Big Black - Bad Penny

Bad Penny by Big Black!!!

They sold a quarter million copies! Here is the math that will explain just how fucked they are: These figures are representative of amounts that appear in record contracts daily. There's no need to skew the figures to make the scenario look bad, since real-life examples more than abound.

Advance: $ 250,000
Manager's cut: $ 37,500
Legal fees: $ 10,000
Recording Budget: $ 150,000
Producer's advance: $ 50,000
Studio fee: $ 52,500
Drum Amp, Mic and Phase "Doctors": $ 3,000
Recording tape: $ 8,000
Equipment rental: $ 5,000
Cartage and Transportation: $ 5,000
Lodgings while in studio: $ 10,000
Catering: $ 3,000
Mastering: $ 10,000
Tape copies, reference CDs, shipping tapes, misc. expenses: $ 2,000
Video budget: $ 30,000
Cameras: $ 8,000
Crew: $ 5,000
Processing and transfers: $ 3,000
Off-line: $ 2,000
On-line editing: $ 3,000
Catering: $ 1,000
Stage and construction: $ 3,000
Copies, couriers, transportation: $ 2,000
Director's fee: $ 3,000
Album Artwork: $ 5,000
Promotional photo shoot and duplication: $ 2,000
Band fund: $ 15,000
New fancy professional drum kit: $ 5,000
New fancy professional guitars [2]: $ 3,000
New fancy professional guitar amp rigs [2]: $ 4,000
New fancy potato-shaped bass guitar: $ 1,000
New fancy rack of lights bass amp: $ 1,000
Rehearsal space rental: $ 500
Big blowout party for their friends: $ 500 Tour expense [5 weeks]: $ 50,875
Bus: $ 25,000
Crew [3]: $ 7,500
Food and per diems: $ 7,875
Fuel: $ 3,000
Consumable supplies: $ 3,500
Wardrobe: $ 1,000
Promotion: $ 3,000
Tour gross income: $ 50,000
Agent's cut: $ 7,500
Manager's cut: $ 7,500
Merchandising advance: $ 20,000
Manager's cut: $ 3,000
Lawyer's fee: $ 1,000
Publishing advance: $ 20,000
Manager's cut: $ 3,000
Lawyer's fee: $ 1,000
Record sales: 250,000 @ $12 =
$3,000,000
Gross retail revenue Royalty: [13% of 90% of retail]:
$ 351,000
Less advance: $ 250,000
Producer's points: [3% less $50,000 advance]:
$ 40,000
Promotional budget: $ 25,000
Recoupable buyout from previous label: $ 50,000
Net royalty: $ -14,000
Record company income:
Record wholesale price: $6.50 x 250,000 =
$1,625,000 gross income
Artist Royalties: $ 351,000
Deficit from royalties: $ 14,000
Manufacturing, packaging and distribution: @ $2.20 per record: $ 550,000
Gross profit: $ 7l0,000

The Balance Sheet: This is how much each player got paid at the end of the game.

Record company: $ 710,000
Producer: $ 90,000
Manager: $ 51,000
Studio: $ 52,500
Previous label: $ 50,000
Agent: $ 7,500
Lawyer: $ 12,000
Band member net income each: $ 4,031.25

The band is now 1/4 of the way through its contract, has made the music industry more than 3 million dollars richer, but is in the hole $14,000 on royalties. The band members have each earned about 1/3 as much as they would working at a 7-11, but they got to ride in a tour bus for a month. The next album will be about the same, except that the record company will insist they spend more time and money on it. Since the previous one never "recouped," the band will have no leverage, and will oblige. The next tour will be about the same, except the merchandising advance will have already been paid, and the band, strangely enough, won't have earned any royalties from their T-shirts yet. Maybe the T-shirt guys have figured out how to count money like record company guys. Some of your friends are probably already this fucked.

- Taken from
THE PROBLEM WITH MUSIC written by STEVE ALBINI

Now go! Do your homework, research Steve Albini and learn something about good quality music! Stop watching fucking MTV.

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[looshkin66]

i think i fucked your girlfriend once.......maybe twice, i dont remember.......THEN i fucked all your friends girlfriends!!!! And now they hate you.

Pure fucking brilliance

[blatspanner]

one of the meanest bands ever.

[johnnyscifi]

@johnnyscifi and for the record, Sex Pistols started in 75 and Big Black started in either 80 or 81. Either way, that leaves about 5-6 years between the bands, not a decade...

[johnnyscifi]

@losghost Neither the Sex Pistols or New York Dolls are even remotely Hardcore. Thats a genre that arguably began with three bands in the late 70's Black Flag, Bad Brains and Canada's DOA...Sex Pistols were a punk band and not a particularliy interesting one at that PIL was far more influential in my opinion and New York Dolls are pretty much a rock band, most people argue for them to be apart of the Proto-Punk identity, but im not to comfortable with that term...

[losghost]

@johnnyscifi I guess your opinion depends on what you consider hard core. Me, I'm thinking Sex Pistols, New York Dolls, etc. That being the case there is almost a decade of music between the two undefined.

[johnnyscifi]

@johnnyscifi With the couple DC bands that Ian Mackaye fronted between Minor Threat and Fugazi shaping the sound...

[johnnyscifi]

@losghost No, he is right. The first post-hardcore band is pretty much Big Black. Naked Raygun, the effigies and later on Fugazi took the genre to new hights, but this is where it began. The bands you've mentioned are not Post-Hardcore. Hate to be a troll, but the guy is right..:)

[qazxsw9871]

chicago was too tame to embrace big black when they came out with this. fuck chicagoans and their lame ass indie music scene these days.

[losghost]

@Z4d1s Fair nuff! :)

[Z4d1s]

@losghost It's the first post hardcore band I've listened to :]

[losghost]

@Z4d1s Um, no. Not even close. You are off by almost 10 years. Try Red Lorry Yellow Lorry - Nothing wrong or maybe even Jesus and Mary Chain which is similar in sound (but not content). Lena Lovich, Ministry, Five Story Fall, and Husker Du, and last but not least, Dead Kennedys.

ps: I still have this cd in my collection along with a sorely missed Mr. Bungle.

[finnishDEATH]

thank you