sdhwebresources

Hello all,

I need wise advice about music recording studio and publishing deals. I wrote 14 beautiful christian songs. I only know how to write the lyrics and sing the melody on a blank CD and send them to the Copyright Office in Washington D. C. I do not know how to play any musical instruments at all.

I posted an ad on Craigslist requesting an experienced musician, record studio time, and help with publishing a Single CD Label by Feb 2010.

Well, a man contacted me from Alieous Records affiliated out of M&G Entertainment Consortiums owned by Universal Center of God World Wide Services. He sounded pretty promising, but I want to get the wise advice of other experienced musical artists.

Here are my questions:

- He wants to charge me $100 per hour for studio time. Is that usually the amount charged for studio time?

- Since I am requesting to publish a Single Label (one song on the CD), what is the usual price range for that? He wants to charge me $5000 for everything together regarding the CD Label.

- He stated that if I want to publish a 10 Track CD label, they will charge me an differentiate amount per song and not the whole CD which sounds like it will be quite expensive.

- He is talking about us signing a contract agreement. What is your advice on this? What things should I look for to make sure he is not trying to scam me?

Thanks,

sdhwebresources

 

MusicMan

There are a lot of other factors that you have either failed to solidify in the contract and/or mention here, such as what exactly is included in the $5000. More info like quantity and quality of media, artwork, distribution, marketing, promotions, as well as things such as what you, the artist, would be required to do to fulfill any marketing/promotions they have planned.

You can find Studio time at a ProTools studio these days for as little as $20-$25 an hour, depending on your area. So I would say that $100/hour is way too steep unless these guys are including massive amounts of handholding, session musician work, full orchestra, etc....

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sdhwebresources

Hello MusicMan,

Thanks for your wise advice that you gave me. I appreciate you taking the time. Here is what I want to do in a nutshell:

Step 1: I want the company to add music to one of my songs. I want them to be able to easily catch on to the song. I will most likely need keyboard, drum, and bass guitar. To also add harmony on the special part on the end of the song. I think he is going to try to charge me around $700 - $1000 for just one song. He said that because they are not signing me up as one of their artists under contract, it will cost me more because I will be getting 100% rights to the song. It will cost me more based on the instruments I want added too. We talked on the phone for about 30 minutes and he is not spelling it out for me. He talked around the business instead of getting to the point. This really frustrates me when people do this. When I ask a question, I want an answer upfront? He says he want to sit and meet me in person before we talk about prices. He keep saying he has to send my request to his legal department which I think is a lie. I think when I ask him questions, he sits and meditates what he is going to say and then emails me what kind of deal he wants to make with me but doesn't make it clear just to confuse me. I don't think their is a legal department involved because all this was done at 3am in the morning.

Step 2: I want them to help me record a Master CD Label with one single song on it because I am new to the business. What is the usual price range for this?

Step 3: I want them to help me publish and distribute the CD Label for worldwide publicity and sales. What is the usual price range for this?

He said all this will add up to about $5000 for only one song. As you can see, I know exactly what I want, but more knowledge about the music business.

Can you provide some advice to the above 3 steps?

What is the website address to where you get your music recorded and published? Do you suggest a website that I can go to learn more about the business aspect and what scams and tricks to look out for?

Thanks a bunch,

sdhwebresources

MusicMan

Regarding #1 - Based on the vibes I get from that, I probably wouldn't consider doing business with someone like that if you feel he's lying to you and/or will not spell things out in a way that is clear and easy for both parties to understand, and agree to. I would probably take the time to talk with 2 or 3 other companies and get detailed quotes from them, and have them explain the process to you. Some may want some type of consultation fee, which is understandable if it's a reasonable amount and they're really taking the time to customize a package that will fit your needs.


As for "usual costs", there's no way I could comment on that because there are so many variables involved. That's why it's important to have everything all laid out in writing so that you can discern if it's worth the money TO YOU. If you're not well versed in law, I would consider hiring a legal representative that can examine contracts or help you negotiate a better deal if needed. If you have a business plan surrounding this recording, you may find an attorney who will work for a percentage of your profits rather than requiring a retainer fee up front.

I'm sorry that speedbumps like this exist in the music industry, it's quite a buzzkill at times when you're ready to take an idea and run with it, but it's necessary if you want to protect your investments.

__________________
Rules! A definite must-read

The Music Showcase is the best place to share your music here, you can even embed Youtube videos.

Send me a PM if you need any help with anything.

sdhwebresources

You are so kind. Thank you for the advice.

MusicMan

No problem, always happy to help. Best of luck with everything, hope it goes well.

__________________
Rules! A definite must-read

The Music Showcase is the best place to share your music here, you can even embed Youtube videos.

Send me a PM if you need any help with anything.

Stringbender

OK, first I would say to get a copy of the Songwriter's Marketplace (usually about $30 US) and look under Music Publishers- there are TONS of publishers looking for contemporary christian music! Second- you can read in books or even on the internet about "Songsharks" -this person you are talking about COULD be trying to swindle you- it's hard to really say. BUT-the one thing I would warn you about is that a lot of the good, decent and honest publishers will front THEIR OWN MONEY- this is what they do and if they are GOOD at what they do and HONESTLY believe in you and your song- they won't be afraid to put up all of the involved costs.. remember..they won't make money UNLESS they do their job and do it the right way! Then they will make a conttact with you in which you keep 100% of the rights to the song (which is true- by law it IS your song!) and the profits that come off the sale of the song to a producer or record company (who then records your song with their artist AT NO COST TO YOU)-any profits then get split 50/50 between you and the publisher- however you don't get paid from the publisher- the publisher has to pay a performing rights agency like ASCAP, BMI or SESAC (if not in the US) and then the performing rights agency pays you..they don't take any money from this- so you need to join ASCAP or BMI-so I would research their web sites as well. FIRST- get a copy of the Songwriter's Market (or is it market place?) and research that first to get an idea of where to go next- but I would worry about ANYTHING you need to pay for when it comes to publishing.
NOW- yes, you will need to find a studio and someone reputable to arrange or put your stuff to music- donn't know what that would cost, but BE CAREFUL!

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Only with the eyes closed can one begin to truly see.

Stringbender

Another thing for you to check out would be local songwriter's associations.
If you are close to a decent size city,odds are there is an association closeby. This would be an excellent place for you to meet other songwriters and musicians and hopefully be able to find somebody who can put your songs to music and/or record it. Now, I would stress that before you think about showing your work to ANYBODY that you at least have the basic "mail-it-to-yourself" copyright/ if not a Registered copyright with the Library of Congress. Odds are pretty decent that you might be able to work with somebody who will agree to put your work to music and maybe even record it- BUT instead of wanting money they may want to be listed as a cowriter on the song. This is not necessarily a bad thing. This means that you get the music written and/or recorded and the only money you would have to pay is half of any money the song earns (which goes back to what I said about publishers) BOTTOM LINE- RESEARCH BEFORE YOU AGREE TO ANYTHING.
But definitely check online and see if there are any songwriter's associations in your area- it could be an excellent place for you to start.

__________________
Only with the eyes closed can one begin to truly see.