In what was a very good month for Aussie music, back in August Sydney metalcore heroes Northlane knocked fellow Aussies Tame Impala off the top of the ARIA albums chart with their latest release, the acclaimed Node.
The news that Northlane had the number one album in the country cemented their position as one of the country’s most popular bands and proved that even the loss of a frontman couldn’t halt the group’s incredible momentum.
But what does that popularity and momentum mean in terms of dollars and cents? Does it pay to be one of Australia’s favourite bands, a band that can send albums to the tops of charts and consistently sell out tour dates?
Guitarist Josh Smith recently addressed just how wealth distribution works in the Northlane camp during an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit after a curious fan quizzed him on just how the money the band generates is distributed.
“How much money do you typically gain from YouTube videos? How does the deal work with UNFD and Rise distributing your albums? How is the money distributed to each entity involved with the band Northlane?” the fan, who goes by the name sempiturtle, asked.
“We are signed to UNFD globally and they can nominate labels to distribute and market our record in overseas markets, but we also have final say on who puts it on shelves,” Smith replied. “They have a licensing deal with Rise is the US so we thought we’d give Rise a go this time.”
“We also work with New Damage in Canada. Essentially, Rise sell the record but pay a royalty back to UNFD for every unit, and we take a cut of that. We don’t get much from YouTube plays, it’s part of our streaming royalty income I believe, but it still helps.”
Smith then expanded on just where the revenue generated by Northlane goes and how it eventually makes its way to the band members, revealing in the process that, despite their prominence, Northlane’s members aren’t buying yachts any time soon.
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“I’m not sure what you mean with your next question, I guess all of our income streams end up in our bank account,” Smith wrote, “and we are paid a weekly wage. Occasionally when there’s extra cash we will get a bonus, but we really don’t make heaps at all.”
Smith also touched on what went behind the scenes following the departure of frontman Adrian Fitipaldes, writing, “When he left the band we both signed disclosure agreements. This is pretty normal and we decided it best to both release official statements about why he left and leave it at that so there’s no conjecture about the topic.”
“If I was to say something that might be considered defamatory he would have grounds to sue me. Not to say either of us would do this, we wouldn’t, but it’s safer and more respectful for me to just leave this topic alone, as it is for him. What’s needed to be said has been said, and we are all still friends.”
