Band turns record deal down

[Metalbasspro]

I thought the part about the label owning all previous released material was the most out of line. If they want to own the previous material they need to buy the band out on it or the previous label that released it.


http://www.metalsucks.net/2015/01/0...cords-for-offering-them-a-recording-contract/

 

[FretNoMore]

TL;DR, but I suspect it's a simple case of the band not reading all the fine print before signing the paperwork for the contest. You can bet the organizers of these battle of the band scams have better lawyers than a naive new metal band has.

 

[Metalbasspro]

Ya but I don't think they signed it. It was a real rape of a contract record deal. If things keep progressing with these greedy labels in the future not long from now it will be common to sign way your house upon death and your cars too to the labels. They might even want rights to sleep with your wife or daughters!

 

[FretNoMore]

OK then, change to not reading all the fine print before taking part in the contest. Same difference in the end, the organizers have all the power and the only right choice is to not enter contests with lousy rules. The same is happening in other areas like photography; the winning participants get a cheap nonsense price and the organizers get exclusive rights to valuable content. Just don't take part if the conditions are crap, and, I frankly have to say, if you still do then don't whine after the fact because you really should have done the homework. No-one is twisting people's arms to enter these bogus competitions.

What people can do is warn others when the rules are bad, in discussion groups for instance, so people who don't understand the contest rules maybe think twice before entering.

 

[Metalbasspro]

On the other hand you can pass up a crappy record deal and regret it for the rest of your life like I do hahahaha. Sometimes getting hosed is worth the memories you will have.

 

[rtslinger]

On the other hand you can pass up a crappy record deal and regret it for the rest of your life like I do hahahaha. Sometimes getting hosed is worth the memories you will have.

I agree sometimes your need to get you foot in the door. If it grows and you start to really make a name for yourself you can get your contract bought out by a bigger and better company.It is a tough business and the % of bands that even make money (real money) is very low, but if you don't throw your hat into the ring when you get the chance that chance may never come again. To imagine that you are going to have any control of a royalty negotiations as a unknown band without some real good entertainment lawyer, which will cost you a ton and even at that point the record deal could disappear if you hit them with a amendment that has pushed too hard. Lastly if I was a different company having read this ego fueled rant, I wouldn't waste my time. Remember they are going to invest their money in you, you become their product, an their goal is to sell their product period it isn't called the music "business" for nothing. This band should have watched Shark tank it is the same deal.

 

[lfmn16]

What people can do is warn others when the rules are bad, in discussion groups for instance, so people who don't understand the contest rules maybe think twice before entering.

Good idea, but these 'contests' have been going on since dirt was new and as long as there are enough suckers to line the organizers' pockets, they will continue to go on. Some people want to make it so bad they just throw common sense out the window.

 

[azureblue]

scan the contract to a .doc, change the objectionable parts, print it out (make sure it looks as close to the original as possible) and sign it, then mail it in, and ask for a copy with their signature on it.

 

[Winfred]

scan the contract to a .doc, change the objectionable parts, print it out (make sure it looks as close to the original as possible) and sign it, then mail it in, and ask for a copy with their signature on it.

I used to work for a corporation that did that. I was in marketing, and every deal I cut had to go through our legal dept. The lawyers would chop the other parties contract to pieces, sign it, then send it back.

The other party would then do the same thing. lol!

And around and around it went.

 

[Robroy]

scan the contract to a .doc, change the objectionable parts, print it out (make sure it looks as close to the original as possible) and sign it, then mail it in, and ask for a copy with their signature on it.

I used to work for a corporation that did that. I was in marketing, and every deal I cut had to go through our legal dept. The lawyers would chop the other parties contract to pieces, sign it, then send it back.

The other party would then do the same thing. lol!

And around and around it went.

There was a story a year or so ago about a guy that treated his contract with VISA (IIRC) like a real estate contract. That is, they sent him an offer for a card, complete with fine print. He then scratched out and modified the parts he didn't like, initialed the changes, signed it and sent it in. They sent him a card and tried to enforce the contract as originally sent. He sued. I don't know how it worked out, though.

 

[BioWeapon]

Hold on a second, before I even read the article, isn't Metal Sucks the Onion of the music world?
Edit, read it, wow. Is that guy ever clueless.

 

[MegaSwing]

As is often said: The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Usually, the first error in judgment is for an artist to think the record company is their friend, because nothing could be farther from the truth.

 

[Robroy]

As is often said: The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Usually, the first error in judgment is for an artist to think the record company is their friend, because nothing could be farther from the truth.

I'm honestly kind of surprised there are still record labels. On a side note, I own a very interesting movie called Great World of Sound. Google it. Pretty comical.

 

[petrus61]

You know what happens to 99% of the material that gets absorbed by the labels in these circumstances? It winds up on throw away compilations that are given away at state fair hot dog eating contests or is farmed out to obscure European markets, where it winds up being given away at goulash eating contests. One would be lucky for it to be seen, let alone picked up for treatment by a big name star. On the upside, you could wind up being the Elvis of Moldovia with thousands of records sold and not even be aware of it

 

[48thStreetCustom]

I'm honestly kind of surprised there are still record labels. On a side note, I own a very interesting movie called Great World of Sound. Google it. Pretty comical.

I read the whole back and forth between the label guy and the singer. The label guy says this about the value they bring to the table:

"I thought a band like yourself would appreciate $10,000 [to record your music] and a shot at having a dedicated team of people working for you, helping you land tours, a manager, a booking agent and everything else it takes to have a real career playing music for a living... You're guaranteed a worldwide album release, money to record, financial tour support, music videos, a publicist and promotion, along with all the label help and brand power of Sumerian to grow your career... Sumerian is known for getting their bands on real tours immediately upon signing and supporting them on tour, buying/fixing vans, covering road expenses, etc. "

 

[SteveHeissner]

As is often said: The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Usually, the first error in judgment is for an artist to think the record company is their friend, because nothing could be farther from the truth.

Eloquently stated. Amen brother.

 

[Roland GR 88]

Sumerian is a decent sized label with some pretty popular bands. If you want to go out and tour full time they're probably as good as it gets. I've seen a few and been in a couple of bands that made absolutely no money and split up because they couldn't agree on how to fairly divide zero by 4 or weren't prepared to sign away nothing for something.

 

[Febs]

I thought the part about the label owning all previous released material was the most out of line.

Can you point me to where it says that the label owns all previously released material?

 

[darkblack99]

It's always been this way. 'Baby acts' getting signed for the first time have always had to endure one-sided deals, simply because the record company is making the initial investment on an unproven commodity. The only ways around that issue was to ruthlessly self-promote a region or two with one's own product and develop a pre-signing sales curve that could be used to negotiate a better licensing deal for band-owned masters with a major label, rather than a start-to-finish development deal. It's either that, or go full-metal indie and accept the reduced profits and visibility within that situation.

IMO, 'Numbers' was right to walk on a deal that demanded rights to back catalog without cost to the label (mentioned in the video) - the artists of today always need to do as much due diligence as possible and get independent legal advice prior to signing. It's not like the companies of today are handing out non-recoupable signing bonuses that offset the label clawback on the gross profits.

 

[mdogs]

I used to work for a corporation that did that. I was in marketing, and every deal I cut had to go through our legal dept. The lawyers would chop the other parties contract to pieces, sign it, then send it back.

The other party would then do the same thing. lol!

And around and around it went.

You do realize that this is how contracts get negotiated, right? This is not some underhanded process as you seem to intimate...