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SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 3:56 pm
by dj snipaz
Hi There
I was wondering if anybody can share my views on this subject.
I have had a release (around 2 years ago) with a major label (still going now)
They have released my tune amongst others on the vinyl & as far as i can see all the major stores have now sold out of the product.
However, I am yet to receive any sort of payment from this.
Now, whenever i try to contact the guy I am ignored & the last I have heard is that he apparently has lost money on the release.
This has not stopped him releasing more though.
This annoys me, especially seeing as we worked so hard on the tune. Thinking that someone else has made money out of our hard work makes me sick to the stomach
Has anyone any similar issues or comforting words to share
The next step is for me to expose & exploit the label so that no other poor f***er's experience this amount of unprofessional behaviour
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:12 pm
by deadly_habit
heh same story for me on vinyl and a few digital releases
acted offended when i asked for sales records and such like a real company or label send quarterly
honestly small claims is the best option otherwise they'll just continue on doing what they do
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:15 pm
by dj snipaz
hmm, interesting idea.
I know this in a controversial subject, but I don't like to be taken advantage of.
I don't like seeing people taken advantage of either so i thought i'd bring it to light.
If a lot of people are being treat like this, maybe we should start a sticky thread about which labels NOT to work with
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:17 pm
by macgregor

that's horrible! I thought it was sorta a 50/50 thing...
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:26 pm
by deadly_habit
honestly if you want to know the numbers hit up the distro
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:35 pm
by ResetTheAtari
If you are putting a lot of tunes out there and getting booked for gigs or DJing try and get an agent. Get them to deal with this kind of shit and make sure you get contracts for all future releases.
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:44 pm
by Jak The lad
Did you sign a contract? If you did, check the terms, some labels do upfront flat fee's, some labels do % based on sales.
If you didn't sign a contract, then i'm sorry, but it's your own fault you didn't receive any money and chasing them up will get you no where.
If you have proof of ownership of the tracks, then you can try and claim, but once you gave the tracks and agreed to a release without a contract, then there's not a lot you can do.
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:51 pm
by dj snipaz
If i'm honest i didnt sign a contract.
I was told that this label doesnt do contracts & that they would ring me to arrange a verbal contract.
4 monthes later, No contract & the release is on the shelves
If i'm honest, the principal is what gets to me the most
Being blatantly ignored by the label head. If he wasn't so ignorant then maybe we could have resolved this in a different way.
The money is no object anymore as it seems that we won't get paid anyway, but the general ignorance is insulting.
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 4:52 pm
by deadly_habit
honestly the easiest thing you can do that works legally for ownership is send a copy of the composition rendered as audio and the project file including all samples etc used to yourself thru the mail
that way you have a date and proof of ownership
the key it to leave it sealed
do this before you sign any contract
if no signed contract it gets hard and over the years i learned the hard way.
generally if a label or someone won't do a written contract it's sketchy
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 5:12 pm
by dj snipaz
but it does also mean i can now sell that tune as a digital download on my label
the label has no ownership of the tune as they never signed a contract
then at least i might make something back from it
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 6:52 pm
by madmeesh
dj snipaz wrote:
I was told that this label doesnt do contracts & that they would ring me to arrange a verbal contract.
Shitty deal. I'm really sorry this happened to you, but next time protect yourself with a written contract.
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:11 pm
by deadly_habit
dj snipaz wrote:but it does also mean i can now sell that tune as a digital download on my label
the label has no ownership of the tune as they never signed a contract
then at least i might make something back from it
yes it does
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:17 pm
by GangstaFun
wow this happened to u in dubstep? this is one of the big reasons i'm not producing drum n' bass atm. this has happened to me by almost every dnb label i've ever worked with, so i feel ur pain snipaz. my advice is now that u've got a name circulating around, get paid upfront for vinyl. it most likely will be the only pay you see from the release. if they don't wana do that, then someone else can sign the tune. p.s. ahh nice even got a smiley to describe this one right here

Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:31 pm
by dj snipaz
it actually was a dnb label that turned its hand to dubstep
any guesses anyone?
lol
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:35 pm
by pirate exposer
dj snipaz wrote:it actually was a dnb label that turned its hand to dubstep
any guesses anyone?
lol
looool don't tell me...
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:38 pm
by soccer mom
madmeesh wrote:dj snipaz wrote:
I was told that this label doesnt do contracts & that they would ring me to arrange a verbal contract.
Shitty deal. I'm really sorry this happened to you, but next time protect yourself with a written contract.
Contracts with dubstep labels are a joke. How do you expect to hold the label to a contract when they violate the terms? Who would bother spending that much time and money taking legal action over such a meager profit? It just isn't that realistic.
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:41 pm
by HangManDubstep
same has happened to me
LITTLE RASCAL RECORDS CANNOT BE TRUSTED
fuck it name and shame the stnuc
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:43 pm
by soccer mom
deadly habit wrote:honestly the easiest thing you can do that works legally for ownership is send a copy of the composition rendered as audio and the project file including all samples etc used to yourself thru the mail
that way you have a date and proof of ownership
the key it to leave it sealed
do this before you sign any contract
if no signed contract it gets hard and over the years i learned the hard way.
generally if a label or someone won't do a written contract it's sketchy
This doesn't always hold up in court, at least here in the US, as the US Postal Service doesn't require or check to see if an envelope is sealed before it is mailed.
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:45 pm
by deadly_habit
soccer mom wrote:deadly habit wrote:honestly the easiest thing you can do that works legally for ownership is send a copy of the composition rendered as audio and the project file including all samples etc used to yourself thru the mail
that way you have a date and proof of ownership
the key it to leave it sealed
do this before you sign any contract
if no signed contract it gets hard and over the years i learned the hard way.
generally if a label or someone won't do a written contract it's sketchy
This doesn't always hold up in court, at least here in the US, as the US Postal Service doesn't require or check to see if an envelope is sealed before it is mailed.
true but it's better than nothing and costs like all of 50 cents
Re: SHOULD ARTIST GET PAID WHEN THEIR TUNES ARE RELEASED ON 12"
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 7:56 pm
by pkay
Gotta hate shady fucking labels.