Ice Cube has now shipped gold

[mastdark81]

Thats good for Cube. But I think a lot of you who are saying independent is the way too go are being a little short sighted. An artist can make more money per unit independent but wont get hardly anything for shows and wont be doing many shows. An artist on a major who makes much less per unit but sells way more units will have a larger fan base, get waaaaayy more money for shows, and will be doing way more shows than an indie artist. Look at it like this:

Indie artist - 100,000 units (highly successful for an indie release) x $5 per unit =$500,000


+ 10 shows at 5,000 a show = $50,000

grand total - $550,000


major artist 2,000,000 units x .40 a unit = $800,000

plus 20 shows at $20,000 a show = $400,000

grand total = $1,200,000

Don't agree with this.  For example...Ice Cube would not have sold 2mill no matter what major he was on.  If he was on a major and played regularly he would maybe do about 200,000 more at the most...from where he's at currently.  Also you doubled the amount of shows from 10 independent to 20 on a major.  Keep it even.  If Eminem goes the independent route right now i guarantee he will pocket more then he would being with Aftermath and get the same amount for his shows as you say a major would.

[Juronimo]

Thats good for Cube. But I think a lot of you who are saying independent is the way too go are being a little short sighted. An artist can make more money per unit independent but wont get hardly anything for shows and wont be doing many shows. An artist on a major who makes much less per unit but sells way more units will have a larger fan base, get waaaaayy more money for shows, and will be doing way more shows than an indie artist. Look at it like this:

Indie artist - 100,000 units (highly successful for an indie release) x $5 per unit =$500,000


+ 10 shows at 5,000 a show = $50,000

grand total - $550,000


major artist 2,000,000 units x .40 a unit = $800,000

plus 20 shows at $20,000 a show = $400,000

grand total = $1,200,000

Don't agree with this.  For example...Ice Cube would not have sold 2mill no matter what major he was on.  If he was on a major and played regularly he would maybe do about 200,000 more at the most...from where he's at currently.  Also you doubled the amount of shows from 10 independent to 20 on a major.  Keep it even.  If Eminem goes the independent route right now i guarantee he will pocket more then he would being with Aftermath and get the same amount for his shows as you say a major would.

Not only that, if it cost $1,500,000 to put the record out including expensive marketing campaigns and paying for expensive producers and guest appearances to get the mass appeal and the rapper only made $800,000 on it, he'd be in the hole $700,000 to the label.

[Turf Hitta]

Thats good for Cube. But I think a lot of you who are saying independent is the way too go are being a little short sighted. An artist can make more money per unit independent but wont get hardly anything for shows and wont be doing many shows. An artist on a major who makes much less per unit but sells way more units will have a larger fan base, get waaaaayy more money for shows, and will be doing way more shows than an indie artist. Look at it like this:

Indie artist - 100,000 units (highly successful for an indie release) x $5 per unit =$500,000


+ 10 shows at 5,000 a show = $50,000

grand total - $550,000


major artist 2,000,000 units x .40 a unit = $800,000

plus 20 shows at $20,000 a show = $400,000

grand total = $1,200,000

Don't agree with this.  For example...Ice Cube would not have sold 2mill no matter what major he was on.  If he was on a major and played regularly he would maybe do about 200,000 more at the most...from where he's at currently.  Also you doubled the amount of shows from 10 independent to 20 on a major.  Keep it even.  If Eminem goes the independent route right now i guarantee he will pocket more then he would being with Aftermath and get the same amount for his shows as you say a major would.

Cube probably wouldnt have sold 2 mil, but I wasn't necesarrilly talkin about Cube, just in general terms. And the number of shows doubled with the major artist for a reason. You think a guy who goes 2x platinum is gonna be doing the same amount of shows as a guy who goes gold? Again, I wasnt talking about any particular artist, just general terms.

[Turf Hitta]

Thats good for Cube. But I think a lot of you who are saying independent is the way too go are being a little short sighted. An artist can make more money per unit independent but wont get hardly anything for shows and wont be doing many shows. An artist on a major who makes much less per unit but sells way more units will have a larger fan base, get waaaaayy more money for shows, and will be doing way more shows than an indie artist. Look at it like this:

Indie artist - 100,000 units (highly successful for an indie release) x $5 per unit =$500,000


+ 10 shows at 5,000 a show = $50,000

grand total - $550,000


major artist 2,000,000 units x .40 a unit = $800,000

plus 20 shows at $20,000 a show = $400,000

grand total = $1,200,000

Don't agree with this.  For example...Ice Cube would not have sold 2mill no matter what major he was on.  If he was on a major and played regularly he would maybe do about 200,000 more at the most...from where he's at currently.  Also you doubled the amount of shows from 10 independent to 20 on a major.  Keep it even.  If Eminem goes the independent route right now i guarantee he will pocket more then he would being with Aftermath and get the same amount for his shows as you say a major would.

Not only that, if it cost $1,500,000 to put the record out including expensive marketing campaigns and paying for expensive producers and guest appearances to get the mass appeal and the rapper only made $800,000 on it, he'd be in the hole $700,000 to the label.

True, but thats only IF the record actually cost that much to record and IF he only made 800,000. If he got a better deal, like the one Xzibit had on Restless, he would be getting somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.50 a unit, which in a double platinum scenario would be 3,000,000. Subtract the 1,500,000 for recoupment and your still left with 1,500,000 plus way more show money and endorsement deals, movies, etc simply based on the  fact that people with more fans generate more revenue.