1. Title: The Ins and Outs of Recording Contracts Sub Title: Understanding Recording Contracts By: Ty Cohen Description / Summary: Understanding how to prepare and sign a profitable recording contract. Knowing what you should look for before you sign a recording contract.
Before you sign on any recording contracts it is very important to understand everything you are getting into. There are many legal aspects that you may not be aware of. In order to comprehend everything, you need to read the contract carefully and if possible bring an attorney with you. The last thing you need is to get stuck with a contract that heavily favors the recording company. Sometimes you can even block some of your work this way and waste hours of time and money. Here are 3 points to look for before you sign. The terms of the recording contracts: The term of any agreement is one of the key points of the deal. This clause will bind you for a certain length of time to the company. Initially it is often around a year. If the partnership works well you will be able to extend this. You will need to pay special attention to what your commitment will entail. You will be required to do a certain amount of songs within the time frame of the contract. Be sure that you do not sign up for too many, as this can be time consuming and not very profitable. Copyrights for the recording contracts: This is an important legal point for any artist. The copyrights to your work should belong to you. Of course in order to produce your work the company will have some rights as well as you. It is imperative that you the artist know what this entails. You do not want a company to take advantage of you and use your work without your permission, anywhere they want. Look into licensing agreements and see which ones will favor you and not cost you a lot of out of pocket expenses. Royalties for recording contracts: royalties are the percentage that you will get paid every time a record or DVD etc. of your work is sold by the company, or can be based on wholesale sales. It is important to understand how much you will be getting and when. Also be aware of any overheads like the production costs that may be taken off your Royalties. This will be one of the main sources of income for you, so extra care should be taken to understand the clauses before signing.. There is another thing you need to distinguish between; the royalties of the songwriter when the music is published and the royalties that you the artist will be paid.
These are just a few points to look for when you sign recording contracts. When you pay close attention to what you are signing for you can look forward to a successful partnership between you and the company.
About the author: Visit http://www.MusicContracts101.com for more information on recording contracts and other free resources by Ty Cohen, nation-wide music industry seminar speaker and panelist. He is also the author and creator of over 40 best-selling music business books, reports, courses, audio products and other music industry "How to" resources, that have helped tens of thousands of individuals just like you to successfully find their way in the music business. Also visit http://www.MusicIndustryCoachingClub.com/freecdarticles for a free music industry success video, audio CD and report that reveal the secrets used to sell over 150 Gold & Platinum CDs world wide. (Value - $49.99)
2. 4 Steps for Signing Recording Contracts How to Handle Recording Contracts By: Ty Cohen Description / Summary: 4 Steps to take for a successful recording contract. Knowing what to do when you sign a recording contract. When you are considering signing recording contracts, it is important to know how to handle them. There are many things to consider and lengthy negotiations can cost you the deal. Therefore it is wise to have a game plan before you sit down to the table. Knowing how to proceed and what steps to take will make negotiations go more smoothly and help you make informed decisions. Knowledge is power and when you couple it with planning it will make you a winner. When you come to the negotiating table with confidence you will not be intimidated and make wrong decisions. Here are some step by step instructions. Step #1: Check the company: Before you sign a recording contract with a company you should check them out first. This is especially true for smaller companies. Obviously the big names will speak for themselves. Firstly see what their distribution record track record is like. How many CD’s, DVD’s etc have they really sold? What are their distributing partners like? What are the company’s relationships with their distributors like? How much can they really spend on advertising and promoting your work? Seek out others who have used the company and ask them about their experiences with the company. Never walk into an agreement without knowing something about the company. Step #2: Hire a lawyer: Sometimes signing recording contracts is difficult, especially if it is your first one. You may not fully understand what you are getting into. There are many legal clauses that may not be apparent at first glance. You should always hire a lawyer when signing these agreements. However do not just go out and get any lawyer, it is best to find one that knows about these matters, an entertainment lawyer. Do your researches well before you hire legal council so that you know you will get a fair deal. Step #3: Read the fine print. Read the entire recording contract, especially the fine print, and give especial care to checking royalties, copyrights, licenses and terms. You want to be very sure that you understand every single clause in your agreement before you sign. Be sure you talk over al the clauses with your lawyer and clear up any misunderstandings. Once you sign it is legal and binding and there is no way out. All questions will need to be answered before you sign. There should be nothing to negotiate after the contract is signed. Step #4: Check out the money: Be sure that you will be making profits when you sign any recording contracts. Understand how much money you will actually be making, and how much will be going to the company. This is very important as many musicians and song writers get the raw end of the deal with companies and end up making next to nothing for all their hard work. Calculate all the money you may have to pay the
company for production costs and how much your royalties will actually be. Remember to add up all your expenses when calculating profit, including your time.
About the author: Visit http://www.MusicContracts101.com for more information on recording contracts and other free resources by Ty Cohen, nation-wide music industry seminar speaker and panelist. He is also the author and creator of over 40 best-selling music business books, reports, courses, audio products and other music industry "How to" resources, that have helped tens of thousands of individuals just like you to successfully find their way in the music business. Also visit http://www.MusicIndustryCoachingClub.com/freecdarticles for a free music industry success video, audio CD and report that reveal the secrets used to sell over 150 Gold & Platinum CDs world wide. (Value - $49.99)
3. Press Release: Title: How to Avoid Being Taken For a Ride with Recording Contracts? Sub title: Know How to Be Successful with Recording Contracts? Description / Summary: Knowing what it takes to avoid being taken for a ride with recording contracts. Tips to help you understand and be successful when signing a recording contract. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact Person: Melida Cohen Platinum Millennium Publishing Box 644 Toll Free 1-866-752-9968 Local: 919-661-2171 Fax: 1-203-286-1761 Garner, North Carolina 27529 EMail: MelidaCohen@GMail.com http://www.MusicContracts101.com How to Avoid Being Taken For a Ride with Recording Contracts? Sub title: Know How to Be Successful with Recording Contracts? They say that “there is a star born every minute” but with all these up and coming stars how many actually succeed? For every great star that emerges there are many falling stars that strew the pathway to success. With so much talent available how is it that the odds are so great. True, music and entertainment are competitive, but there is really another underlying factor to be considered. That factor is signing recording contracts! This is where many entertainment artists and musicians fall down. They simply are not aware of the ins and outs of a recording contract. When a musician or songwriter goes into a contract blind they generally end up with the short end of the stick. Why? Because recording companies are out to get as much as they can. After all business is business as far as they are concerned, and in order to be successful they cannot afford to feel sorry for their prospective clients.
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How to Avoid Being Taken For a Ride …… (Page 2) When an artist allows the recording company to get the upper hand they will rarely make much, if any money. They can end up doing a lot of work for very little profit. Sadly this can lead to failure in their careers. So how can an artist avoid being taken for a ride when they sign recording contracts?
Understand what your options are when it comes to: 1. Terms 2. Royalties 3. Copyrights 4. Licensing 5. Options-how many songs you will produce within the time limit of the recording contract.
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How to Avoid Being Taken For a Ride …… (Page 2) Be careful to read the fine print. This is where the recording companies can catch you. Skimming through a contract can cost you 100’s of dollars and even your career. Not reading a recording contract’s details is an easy way for the company to take you for a ride. Remember once the contract is signed there is no way out! The best way to ensure success and prevent the companies from doing this is to hire a good entertainment lawyer. They are familiar with all the tricks of the trade and will be able to walk you through the process of signing a recording contract. So stop, think, and read the recording contract before you sign on that dotted line. Do not allow the companies to take you for a ride. Instead ride your own wave of success with a lucrative recording contract.
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