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Only 12% Of Music Industry Revenue Goes To Artists

You might want to just become an accountant or crooked politian…or just a politician (I’m not sure what the difference is)

The music industry is still a big business, but it turns out only a tiny fraction of that money is going to the people actually making the music. According to a new report by Citigroup (it’s quite the read), the music business generated $43 billion in revenues last year, the highest total since 2006. But it also found that only 12% of that money went to the artists themselves. These days, artists get far less money from album sales or online streams and have to find new ways to earn a living through touring and merch sales.

Does that number come as a surprise to you? Do you still buy albums, or just stream everything? Or just listen to X96 all the time? That’s what we thought!

Also, if you haven’t read it and been dissuaded enough by that, you really should read “So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star: How I Machine-Gunned a Roomful Of Record Executives and Other True Tales from a Drummer’s Life” by Semisonic’s Jacob Slichter before committing to the lifestyle. It’s an eye-opener! Snag it over at Amazon.

If that doesn’t make you feel any better, know that radio DJs don’t make much money, either.

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