On 14 Aug 2002 at 14:36, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> I guess I'm thinking about Tom Waits & his relationship with Epitaph. > They treat him like a king, and because they're smaller he doesn't > have to be a major unit-shifter to make a profit for them. He hasn't > had to step up touring to support his projects, and he's remained > prolific and innovative. And the packaging is creative to boot. > It think it's hard to compare the two. Even though his touring didn't change, he has maintained his visibility with his acting, scoring films, contributing songs for soundtracks, etc. (The visibility from Dead Man Walking certainly helped with the setup of Mule Variations.) He turns up at shows and joins people on stage unannounced. How many times has Joni done that in recent memory? He played a show at SXSW (new music/industry conference in Austin). He turns up at industry events and he plays benefits. It seems unlikely that Joni would do that. As far as making a profit for them, he's got to sell whatever it takes to cover their costs. If they spend more on packaging, they've got to sell to cover that. Could be that he turns in everything finished - the record and the art and has a more favorable royalty rate because of it. More artists at majors and independents are doing that these days. I'd bet his recording budgets and advances over the last 10 years have been a lot smaller than Joni's, so it's easier for him to make that transition. Brenda n.p.: Incognito - "Sunburn" ------------------------------ Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.
