Record Deal Questions

[sjaguar13]

My brother's band just got offered a deal from Deftone Records, http://www.deftonerecords.com. They have to pay for 10% of cost, so they have to put up $1,000 within two weeks. Is that normal?

 

[distortedrumble]

thats one way.....or deftone puts up 100% and the band loses alot more in the payoff. i guess if the band is doing ok on their own i would play a little hard ball when it comes to deciding where the recording and production are made.....i dont know the band's situation but at this point with my band i wouldnt take it. but dont just listen to my solution....who else has something to say about that

 

[sjaguar13]

In the contract, it says the get the final say in everything. The also talked them down to putting up $750 instead of $1,000.

 

[pashop]

The website is pretty vague and the fact that they want you to send them money to buy a CD is kind of old school with all the new services available ..... at the very least CD Baby.
This could be a great way to make some quick money ....they want to sign 20 - 30 acts each one throws a thousand dollars in.
Bang......30K and at the end of the day all they have to say is .....hey man sorry no one sent us any checks for CD's.

I would head down to the office and check the place out.
I would get the contacts for the other groups and talk to them.
I would find out who is doing radio promo and talk to them.
I would find out who is doing distribution and talk to them.
I would get a breakdown of this $10,000.00.
I would get a copy of the contract ....spend a couple of bucks and have him/her lawyer give it a once over.
I would not be pressured by a two week deadline. .

 

[chrisharris]

My brother's band just got offered a deal from Deftone Records, http://www.deftonerecords.com. They have to pay for 10% of cost, so they have to put up $1,000 within two weeks. Is that normal?

No. Any "record deal" where the artist has to come out of pocket before a track sheet is even laid out is not normal. Any legitimate record label is going to front all recording costs, which they will then recoup from sales.

I didn't check out the site, and I'm not saying they shouldn't do it, but it's not at all normal, and I'd be very suspect.

Despite popular myth, getting signed to a recording contract is rarely a money-maker for an artist (only 1 out of 5 signed to a MAJOR label even get released, and of those, only about 16% ever sell more than 100,000 albums). For indie artists, the sales figures are a lot more grim, although more of them actually get albums released. So statistically, it's a long-shot that any artist signed is ever gonna' sell enough units to pay the label back its recording costs. This is not a huge loss so long as the label eats it and they both walk away, but there's no way I'd advise somebody to put up money as part of a recording contract.

Think about it, lol...that's like paying to go to work.

Anyway...to answer the simple question: No, not normal. Normal is:

Label - Fronts money for recording costs, distribution, and promotion.
Artist - Records material, promotes album, prays a lot.

A big part of the reason I'd be suspect has to do with publishing. The thought of somebody PAYING to record a record for somebody else, and signing away 50% of the publishing rights in the process just makes my skin crawl.

BTW - When a musician pays to record, it's called "booking studio time," lol. THAT's normal.

Best of luck,
Chris

 

[Jamal Bucket]

ok ...hold on here a second...didnt you OWN a label???...

ok this next part was you in another thread.

I tried it once...it sucked. My friend and I started a label for bands in high school, and bands that were too stupid to figure out how to get a deal. There were a couple problems. My friend was in high school, and he didn't have a clue what he was doing. He ended up taking 80% of the money and refused to pay for anything. He also didn't do any work. He felt obligated to have his girlfriend help, who really didn't do anything either. I was getting money from my brother, but it turned out, we were too far gone.

Last week, I ended up selling what was left of the label on eBay. http://www.LameRekords.com went for $305. I am currently looking into a retail property and starting a music store. I will also be doing web design, lighting, live sound, and promotion for bands, but for a price. The prices are dirt cheap. I'm willing to help bands, but I don't want to loose money.
... um whatthefuck?? over?!?

 

[sjaguar13]

ok ...hold on here a second...didnt you OWN a label???...

ok this next part was you in another thread.

I tried it once...it sucked. My friend and I started a label for bands in high school, and bands that were too stupid to figure out how to get a deal. There were a couple problems. My friend was in high school, and he didn't have a clue what he was doing. He ended up taking 80% of the money and refused to pay for anything. He also didn't do any work. He felt obligated to have his girlfriend help, who really didn't do anything either. I was getting money from my brother, but it turned out, we were too far gone.

Last week, I ended up selling what was left of the label on eBay. http://www.LameRekords.com went for $305. I am currently looking into a retail property and starting a music store. I will also be doing web design, lighting, live sound, and promotion for bands, but for a price. The prices are dirt cheap. I'm willing to help bands, but I don't want to loose money.
... um whatthefuck?? over?!?

Yeah, but what the hell does that have to do with anything? We didn't charge anybody...but we really didn't sign anyone either. I quit and sold it before the first band was officially signed (I didn't want a label). This is my brother's band. They asked me what I thought of it, and I said screw the label, record yourself. I think they kinda suck anyway. I highly doubt they sell 500 CDs.

 

[sjaguar13]

Nevermind...it's a scam.

http://www.garageradio.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=517