Support Live Music

There seems to be a misconception about how musicians make money at their craft. Billboard charts, iTunes top downloaded list, and the handing out of records made of different precious metals makes us believe that musicians make their living by selling albums and songs. This is simply not the case. Some artists can do well selling their albums, but that is not where they earn their buck. This may be odd information coming from a record label, but I am going to tell you like it is anyway- artists make their money from live shows.


This is how it works: a venue guarantees a musician or a band a certain number of dollars to come and perform. If it is a venue that sells tickets, there might be a percentage of the door. Other places might throw in a percentage of the bar for the hours they play, but, for the most part, they are guaranteed a certain amount of money to play at the venue. They get paid this amount regardless of whether 3 people show up or 30,000 show up. These “guarantees” are how musicians make there money.

So why put out an album? Artists put out albums to get people interested and familiar with their music so you will come to their shows. Most record labels take a huge percentage of the record sales from the artist, especially the major record labels. So, when an artist sells a million albums, he may only be getting $0.50 to $1, if that, for each album. That sounds like a lot of money, but selling a thousand albums is not easy, much less a million. That is why the guarantees of shows are so important. It is money the artist knows is coming in and can live off.

I tell you all this for a couple of reasons. First, I want everyone to know that Roofbeam Records is more about introducing new artists and helping musicians we believe in get started, more than it is about making money. I can say this because the percentage of sales RB takes is minuscule compared to the industry standard. So, when you buy an album, such as Douglas Kent’s “The Way I Am,” you are supporting this artist. The second reason I tell you this is to encourage you to go see your favorite musicians live. Concerts are fun and you get to interact with the musicians in a way you can’t through the radio or recording. The more people who go to a musician's concert, the easier it is for them to get more gigs, at least at that particular venue. You will see that from the top mainstream artists to the struggling musicians, they are getting gigs and performing live to have a career in music.

Check out http://www.roofbeamrecords.com/ or http://www.douglaskentmusic.com/ for dates and venues when Douglas Kent will be at a venue near you. It won’t be long before the album is done. I got to see the art work for the digipak today and it is fantastic. I will keep you update. ‘Til next time.

jmp