Dennis 1 Kelly Dennis Alan Salzenstein Intro to Music Business 7 June 2011 Droopys Fiasco Droopy Fiasco, although

enjoyed a long, successful career, made many mistakes in his career. However, that is not to say that he and his management did not make fantastic choices. After all, one cannot enjoy a healthy career if they make countless poor choices. In my opinion, being signed my an independent record label initially is in the artists best interest. Usually, an independent label is more user friendly in that they are more interested in the music itself rather than making a profit. Concerning Droopys record deal with Speedbump records, it is great that Dandy Jackson wanted to sign a one record deal, however it would have been in his best interest to try and negotiate a two-firm record deal. This means that if the first record sells more than 150,000 records, the label is obligated to consider making a second record, however if you fail, they have the right to drop you. Although it seems picture perfect that Dandy Jackson not only signed Dandy but also provided him with a team, this is not ideal. An artist needs to handpick their personal manager so that they can both agree on what the artist wants to accomplish. This stays true for the agent and attorney as well. It is also not ideal to have Dandys relative be your agent. In some circumstances, Mandy will choose family before Droopy, and that could be disastrous. Dandy also forgot to provide Mr. Fiasco with a business manager; this person is crucial for managing an artists funds and keeping track of how much money is going in and going out. A business manager would have especially helped Droopy in

Dennis 2 his career because he repeatedly expressed that he did not know how much money he made at a time, even at the end of his career. A 50,000 advance on an independent label for a new artist is fairly standard. Although Dewey, Droopys manager, informed him that he wouldnt have to worry about paying his manager, attorney, or agent because of royalties, this is not true. The personal manager is paid by commission; usually 15% to 20% of all your earnings. Attorneys usually charge per hour and their fee is anywhere from $150/hour to over $600/hour. Finally, the agents receive 10% of whatever they helped you book like concerts and appearances. It is crucial that the agents are not given 10% of the money earned off records since they did not work on it. One of Droopys foolish mistakes was buying a $42,000 Lexus with his advance before he had even started the record. If Droopy were to run out of money after making the record, the record company would be forced to take the money out of the next record; all adding to his recoupable debt. After completing the record, his mixer gave him a check. Droopy, because of what Dewey initially said was under the impression that all of the payments would be taken care of by royalties, however, mixers are not payed out of the recoupable debt; they must be paid out of pocket and on time. As far as recording the record goes, Dandy made a big mistake. It is perfectly acceptable that he composed songs for you and even that he is having you record very old gospel songs, but the problem arises when he wants you to do a derivative work of Viva La Vida by Coldplay. By recording this song, Droopy is infringing on the copyright placed over that song. This means that Droopy and his label needed to get permission by Coldplay to not only record the derivative work, but to distribute it and perform it as well. Adele owned the name Rolling in the Deep and had the name copyrighted; therefore, the name of the record is breaking copyright laws. Droopy may have been wondering why he was sued for the rights of Viva La Vida and the

Dennis 3 record name but not the old gospel songs. Enough time has passed since the gospel songs have been written that they belong in the public domain; nobody owns them. Although Droopys lawyer did make the mistake of not getting the rights of the song before Droopy recorded them, he did immediately sign up for ASCAP, which made sure that whenever Droopys songs were played publicly, it was done so legally. Going on tour is always a good thing for an artist. Although as a new artist it is inevitable that they will lose money, in the end it gives them more exposure which can lead to greater record sales. Besides creating a promoting machine, touring also builds better performance skills. An artist who does not have a good live show will fade quickly. Droopys personal manager, however, was not conscious of the amount of money should be spending. Droopy will already have to pay for rehearsal, equipment, travel, and hotels so making him look good and traveling in first class should not be the number one priority of the tour. This is, again, where a business manager would have come in handy. Instead of letting Ima throw around Droopys money, the business and personal managers could have come to an agreement on what was financially fit and essential for the tour. In the end of his independent career with Speedbump, Droopy was making money which means that he paid off the $50,000 worth of recoupable debt. Getting signed to Interscope records, which is a major label, is the step that makes sense after having a successful first record with an independent label. His first project at Interscope was Droopy Fiasco and The Rejects, making Droopy the key member, or leader of the group. Basically, if the key member leaves, the group is over and the label will most likely drop the other band members. When Nough Rhythm left the band, she asked for one-fifth of the money to date and the money that they earned from Whos Laughing Now. This is an ideal situation for both Droopy and Nough because she is getting credit for what she worked on and nothing else.

Dennis 4 When The Rejects were terminated from Interscope, Droopy kept his record deal simply because he was the key member of the group. Since while Droopy Fiasco and The Rejects were a group they never got rights for the name, someone else used it. When another band came out with a similar name, Droopy insisted on leaving it alone. This was a smart move on his part because this new bands potential could lead people back to Droopy, increasing his popularity yet again. Droopy enjoyed a long career due to starting out on an independent, promoting his tour, and eventually signing to a major label that could carry his stardom. If his career were to be more successful, Droopy would have to had hired a business manager who could have managed his funds. Still today, Droopy does not know how much money he made as an artist, which in my opinion, is crucial information. 2) Closing Time, unlike the previous single Down In Flames, got loads of radio time before Feeling Strangely Fine. This gave the band new hype that they had never seen before. Also, the band made a music video that MTV accepted to run on their channel. MTV was a sort of ticket to exposure. Closing Time got more exposure when they went on the late night show run; visiting Leno, Letterman, and Conan. The band continued promoting the song and album as they toured with Matchbox 20 and performed various festivals moving to the bigger stage instead of a small bar. The band did not enjoy a long career simply because they could not come out with another hit single like Closing Time; therefore their next record did not live up to Feeling Strangely Fine. When talking to Jake, I thought it was interesting how the band is not signed to ASCAP alone but also BMI. Since they are a collaborative team, I was under the impression that they would all need to be under the same company. 3) I believe that in todays music industry, you have to be attractive or unique looking to be successful. A prime example of this is Lady GaGa. For years she tried to break into the New

Dennis 5 York scene by playing at clubs, but she was not getting noticed. To do so, she resorted to dressing in ridiculous costumes to let her music be heard. But is it even good music? In todays music industry, the best artists seem mediocre to the music gods of the past like The Beatles, The Mamas and the Papas, Louis Armstrong, and Stevie Wonder. The artists today are not making music, they are making an image, and apparently the American music industry enjoys seeing the same perfect image over and over again. Part of me thinks that people are aware that artists are simply trying to fit an image and are aware that we are not getting the same musical experience that our parents perhaps did, but then I hear the music my old roommate listened to. She thinks that Lady GaGas new record is the best in ten years and that her outfits are simply ground breaking. This makes me think that the music industry will only get worse in their image. However, their is hope. Many artists, that are perhaps not the most popular, are aware of the corruption of the industry. If these artists continue to speak up, perhaps the music industry will be saved of this image. 4) 360 deals are just another way for the record label to have more control over the artist, and therefore get what they want out of the artist. 360 deals mean less creative control for the artist, and most likely, more standardized music or one style of music that is being distributed across America. The idea of 360 deals is in favor of the record companies. Yes, I agree, the record labels are responsible for boosting popularity of artists, but they should not get credit for other work that the artist does. It is like an agent. Although the agent helps get the artist more popularity, he does not get rewarded for work that he does not do. The same should go for record companies. If an artist works on a movie, there is no way that the record company should get 10% of their earnings. 360 deals confirm that the music industry is becoming less and less about the artist/music and more about the money that record executives receive.