

Mariah Carey described the termination of her long-term deal with EMI in 2002, as "the right decision for me". Occasionally the artist gets one over on the label. Record labels invest huge sums of money in breaking an act and claim that they need this level of control in order to improve the chances of making a profit or, as is more often the case, to cut their losses.
#ARTIST ROYAL TS FREE#
The label, however, remains free to sign and promote as many artists as it wishes. This means that they can't record for another label without permission, nor can they leave the contract if they're unhappy. The recording contract will usually require the artist to sign to the label exclusively. So 'Dualdisc', DVD and other new technologies will be caught by this definition. The contract will define a record to include audio-visual devices as well. Recording contracts are legally binding agreements, enabling record companies to exploit an artist's performance in a sound recording, in return for royalty payments.Įxploitation is achieved through physical sales, such as CD, vinyl and cassette the public performance and broadcasting of works and the sale of digital products such as downloads and mobile ringtones. New digital methods of music delivery, such as downloads and mobile phone ringtones, should be covered by modern recording contracts. They certainly require closer inspection in an article of this scope. Even so, many of their commercial terms are similar. They come in different shapes and sizes, and will often vary depending on the label, and the status of the artist involved. Understanding The Jargonīecause of their legal complexity, recording contracts can be quite hard to decipher. If you want fame and fortune and everything that goes with it, without the pain of disillusionment and legal hassles later, you'll first need to do a little homework. Before you do anything, you'll need to know what's up for grabs. If this is the fortunate dilemma in which you find yourself, hold fire. A&R guys are falling over themselves to get to you and there's now a major-label record deal on the table. You've written and recorded your demo, you've played some great gigs, and you can now boast a multitude of MySpace friends, from Watford to Wichita and back again. Our guide to contract terms, written by an entertainment lawyer, explains what it all means and what the implications are for the artist. A recording contract might seem like the Holy Grail, but record labels are not charity concerns and their contracts are not set up with your interests in mind.
