illusionofjoy | Jared Leto vs. EMI

Apparently EMI is suing Jared Leto and his band, 30 Seconds To Mars for unspecified reasons for the specific amount of $30,000,000. Leto had something to say about that to the general public, namely, "this is bullshit." However, for me, this paragraph stood out:

If you think the fact that we have sold in excess of 2 million records and have never been paid a penny is pretty unbelievable, well, so do we. And the fact that EMI informed us that not only aren't they going to pay us AT ALL but that we are still 1.4 million dollars in debt to them is even crazier. That the next record we make will be used to pay off that old supposed debt just makes you start wondering what is going on. Shouldn't a record company be able to turn a profit from selling that many records? Or, at the very least, break even? We think so.

Actually, Jared, no, when you are signed to a major label, you generally don't break even. I guess Jared never read Steve Albini's essay, "The Problem With Music" - if he had, then he'd likely be singing a different tune. The lyrics go something like this: "Some of your friends are probably already this fucked."

So, yes, while I can sympathise with the guy about a frivolous lawsuit, I harbour no delusions about the music business. Signing with a major label is the best way to lose control and end up becoming the unwilling and unwitting recipient of a rectal stretching.