Why You Shouldn't Sign A Record Deal In 2020

You don’t have to be a music guru, or fanatic to know that signing a record label isn’t exactly rainbows and sunshine. Artists for years have complained about the insincerity of their labels and how they are insufficiently satisfied with their contracts. Even big name artists, like Kanye West, are taking the stage to complain about record company greed.

Although you should feel bad for the thousands of artists who have been finessed by horrible deals - some earning barely 20% of their overall revenue. With all the information available in this digital age, artists should be thoroughly equipped with the knowledge to navigate the music industry. And for that, we don’t feel bad for any new generation artist that signs a sub-par deal. No artist in the digital age should sign a record deal. It’s just the truth.

1. Control

"Signing on the dotted line means that you are either licensing your master rights (the ownership of the recording) or assigning your master rights legally to another party, company or person.” - Jon Skinner of Music Gateway

First off, getting signed is not the goal. Making music with impact should be the goal. Being mindful of your goal will allow you to make better decisions. Signing a deal, for most labels, means signing over your main leverage as an artist. That is, your music. The sole thing that every artist has been working for won’t be owned by them. That means they can’t even use their music to negotiate better contracts. Thats like the NBA owning Lebron Jame’s stats, like points per game, or his athletic ab