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The below is a direct quote from the beginning of an article on Gigaom dot com.
The beginning of the article (hotdogs) puts the music business into perspective.

Imagine a new hot-dog selling venture. Let’s also say there’s only one supplier to purchase hot dogs from. Instead of simply charging a fixed price for hot dogs, that supplier demands the HIGHER of the following: $1 per hot dog sold OR $2 for every customer served OR 50 percent of all revenues for anything sold in the store.In addition, the supplier requires a two-year minimum order of 300 hot dogs per day, payable all in advance. If fewer hot dogs are sold, there is no refund. If more than 300 hot dogs are sold each day, payments to the supplier are generated by calculating $2 per customer or 50 percent of total revenues, so an additional payment is due to the supplier. After the first two years, the supplier can unilaterally adjust any of the pricing terms and the shop can never switch suppliers.

Would this imaginary hot dog establishment be able to generate a profit? Never, because the economics are one-sided. The supplier will always elect the formula that captures the largest amount of money for themselves, completely disregarding the financial viability of the store. If the store miraculously managed to generate a profit, the landlord would simply raise the rates after two years.

Such economic demands may be imaginary for the hot dog business, but they are the stark reality that every digital-music subscription service such as Spotify, Rhapsody, MOG, Rdio, and others must confront.

For the rest of the article go to:

http://gigaom.com/2011/12/11/why-spotif ... 3A+Tech%29

AH this is not new.
Unscrupulous "promoters" have been giving the dry hot dog to eager artist since before lions tasted Christians.

I simply choose not to do business like that or with people whom do business like that ... to the best of my ability.


Why is it the people of the performing arts are so easy to bilk ?
Perhaps a desire to be loved overpowers common sense ?

I believe it was the great shyster P.T Barnum whom said.

A sucker is born every minute ... and most of them are in the performing arts.

We all have 2 halves to our brains.
One is logic n' math, and the other is music n' emotions.
I think most composers have a strongly developed emotional side.
Kinda like actors, I guess .
Musicians are a breed all to their own, eh?

We ( if I may count myself among musicians ) certainly share some common traits.
Some of us allow it to posses them.
Instead of the other way around.