Sorry Big Jim. As much as I've come to like you, and as much as I respect your history, you miss the point here. So does Nite.


As you yourself have stated, the industry made and makes all kinds of money off the talent...and the unscrupulous make lots of it. Think of Fogerty and CCR, for example.


And think of how records were funded. The "industry" basically lent the money to the talent, who, if there was cash flow from their records, paid for every last cent of the production, distribution, publicity etc., and often started record #2 "in the red" even if record #1 was a smash hit. So much for thinking the talent should get "a free lunch"


Great deal for the industry. They made lots of money legitimately using one sided contracts, and more through creative accounting whereby the talent also absorbed industry overheads. Then again, they also lost lots of money on acts that made it nowhere...despite paying out lots of money to try and make it happen.


So even if the studios paid for flights in, demos etc, you can bet your bottom dollar it eventually came out of the pockets of the talent. The difference is that those who made no money were released from their labels, and those of lesser talent yet were exploited by the sharks...and EVERYTHING PLUS INDUSTRY PROFITS came out of the successful acts. Yes, the successful acts paid for the cost of failure, speculation etc.


What is happening here with BT is no promise or guaranty for success, just the chance to be heard by industry professionals. Full stop. End of story.


It is a well defined "value proposition" that makes no promise other than you will be heard and will receive feedback from an industry professional who is not working on behalf of some record company, but entirely for themselves when they contract with you and BT. You are paying for their time because no one else is when they listen to your stuff. So there is no chance to "put in on the books" and recoup it later with interest and overheads from the talent.


But IF you happen to give them something they like and can use, well that's the sound of another door opening. And cheaply done in my books.


Under the old model, this meeting you were invited to would have cost you everybody's time, all variable costs including travel, the noshing meals and drinks etc...plus interest while these costs were on the record company's books. AND because this was done via a signed contract, all was fine....that is if you signed. If you did not, well, they wrote off the cost against their profits from successful, acts and they still made money...but chances are if you got the meeting they were interested.


If you could have gotten the meeting without an invitation, it would have come out of your pocket right away. Either way you paid.


But the world and industry has changed, and all kinds of things are now possible via the net. I applaud the innovation, and I find that NOT charging or paying for legitimate services from credible people unethical.



If writing ever becomes work I think I'm going to have to stop