As a guitarist for the band STAIND, Mike Mushok has been creating music for over two decades. Despite the band’s success and loyal fanbase, Mushok hasn’t always made a significant amount of money off their records. However, with the rise of streaming services and digital music sales in the last decade, there is renewed hope for artists like Mushok to finally start making some real money off their music. These platforms offer a more direct route for artists to distribute their music and collect royalties, potentially cutting out the middleman and increasing their earnings. Additionally, as technology continues to advance, artists have more opportunities to monetize their music through licensing, merchandise, and live performances. Mushok, with his experience and talent, could potentially capitalize on these avenues to finally see the financial rewards for his hard work and dedication to his craft. Overall, it seems like the timing may finally be right for Mushok and other musicians to start making more money off their records in this new decade. With the right strategies and opportunities, they can hopefully reap the benefits of their creative work and talent.

Staind guitarist and songwriter Mike Mushok recently shared some disheartening news during an interview on The KiddChris Show. Despite having sold millions of records, Mushok has yet to receive any royalties from Staind’s music. He mentioned that the band received significant advances, which they are still in the process of paying back. However, Mushok remains optimistic that this situation will change and he will start making money from royalties at some point in the upcoming decade, even though Staind’s music has been out for over 20 years.

This revelation stemmed from a question about Chevelle frontman Pete Loeffler’s comments in 2021 regarding his band not making any money from record sales despite selling over six million units on Epic Records. Mushok expressed a similar sentiment, saying that despite having sold millions of records, he has never received a royalty payment from the record company in the past 20 to 25 years. Even though Staind parted ways with Atlantic in 2011, Mushok revealed that the band still owes them money due to the advances they received. He estimated that it may take another three years before they can pay off their debts and start receiving royalties for their music.

Staind has released music through different labels over the years, including Elektra, Atlantic, and BMG, with most of their hits coming from the Elektra records. Mushok added that he hopes to regain the rights to Staind’s music from the label, but he anticipates facing challenges in reclaiming ownership.

He elaborated on the reversion of masters after 35 years, explaining that although the rights are supposed to revert back to the artist, labels often try to retain ownership by offering buyouts and financial incentives. It seems that Mushok is prepared for a potential legal battle to assert ownership of Staind’s masters.

This situation sheds light on the complexities of the music industry and the challenges that artists face in receiving fair compensation for their work. Despite their commercial success, artists like Mike Mushok continue to struggle with financial issues related to royalty payments and record contracts. As the industry evolves, it remains crucial for artists to advocate for their rights and ensure that they are fairly compensated for their creative endeavors.