Record Label legal question and Help needed...

pheek · Post by **pheek** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 4:18 pm

Brian Ffar wrote: In my opinion, the biggest mistake a new artist can make is to be hasty with their music. Unfortunately, some newer artists are just so concerned with getting their music out there that they'll do anythign, even if it means getting screwed over. Have confidence in your art, and let labels take a chance on you - that's what the fundamental business model of a record label entails, right? Be patient, and ONLY put music out on labels you have your heart set on, or respect. If they tell you it's not good enough, don't get defensive, but ask questions so taht you can learn to get better (at least in the subjective opinion of the label. And, remember they're just opinions, so take feedback with a grain of salt. Just be open minded and open to get better.

++++++1!

AVX23 · Post by **AVX23** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 4:43 pm

50/50 agreement is pretty standard but not always fair particularly when the label has small overheads.

I do know of some companies that will set you up with 70/30 in the artists favour if they do more of the legwork themselves - this is particularly relevant in digital sales where the artist could just as easilly be doing some of the work in terms of uploading/digital media and web side of things.

Sounds like these guys are chancers, I wouldn't have anything more to do with them.

hernangrau · Post by **hernangrau** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 1:17 am

50/50 is standard, so its cool.

btw, if you sell 1000euros with one relese, LETS WORK TOGHETEERR hahaha

.S.K.A.P.E. · Post by **.S.K.A.P.E.** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 9:39 pm

most of the suggestions here are pretty sound..
but its not exactly as you say.. there ARE expenses for a label to distribute a release.
with mastering i'd listen to other releases of theirs to check if the standard is worth the cost.
as for them charging u for promotion i'd check about if they're costs for advertising or if they're charging an hourly rate for 'labour'. the latter would be unusual & its hard to track as u say.
if your getting 1000euros from it though then they're probably doing an enormous amount of promo.

Torque · Post by **Torque** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 9:28 am

The best advice i can give is to just do it yourself. If you can't get distribution for these digital sites just work around it and release off your own site until somebody takes notice. A label is a money making venture and all of that stuff will force you to learn the business which will be good for you. Learn how to draw up a licensing contract. Learn how to deal with manufacturing and distribution. This industry is not large enough to support having a bunch of artists on a labels payroll so it's best to just invest in yourself. If your music isn't up to snuff it will get there faster if you have your own money invested in it.

sherman · Post by **sherman** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 5:23 am

If you're worried about how large a cut the guy is getting, ask him what he expects to be doing and how much that'll cost. I'm guessing he'd have a pretty standard figure if he does this often. If theres alot of umming and ahhing, or it sounds like he's trying to hide something, its probably not the best label to be working with...

Brian Ffar · Post by **Brian Ffar** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 8:20 pm

Torque wrote:The best advice i can give is to just do it yourself. If you can't get distribution for these digital sites just work around it and release off your own site until somebody takes notice. A label is a money making venture and all of that stuff will force you to learn the business which will be good for you. Learn how to draw up a licensing contract. Learn how to deal with manufacturing and distribution. This industry is not large enough to support having a bunch of artists on a labels payroll so it's best to just invest in yourself. If your music isn't up to snuff it will get there faster if you have your own money invested in it.

Torque, I will admit that you're always dropping really great knowledge on the boards, but I must respectfully disagree with you in today's business climate. I would be willing to bet that if you asked people on this board if they're tried what you've suggested, they've all failed. I also realize that failure is a relative term, so I will define it within this context.

They have failed in a sense that they will not sell as many downloads or receive the same amount of revenue as they would if they sold their stuff on Beatport, iTunes, Amazon, and/or other retailers (i.e. maximize profits).

There are just too many artists and labels out there that stuggle to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack. And, perhaps I'm cynical, but even if the music is super amazing, a significant number of consumers will not be able to filter out all the noise to even get to these tracks. I don't think there are enough advocates that will take it upon themselves to spread the word on behalf of the label just because the like the songs. Without a huge pool of consumers that these larger scale online retails support, there is no way to compete.

victorgonzales · Post by **victorgonzales** » Wed Sep 02, 2009 9:19 pm

Brian Ffar wrote:
Torque wrote:The best advice i can give is to just do it yourself. If you can't get distribution for these digital sites just work around it and release off your own site until somebody takes notice. A label is a money making venture and all of that stuff will force you to learn the business which will be good for you. Learn how to draw up a licensing contract. Learn how to deal with manufacturing and distribution. This industry is not large enough to support having a bunch of artists on a labels payroll so it's best to just invest in yourself. If your music isn't up to snuff it will get there faster if you have your own money invested in it.
Torque, I will admit that you're always dropping really great knowledge on the boards, but I must respectfully disagree with you in today's business climate. I would be willing to bet that if you asked people on this board if they're tried what you've suggested, they've all failed. I also realize that failure is a relative term, so I will define it within this context.

They have failed in a sense that they will not sell as many downloads or receive the same amount of revenue as they would if they sold their stuff on Beatport, iTunes, Amazon, and/or other retailers (i.e. maximize profits).

There are just too many artists and labels out there that stuggle to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack. And, perhaps I'm cynical, but even if the music is super amazing, a significant number of consumers will not be able to filter out all the noise to even get to these tracks. I don't think there are enough advocates that will take it upon themselves to spread the word on behalf of the label just because the like the songs. Without a huge pool of consumers that these larger scale online retails support, there is no way to compete.

I agree. It's hard enought to compete even in the big stores much less without being on them.

I release music just so people acn hear it. If there was any easier way to get the music to the target audience I wouldnt bother running a label and dealing with distributors and beatport type stores.

I do think starting your own label is a good way to get your music out but you need to get in the stores and distributors are the only way to do that. It kinda depends on how many people you want to reach with your music though. If you don't mind a very small customer base most of the smaller online stores will take new labels without a distributor to back them.