In past headlines it read, Ax may be hovering over Mariah Carey recording giant ready to drop singer.
Now wait a minute, didnt Mariah Carey sell well over 50 million albums since 1990? (Strictly speaking in the dollar terms, thats roughly 649 million dollars in album sales alone.) And wasnt she one of the hottest acts in the past decade and in the exclusive Top Ten All Time Artist who have the most consecutive #1 hits?
Okay, so shes not married to the head of Sony Records any more and who cares that she had an emotional breakdown (who wouldnt with the kind of pressure she has to deal with I think Id like to have a breakdown now!) Shes considered a liability? When her contract was reportedly worth an estimated 80 million dollars and trouble looming over an already unsteady economy, which has hit the Music industry over the past several year in declining sales, especially since the tragic events that occurred on September 11th, its no wonder the ax would fall on those with huge salaries.
With sales from her first release on Virgin/EMI only reaching 400,000 when it was released, this album has been a disappointment to record company execs as I am sure it was to Ms. Carey who has always been at the top of the charts until now. But doesnt everyone have a bad hair day? Of course, but not to the tune (excuse the pun) of 25 million dollars which is what Ms. Carey was reportedly paid for the first release, Glitter on her old label. Now mind you, I would love to make that kind of money, and hats off to Ms. Careys people for negotiating that kind of deal, but the risk one takes in being the highest paid, is that you are usually the first one to go when times are tough.
While Ms. Carey might have had an easier time with her old label because of loyalty to her and the huge profits she has generated and still does for them, this brand new label had nothing but dollar signs and no loyalty to her financially. Hopefully, Alain Levy who replaced Ken Berry will be able to renegotiate Ms. Careys contract instead of letting her go.
This was and still is today definitely yet another wake up call in an already floundering industry. With Record Companies going down and out and hanging out their shingles right and left (DreamWorks being the latest). Executives being fired here, there and everywhere. Artists trying to duck for cover so they arent the next casualty; its a scary proposition being a Musician. Okay, so its always been a scary proposition.
So I ponderwhy are things so much worse then they used to be? Could it be that too much money is being paid at the top? Is there not enough promotion? Is there too much shifting and leveraging to get the best deal? Is the quality of the product not meeting the demands of the populace? Bingo! With the fragile state of this and so many other industries, 1 hit wonders mentality must go if the recording industry wants to not just survive, bu t thrive. (Ms. Carey does not fall into this category; other then they are trying to find the next Mariah Carey.) Quality, not quantity. The industry needs to stop the mass cookie cutter attitude by trying to produce the same acts with different people in them over and over again. Its like eating the same meal at different restaurants night after night. Different chefs, the same recipe, but none of the meals were as good as the first taste you had at your favorite restaurant. If you keep churning out the same act with different faces, eventually the fans will get tired of the original acts also and stop buying even their product.
Change is a good thing and new acts come up all the time, but change is not good when it is constantly happening and no one knows which end is up. The industry needs some stability and consistency, not only in the ranks, but also with the artists. Too many artists are pulled off the shelves before they even get off the ground, leaving t he listening audiences confused and disgruntled. The labels have forgotten the fans and is only worrying about paying their costly mortgages, thereby losing all loyalty from the paying public.
If the audience is not happy, they wont buy the product. In addition, we seem to be seeing even in the bigger named artists, with only 1 song released off their albums to the listening public. Not many people want or can afford to buy an album for $11.98 with only 1 song they like on it anymore, even if they are loyal fans of the established artist. The general population is the ones who are suffering the most in this economy.
If there is little or no money coming in, then the day of the big contracts is gone. Some of the largest selling albums are ones with multiple songs on it that the listener likes. Take Shania Twain for example. Her albums are mega sellers with more then 1/2 the album on the singles charts at various times. Why are her albums huge? Because the y are quality, and a great bargain. The buying populace wants a deal. The Record Industry seems to want to put out a little and expect to get a lot, and in doing so, they are losing the fan base in general. People are spending their money elsewhere.
They forgot that we are the fans and the fans have the buying power. Without the buying power, they lose their jobs, the big deals go away, and the labels go under. They need to stick with the artists once they have signed them, promote them, and if the first album doesnt work, try another one and work harder with a different strategy. Forget trying to get another Mariah Carey, N-Sync, or Shania Twain.
Use the talent that is there and churn out more then a 1 hit wonder. Then the buying public will come back and the fan base will be there for hopefully years to come. Look at acts like the Beatles, Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley, ABBA and Barbara Streisand to name a few. These acts stir the general public, and ver y few people have not heard of them. They still sell records and when they do a concert, its sold out in a second. This is because of quality. They werent churned out and then spit out.
Lets take ABBA for example. This is a group based in the 70s, and they havent had a hit record in decades. They are also one of the biggest selling groups of all times, still selling albums today. Recently, they were offered a billion dollars to tour for one year. The turned it down (wish I could do that!). While that is a contradiction of what I said about those with the largest pay being cut first, it is in line with what I have been trying to say here all along - the bottom line is the fan base. If its not there, the money will not come in, and it cant be there with a 1 hit wonder. Too much spending, and not enough quality product has caused the Music industry to come crashing down to reality.
A little side note on Ms. Carey. I do wish all the success on her new CD ( and it looks like shes hitting the top). She certainly deserves it. She has worked hard and worked smart for the most part and has earned the right to a deal of the magnitude she received.
Jaci Rae is the #1 Best Selling author of Winning Points with the Woman in Your Life One Touchdown at a Time ISBN 0974622907 and The Indie Guide To Music, Marketing and Money ISBN 978-0-9746229-4-1 as well as the host of the Jaci Rae show. Dubbed by the media as Racy Jaci because of her quick wit and The Rae of Hope, for her powerful insight, please make sure to check her out at: http://www.jacirae.com To hear Jacis popular show, with some of the top behind the scenes as well as famous bands go to: http://www.jacirae.com click on the weekly show link.
Author:: Jaci Rae
Keywords:: floundering Music ind ustry, movie industry goes bust, Music, Indie, mariah carey, record labels
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