This Summer's Music budget...

[pastoralguy]

Traditionally, summer is a quieter time for cd/recorded music sales but I wonder if many, like Mrs. PG and myself, will be spending their music £s on recorded music rather than summer festival tickets. Usually, we spend up to £400 on Edinburgh Festival tickets but since its cancelled we will be, hopefully, supporting musicians by buying their recordings instead.

Any thoughts?

[MrGongGong]

If you want to support musicians by buying their recordings
then buying them from the musicians directly rather than the likes of Amazon would be a good way to go.

Buying physical CDs is the best option

[Bryn]

If you want to support musicians by buying their recordings
then buying them from the musicians directly rather than the likes of Amazon would be a good way to go.

Buying physical CDs is the best option

Or support both them and venues which they play at. See, for instance, https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/saveiklectik

Also, Bandcamp are waiving their revenue cut for downloads on Friday, all proceeds to the musicians and tax collectors (just for the one day).

[MrGongGong]

Or support both them and venues which they play at. See, for instance, https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/saveiklectik

Also, Bandcamp are waiving their revenue cut for downloads on Friday, all proceeds to the musicians and tax collectors (just for the one day).

I'm always open to folks buying stuff

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2019/oct/31/best-streaming-service-mp3-pays-artists

[teamsaint]

If you want to support musicians by buying their recordings
then buying them from the musicians directly rather than the likes of Amazon would be a good way to go.

Buying physical CDs is the best option

I'd be interested ( and other may be too !) in how beneficial it is to musicians to buy direct at concerts etc.

For comparison, authors tend to get 10 to 12.5% royalties on the net amount received by the publisher . If there is an advance before publication, royalties are deducted from the advance, until it is repaid, or "earned out". Books are VAT free of course, so typically, with the big booksellers online and high st getting around 55% discount, an author might expect to earn around 40/45p for a £10 RRP sale.
Many authors buy their own books at similar discounts to the big retailers, and sell them at events,talks, festivals etc, so if they can sell at RRP, which the usually can , they earn maybe £5 per copy, which can be a really worthwhile addition to earnings , even if they only sell a few at each event.

[Petrushka]

Assuming that the Proms fail to go ahead I should be saving around £1000 this summer taking into account concert tickets, train fares, hotel costs, Tube tickets and sundry other costs so there's definitely some scope for increasing the CD budget.

[Dave2002]

Assuming that the Proms fail to go ahead I should be saving around £1000 this summer taking into account concert tickets, train fares, hotel costs, Tube tickets and sundry other costs so there's definitely some scope for increasing the CD budget.

I have wondered what charities to support - not quite the same consideration - as well as arts companies. Should there be some form of proportionality?

Example: £500 - maybe £100 to the NHS charity, £50 to the MET (not in the UK, but we'd probably have spent more than that on attending MET productions), £50 to the ROH, £50 to the National Theatre - but that's only £250. Perhaps another £100 to a music society we support/have supported in the past, and another £150 to a string quartet.

Maybe further funds to a local arts centre which might struggle to survive without sup

As noted above, we will also not be spending money on going out, so even £500 allocated would be less than we'd normally spend. Amounts could be scaled up, or down - depending on how things turn out.

I'm in favour of giving some funds to the NHS, but perhaps not a huge amount, as it ought to have been properly funded in the first place.

I would perhaps be most inclined to provide funds for organisations which might be on the brink of extinction - to keep them afloat for at least another year.

It's a bit of a balancing act. Not decided yet.

[Serial_Apologist]

I would perhaps be most inclined to provide funds for organisations which might be on the brink of extinction - to keep them afloat for at least another year.

It's a bit of a balancing act. Not decided yet.

I go along with this for myself. I keep a sufficient ear out for what is happening in those parts of the mainly jazz community who keep me in regular contact via emails mostly to be informed as to the best way I might help. I also donate generously to talented buskers I come across in the usual places - some of them might well be out-or-work professional musicians.

[MrGongGong]

I'd be interested ( and other may be too !) in how beneficial it is to musicians to buy direct at concerts etc.

For comparison, authors tend to get 10 to 12.5% royalties on the net amount received by the publisher . If there is an advance before publication, royalties are deducted from the advance, until it is repaid, or "earned out". Books are VAT free of course, so typically, with the big booksellers online and high st getting around 55% discount, an author might expect to earn around 40/45p for a £10 RRP sale.
Many authors buy their own books at similar discounts to the big retailers, and sell them at events,talks, festivals etc, so if they can sell at RRP, which the usually can , they earn maybe £5 per copy, which can be a really worthwhile addition to earnings , even if they only sell a few at each event.

All depends on whether your products are paid for by you or a label

Even if you are on a label a physical CD will earn much much more than the pennies you get from downloads

[MrGongGong]

I have wondered what charities to support - not quite the same consideration - as well as arts companies. Should there be some form of proportionality?

Example: £500 - maybe £100 to the NHS charity, £50 to the MET (not in the UK, but we'd probably have spent more than that on attending MET productions), £50 to the ROH, £50 to the National Theatre - but that's only £250. Perhaps another £100 to a music society we support/have supported in the past, and another £150 to a string quartet.
t.

If I had any money to give away and I was keen on chamber music (for example)
then

£0 to the ROH
£0 to the National theatre
£0 to the MET

They WILL survive without (have a look at what % of ACE money goes to the ROH/SBC etc ,NOT that they don't deserve support BUT........)

and give all my money to a young string quartet maybe to commission new work or simply be able to survive and rehearse

The NHS is NOT a charity
so the solution to that is to stop voting for parties that want to privatise it

Things are REALLY desperate for many extraordinarily talented and wonderful musicians

[Dave2002]

The NHS is NOT a charity
so the solution to that is to stop voting for parties that want to privatise it

But we didn't .... That hasn't been a solution ....

Things are REALLY desperate for many extraordinarily talented and wonderful musicians

The suggestion to support local music societies might work - but would depend on them being able to survive and put on some events, or at least keep their subscriber base. Some are really good at supporting up and coming musicians.

On the other even that might not work. I often buy CDs at music society concerts - direct from the musicians, which may be one way they get a modest income. Without events though, that's not going to happen either.

I think that buyng "regular" commercial CDs is more likely to benefit the distributors and the big companies, and Amazon or similar, than the musicians.

[Old Grumpy]

You can (at least in the jazz world) often buy CDs direct from the artist's website.

In more general terms, Help Musicians may be worth considering.

OG

[MrGongGong]

This might be of interest




(from http://www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/20...ipccymaDgtHR_E)


How many avocadoes to buy a house ?

BUT don't let that stop you all going and buying my stuff on Bandcamp this Friday (PM for a link) if that's your thang

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

My immediate summer budget is put aside for the 109 CD Barbirolli box.

With that and the Furtwangler big box, I'm certain to die happy.