While many artists, both young and old, have decried the state of the music business in 2018, Disturbed front man David Draiman has a different take.
It's always been hard to make money in music, but Draiman suggests that musicians who complain about paltry streaming royalties are misguided.
Disturbed just announced a new tour after going on hiatus for about a year. Draiman was asked by Loudwire if more bands should follow Disturbed's example and tour less to build up demand. The front man emphasized that while taking time off worked for his band, most artists don't have that same luxury.
"For younger bands that don't have the draw that we do, it's incredibly difficult; it really is," Draiman said. "For bands that don't understand or that don't fully take advantage of how the machine actually works, it's incredibly difficult."
He says artists should take advantage of all the potential streams of revenue available to them.
"People demonize streaming; they think that's the thing that killed aspects of this industry when nothing could be further from the truth," he continued. "Piracy is what killed aspects of this industry. Streaming is bringing it back. The difference is every band needs to really pay attention to what their record contract says."
Draiman suggests that there's too much information out there about the music industry; artists should be signing bad deals. Every record deal nowadays outlines the artist's royalty rate. As a musician, this is one of the most important sections of your deal.
The royalty rate often changes after an artist's advance is recouped. This is where bands end up feeling stiffed, Draiman explains.
"You have to really pay attention to it; you have to negotiate, you have to hard ball. You have to try and improvise adapt and overcome. I've said that a million times. There's no greater proof and testimony to the fact that streaming works than the fact that record companies are all of the sudden in the black again, and they're actually making profits and seeing some of the best revenue they've seen in a decade."
Draiman also expressed hope that the recent passage of the Music Modernization Act will bring about more "middle ground" between artists and labels sharing the profits.
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