Yes I'd sign a record deal again. Certainly a major deal or the right indie deal as well. I've had 2 record deals so far. Both independent, both were licensing deals rather than 360 deals. I retained the Masters so I can continue using the recordings along with what the labels did. I used an entertainment lawyer to help with the negotiations & in both cases I was able to retain 100% of the Mechanical Royalties. The first was the better of the two in that I got more exposure, traction, sales etc. In both cases they provided the up front costs of recording & marketing which really helps a lot. If the label comes also with tour support, television appearances, radio promotion, influencer marketing, sync licensing etc then all the better - the more ways to get in front of more people the better. While I'm always willing to do everything & "wear all that hats" as I am now, I'd prefer focusing almost 100% on the music & ministry aspects of it & farm out the other parts. Thus, a record deal almost always makes sense.
I would never rule out a label deal because there is lots to gain from it as an artist you receive a whole different level of networking opportunities to grow your brand. I think the biggest key is not being afraid to go for those negotiations and push for the type of deal you want. Obviously have an entertainment lawyer looking over the contract with you and helping you negotiate.
Please make more content like this now and again, it gives a great insight into your mind and perspectives so I feel we get a much more full picture of where we should be heading.
Great video Damian! I agree, it all depends on what is being offered. However, as an independent artist, I am not looking for a deal. I already operate as if I am already signed. I write the songs, hire the producer, the band, the marketing team, ect. What I can’t afford, I learn and do myself. It takes time to build it, but once you do….. it is so worth it. If a deal present’s itself, then we can discuss. But I am not waiting for one.
Hilarious and informative. I don't think I would sign a deal that binds me for more than 2 years unless it was a crazy good deal. I can handle a bad boss for 2 years but no more than that. On the nick D thing... I've written amd recorded 50+ songs for people on Fiverr over the past 2 years and although many of them are acoustic, I've been thinking about doing something similar. Maybe one every 4 Weeks.
This is a wonderfully informative video. Signing with a major label is very complicated. If I was offered a contract, I would look for a good show business attorney that I can trust. I met an Artist who had a nervous breakdown due to a bad contract with a major record company, so I would proceed with caution before signing a contract.
I agree. I also run record collecting and buy & sell groups on FB for labels like Mercury, Republic, Interscope, EMI, Island, Polydor, Vertigo and Decca and it's astonishing how naive some people on there think that they can just post self-promoting threads in the hope of getting signed. Major labels don't want artists to find them, they want to find the artists. Plus every aspiring band and artist needs to invest in a good business manager and lawyer alike to navigate their careers.
Damian, you consistently give sound and very wise counsel. I love your channel and your advice however I will push back on this one point. I can't speak for rock and country but when it comes to Hip Hop, Pop and R & B you don't need to spend all that money to make high quality productions. If you are a skilled producerY you can do all that stuff in house. You can use a good mastering website to master your song for $25. and nobody will be able tell the difference from the dude you spend $1,000 to master. I have a really good guy who does my mixes and he charges me $350. The song production costs on some genres does not have to be that high. HOWEVER, you are SPOT ON with regard to tour support, That is the gorilla in the room. You do a wonderful job on this channel and you save me lots of time and money with your expert advice. Thank you sir.
I have many singles and albums written, a RECORD DEAL might be the hand that I need till I land at my own destiny! If getting into bed with a major Record Label could help me meet my financial goals, just tell me, where do I sign? A RECORD DEAL sounds awesome because it may mean a much larger fanbase and more big artist collabs. Thank you Damian. Thank you for the best times, thank you for the journey 💛💛💛
No record contracts are identical. Sign with a company that is realistic instead of one that makes big financial promises and paints unrealistic pictures in your head. Sometimes not all record companies that offer the artist the most money are beneficial to that artist's career. We've all heard a lot of horror stories about record companies behaving in a greedy and unethical manner towards their artists and exploiting them.
As you say, it is a deal and a deal is negotiated. the important thing to ask, and if you're going at this without an attorney they should ask it, is "How does my commitment change over time?". Because this is a fluid situation; if you are selling, more opportunities are coming your way and taking advantage of those usually requires some kind of upfront cost, and since you didn't know they were coming you didn't budget for them out of your initial advance (loan), so you will need additional money - this is the potential "spiral of doom" or "spiral of fortune" that makes this a case by case question.. The other thing you have to know before you sign is "where are the waypoints?". that is, when am i allowed to say "enough - i don't want to incur any more debt i want to cut my losses now" and either go back to being an indie (hopefully with a bigger audience if you got that far), shop for a different label, or get a day job.
Best thing I've seen... Thank you.... I make a lot of music, I make videos, and have a lot of fun... I work full time, and have a situation that means I couldn't tour, but it is nice to know the ins and outs of a serious deal offer... It is as I expected, maybe when I retire I will have time to do something serious... Always enjoyed your content, thank you again, invaluable advice!
Thank you Damien. It makes more sense to be a full creative then just an interpreter to be a full time musician. In contrast with my visual arts background where being signed is more stable.
Thanks for the video Damian! Helps me to realize certain things and I started thinking. How can you prepare for succes? How to set up the artist to look and also be ready for it? And when should you start searching for a manager for example? It is possible that your next single might be very popular. So I am curious which points are important if the breakthrough happens.
To all the artists, if you’ve ever wanted to feel what to be a slave is,…… go ahead and sign a record deal. I had the chance to work for the biggest independent Latin record company between 2001 and 2008 and let me tell you, ALL THE ARTISTS where in financial trouble and or constant fighting over attention and direction. Nothing like being your own boss There’s a saying in Spanish that says “is better to be a rat’s head than a lion’s tail…”
Great video Damo. The whole rhetoric of labels being redundant is just patently wrong. They are still immensely powerful. It's not right for everyone but absolutely should be given the thoughtful consideration it deserves.
I have 250+ songs recorded, so i would sign a record deal on 13 of them or 13-40 of them and use the advances to put the afterburners on full blast for the entire rest of my discog. The money would go to eating super healthy food in a beautiful place to live nearby to a thriving scene where i would hopefully be plugged into the schedules with venues so that i could cut my teeth on stage. Id shoot for 1 song every 2 weeks as a steady funnel and i would employ help for social media but direct it, basically i just need more hands and the $ to build a community and have things to share and film that go beyond pointing the camera at myself and doing my thing.
That is a strategy although I would say more that it’s make sure you utilise the label and squeeze everything out of it. It’s a chance to meet people, gain experience and build yourself as an artist for future opportunities 😊😊
I've been watching your videos since before I started making music. I definitely think now RUclips is where the money is. they pay you literally 10 times more than spotify. so I would invest money from a deal to make a dope music video and try to get 100 million views
I wonder what a "3-album" contract means in practice at a time when singles are released. Colin isn't a big star yet and I assume he won't release a full first album. Is there any album to singles conversion rate? and how - at least more or less - to convert the number of albums into the duration of the contract? great material btw.
Is this video relevant to independent artists? Learning about labels is good but eventually you gotta focus on your own brand and forget the old music industry right?
Ok, another hypothetical. If you're in a position similar to this but you've been recording at home for years, as I assume Colin has, (proper decent quality) do you think you could get away with maybe just re-recording the drums in a pro space (I find drums are the main thing that separates DIY from a good home recording) then getting it professionally mixed and mastered in a good space?
If I had a song generating $80k in a few months and had a strong following I think I'd go to a bank first and get a fabulous line of credit and hire out individuals that can help me scale and manage the business. You're already making all the right decisions regarding your music, just keep the momentum going.
Receiving an advance from a record label is NOT a "pro", or a positive outcome. Any advance is a high-interest LOAN that they actually hope you can never repay, because it opens the door for them to steal from you in many other ways. An advance is a "con", or a negative outcome.
Damian addressed the gorilla in the room that separates a Nic D from Travis Scott. Tour support and features. If you really want to be big you need to be involved in tours with major artists. Impossible to do without label support or powerful people backing. you. Yes, you will make your Spotify money but where will you be in 10 years if you don't perform? I wonder if its possible to get tour support deals if you are a successful independent.
Another way to think about it.. Ask yourself: Is this about you or the music? I believe music that I write is bigger than me and that I am at service to it. If my objective is that the music needs to be heard, then I’m ready to sacrifice myself for the cause and even sign a less favorable deal. IF it means that the music would be heard worldwide, yes, I’m up for it. Of course, I wouldn’t sell my soul or my body for it, but you get the point ;).
It all comes down to mazlovs staircase in the end, for me at least, could i feed the family, get a house and so on. Well then perhaps that is were you sign a deal. And on the way get your social value raised and a following so that you can perhaps funnel them into other stuff, just to keep the machine going. Still i have a hard time seeing that for me. I just hope that i can break even, that's the first goal. 😂 Also the Nic D thing, i can't really see a problem if people try it out in the beginning. There are many many approaches to this that i get a headache, still trial n error like in every type of buisness.
Me personally, it’s not worth it, if you have to have leverage in order to sign to a record label, what’s the point?, they just taking credit/money from my adversity that i had to build up by myself, then charge additional fees for nonsense, studio fees, high budget music videos, & get me on broadcasting television shows, & that’s it. The manager & business manager will take 10-20% each, then taxes & 10% legal fees for keeping the business running. Definitely not signing, when I do things independently, keep a higher stake pay for a booking manager or perform online for free on twitch, rumble, & keep paid in subs or even RUclips & have a donation button that people can click & give as much as they desire. Plus sell merchandise & get rich without having all them people in my pocket. Tough work in the beginning but when you got motion, you got motion 💪🏼 , all you need is 50,000 people to buy a $35 product that can be easily used daily or a $60 dollar product , do sales when it’s convenient & makes sense & I promise you’ll be making more than all these famous musicians that act like they millionaires 😂💀
100k to record an album sounds like a massive waste when some of the best albums ever were recorded for next to nothing. Original Pirate Material by The Streets and O by Damien Rice come to mind first. Not to mention the tons of EDM records made in bedrooms. I probably listen to more home recorded tracks than "professional studio" tracks. I guess it comes down to genre.
It aint about being fleeced. Who cares about being cheated when you getting a bunch from nothing? It's all the other ish that goes along with getting rich and famous. Can anybody name one that didn't have to compromise their dignity and soul? You don't get nothing in this world above the miminal without bowing down to the god of this world
One in a freaking zillion chances of a record deal or even a deal on a pack of guitar strings. Zero money. Just try & enjoy playing or creating music & don’t let it break your heart.
People with that mindset are never going to get a record deal. And that's fine. It's not for everyone. I think if you really and truly want it then it will happen.
Yes I'd sign a record deal again. Certainly a major deal or the right indie deal as well.
I've had 2 record deals so far. Both independent, both were licensing deals rather than 360 deals. I retained the Masters so I can continue using the recordings along with what the labels did. I used an entertainment lawyer to help with the negotiations & in both cases I was able to retain 100% of the Mechanical Royalties.
The first was the better of the two in that I got more exposure, traction, sales etc. In both cases they provided the up front costs of recording & marketing which really helps a lot. If the label comes also with tour support, television appearances, radio promotion, influencer marketing, sync licensing etc then all the better - the more ways to get in front of more people the better.
While I'm always willing to do everything & "wear all that hats" as I am now, I'd prefer focusing almost 100% on the music & ministry aspects of it & farm out the other parts. Thus, a record deal almost always makes sense.
Really good video thanks for sharing 🙏
I would never rule out a label deal because there is lots to gain from it as an artist you receive a whole different level of networking opportunities to grow your brand.
I think the biggest key is not being afraid to go for those negotiations and push for the type of deal you want. Obviously have an entertainment lawyer looking over the contract with you and helping you negotiate.
Love this!! Could you make a video about Publishing Deals as well?? Much love from Hawaii! 🤙
Most change their mind when a big label comes knocking, it can be very hard to refuse.
Please make more content like this now and again, it gives a great insight into your mind and perspectives so I feel we get a much more full picture of where we should be heading.
Great video Damian! I agree, it all depends on what is being offered. However, as an independent artist, I am not looking for a deal. I already operate as if I am already signed. I write the songs, hire the producer, the band, the marketing team, ect. What I can’t afford, I learn and do myself. It takes time to build it, but once you do….. it is so worth it. If a deal present’s itself, then we can discuss. But I am not waiting for one.
Hilarious and informative.
I don't think I would sign a deal that binds me for more than 2 years unless it was a crazy good deal. I can handle a bad boss for 2 years but no more than that.
On the nick D thing... I've written amd recorded 50+ songs for people on Fiverr over the past 2 years and although many of them are acoustic, I've been thinking about doing something similar. Maybe one every 4 Weeks.
I’m 40 seconds in and I want to say this. I’ve had deals before and I will NEVER SIGN A LABEL DEAL.
Bro I'm not tryina be sarcastic but was it really that bad? 😮
Damian Keyes, your videos are Ecxellent value, deep information that you dont really find elsewhere. Thank you very much.
He speaks proper respect ✊
This is a wonderfully informative video. Signing with a major label is very complicated. If I was offered a contract, I would look for a good show business attorney that I can trust. I met an Artist who had a nervous breakdown due to a bad contract with a major record company, so I would proceed with caution before signing a contract.
I agree. I also run record collecting and buy & sell groups on FB for labels like Mercury, Republic, Interscope, EMI, Island, Polydor, Vertigo and Decca and it's astonishing how naive some people on there think that they can just post self-promoting threads in the hope of getting signed. Major labels don't want artists to find them, they want to find the artists. Plus every aspiring band and artist needs to invest in a good business manager and lawyer alike to navigate their careers.
Damian, you consistently give sound and very wise counsel. I love your channel and your advice however I will push back on this one point. I can't speak for rock and country but when it comes to Hip Hop, Pop and R & B you don't need to spend all that money to make high quality productions. If you are a skilled producerY you can do all that stuff in house. You can use a good mastering website to master your song for $25. and nobody will be able tell the difference from the dude you spend $1,000 to master. I have a really good guy who does my mixes and he charges me $350. The song production costs on some genres does not have to be that high. HOWEVER, you are SPOT ON with regard to tour support, That is the gorilla in the room. You do a wonderful job on this channel and you save me lots of time and money with your expert advice. Thank you sir.
Bilmuri is great at social media and getting new music out constantly which has really shown recently. Worth checking him out as another example 🙂
Thanks for that I will defo check them out today 😊😊
here from the email list!
Love that! Hope the video provides some helpful info 😊😊
Excellent breakdown!
I’m so grateful for your advice ❤ you are like big brother who really loves and cares for.. I don’t know how to thank you enough ❤
that was really informative, I was just thinking that this was right mindset to have but here I'm enlightened
I have many singles and albums written, a RECORD DEAL might be the hand that I need till I land at my own destiny!
If getting into bed with a major Record Label could help me meet my financial goals, just tell me, where do I sign?
A RECORD DEAL sounds awesome because it may mean a much larger fanbase and more big artist collabs.
Thank you Damian. Thank you for the best times, thank you for the journey 💛💛💛
No record contracts are identical. Sign with a company that is realistic instead of one that makes big financial promises and paints unrealistic pictures in your head. Sometimes not all record companies that offer the artist the most money are beneficial to that artist's career. We've all heard a lot of horror stories about record companies behaving in a greedy and unethical manner towards their artists and exploiting them.
@@laissezfayre Word 💯
Only seeing this now... Thank you for shedding some light on the matter.
@@Chronade You're welcome. 🙂
As you say, it is a deal and a deal is negotiated. the important thing to ask, and if you're going at this without an attorney they should ask it, is "How does my commitment change over time?". Because this is a fluid situation; if you are selling, more opportunities are coming your way and taking advantage of those usually requires some kind of upfront cost, and since you didn't know they were coming you didn't budget for them out of your initial advance (loan), so you will need additional money - this is the potential "spiral of doom" or "spiral of fortune" that makes this a case by case question.. The other thing you have to know before you sign is "where are the waypoints?". that is, when am i allowed to say "enough - i don't want to incur any more debt i want to cut my losses now" and either go back to being an indie (hopefully with a bigger audience if you got that far), shop for a different label, or get a day job.
Best thing I've seen... Thank you.... I make a lot of music, I make videos, and have a lot of fun... I work full time, and have a situation that means I couldn't tour, but it is nice to know the ins and outs of a serious deal offer... It is as I expected, maybe when I retire I will have time to do something serious... Always enjoyed your content, thank you again, invaluable advice!
Once again a great video
Thank you Damien. It makes more sense to be a full creative then just an interpreter to be a full time musician. In contrast with my visual arts background where being signed is more stable.
Thanks for the video Damian! Helps me to realize certain things and I started thinking. How can you prepare for succes? How to set up the artist to look and also be ready for it? And when should you start searching for a manager for example? It is possible that your next single might be very popular. So I am curious which points are important if the breakthrough happens.
To all the artists, if you’ve ever wanted to feel what to be a slave is,…… go ahead and sign a record deal. I had the chance to work for the biggest independent Latin record company between 2001 and 2008 and let me tell you, ALL THE ARTISTS where in financial trouble and or constant fighting over attention and direction.
Nothing like being your own boss
There’s a saying in Spanish that says “is better to be a rat’s head than a lion’s tail…”
Great video Damo. The whole rhetoric of labels being redundant is just patently wrong. They are still immensely powerful. It's not right for everyone but absolutely should be given the thoughtful consideration it deserves.
I have 250+ songs recorded, so i would sign a record deal on 13 of them or 13-40 of them and use the advances to put the afterburners on full blast for the entire rest of my discog. The money would go to eating super healthy food in a beautiful place to live nearby to a thriving scene where i would hopefully be plugged into the schedules with venues so that i could cut my teeth on stage. Id shoot for 1 song every 2 weeks as a steady funnel and i would employ help for social media but direct it, basically i just need more hands and the $ to build a community and have things to share and film that go beyond pointing the camera at myself and doing my thing.
So basically use the major record deal as a springboard for your future success?
That is a strategy although I would say more that it’s make sure you utilise the label and squeeze everything out of it. It’s a chance to meet people, gain experience and build yourself as an artist for future opportunities 😊😊
I've been watching your videos since before I started making music. I definitely think now RUclips is where the money is. they pay you literally 10 times more than spotify. so I would invest money from a deal to make a dope music video and try to get 100 million views
A major record label wouldn’t be interested. But that’s cool with me. Thanks Damian
I wonder what a "3-album" contract means in practice at a time when singles are released. Colin isn't a big star yet and I assume he won't release a full first album. Is there any album to singles conversion rate? and how - at least more or less - to convert the number of albums into the duration of the contract? great material btw.
First! I appreciate your videos your helping alot of artists thank you 🙏🏾
I really appreciate that, thanks so much 😊😊
"your soul" I'm on the floor 🤣🤣
Great points here brother I’d love to speak with you one on one .Lets set up a consultation
Love that, would love to help in any way I can. If you drop Ella an email and she can sort that out for you (ella@dk-mba.com)
Is this video relevant to independent artists? Learning about labels is good but eventually you gotta focus on your own brand and forget the old music industry right?
Damien, would a distribution only deal be better for artists who have their own studio and can make the music themselves ?
Ok, another hypothetical. If you're in a position similar to this but you've been recording at home for years, as I assume Colin has, (proper decent quality) do you think you could get away with maybe just re-recording the drums in a pro space (I find drums are the main thing that separates DIY from a good home recording) then getting it professionally mixed and mastered in a good space?
If I had a song generating $80k in a few months and had a strong following I think I'd go to a bank first and get a fabulous line of credit and hire out individuals that can help me scale and manage the business. You're already making all the right decisions regarding your music, just keep the momentum going.
Awesome :-)
I will review my contract with a 360 record label in 30 minutes! Thank you so much for your videos! I have been watching them all morning hahaha
LOL
Receiving an advance from a record label is NOT a "pro", or a positive outcome. Any advance is a high-interest LOAN that they actually hope you can never repay, because it opens the door for them to steal from you in many other ways. An advance is a "con", or a negative outcome.
Damian addressed the gorilla in the room that separates a Nic D from Travis Scott. Tour support and features. If you really want to be big you need to be involved in tours with major artists. Impossible to do without label support or powerful people backing. you. Yes, you will make your Spotify money but where will you be in 10 years if you don't perform? I wonder if its possible to get tour support deals if you are a successful independent.
I’d rather sell ten cds and have 4 streams a month than give a record label a single groat. Absolute bastards.
Fat Joe recently explained that after millions of albums sold and 20 years later, he STILL owes his record label money for recoupment!
Another way to think about it.. Ask yourself: Is this about you or the music? I believe music that I write is bigger than me and that I am at service to it. If my objective is that the music needs to be heard, then I’m ready to sacrifice myself for the cause and even sign a less favorable deal. IF it means that the music would be heard worldwide, yes, I’m up for it. Of course, I wouldn’t sell my soul or my body for it, but you get the point ;).
It all comes down to mazlovs staircase in the end, for me at least, could i feed the family, get a house and so on. Well then perhaps that is were you sign a deal. And on the way get your social value raised and a following so that you can perhaps funnel them into other stuff, just to keep the machine going.
Still i have a hard time seeing that for me. I just hope that i can break even, that's the first goal. 😂 Also the Nic D thing, i can't really see a problem if people try it out in the beginning. There are many many approaches to this that i get a headache, still trial n error like in every type of buisness.
Anyone who signs a bad deal in 2024 is just a mark.
Still I wouldn't sign
Me personally, it’s not worth it, if you have to have leverage in order to sign to a record label, what’s the point?, they just taking credit/money from my adversity that i had to build up by myself, then charge additional fees for nonsense, studio fees, high budget music videos, & get me on broadcasting television shows, & that’s it. The manager & business manager will take 10-20% each, then taxes & 10% legal fees for keeping the business running. Definitely not signing, when I do things independently, keep a higher stake pay for a booking manager or perform online for free on twitch, rumble, & keep paid in subs or even RUclips & have a donation button that people can click & give as much as they desire. Plus sell merchandise & get rich without having all them people in my pocket. Tough work in the beginning but when you got motion, you got motion 💪🏼 , all you need is 50,000 people to buy a $35 product that can be easily used daily or a $60 dollar product , do sales when it’s convenient & makes sense & I promise you’ll be making more than all these famous musicians that act like they millionaires 😂💀
100k to record an album sounds like a massive waste when some of the best albums ever were recorded for next to nothing. Original Pirate Material by The Streets and O by Damien Rice come to mind first.
Not to mention the tons of EDM records made in bedrooms.
I probably listen to more home recorded tracks than "professional studio" tracks.
I guess it comes down to genre.
Spend all your money on the bus. Eagle is the bomb. Record at the most expensive studio. Make a video right away.
dont needbto today
It aint about being fleeced. Who cares about being cheated when you getting a bunch from nothing? It's all the other ish that goes along with getting rich and famous. Can anybody name one that didn't have to compromise their dignity and soul? You don't get nothing in this world above the miminal without bowing down to the god of this world
One in a freaking zillion chances of a record deal or even a deal on a pack of guitar strings. Zero money. Just try & enjoy playing or creating music & don’t let it break your heart.
I used to do that. You will find that it results years later in a bunch of "what ifs". What if we would have tried to sell it.
People with that mindset are never going to get a record deal. And that's fine. It's not for everyone. I think if you really and truly want it then it will happen.
I’d sign since I have a bit of leverage 💯💯💯
Yeah I think that’s a great point on understanding how much leverage you have 😊😊
Thanks for the lecture coach 🫡