tsk tsk... no baby no...

The album sold over 200k which actually is a heck of alot better than most pop acts

Not really surprising news though as they all seemed to be doing their own things - GTD/ Djing etc

I'm guessing theyll be part Of the big reunion 2018 or something

Where does it say that they were dropped? As yohinnchild said, their last album sold over 200k - they were hardly working at a loss. Not every act needs to sell the amount that 1D do in order to keep their label happy.

I honestly think it's really sad that a group that have lasted for five years after coming from the XF are subject to this kind of scrutiny when they split up. Says a lot about people's attitudes. If someone isn't massive, they've done the right thing by splitting up, apparently. No wonder creativity and longevity within the music industry is dying on its arse. And no, I'm not a JLS fan, but I can appreciate the trail they've blazed for other acts.

Maybe they have been discussing the way forward ever since the last album and the single Hold Me Down which didn't make the top 100. It's a shame if the label doesn't give them another contract as I'm sure they could have had more successful hits. Why they didn't take another song by Steve Mac and Wayne Hector I don't know - Beat Again was a brilliant debut single

If their next album is to be their last I can see it selling very well - especially if they go back more to their 'old' sound as on the first album. All the talk about 'evolving' - did the fans want them to change their sound to something different

Aston will probably have a crack at going solo, and would be good at TV presenting...Oritse go more into management...JB was on Countryfile wanting to take up farming - he owns 10 acres in Hertforshire and said he'd considered buying land up in Scotland too. Would Marvin settle for a radio career

Even if they do split, I can see them getting together occasionally to do a tour, sing the old hits, the arena's would probably still sell out too

At least they can be proud to have had enough hits to merit a Greatest Hits album.

everything feels so orchestrated these days i feel sure groups only split in order to gain interest in their reunion down the line

Unless it really was musical differences - perhaps one or two of them wanted to make some

Agreed! They had a couple of good records, but they always came across as a bit lacklustre to me. They could have been great, but their material let them down. One Shot was my favourite song of theirs. Group wise, One Direction are tighter, more fun and their songs are Tons better than anything JLS have done.

I didn't say it did say they were dropped. What I said was that the label did not renew their contract which is pretty much the same thing however you look at it. 200K isn't a bad sale but what we don't know is what kind of investment the label put into them as artists of their calibre? Would the money earnt from the last album generate enough income to cover costs of production, promotion and royalties and still make a profit? I doubt it.

I suppose with them not having fallen out and still being friends, they could organize their exit to make the most of it. It's a nice change to make a gracefull exit, but I understand how it might seem orchestrated.
It seems like it was the right decision anyway according to most people.

I have only heard about them because of the X factor and this forum, but they seem to have been fairly successfull in the UK...
Musically, what I heard doesn't seem to my taste, but I won't go down the too travelled road to diss them because of that. They seem like lovely guys, and I quite liked the song "she makes me wanna oh oh oh oh oh" (whatever the title is).

You implied that they were dropped. A label not renewing a band's contract is the same as them being dropped. What I asked is how you know this, when no official statement, to my knowledge, has been released by the label stating their part in this, and the boys didn't mention the label in their statement. It is just as likely that JLS chose for their contract not to be renewed. We don't know how hard their label fought for them, if it was the band's decision. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't, but sometimes it IS a band's decision not to continue working together under their label. Not everyone wants to continue working together forever. Some people want to progess and try new things.

And honestly? If a label can't make a profit from 200k of album sales, they're not running a very savvy business model. That isn't JLS's fault.

Anyway, moving on. This article from Popjustice nicely sums up why JLS were important, and why they've split up at the right time. No negativity here, and I think it's a lovely tribute to them:

http://www.popjustice.com/briefing/t...ustice/113587/

I'll say again, it's pretty much the same thing. The label does not want to continue the relationship with them.



I never said I did know for sure. I am just stating my opinion. Is that not allowed? Although with their low sales, It's very likely. Also, the statement seems like an awful lot of spin to me. They are hardly going to come out and say, guys, the label didn't want to carry on with us anymore. They are going to make the statement as positive as possible.



I doubt it. I am sure they would have like to have carried on.


You should have a look at music production on google. Do you know how much it costs to produce an album? Production isn't cheap. If an album only sold 200K worldwide by a group of their calibre, it would almost certainly lose money. The label would have spent a ton of money getting well known producers for them, and they would have expected to see a return on their investment.

I've never much cared for JLS, but they made up half of this performance so props to them where its due:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=NdgXMfLobJA

Actually the 200k figure is UK only

Do they sell outside the UK?

I think an established group like JLS doesn't cost as much to promote as new groups. Brand recognition is high, they already have an established fanbase (smaller than it used to be, but still there), they might need less promo... Or maybe what I am saying doesn't make sense at all, I am not in this industry.

JLS was selling less and less, so while this last album might still have been profitable, they (the band? the label? no idea) might have been affraid that the next one would not be...
JLS seem to have managed their brand and business very smartly, beating a (futurely) dead horse was not to their advantage.

We will never know about the inside tradings of the business anyway

So are a band locked into their contract until a label decides they no longer want them anymore? Is it never a band's decision if they split up, always the label's decision? If a band wants to split up, I'm pretty sure their label has no say once the contract is up for renewal. All they can do is try to keep them, if they want them. As I said, we've got no idea what the label's part in all of this was, and maybe they were the ones to instigate this, or maybe they didn't bother trying to fight for them. But it is just as likely, at this point in their careers, that JLS were as much a part of this decision as the label. We have no way of knowing.

It can cost £20 to produce an album, or it can cost £100k +. What I'm saying is that album sales are at an all-time low, and 200k sales is not bad going at all. The label were most likely not working at a loss from JLS' last era, and unlike other acts, JLS were a band that have proven on numerous occasions that they can sell, so there would have been mileage in keeping them on for another album but going for an adjustment in sound, promotion, styling etc and maybe spending a bit less on expensive producers. I know it can be difficult to see beyond the last album, but most businesses go through high seasons and low seasons. Nobody says that Marks and Spencers should board up their shops just because their sales dipped in the last financial year, so why would it be any different for a pop group with a proven track record?

As I said, I just find it really sad that people think a band should be dropped just because they've seen a drop-off in sales in their last era. What I don't find sad is that JLS may have split up because they've recognised it was the right time to do it from a personal and professional point of view. I know which one makes me happier to believe.

Oritsé new management
http://www.theredpages.co.uk/News/Ce...nts-management

I'm thinking it's a good thing they did split up. They started to become mainstream as thats the way the music as gone. I preferred the first album. And there are so many bands back around now when JLS started their weren't many around. They'll probably get back together in a few years time .

Someone has made a YouTube spoof

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T-6IsJkBB8

I realise that. And that's part of the problem. If they'd become hugely sucessful in other territories, then they would have made a ton of money for the label. Look at One Direction. They have had huge sales all over the world. JLS never did apart from the UK as far as I am aware. If the record had sold say 1.5 Million worldwide, then that would be looked upon as not bad, but 200K once they've spent money on TV ads, posters, photoshoots etc isn't great. I wouldn't be suprised if the band ended up owing the label money. The label deduct the cost of everything an artist costs from their royalties. I once did work experience at a leading record label, and they was a very famous singer at the time who I won't mention who at the time owed the label £500K. She had sold a ton of records, so I dread to think what JLS owed Sony.

The first album was as mainstream as you can get. It was hardly cutting edge R&B.

I find this quite surprising. Seems like a silly decision to me, seeing as they've only been around five years. I thought they would last at least 10.

I hope a Greatest Hits album is released.

The sun article says that they are working on some new tracks for a greatest hits album due this year.

That's great if it's true. They had some pretty good songs.

Any label that shares that kind of information with a work experience intern is possibly not the most professional of places to begin with. The fact that they couldn't make profit on a singer that had, in your words, 'sold a ton of records' further reinforces that.

JLS would have created a running tally for their record label. Their profit doesn't go back to zero before each new era begins. Decent record labels will accumulate profit as they go on and then should, if they have any sense, work within their means and not spend money they don't have on creating and promotion an album and singles. It is not down to the act to manage finances, it's down to the label. And JLS have comfortably sold enough throughout their career to not suddenly be at a loss because of one underperforming album.

You seem to have a problem even comprehending that what I am saying is true?? It was one of the leading record labels I interned at. I never said the artist concerned wasn't making a profit. I never got to see that. I am simply saying that it isn't as straightforward as an artist comes out with a record. The label takes their share, the artist gets theirs. The artist will get an advance, and they will be expected to also pay for promotions, travel, production costs etc out of their royalties. This was the £500K I saw that this person i am describing owes. After deductions like that, unless your name is Adele or One Direction there isn't a huge amount of money left over. Why do you think acts tour more these days? Unless you do Adele or One Direction type sales with every album, there is hardly any money to be made from straight forward record sales.

With regards to your second point, the way labels look at it is you're only as good as your last album. Take former X Factor winner Shayne Ward. His first two albums sold IIRC above 500K each. The third one sold under 100K. If what you say is correct that record labels look at performance of all the albums combined, then why was he dropped on his third album? The reason is that the label will not have been satisfied with the third albums performance. It's very harsh, but that's the cutthroat nature of the business.

Tbh the latest album was a bit rubbish, the previous albums had great songs like beat Again, Everybody in Love, One Shot, Love You More etc where as Hottest Girl In The World, Proud etc wernt that good