RESIDUALS
Actors and Writers are striking.
The actors have joined the writers in taking industrial action, because they want streaming giants to agree to a fairer split of profits and better working conditions.
And a recent Black Mirror episode has made em all worried about digital replicas, so they want further protection in this area.
The BBC article has this to say about it;
Mark Ruffalo went on to say that while actors and screenwriters have “made great content”, the business brains behind them had “created an empire of billionaires”, who are “laughing like fat cats” and “believe we are no longer of value”.
You see, actors are paid residuals. Residuals are a form of royalty paid to actors when movies and TV shows air on television after their initial run.
Residuals came into practice in the 60s and were updated to include Cable TV. But it doesn’t work for streaming because streaming shows aren’t scheduled.
To show how valuable residuals are, the article over at “The Conversation” states;
Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of “Squid Game,” forfeited all residuals when he cut a deal with Netflix.
It earned Netflix nearly US$1 billion, but Hwang got none of that bounty.
You see, Hwang would get a large upfront fee to create “Squid Game”. It would be large enough to tempt him to forfeit all residuals. Netflix and Hwang both gambled and Netflix won.
And while some actors are paid well because they had the “old gatekeeper power” to get residuals higher, the rest struggle, while the streaming services and studios along with their CEO’s earn billions and multi-millions.
WHAT MAKES IT
Because no one knows what will make it big. Here is a snippet from a newsletter that Billy Oppenheimer writes;
Zemeckis replied with “It’s a minefield, Tom. You never know what’s good…It’s a minefield! It’s a goddam minefield! We may be sowing the seeds of our own destruction.”
There is no safety net or guarantee that things will become popular.
After Bon Jovi finished recording “Slippery When Wet”, producer Bruce Fairbairn was hoping it would get a Gold Certification, which is 500,000 sales in the U.S. Currently the album is at 13,364,000 units sold.
David Coverdale just recovered from surgery after a bad sinus infection. He had fired everyone. He was over $3 million in debt to Geffen. The music to the songs which would make up the 1987 album were recorded. All he had to do was sing.
And he hoped there was a place for Whitesnake in the market dominated by Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Scorpions and Europe. It’s at 8 million and counting in U.S sales.
“Welcome to the Jungle” from Guns N’ Roses performed poorly in both the United States and the United Kingdom when first released in September 1987.
As the band’s popularity grew steadily in 1988, on the back of “Sweet Child O Mine” and their ferocious live performances, it became a sleeper hit in the US and reached the top 10 of the Billboard charts. It was then re-released in the UK, charting within the top 40 there.
In June 2005, it was certified Gold in the U.S.
By 2017, it surpassed 3 million in sales however it’s never been re-certified.
Nirvana’s second album “Nevermind” was released in September 1991 with low expectations, hoping to sell 500,000 copies.
The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 144.
It entered the top 40 in November.
When December rolled around, the album was selling 300,000 copies a week.
By January 1992, it replaced Michael Jackson’s “Dangerous” at number 1 on the Billboard charts.
The album has gone on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide.
When Def Leppard released “Hysteria” in 1987, they were expecting the same sales as “Pyromania”. In addition, due to the lengthy recording process, in order to break even they had to sell a minimum of 5 million albums.
After 8 months, the album had sold 3 million in the U.S and the band was preparing to wrap up their tour, take a short break and go back into the studio.
Then “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and “Love Bites” hit the airwaves. The popularity of the singles led to renewed interest in the album and the band was back on the road.
The “Hysteria” tour ended on 27th October 1988. By then the album had moved 7 million units in the U.S. It was basically moving a million units a month in the U.S from June.
By May 1990, the album was at 10 million units in the U.S. and it’s still selling today.
DO THE WORK YOU LOVE
It’s a strong mindset to work on a project and knowing that no one will possibly care about it once it’s released.
But the ones that do it, do it because it’s a need to create and they live to create. If it’s successful, the money and fame is a byproduct of their need to create.
THE JOURNEY
When Bruce Springsteen dropped “Born to Run” in 1975 he was 11 years into his journey. During those years he was in and out of numerous bands and his first two albums as a solo artist bombed.
When “Appetite For Destruction” came out in 1987, Guns N Roses were an 7 year over night success. And the album was a slow burner. It took over a year to get traction and once it did, it was outselling everyone.
During these periods, “talented” and “schooled” musicians were in their thousands. But the biggest artists didn’t come from Julliard or Berklee.
If your are not committed to the journey talent doesn’t matter.
destroyerofharmony 