【音楽業界の裏側教えます】メジャーデビューしても月収6万円？／ライブハウスのチケットノルマは無くなった？

One of the good things about being in a band is being able to negotiate money myself. When I was in my 20s, talking about money was awkward, and even bringing it up was stressful. But if I hesitated, I would sometimes end up being asked for money that hadn't been announced. It was terrible. Bands often fall victim to: ・Recording ・MV filming ・Live performance quotas ・Last-minute equipment costs On the other hand, bands are often the perpetrators of: ・Merchandise design ・Photography When it comes to recording, there were many cases where someone said "100,000 yen," but that figure didn't include the mixing fee or the venue fee. "I only meant to charge the engineer for the 100,000 yen," that's the logic. I wrote about victimization and victimization, but if they had properly confirmed the amount each time from the beginning, this wouldn't have happened. All they had to do was ask, "How much is it really all in all? I'm definitely not going to pay anything that wasn't asked for." So why can't they do that? It's a common thing in the music industry, but you often hear things like, "I want to work on your next album together!" or "Let me shoot your next one!" or "Let's do it again next time!" How can I put it... it's not a "business transaction," but rather orders for jobs worth tens of thousands of yen, sometimes even hundreds of thousands of yen, are placed with the same kind of enthusiasm as when your older cousin gives you a ride to the station. It's pretty intimidating. Some people probably don't like talking about money first. In fact, no one likes it. But when you proceed with a project with this casual approach, the topic of money often comes up later. In the worst cases, the topic of money only comes up after recording or filming has begun. Sometimes the topic doesn't come up until it's finished. Of course, it's also my fault for not bringing it up. I've even had projects brought in by my agency, only for it to end up being paid for later. When I asked, "What? Am I the one paying for this?" I got a vague answer like, "No, probably...well." I felt like, "I don't want that to happen, because it would cost me money." I was too weak-hearted to say anything. On the other hand, when it comes to merchandise and photography, our bands are incredibly lawless. There's a lead-time payment system where they make the merchandise, but the production costs are paid after the tour. Of course, there are pitfalls. Actually, there are stories that would make even a Kabukicho host shiver: "We couldn't pay because we didn't sell anything on tour" or "We broke up, so we just ran off with the money." When a band breaks up while still in the red, it's quite common for things to become a mess, with unsettled accounts. The resulting losses extend to affiliated companies. A merchandise company I know has over 20 million yen in accounts receivable. They say they're losing everything. It's so sad. Of course, I think most bands and companies do things cleanly. But compared to the average B2B business, legal systems are significantly weaker. There are many nights when I forget that we live in a country governed by the rule of law. Is the law being trampled upon by the monster known as "custom," and plundering people repeatedly in the form of unpaid wages? When I made my major debut, there was no written contract or anything, and it didn't seem like one was prepared in the first place. It was a situation where it was too late to run away and say, "It was all a lie!" But thanks to that, I grew to hate this kind of "unclear money." I grew to hate it. When starting something, I now talk about money first. This was really good. If I think something is cheap, I ask, "How can you do it so cheaply?", and if it's expensive, I ask, "Can I get a quote?" *Competitive quotes. Comparing prices with other companies offering similar services. People who rip you off don't like it. By talking like this, I began to be able to identify people who "talk about money properly." By filtering out people by talking about money, I was able to identify people who "look the other way," "get upset," and "can't give a clear answer." The most dangerous of these predatory people are those who, when you ask them, "How much do you make?", respond with "the going rate," "about this much," or "common sense." These people often produce work of extremely low quality and fail to meet deadlines. Be wary of people who, when asking "you," use "society" or "common sense" as their subject. I now spend my days paying people's salaries, and those experiences are still with me. I can now talk about why I set the price using "I" without emotion or averting my eyes. Bands have more opportunities to come into direct contact with money than actors, comedians, or manga artists. It's rare to find a job where you have to negotiate money in your twenties. The quickest way to become a person who isn't timid about money is to start talking about it. If you...