music – Weird Al Yankovic getting screwed?

Lets say you love Weird Al Yankovic and want to make sure he gets as much money as possible from your legal purchase of his music.

How best to do that?

From Weird Al’s website:

Tim Sloane of Ijamsville, MD asks:

Al, which of these purchasing methods should I use in order to make sure the most profit gets to you: Buying one of your albums on CD, or buying one of your albums on iTunes?

Weird Al:

I am extremely grateful for your support, no matter which format you choose to legally obtain my music in, so you should do whatever makes the most sense for you personally. But since you ASKED… I actually do get significantly more money from CD sales, as opposed to downloads.

This is the one thing about my renegotiated record contract that never made much sense to me. It costs the label NOTHING for somebody to download an album (no manufacturing costs, shipping, or really any overhead of any kind) and yet the artist (me) winds up making less from it. Go figure.

So, buy a CD if you want to put your cash in Weird Al’s pocket. Or, better, buy directly from his website.

BUT … What percentage of your CD purchase does Al and his band actually bank?

That’s a convoluted and confusing topic. I believe Al’s cut to be 15% or less of suggested retail on CDs.

My complaint is the oligopoly of music companies that keep (possibly) 85% of the dollar I want to pay Al.

To me it’s almost worth downloading illegally, ripping off Al (who deserves the money) in order to stiff Volcano (Sony BMG), who I hate. (Why I hate Sony BMG.)

Obviously in future the artist needs to sell directly to the consumer, cutting out Sony BMG and that ilk as much as possible. Illegal downloads will hopefully speed that evolution.

But if you, like Weird Al, want to continue shoveling money into Sony BMG — buy Al’s most recent great album — Straight Outta Lynwood — through Amazon and I’ll take a 4% cut, as well. (Out of Al’s percentage, I imagine.)