Getting offered a record deal can be a euphoric experience. Just the validation for all your hard work and genuine talent alone can certainly add to the amazing experience. Getting offered a record deal can also make an Artist or Band think that it’s all going to be peaches and cream from here on out. It’s not. It’s a lot of hard work, and you need to be a “polished” act to be considered (and have notable album/MP3 sales behind you).
*Like this post? Become a Sponsor. Get noticed. Keep this resource free.
I’m writing this article to offer you much-needed advice and (mandatory) suggestions so you know what you’re getting yourself into. Still, a record deal is the ultimate achievement and they don’t come easy. But if you miss out on anything or everything within this article, please remember just this statement; you are an Artist, Musician, Songwriter, or Band and you don’t “need” to have a record deal because you already have the talent and resources to have a successful music career anyway, and they can’t take the fact that you’re a true Artist away from you. True Artists are “born,” and they are not “manufactured” based on the moment an Artist or Band gets signed (although it often appears that way within the media). All of these dichotomies are just one inevitable facet of the business world on this planet. Yes, there are celebrities who had prior industry ties that never had to play a small club or sell one CD who produced a demo and went national or international. That’s their deal, and that’s one of the reasons that you hear so many inferior songs being pushed publicly. The truth will prevail. You are “the real deal” and they are not. With this said, do not feel angry or feel judged in any way by this business based mainly on (necessary?) rejection. Try to see the record companies as just individuals trying to make a living because that really is all that they are. They still put their pants on one leg at a time like you do, and “reality” does not give them the lavish life or inner peace you may envision all of those individuals having. This includes a “big manufactured celebrity” you might happen to find most annoying.
*Like this post? Become a Sponsor. Get noticed. Keep this resource free.
Music and performing/singing really is my true calling, and the truth is, I happen to be the kind of person who doesn’t see the difference between putting on a gut-wrenching vocal performance or acting in a film or on stage. You are enveloping a character, you are channeling and transcending yourself, and you are taking yourself and your audience to another place. This is my take on all realms of performance art.
This might seem obvious, but I want you to get a lawyer right now. So does the record label. They don’t want to deal with you directly. It’s unprofessional, and it’s just not the way things work. This is a business, and music industry professionals are just people doing their jobs until the end of the day. I received a recording contract for a single that had won a best original song video contest when I was in New York. When the contract arrived, I was living in California working with an Agent, and I did not have a lawyer. Thankfully, the contract was simple to understand and I read these things with the precision of a looking glass? Why did I not sign the deal? Because in very simple, “blended in” language, the contract attempted to take 100{904ac83d0f2af29eebb57dc7d57f270720e019a717053aa972713f6a9a731a9b} of my publishing while offering me a one-time check for the song! They would have owned my song as if I’d never written it! Why am I telling you this? I’m telling you this to be very careful, read the fine print, and get yourself a lawyer. I will end this article with a STRONG piece of advice; do NOT even give away 1{904ac83d0f2af29eebb57dc7d57f270720e019a717053aa972713f6a9a731a9b} of your publishing. You must always keep 100{904ac83d0f2af29eebb57dc7d57f270720e019a717053aa972713f6a9a731a9b} of your publishing, or you have been robbed of either a portion or all of your OWN song to an industry hand that doesn’t even have the talent to do what you do. Peace.
More to come.
*Like this post? Become a Sponsor. Get noticed. Keep this resource free.
(C)(P) Paul Spencer Alexander – All Rights Reserved. Paul Alexander Music: http://www.PaulAlexanderMusic.com – The Official Home of Paul Alexander Music.