Megadethin David Ellefson kertoo yhtyeen rojaltien jaosta

Parhaillaan studiossa uutta albumiaan nauhoittamassa olevan Megadethin basisti David Ellefson on antanut hiljattain haastattelu Music Business Facts -nimiselle sivustolle, jossa kertoo yhtyeen tavasta jakaa rojalteja yhtyeen jäsenten kesken. Voit lukea David Ellefsonin vastauksen häneltä asiasta kysyttäessä tästä: 

”Well, it’s different in every band. And I think every setting is different. I’ve worked in groups where it’s ’all for one, one for all.’ I’ve worked in groups where, you know, after a while, the roles define themselves, and you realize, me and the guitar player or the singer are the guys doing most of the writing, so do we really wanna share it with everybody? Well, if you’re not willing to show up and be part of the process, then, no, we don’t want [to]. MEGADETH, from Day One, has been about he who writes is part of that. I’m not at liberty to disclose MEGADETH’s financials, but we’ve gone through many, many different scenarios with that. And we’ve tried to find a scenario, probably… And it really goes record by record. We just try to find something that’s fair for everybody, that everybody feels good about, because if you’re a group, and you’re out on the road, and you’re touring to support something, and you’e gonna be out there for a year or two in support of a record, it’s important that people feel a part of things too. That’s, I think, probably the hardest thing with a group, especially a group that’s been around for many, many years, is there’s very much a mission statement, there’s a core collective to the group now. And there’s always some new members. Are new members entitled to as much as long-term members? So there’s all these questions and things that, I think, more importantly, you have to discuss as a group [and come to] some kind of a resolution on that, so that you feel good about it. And I think probably every band… every group of two or more musicians has to deal with that exact subject at some point in their journey… There’s other scenarios too, where you see the first album, all five guys in the band get writing credit and probably share the ownership. And then, when that record blows through the roof and sells millions and everybody makes money and… If being broke doesn’t hurt a band, making a ton of money certainly will. [Laughs] Then the next album, you see, oh, one guy wrote this song. Or only two guys wrote that song. So, all of sudden, the brotherly love of ’we’re all in it together,’ that ended as soon as the millions started coming in. I wrote about that in my autobiography, about how seeing other people make money from songwriting is certainly a good motivator to learn the craft of songwriting. But it should not be the sole motivation. Like, ’I just wanna make more money. Let me start writing songs.’ Because some people have a natural gift at writing, and other people just don’t; it’s not their thing. And, I think, when you’re in a setting where there’s a person, or persons, who have the gift of writing, you really have to appreciate that and be able to just kind of get on board with that, because, without those songs, you’re not gonna have any success. I’m sure the E STREET BAND is very thankful Bruce Springsteen can write hits. You know what I mean?! And I just use that as an example. I have no idea what their financials are. One really great songwriter can really provide a tremendous living and a tremendous experience for all the supporting people around — the musicians, the managers, all the team that it takes to put that act together and get that show on the road. So, at some level, even if you’re not the biggest earner in the group, learn to be thankful that you at least get to be a part of it.”