By mech1
Thu Apr 28, 2005 12:30 am
iv'e gone through all the "record company" threads and couldn't find any info relevant to what I want to know.
here's the dealio, I want to start a small record label releasing 7" records exclusively. the artists I want to sign are from the UK and France and aren't very well known here in the US. I've done some research on vinyl pressing so I've got that covered, my question is, as a small label with little to no money how do I go about soliciting demos from these artists without sounding like a complete twat? I'd want to compensate the artist in any way I can but if there's very little money upfront how do I get an artist interested in letting me release their music?
i've been trying to research info on the business side of owning a record label and it all seems so vague. here are some of my questions:
-how much of an advance would an artist expect upfront if I wanted to release a 2-track 7"? I would handle manufacturing, mastering, distribution and promotion. I'll be lucky if I break even trying to sell 500 limited pressings.
-this varies from label to label but i'm assuming I would want to own their masters? i've heard of labels where the artist retains the rights to their masters but how does this work?
-if I offered an artist a cut of the profits how much is considered the industry standard? is it 10%? 20%?
I guess from an indie label standpoint I want what's best for the artist. the last thing I want to do is screw somebody over, i'm not in this for the money. so, does anyone have any examples of what a proper and fair contract should look like? i've been wanting to start a label for a long time and I figure $2000 should be just enough to make a first release. I'm guessing some of you either own your own label or are signed to a label, any input would be appreciated.
sorry if this is a redundant post.
here's the dealio, I want to start a small record label releasing 7" records exclusively. the artists I want to sign are from the UK and France and aren't very well known here in the US. I've done some research on vinyl pressing so I've got that covered, my question is, as a small label with little to no money how do I go about soliciting demos from these artists without sounding like a complete twat? I'd want to compensate the artist in any way I can but if there's very little money upfront how do I get an artist interested in letting me release their music?
i've been trying to research info on the business side of owning a record label and it all seems so vague. here are some of my questions:
-how much of an advance would an artist expect upfront if I wanted to release a 2-track 7"? I would handle manufacturing, mastering, distribution and promotion. I'll be lucky if I break even trying to sell 500 limited pressings.
-this varies from label to label but i'm assuming I would want to own their masters? i've heard of labels where the artist retains the rights to their masters but how does this work?
-if I offered an artist a cut of the profits how much is considered the industry standard? is it 10%? 20%?
I guess from an indie label standpoint I want what's best for the artist. the last thing I want to do is screw somebody over, i'm not in this for the money. so, does anyone have any examples of what a proper and fair contract should look like? i've been wanting to start a label for a long time and I figure $2000 should be just enough to make a first release. I'm guessing some of you either own your own label or are signed to a label, any input would be appreciated.
sorry if this is a redundant post.
