Nah, they don't get $9 per CD. They probably get $2-$3 per CD. The wholesale cost of these CD's to retailers is only $11 or so (and St Anger must be less because retailers were selling it for $9.99).

Usually, a large band will get somewhere between $1 and $2 per CD on their contracted deal - with publishing fees above and beyond that if they write their own material.

Remember, the major retailers tack on anywhere from 20% to 50% above their cost (which is what the record company gets).

Nah. Back when this whole Napster thing went down, there were a few articles and blurbs that mentioned Metallca get 50% off of every album sold. Of course a source for this will be hard to find now.

I know their deal is much greater than most other bands, but 50% sounds a lil too extreme..

You are close, but not quite there yet. Here is a good read on how it is for a band at a smaller level, but also does aply to larger bands.

http://www.negativland.com/albini.html


A band getting a $1 or $2 a cd would be nice in a perfect world, but bands normally get screwed. Lets say a band gets 10% of thier net sales on a CD. When you pay $19.00 for a CD you would asume the band would get a $1.90, but that is not the case. First, of course, you have to reduce the price to whole-sale. Then comes production and distrabution, so reduce the price more. Then comes the fees and points due to the publishers(wether you write your own songs or not), so take some more $$ off. Slash more off for $$ owed to payback the record company for recording and video costs', as well as $$ fronted for the tour. Subtract even a little more for the old as dirt packageing fee, that is no longer needed, that the RIAA run labels impose on thier artist's. After that subtract any other $$ that might be owed to the record lable(cash advance) or points owed to lawyers, agents etc.. By the time the band gets to take thier 10% out of the record sale, not much is left. you might get 10% of $2 or maybe $3 if your lucky. 20 to 30 cents to split 4 or 5 ways, and that in itself has a crazy breakdown also for some bands.

In Metallica's case. If they do get 50% of sales, that would mean they make about a $1 a CD, which is great in the format that music industry is run in now. Most bands aren't that lucky.


As for paying a $1 a song. To me that is way to much $$$. Thats just as much as buying an overpriced CD(if you get every song on the album), and you don't even get a booklet. I would be willing to pay $10 to $15 a month for unlimmited downloads, or maybe 10 cents a song, but not a dollar a song!! That is just as bad, if not worse, than the robbery that takes place every time we buy an overpriced CD at the store.

And if you only wanted 8 of those 10 songs, then you didn't have to buy the other 2. Sorry, but your argument sounds like your just parroting the party line.

If they release singles to radio, they can damn_well sell by the single. If they don't want their songs sold in 3.5 minute snippets, then record 30-40 min songs.

I have too damn many albums that have a 90% suckage ratio, and that's bad business. The last albums I've bought new are Once More With Feeling and Poodle Hat. The rest are either used, or other.

Big shocker, consdiering Metallica was one of the few artists not available from either BMG or Columbia House CD clubs back in the heyday...primarily, because their royalties from these sales weren't as great as they would be through retail channels.

Actually, they were. I got LPs of "Master of Puppets" and "Kill'em All" (with "Creeping Death" and "Am I Evil" tracks) from Columbia House.