Chimaira’s Mark Hunter is Rich!!!

Vince and I recently met someone who said we should help his get his band signed “so I can quit my day job.” If you read this site regularly or know anything about the state of the metal industry right now, the assertion that getting signed in 2012 will make all your career dreams come true and put an end to your days of asking “Would you like fries with that?” should elicit condescending laughter.

But in the event that you do still harbor the fantasy that getting signed would be some kind of terrific financial windfall, check out the below photo of a royalty check that Chimaira vocalist Mark Hunter recently tweeted:

I know that Chimaira aren’t exactly Metallica, but they’re not playing VFW halls, either; this is a band that has a been on a some of the biggest labels in metal (it’s not clear which one sent Hunter this check, though), as well as basically every conceivable big package tour and any number of giant festivals. My point being, they are not, relatively speaking, an “underground” band any more, and, obviously, whatever money they’re making is not coming from album sales. That check can’t even be worth the cost of printing it and mailing it to Hunter.

I’m not one of those people who thinks that labels have been rendered completely irrelevant; they can still offer a level of exposure (and, if you’re lucky, tour support) that you’re just not gonna get self-releasing your material on Bandcamp. But the reason to want to get signed should be to ensure that your music reaches as many ears as possible, not that it would allow you to quit your gig at Payless.

[via The PRP]