NAME:______
A Great MATH Debate!
The time has come to put your mathematical skills to the ultimate test—in a debate! You and your team will construct an argument defending/promoting your client. Your arguments must be solid, grounded in math, and clear.
Here is the case:
A new but promising young artist is trying to decide how to produce his new record. Should he choose a major record label, a legitimate indie label or independent producing? Below are the options.
- Major Record Label wants to sign the new artist. They will give the artist a $200,000 signing bonus, plus the artist will get $0.10 in royalty for each song sold.
- Indie Record Label wants to sign the new artist. They offer a $50,000 signing bonus plus $0.60 in royalty for each song sold.
- Self-Employed artists get to keep all their earnings. It will cost $20,000 for recording time and supplies, but once the record is made, the artist makes $0.80 per song sold.
- Eccentric Billionaire is always interested in new business adventures. He offers the artist $300,000 for full rights to the songs. The billionaire keeps all earnings of the song.
Your team will present your case to the class on ______.
You are welcome to use the SMART Board, poster paper, markers, etc in your presentation. Make sure there is a strong component of math in your reasoning. This should include any appropriate graphs and calculations/predictions.
Points will be earned for
*Excellent, prepared presentations
*Well explained mathematical reasoning
*Convincing arguments
*Thoughtful responses to other teams’ arguments
*Respectful listening
Points will be deducted for
*Lack of preparation
*Arguments without warrants
*Talking out of turn
*Unprofessionalism/distractions
DEBATE ROLES
- OPENING SPEAKER – This student presents the initial case for her team. As this is the first speech, it can be pre-written. The speech should have at least three arguments, with warrants, supported by mathematical or textual evidence.
Time: 3minutes
- QUESTION ASKER – This student asks questions of an opposing team. Some of these questions can be prepared ahead of time, though the best questions are inspired by the statements made in the opposing team’s opening arguments.
- QUESTION ANSWERER – This student is responsible for answering the questions of the opposing team. She will need to be able to think quickly on her feet and will ideally use evidence to make strong answers to the questions posed.
Time: 3 minutes
- ATTACKER – This student makes direct attacks on all opposing teams’ arguments in a short speech, giving reasons why her team’s position is the strongest in comparison to the others. Ideally, these attacks are inspired by the opening speech and questions, though they can also involve some pre-written material.
Time: 2 minutes
- DEFENDER – This student is responsible for responding to the direct attacks of opposing teams. Like the question answerer, she should prepare for the debate by anticipating likely avenues of attack that opponents will use and devising answers to these challenges.
Time: 2 minutes
- CLOSING SPEAKER – This student provides a summary of the reasons why her team should win the debate. Given the often unpredictable nature of debates, this student will have to be skilled at producing a persuasive speech based on the arguments that have been created in the debate.
Time: 2 minutes
- TEAM MANAGER – This student is responsible for the entire team. They should make sure everyone knows their roles well, help teammates in developing arguments, remind team members to be on time, and be ready to stand in for any absent team members on the day of the debate. (It is good to request copies of all work/speeches from teammates!)
Indie Vs. Major: Which Record Label Contract Is Right ForYou?
Common perception of a ‘Record Label’ is the major record labels in Los Angeles or New York that have signed all of the major players of today. These major record labels, which include Sony, Universal, Geffin and Capitol Records are major corporations with hundreds of millions of dollars behind them, allowing them to properly fund all of the world’s biggest artists. In the eyes of an emerging artist, a ‘record deal’ has always been the big picture, and it has always been envisioned as a contract with one of these major players.
But as most people know, the major music industry has all but failed. With the death of popular radio, the introduction of online social networks and digital music retail stores such as iTunes, Rhapsody and Amazon, and the fact that every major release in the past 5 years has leaked to the internet weeks before the release day, the ideologies of the past are no longer relevant. Major label companies are now in a transition period, and are struggling to come up with the end-all-be-all solution to all of their problems.
Enter Indie (short for Independent) Labels. With Major labels only making up a very small percentage of the world’s music label population (for a comparison, think about the US elite upper class, and how they only make up 10 percent of the nation’s population). An indie label contract has become a new goal for many- a more realistic goal at that. Becoming an Indie Label signed artist has become a movement, a trend, some may even say a fad. But indie labels have created a true niche for themselves and their business has been booming. So much so, in fact, that many of the Major Labels are now beginning to embrace the Indie Label methods in order to achieve future growth as a company. While indie labels can’t offer the kind of funding for artists that the major labels can, they do offer many other benefits that may be more important to the artist.
So, what make a record label ‘indie’? The answer is quite simple. An Indie Label is any music recording label that operates without the funding of the organizations of the major music labels. Typically, major labels are global in scale and operate their own distribution and publishing companies. Indie Labels, however, tend to either work with other smaller companies, either in long term partnerships or in smaller contractual relationships for their distribution and publishing, although many indie labels do pay for the distribution services that major labels have to offer. The interesting thing about indie labels is that they can range so greatly in size. Unlike major record labels, who are all fairly similar in size, indie labels make up any sort of record label business that is in between the world’s biggest, major labels, and the ‘record labels’ that consists of a guy with a computer and a single mic’ in his basement.
But if indie labels cannot afford to produce the kind of large scale business that the Major Labels can, why would it be a new goal for many emerging artists? There are many benefits for artists who sign with an indie label, it is just a matter of understanding the benefits of each type of label and determining what is more important to you as the artist. Once those have been examined, chose a path (with signing with a major label or an indie label) and achieve it:
Independent “indie” Music Record Labels:
Pros:
•Artists Get The Rights To Their Music: This is a HUGE benefit of signing a contract with an indie label. With the recent growth in exposure from indie artists, the possibilities of a hit single being reused for other things such as movie, TV and video game soundtracks are greatly increasing. By being allowed to keep the rights to the music, artists have the option to do what they would like once the song has been recorded.
•They Sign You Because They Love Your Music, Believe In Your Music and Your Brand:Generally speaking, Indie music labels are smaller companies who are not pressured by a board of directors to sign a specific sound or promote a specific look just for success on the charts. Typically when you are sign a contract with an indie label, they trust that your brand will sell, and work to promote you, not the packaged image that they create for you.
•Close Personal Relationships: Independent record labels tend to have much smaller artist rosters than the larger, major record labels. Although this also means there is a smaller total staff employed by the label, artists typically work one-on-one with a representative who they can form a much more personal relationship with. This one-on-one relationship makes the label much easier to reach as well, being able to contact the label rep. directly.
•Pro-Artist Contracts: Although some of the bigger indie labels use contracts that are close to those of the major record labels, they are usually less complex. The indie label contracts are known to be more artist-friendly, giving the artist more money for their work through either profit-sharing programs or simply a larger royalty percentage than given by the major labels.
Cons:
•Lack of Funds: The most common issue for independent labels, being that they do range so greatly in size and success is funds. A lack of funding means a smaller budget for recording, production of physical disks, packaging, distribution costs, tour support, merchandise, etc. Another significant issue caused by a lack of budget is that proper marketing for the artist is sacrificed, making the artists promote themselves if they want to be seen and heard.
•Disorganization: Due to the fact that many independent record labels are so informal, there is the possibility of things being done incorrectly and then being overlooked. If accounting is overlooked, it could mean incorrect payment for artists.
•Size: Although a smaller size allows artists to form stronger relationships with an indie record label, it also means that the label itself has less influence and power within the music industry. What this means for an artist, is that a small label may not be able to cater to their tour and promotion needs.
Major Music Record Labels:
Pros:
•Excessive Amounts Of Funding: Major labels have far greater amounts of funds at their disposal than indie record labels do. This extra money means that the major labels will be able to fund high-quality production, packaging, global physical distribution as well as digital distribution through the major online outlets, world tours, and music video shoots.
•Networking and Connections: In addition to the deep seeded connections that major labels have made in their many decades of being in business, their even deeper pockets allow them to get their foot in the door to most media outlets.
•Size and Reputation: Obviously size can make a significant difference when dealing with the biggest names in music. It may be harder for some of the smaller indie labels to influence, say, Rolling Stone magazine to do a review of their newest artist’s debut album. Yet, due to the size and reputation of the major record labels, Rolling Stone would be more willing to do a review of a new artist knowing that it opens up doors to get the interview from a big name later down the line.
Cons:
•Must Fight For Attention: Contrary to popular belief, major labels do sign many artsts, but much of what is signed quickly gets turned over. If your music doesn’t immediately stick, you may find yourself having a hard time getting any attention from the label. If this happens, you may find yourself spending more time in a battle for attention than working to further your career.
•Artist Unfriendly Deals: Being that major label record companies are a business, they will likely do everything they can do profit as greatly as possibly from their investment in you, your music and your brand. Not only does this mean the possibilities of small royalties, but it means the artist does not get to keep the rights or even the creative control over the music.
•Corporate America: Again, major label record companies are businesses. Really big ones at that. Major label record companies have shareholders and a board of directors pressuring the staff to make the right moves to make the most money, not display the best music. One of the hardest things for an artist to comprehend is that although there are people who work within the music industry that love music, there are just as many who don’t, who only see it as the business it is and the product is music. It’s as simple as that. As an artist, your music is just the product that is in style at that point in time.
Now that you understand the pros and cons of both independent and major record labels, lets look into the actual contracts and what else to expect from doing business with a record label. The following is from PerformerMag:
Term, Options
Major label deals are usually only for a term as long as it takes to record and release one album, with the label then having many options to renew the contract and release more albums for the artist. Options are not a commitment from the label to record more albums with the artist, but are just what they sound like – an option for the label to record more. Options bind the artist, but not the label, so artists will always want to commit to the fewest options possible to give that artist more flexibility and bargaining power down the road.
Indies may offer similar terms and options. Especially with an un-established indie, an artist should not want to be tied down for too long in case the label does not do well. From the label’s point of view, it will want some flexibility to keep working with an artist if they show promise, and will want to avoid the scenario where it puts much time, effort, and money into an artist and helps that artist achieve some recognition, only to have that artist skip out and sign with a major (or bigger indie), leaving the indie un-recouped. Alternatively, indies might automatically offer fewer options, or even a set term of years (i.e. 3-5 years).
Artists trying to negotiate fewer options with a label without success could ask for a buy-out clause. A buy-out clause sets forth the rules that will apply should a bigger label want to sign the artist. Buy-out clauses can include pre-negotiated dollar figures that the major will have to pay the indie for the indie to release that artist, or they can simply state that the indie will negotiate in good faith should a better deal for the artist come along. This way everybody wins: The artist can take the better deal, but the indie will have the right to make a nice exit deal for itself to compensate for all the time and money it spent.
Royalties
Most major labels still offer a royalty that is a percent of Standard Retail List Price (SRLP), usually ranging from 10-15%, sometimes depending on whether the deal is “all-in” (artist pays producer royalty out of artist’s royalty). Major labels then deduct for packaging expenses, free goods (explained later), and other items, and also list a multitude of situations where those royalties will be reduced (i.e. foreign sales, record clubs, etc.). Some major labels have recently tried offering royalties that are a lower percent, but on the wholesale price, with no packaging or other deductions, with some limited success. Once in a blue moon, a major label will offer a profit-sharing deal (see below), but these are still pretty rare.
Indies, as with the other terms, may try to emulate the majors and offer typical royalties of 10-15% of SRLP, or a percent of wholesale. Becoming much more common, however, is a profit-sharing deal, with a range of 40-75% of net profits going to the artist. The advantage of this kind of deal is that this royalty structure is more understandable to the average person. Money comes in, expenses and costs are taken out, and the profits are split between the label and the artist according to the percentages they agreed upon. All of the pages and pages in a recording contract about the packaging deduction, the free-good deduction, and all the reduced royalty situations become unnecessary – it is a much cleaner system. The disadvantage of this type of deal is that more expenses and costs are taken out of the gross revenue before the profit-sharing begins. In typical deals, costs of manufacturing, publicity, marketing, and other such costs are not passed on to the artist but are considered part of the label’s overhead. In profit-sharing deals, all expenses are taken into account, so it might take a while (if ever) for an album to show a profit, and, therefore, longer for an artist to actually receive any share. Once an artist is more successful, these deals become more lucrative for the artist.