Welcome to So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star?
by Ron Young
HOLY CRAP SHOOT, the Man Behind the Curtain Ain’t No Wizard and He Never Really Was
I remember when I was a kid hearing stories of how young starlets were discovered sitting at the soda counter at Schwab’s Pharmacy in Hollywood. Stardom seemed so easy. Just be looking good at the right time and the right place and the powers that be would sweep you off your feet and give you the life you always dreamed of.
In 1984 I moved to LA from NYC. The Rock scene was being pushed out by Hip Hop and I heard there was gold in the hills of Hollywood. I got a job being a motorcycle messenger by day and working the door at Club Lingerie and The Music Machine…2 showcase venues in LA. I spent many nights working, and soon playing Club Lingerie. It was a warm brick room run by proprietor in a nice suit, pinky ring and swept back hair that held court at the end of the bar. It seemed every night of the week the room was packed with patrons and up and coming bands that brought out throngs of A&R folks. So many in fact we had to leave space for them as they would show up just before the flavor of the week was about to commence in wowing the crowd. This was the heyday of the Rock scene in LA…and this was going on in any one of 10 famous dark caverns of emerging glory that made up the town.
I put a band together and within months we had “interest” and landed a “deal”. The largest deal ever signed by a new artist to date. I didn’t hurt that Jimmy Iovine was our Manager. Let the lessons and nightmares begin!
I am shocked these days when I hear bands complaining they can’t a record deal. Even if you could find such moisture in the current desert that is the “music biz”, why the hell would you want that? Are you lazy? Are you a masochist? Are you delusional?
My experience is from the days when folks were still making money and when folks still bought CD’s. There where were 24 hour video channels promoting music. There was no Internet or other distractions from what music meant for so many rabid fans. Bands were loaded up in tour buses and playing every night in a zillion venues to healthy crowds. It’s only dried up and shrunk since those days. But even then I knew of acts that sold 7 million total albums and their label said they were in the red.
Let me explain how this Holy Grail that you seek works: Say you get a million dollar record deal. That usually means that you will get a budget of a few hundred thousand to start with and the rest gets delivered out after you hit certain targets for the next few releases. That’s if they choose to renew your contract. So it’s not really a “million dollar deal”. These days labels don’t pay advances anymore. That means there’s no “quitting your day job” to do what you love and need to nurture. If they think you are amazing and a few different labels see your potential and can leverage an advance of say $100K and you get $300K for all the operating costs, you can kiss 15% of that goodbye to your manager (they won’t deal with you without one), 5% to your Business Manager (you have to have one to pay the taxes on your $100K) and then all the legal bills for the many hours of negotiating the contract at $400 an hour. You will be left with, if you are lucky, $30K…but you have to pay back $100K…..WHERE YOU ONLY GET CREDIT FOR 10 CENTS OF EVERY DOLLAR! Do the math…and that’s just for the advance!…the same applies for the recording fund, flights you’re A&R guy takes to come see you play to 35 people in Atlanta…while he also goes to see the Braves play…and stays in a nice hotel…all while you are doubling up with a band mate in a Motel 6. Now you know why so many artists after selling millions of albums are still in the hole to their labels. WHY IN HELL WOULD YOU WANT THAT??
Today’s deals RARELY have advances and because physical sales are so low, they want to also take part of your merchandising and publishing…the things that actually make the artist money. Their overhead is so high, and revenue is so low, they have to pad their gamble on all your other potential revenue sources. In the glory days they threw deals around because there was a lot of money coming in from their “established artists” that they could use to gamble on your career. It used to be a crap shoot getting a record deal and becoming successful. Now it’s like playing the Powerball. There are better ways…but you’re gonna have to work for it.
I know how tiring it is to work all day and sit down to write, rehearse, and record. Then there’s trying to build a fan base…so you can get that attention you know in your heart you deserve. These day’s labels want to see A LOT of traction before they would even consider investing in you and your music to try to take it globally. That means you are going to have to do their job…for a long time…to prove to them, their bosses and all the financial powers that be that really run the label…who usually have “tin ears”…that you are something special. So if you are going to do all of that heavy lifting, why would you want to seek a relationship where you get pennies on the dollar for all of your blood, sweat and tears?
Schwab’s Pharmacy made a few Country girls famous, The Sunset Strip made a few bands famous…and there were 10 times as many you barely or never heard from that “got a deal”. These days there are even fewer. Don’t you want to be the decider of where you gamble your heart and soul?
Fame is attractive. Having someone nurture your art so you don’t have to worry about money, sales, artwork, imaging, promotion, accounting, travel, gear, scheduling, all sounds great. But the man behind the curtain ain’t no wizard and he never really was…and these days, you can do a lot better.
I will discuss these ways in upcoming rants. Stay tuned. But ya better get ready to wear a lot of hats!
Ron Young
I have always enjoyed Ron Young’s discussions and thoughts about music and the music industry. In the past he was a co-host of The Rock Star Branding Podcast and now I welcome him as a guest columnist. Ron will be sharing his thoughts and words. I am giving him complete freedom to discuss whatever he wants, say whatever he wants and write as often as he wants. These posts by Ron represent Ron alone. Please send all cards, letters and hate mail to Ron Young.
You can reach out to Ron on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ron.young.5 or www.facebook.com/LittleCaesarOfficial/
About Ron Young
Ron Young is the lead vocalist of Little Caesar. Little Caesar were signed to a major label deal with DGC/Geffen Records in 1989 and had two big singles, “Chain of Fools” and “In Your Arms”. Positioned as the next big thing, Little Caesar were managed by a team of industry bigwigs, including Jimmy Iovine, A&R by John Kalodner, and with Bob Rock producing their debut album.
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