A record company is interested --HELP--

[akinu]

Today, I've received the following e-mail from Statue Records. I need your help.

Regarding the materials on your web site.
I am interested in the materials on your site. Statue is a major
independent record company and would like to discuss the possibility of
releasing this material and doing some radio promotion on it.
If your record is available for licensing and distribution please
contact
me at your earliest opportunity by sending me an email to
xxxxxxx@statuerecords.com

Best Regards,

xxxx
Manager A&R
Statue Records Group Los Angeles
xxxxxx@statuerecords.com
Statuerecords.com


This is the first offer-thingy I have ever received so I dont know how to respond to this properly. I dont know what kind of a company Statue Records is, and I dont know in what way they want to utilize my material.

Whatsmore, I am living in Turkey and working with a company in US seems rather "remote".

Any comments/info regarding the company and a proper response, are greatly appreaciated.

[Two hands31]

Sounds a lot like an e-mail I recieved about my "artwork" I have on Deviantart, which was basically saying they'd help you publish/distribute, but the deal isn't as sweet as it seems. I didn't really catch the details, but it seemed kinda shifty.

That being said, I don't know much about this e-mail you've gotten, but I'd be cautious and hopefully someone else here will reply with more info.

[bob oakman]

A lot of artists talk about their relationship with their labels like it's indentured servitude. True, the big labels do share a big chunk of the profits from record sales and often bargain their favors for publishing rights, etc... but most of their artists would never have the chance to make millions and be heard all over the world without the development money from the label. It's a give and take situation that has to be carefully weighed.

That said, an Indy label is a little different story. It probably can't hurt to open a conversation with them. just remember that they can't offer as much as a giant label and, therefore, shouldn't expect as much in return. Be prepared to seek legal advice and don't expect an earth shattering deal. Favored Nations, as a general rule, only pays for marketing and distribution. The artist foots the bill for recording & production costs and they only distribute where they deem fit. Example: The talented Rob Balducci was marketed in Japan and a few places in Europe. The richest country, the USA, didn't get the album... yet.

Try your best to keep your own publishing rights, etc. If they are hard to work with from the git-go, walk away. There are many indy labels around. Hell, you can start your own.

... just my opinion.

[davester1234]

akinu, check your private messages.

[Dr Mindcrime]

Originally Posted by akinu

Today, I've received the following e-mail from Statue Records. I need your help.

Regarding the materials on your web site.
I am interested in the materials on your site. Statue is a major
independent record company and would like to discuss the possibility of
releasing this material and doing some radio promotion on it.
If your record is available for licensing and distribution please
contact
me at your earliest opportunity by sending me an email to
xxxxxxx@statuerecords.com

Best Regards,

xxxx
Manager A&R
Statue Records Group Los Angeles
xxxxxx@statuerecords.com
Statuerecords.com


This is the first offer-thingy I have ever received so I dont know how to respond to this properly. I dont know what kind of a company Statue Records is, and I dont know in what way they want to utilize my material.

Whatsmore, I am living in Turkey and working with a company in US seems rather "remote".

Any comments/info regarding the company and a proper response, are greatly appreaciated.

I recieved the same email as you a few months ago. I had a song of mine in the top 20 on soundclick.com. Had a lawyer look over the contract...seemd pretty good. All I need to do now is finish recording my record then i might sign with them..who know.

[Soup Kitchen Studios]

Originally Posted by bob oakman

Try your best to keep your own publishing rights, etc.

Don't give them the writers share of publishing, but if they are going to place your music in film/tv/radio spots, then by all means feel inclined to let them have some publishing.

[Artist]

Originally Posted by bob oakman

That said, an Indy label is a little different story. It probably can't hurt to open a conversation with them. just remember that they can't offer as much as a giant label and, therefore, shouldn't expect as much in return. Be prepared to seek legal advice and don't expect an earth shattering deal. Favored Nations, as a general rule, only pays for marketing and distribution. The artist foots the bill for recording & production costs and they only distribute where they deem fit. Example: The talented Rob Balducci was marketed in Japan and a few places in Europe. The richest country, the USA, didn't get the album... yet.

This seems the best way to me. Mattias IA Eklundh has Favoured Nations distribute his albums in N.America, and uses other companies to distribute in other areas (e.g. JVC in Japan). Although I believe ALL advertising is up to him, so if he wants it he has to pay for it.
This combined with the fact that he records all of his (and his bands) stuff himself in his basement (with hardly expensive equipment; Paris recording system (similar to protools, now out of production) with a well loaded machine, SM57s+8s, Røde NT2, er thats it?) means that although he may not sell a huge amount, he makes a living.
His first album (actually recorded in his bathroom of his old apartment) has sold about 12,000 copies in Japan (and is continuing to sell, another perk of not being a flavour of the month pop star) and he makes around 6euros per CD. Not too shabby.

[bob oakman]

This all brings up a good point. Indy Labels are making it. Artists recording in home studios are making it. The big studios hate it and the big labels are trying to figure out how to cash in on it. Recently Emerald Studios in Nashville, formerly one of the biggest studio groups in town, filed bankrupsy for the second time. They sited home studios driving down session rates and technowlegy speeding up the average session time as part of the problem. Because of internet and home studios running rampant, there is a lot of "less than perfect" (a lot less) music getting more exposure than ever. Now we are starting to see more and more label work tracked, mixed and mastered in home studios. The pie is being cut into many small pieces and it may be here to stay. I think it's kinda' cool that everyone has a chance to be heard, but my point is that, these days, indy labels need to be taken more seriously as trends in the record industry change. The next Kid Rock or Nervana may be born in a basement studio and discovered on a tiny label. It has already happened and will likely happen more often.

Did I just get off topic? I've just been discussing these things with Label friends lately... and doing a lot of thinking about it all.

[Drew]

Moral of the story? Keep writing, recording, and producing. The independant scene is alive and well, and even if your goal isn't to get signed (actually, especially if your goal isn't to get signed), there's at least a lot of people out there who are willing to give you a listen. There's a time and a place for the majors, but those of us doing it for the love of it all are in the ebst company we've ever been in.

-D