Lyle Lovett Has Not Made Money for Twenty Years
Lyle Lovett has admitted he “never made a dime” from album sales during his twenty year career, according to Female First. He said he hopes he’ll begin to make some money from his music when his contract with Curb/Universal expires later this year. He explained:
“I’ve never made a dime from a record sale in the history of my record deal. I’ve been very happy with my sales, and certainly my audience has been very supportive. I make a living going out and playing shows. Certainly if a major label is interested in working with me after these next two records and is able to come up with a strategy that does engage some of the new technology in a way that can benefit everybody, I’d be very interested in that.”
Apparently, Lovett has sold 4.6 million albums in the United States since 1991 and signed with Curb/Universal in 1985.
That sucks - poor guy! If he ever needs to stop playing gigs, he should write a tell-all about being married to and dumped by Julia Roberts - that should bring him a little bit of cash.
Photo Source: WENN
3 babblicious comments:
So…
Wait, what? An artist, signed to a label, or various labels, is credited with 4.6 million album sales, and he hasn’t made ANY money from it directly?
How does that contract read? “We’ll produce and market your records, and hopefully the public will like them and see your shows, because we’re keeping all the money from the album sales.”
I can certainly understand an aggressive cut or percentage on the labels’ part, and I understand recouping expenses (production and marketing) in producing albums, but no one with any sense of fairness can possibly agree that this is conscionable.
So who exactly is it ’stealing from the artists’ again when they download or buy used, instead of buying new retail?
It’s always been the label “stealing” from the artists..why do you think they are so adamant to have things go back to the way they were….yes, they’re losing money, but not in the way they are trying to make everyone think they are…they lose money every time an artist refuses to sign on with them again….sucks to be them…(the record industry)
Go Indie Artists!
Cheesus…
It’s easy to be a famous musician with huge album sales and no money made. It works like this:
Artists record an album– and the label charges them huge fees for production and studio time, musicians, etc. Out of album sales.
Then the label sends them out on tour– and charges huge fees for tour buses, labor, gear, arena fees, etc. Again coming out of album sales.
And the labels promote the albums in ad/promo campaigns, and where does this money come from? That’s right, album sales.
And on and on it goes.
Labels nickel and dime and overcharge acts to death. This is an established industry truth. That’s why so many go “indy”, so they control their own finances and don’t have as many huge payouts.
Most signed musicians are virtual indentured servants to their labels, as the contracts stipulate the labels have control over nearly every costly decision. And it all gets paid for out of “future record sales”