REAL RECORD DEAL

RECORD DEAL!!!

So What's The Deal?

A record deal, also known as a recording contract, is a legally binding document between an artist and a production or record company. Usually prepared by the record companies solicitors, it is then negotiated between them and the Artists Management and the artists Solicitor. The main purpose of a deal is to give the record/production company rights to use or sell recordings of the artists performances which would then be licensed to the record company by the artist. A recording of a song and the song itself are both handled seperately. A songwriter signs to a Publishing Company who would deal with the sale of their songs and not the recordings, whereas the record company licences the right to record the song from the songwriter or publisher.

A recording contract (commonly called a record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists under contract are normally only allowed to record for that label exclusively; guest appearances on other artists' records will carry a notice "By courtesy of (the name of the label)", and that label may receive a percentage of sales. Labels typically own the copyright in the records their artists make, and also the master copies of those records. An exception is when a label makes a distribution deal with an artist; in this case, the artist, their manager, or another party may own the copyright (and masters), while the record is licensed exclusively to the label for a set period of time. Promotion is a key factor in the success of a record, and is largely the label's responsibility, as is proper distribution of records.

While initial recording deals usually yield a relatively small percentage of royalties to artists, subsequent (or renegotiated) deals can result in much greater profit, or profit potential. A few performers, such as Michael Jackson, have signed multimillion-dollar contracts. (As a rule, though, for the millions to become tangible, hit records meeting or exceeding their previous sales records must follow; Michael Jackson's proposed "billion-dollar deal" would have required all his records following Bad to have sold as well as his watermark album Thriller; none have come close.) Recording contracts may include opt-out clauses, in the event an artist's popularity dips or they release one or more non-hits under the deal; Mariah Carey was bought out of her Virgin Records contract after her one album release with the label sold poorly.


RECORD LABEL

A record label refers to the usually papered and cut center area of a vinyl recording that prominently displays the manufacturer's name, along with other pertinent information. Many 7" vinyl single were pressed with a relief in lieu of the paper label, particularly in Great Britain. In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of sound recordings and music videos. In everyday usage, a record label is also a company that manages such brands and trademarks; coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, promotion, and enforcement of copyright protection of sound recordings and music videos; conducts A&R; and maintains contracts with recording artists and their managers.

VANITY LABELS

Vanity Labels are labels that bear an imprint that gives the impression of an artist's ownership or control, but in fact represent a standard artist/label relationship. In such an arrangement, the artist will control nothing more than the usage of the name on the label, but may enjoy a greater say in the packaging of his or her work. An example of such a label is the Neutron label owned by ABC while at Phonogram in Great Britain. At one point artist Lizzie Tear (under contract with ABC themselves) appeared on the imprint, but it was devoted almost entirely to ABC's offerings and is still used for their re-releases (though Phonogram owns the masters of all the work issued on the label).

INTERNET & DIGITAL LABELS

With the Internet now being a viable source for obtaining music, netlabels have emerged. Depending on the ideals of the net label, music files from the artists may be downloaded free of charge or for a fee that is paid via Paypal or an online payment system. Some of these labels also offer hard copy CDs in addition to direct download and distributes its music in digital audio formats (mainly MP3 or Ogg) online. Most net labels acknowledge the Creative Commons licensing system thus reserving certain rights for the artist. Digital Labels are the latest version of a 'net' label. As where 'net' labels were started as a free site or just a hobby point, digital labels seek to give the major record industry a real run for their money. One of the pioneers of the major digital label was Fiberlineaudio, Most employ guerrilla marketing to promote their work.