Sir, it seems you know a thing or two about what happens behind the curtains of the music business. I'm glad I found someone like you here.
When money are involved, artists are the one get screwed more than anyone, right? That's why I'm still 100% independent. Fuck labels and fuck all those who are trying to get rich through music business at the expenses of musicians
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Gaining traction independently is how most get their start these days. The internet makes it happen. Can find success and never even have to perform live. All you have to do is create a brand. Without this brand, you cannot develop "loyal fans." The sound attracts listeners, who then buy your merch. The internet takes care of logistics. That's the game. Cheap and easy. Make some money, hire professionals, take it to the next level.
Don't even have to be a musician these days to fall into a trap. Several Youtubers for example are "noticed" and approached. It's everywhere and in everything.
There's nothing wrong with advancing your career. Legit deals exist.
You don't have a staff of 1000 on payroll, right? Therefore I don't see you playing stadiums any time soon. And this is how it starts. You make the artist feel powerless. Then relax their brain. "I can handle all this." And you accept a low percentage because it's still a sizeable sum all while you're not required to do any heavy lifting. And they know you don't know how much it actually costs, plus you're too distracted while looking at the signing bonus.
In general, people struggle with saying, "No." They suck at negotiating. And didn't know they could simply create their own brand rather than working under one. And your brand power can be used as leverage later when negotiating.
Not all talent is exploited. For the most part, those people are just doing their jobs, and you signed the deal.
Though I retired from everything creative here, if you browse my posts you'll eventually notice the brand I created. You might notice loyal fans. You might notice how I stood out like a sore thumb. Tricks of the trade. Wasn't a fluke. Even said, "No" to every "opportunity" to "collaborate." Didn't sellout and start creating "fan art" for these games here either just because it pays. Just did my own thing. Independently. Always. Even going so far as avoiding communities, because I don't work for the owners. Those rules are no different than signing a deal, while themes and prompts stunt creativity.
If you're going to spend time on something, you need to own it so it contributes to future plans somehow. Takes the same amount of time to create the "fan art" for example, but you can't do a damn thing with it after. Or the community owner decides one day they're finished. Invested all your time on them. And most of the time they don't even promote their community anyway and do very little to bring more eyes to your work. It's just there taking up space and getting in the way.