Even with a bar code, it is possible to breach contracts doing a mixtape.
I personally rather release full fledge albums & sell them in stores. Then there's the other hand that disagree's with me, especially some of my artists, who insist on releasing a mixtape. Why, they actually don't know. They just start going on about how xx has a mix tape, and they doing good, and how xx also gots a mix tape and doing good too. There's of course benefits between no mix tapes & making a mixtape, and also things that can go wrong.
In contracts, usually they will not let their artist on another project without permission of the company, which is understandable, and everyone knows that, except the artist. There's common myth's and all this shit circulating around about it. A lot of the major mixtapes come from the company themselves, and not released by just the 'artist'. Promotional schemes. Then there's the other half, who go against contract rules, and have a go at a mix tape under his/her own label. Well, that could work, depending on the contracts. Usually there's what we call conflict of interest anyways so it's usually not allowed. A lot of these cats start banging mix tapes out on the streets. Hustlin' em. I respect the hustle, but if you sold 1 million mix tapes on the street, that doesn't justify platinum. That doesn't even say 1 sale. What some labels do, like in my case...They manufacture X amount of copies, of which x amount goes in stores etc like regular, and x amount is lost and written off, but those x amount that were 'lost' are sold on the streets.
Anyways, just because you barcode something doesn't mean much, except that your product is now registered to be sold, that doesn't mean you have a license to sell the product, or that it's legit. Hell I can go to
http://www.upcexpress.com and get a barcode for $99 or go to the UPC console and pay the $750 for 100 bar codes at $7.50 each and choose to put it on any product I want.
One of Big Wheel's artist, I can't remember who, I think it's Froze Ony, could not resign the contract cause there was a conflict of interest in him dropping a mix tape with Dough Boy that we got circulating the streets. I think the original contract was for around 2-4 million but I might be wrong on the $$ (the contract that was originally to be signed back to). Dough Boy has yet to resign, because there's a discussion about his upcoming release of his own mix tape, but they are discussing it about releasing it under the label instead of underground etc.
Anyways have a nice day.
