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The Truth About Recording Contracts

Most who are not involved with the music business have no idea that there are different types of recording contracts out there, and how hard they really are to get. We have all seen the artists that get signed with a record company, tour the world, and rake in the dough. However, the majority do not have quite that amount of success, and some don’t make it out of the gate. There are some good contracts, and there are some that are to be avoided at all costs. If you are suddenly presented with the chance to sign such a contract, you better contain your excitement and make sure the contract is really what it appears to be.

If you sign recording contracts with smaller labels, you should know you won’t have the large promotional push behind your band that most large labels can offer. That is why you have to understand the terms of your contracts. You may understand that what they can do for you is limited, but you don’t want to be locked in indefinitely should one of the large labels come to offer you their recording contracts. You should always take any contracts you are asked to sign, even when they seem very simple or for very small things, to a lawyer so you know what it really says. Some can be very deceptive.

Even worse, there are some recording contracts that will get a band nowhere, and they are meant to do just that. I remember a band in Pittsburgh in the early nineties that got a record contract. They were, as you can imagine, over the moon about it. As it turned out, their recording contracts were not what they seemed. They were signed solely for the purpose of being shelved. This means the contract was made to stop them from playing because they were competition for a very similar act. It’s a dirty trick, but it does happen.

Entertainment lawyers are your best bet when you are presented with recording contracts. Though it might seem like a dream come true and you can’t wait to sign, you should always know exactly what is going on. Think of all your hard work going down the drain if you get shelved or limited to a small label that won’t let you go when bigger offers come along. So many make the mistake of signed contracts with record companies, agents, managers, and promoters that do them no good, and in fact, harm them financially. Don’t let this happen to you.