Starting a career in music as an independent person without money to fund it or extra support to advance it can be extremely frustrating. While most artists can’t fund their own careers, they sometimes have to sign to record labels whereby the record label invests in them with the hope of making their money back in the nearest future or at some point. This is often done via an accord or a contract, which is a legal document binding the agreement between both parties.
We can agree that most labels invest and don’t make a return on their investment especially if their artists flop. Also, most of them tend to make a fortune from the artists that the value the artist portrays doesn’t reflect how much profit they make from their own careers. Over the years, most artists (young ones to be precise) have proven time and time again that they never or don’t meticulously read the contracts presented to them by their investors before signing.
Understandably, most artists have been in the industry for so long, waiting for that big record label to come for their signature. Before most of these entities come by, they always make sure they have lengthy contracts with them alongside political promises. These are intentional doings which sometimes overwhelms the artists and pushes them to sign in a rush. As such, these artists end up signing up for things they didn’t really want to sign up for, forgetting that once you’ve put pen to paper, it’s already done and often very irreversible. It’s imperative to understand that ignorance to the law is a crime and once you commit to a contract, it’s left to you to fulfill your own part of the bargain.
How can you as an artist avoid being nailed by a contract? Having a lawyer who understands your contract is key as he/she will legally advise you on the repercussions of committing to a particular contract as well as the benefits that follow. A lawyer can also assist you in renegotiating your contract to better terms that may suit you. Looking at the state of music industry over the years, it’s important to remind most artists to always not be in a rush to sign a contract. It’s quite understandable that most of them are usually desperate, especially after a long wait, but taking your time and not getting carried away could salvage your career. Haven’t we watched several artists lose their pages, property and names to their labels for failing to align?
Most artists especially the younger ones, can learn from Mr. Leo, MIMIE and LOCKO. How they have handled their careers judiciously and patiently is a lesson. Besides having reputable and commendable images/brands, these artists have proven that once you sign a contract, it’s important to pay your own dues even if the contract doesn’t favor you. Most of them signed not less than five year deals initially and did not reap the fruits they all were promised, but they ended up using lemons for lemonade!It’s quite difficult to go toe-to-toe with a mighty record label even if they don’t fulfill their own part of the bargain, but when you often have a case when your contract comes to an end and you choose whether or not to extend.
These artists above did exactly that. Imagine Locko trying to fight Universal Music? Imagine if Mr. Leo didn’t respect his contract and had to fight Alpha Better Records? Also Imagine Mimie trying to fight Empire when her contract had not expired. Sometimes, all you need is to hang in there, serve your “jail” time and then regain your freedom and that’s exactly what Locko in particular did!
Artists should treat their careers with so much care and respect and not indulge into fights that would ruin their careers even when they are the one’s not at fault from the get-go
