you will also be the focus of charity. I'm not focusing on doing well in life. What you put out will come back to you. The only thing I am focusing on is being obsessed with money. There's a difference between living well and being money-obsessed. When one gets obsessed, the art suffers, and too much, too fast, is not enough, and then, the stealing occurs. A lot of times, if you think mainstream success is the only kind of success, that person can never be satisfied, and that can be troublesome. Those who happen to find mainstream success and can handle it, weren't looking for it. I doubt that if Joey was obsessed with money, that he'd keep playing the organ. He'd be too busy hearing all the naysayers who say organ is not mainstream. The majority who think mainstream, are looking at what's trending and won''t take the dare of something different. If a n organ song hits mainstream, that artist was already satisfied with the success he had before the mainstream hit came along.

lil sis here
can you come back i need to talk