--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The music business is suffering because…" description: "\"The music business is suffering because fewer artists are being invested in. Labels are putting in less money, taking fewer risks and signing half as m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/492/tom-silverman-60827_art_the-music-business-is-suffering-because_1954853.png" --- # The music business is suffering because fewer artists are… ![“The music business is suffering because fewer artists are being invested in. Labels are putting in less money, taking fewer risks and signing half as many artists as they did 10 years ago. Everything is risk averse right now and there are two ways to deal with a business situation like this…” quote by Tom Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/492/tom-silverman-60827_art_the-music-business-is-suffering-because_1954853.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/492/tom-silverman-60827_art_the-music-business-is-suffering-because_1954853.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/492/tom-silverman-60827_art_the-music-business-is-suffering-because_1954853.png) > “The music business is suffering because fewer artists are being invested in. Labels are putting in less money, taking fewer risks and signing half as many artists as they did 10 years ago. Everything is risk averse right now and there are two ways to deal with a business situation like this: either reduce your risk or increase your return. They're reducing their risk to the bone and looking for ways with their 360 deals to increase their return. They're still not making money. Artists are suffering. Labels, or music investors, are suffering.” [Tom Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-silverman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The industry is cutting investment, forcing a choice between lower risk and higher returns, yet both strategies are failing artists and labels. **In simple terms:** Music labels are risk‑averse, hurting artists and profits. Key Takeaway Find balanced risk‑reward models. Themes industry economics creativity risk management Mood analytical concerned Type critical strategic When to use this quote - record label budgeting - artist negotiations - career planning Key Concepts investment cycles artist development business strategy Questions to Reflect On - Can new revenue models replace traditional deals? - What incentives could encourage label investment? A Different Perspective Risk aversion may stifle innovation, limiting long‑term growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Artists Invested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artists-invested-3193287/) [Bones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bones/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Business Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-situation-1814548/) [Invested Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invested-labels-3193286/) [Investors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investors/) [Making money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-money/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Music business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-business/) [Music Investors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-investors-3193285/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [“Figure 5: Business Situation Framework”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/figure-5-business-situation-framework/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“If your case or hypothesis necessitates a better qualitative understanding of your client’s company, you might use the section of the business situation framework…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/if-your-case-or-hypothesis-necessitates-a-better-qualitative/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [Any business situation is restrictive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince/any-business-situation-is-restrictive/) [Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince/) > [I don't like people knowing about my business, and my situation, so I try to keep out of people's situations unless they come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-pierre-paul/i-don-t-like-people-knowing-about-my-business-and-my-situation-so-i/) [Jason Pierre-Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-pierre-paul/) > [“The Business Situation Framework The business situation framework is useful for developing a conceptual and qualitative understanding of a client’s business, market, and industry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/the-business-situation-framework-the-business-situation-framework-is/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“About 50 percent of the time, I don’t finish the entire business situation framework. By the time I’ve worked through part of the framework,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/about-50-percent-of-the-time-i-don-t-finish-the-entire-business/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [“At this point, it makes sense to switch to the business situation framework to understand qualitatively why sales volume in China has dropped so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-cheng/at-this-point-it-makes-sense-to-switch-to-the-business-situation/) [Victor Cheng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-cheng/) > [It is a tough business but if you get yourself in a situation like I, you can maintain a career over many years. That,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stevenson/it-is-a-tough-business-but-if-you-get-yourself-in-a-situation-like-i/) [Ray Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stevenson/) > [Independent labels take nothing and make something out of it. Major labels buy that something, and try to make more out of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-silverman/independent-labels-take-nothing-and-make-something-out-of-it-major/) [Tom Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-silverman/) > [Whenever you're in a chaotic environment, there are some of the best opportunities. Nobody knows where the music business is going, but I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-silverman/whenever-you-re-in-a-chaotic-environment-there-are-some-of-the-best/) [Tom Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-silverman/) > [Having people around you that are honest with you, and having a team around you that can actually track and communicate where things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muneshine/having-people-around-you-that-are-honest-with-you-and-having-a-team/) [Muneshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muneshine/) > [You're a musician and you live and die by people responding to your music. It's a business just like anything else and if people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-martel/you-re-a-musician-and-you-live-and-die-by-people-responding-to-your/) [Marc Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-martel/) > [ In 1989 I sort of got back into the music business and one of the reasons I got back in is \[that\] I put… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ringo-starr/in-1989-i-sort-of-got-back-into-the-music-business-and-one-of-the/) [Ringo Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ringo-starr/) > [There are thousands of great artists that wouldn't be doing the same kind of work if there were no music business machine. The ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-buckley/there-are-thousands-of-great-artists-that-wouldn-t-be-doing-the-same/) [Jeff Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-buckley/) > [When you hear my records today hear a vanilla sounding artist with no black inflection, although I was trying to imitate what I heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-boone/when-you-hear-my-records-today-hear-a-vanilla-sounding-artist-with-no/) [Pat Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-boone/) ## More by Tom Silverman > [Independent labels take nothing and make something out of it. Major labels buy that something, and try to make more out of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-silverman/independent-labels-take-nothing-and-make-something-out-of-it-major/) [Tom Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-silverman/) > [The record business is an oxymoron. In the 1960s, there was an upside to selling plastic discs so labels took the risk - they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-silverman/the-record-business-is-an-oxymoron-in-the-1960s-there-was-an-upside/) [Tom Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-silverman/) > [Whenever you're in a chaotic environment, there are some of the best opportunities. Nobody knows where the music business is going, but I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-silverman/whenever-you-re-in-a-chaotic-environment-there-are-some-of-the-best/) [Tom Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-silverman/) > [Whenever you have consolidation, you do that for more economies of scale and leverage in making deals. But when you start losing control, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-silverman/whenever-you-have-consolidation-you-do-that-for-more-economies-of/) [Tom Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-silverman/) [Explore all 5 Tom Silverman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-silverman/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. 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