These struggles can feel devastating and can seriously throttle your career. Think Taylor Swift’s very public beef with her first label, Big Machine, over the sale of her masters to a manager she had a contentious history with. This means you, your music, or your future royalties may be sold off to someone you don’t know or don’t like without your consent or knowledge. You may not want to go through with the deal if you can’t have that assurance.Ĭan the agreement holder sell the rights granted them?Īn agreement may allow the company issuing your advance to sell the rights you granted them under the agreement but doesn’t give you the same rights. You’re offering them extensive access to your assets and your creative life. You want to know who you’re dealing with. It may be nearly impossible to get them on the phone if you need help or have concerns. And what happens if the distribution company or platform tanks? That separate finance company, run by people you do not know, will continue to control your music and royalties. Why do you care? Now you have two contracts with two different companies, one for distribution and one for the advance. Sometimes you’ll look at your contract and see something interesting: The distributor/platform offers the advance under a separate financing company using their brand name, like “Distributor Capital, LLC.” Below are three crucial questions to focus on, as you look through that contract. I’m going to share some of the basics of how advances work and what you should look out for before you sign for one. I’ve worked as a producer and in finance, and I’ve seen a lot of contracts.
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