Producer Kevin Shirley (DREAM THEATER, IRON MAIDEN, SLAYER) posted the following message on his website:
"Everything I've been doing lately feels like professional suicide. I'm tired of various companies and band managers treating us — sound engineers and producers — like dirt, and we just take it because in reality there isn't that much work and we practically have to beg for it. The fact that laughable budgets are allocated for recording these days is justified by labels as being due to high advertising costs. Fine, but why is less money being allocated for recording today than thirty years ago?! I listen to old BLACK SABBATH albums and I'm amazed at how painstakingly they approached the recording process back then, and how carelessly they approach it now. I'm not stupid enough to name these people, but one quick glance at my schedule and you'll know who I'm talking about. Everyone is looking to cut costs now without thinking that they'll deeply regret it later. In fact, since the day I returned from London, I haven't seen a penny from any of these directors and managers, despite the insane deadlines they love to set and all their requests to fix poorly recorded albums. One company asked me to mix an entire album for $5,000. At best, the job would take a week, and our studio rate is $2,000 a day!!! I wonder what they think I'm supposed to pay my bills and loans with..."