Process of releasing a tune or two on a label.

[CuriousKontrol]

I've been making tracks for 2 or 3 years and I've been approached by a label saying they're interested in releasing a few tracks of mine, but this is the first time I've ever been contacted by a label and I have no clue what this entails. Can someone run me through what will happen to get these tracks released, like a step by step almost and some tips etc. - I literally have no experience at all in getting music released, don't want to have any unpleasant suprises

[ehbes]

Ask for a list of there previous releases and contact other artist who have released stuff under that label.. Basically you just want to make sure that your dealing with a legit label.

[topmo3]

practically what he said ^

if the label looks good, ie they have an impressive back catalogue and seem to know what they're doing then i guess go for it.

[CuriousKontrol]

The labels called Audio Rejectz - I've never really heard of them but I've heard of a few artists they've dealt with - they seem pretty good, it's just I have no clue of what happens after I've said I'm interested in working with them. I don't want to look like a noob haha

[ehbes]

Send them your stuff? Theyre gonna need to get it somehow

[CuriousKontrol]

Thats my problem also, I've got no material to give them atm so I'll have to make the tracks for the label which is kind of a crappy way to work, but still haha

[ehbes]

Wait so you have no tunes yet a label wants to sign you ?

[CuriousKontrol]

They said that they liked the sound of the stuff I had released previously (for free just through facebook/soundcloud etc) which was about 2 weeks ago hence why I am out of releasable material

[ehbes]

Then talk to them about your next release... It's really not that hard.. They're human beings not robots

[Alistairr]

if they like ur material then theres a good chance they will want to hear from you, each label is different from my brief experience of approaching an artist, but generally speaking don't send stuff out unless u ve read throughly the contract and signed it- then u know for sure that they can't use ur stuff without ur permission.

after that, the label should take care of mastering and artwork, thats standard practise and good measure of how competent they are in terms of the service they provide. I owuldnt work with one who didn't at least offer me that.

[thinking]

don't send stuff out unless u ve read throughly the contract and signed it- then u know for sure that they can't use ur stuff without ur permission.

To be fair, the protection offered by a contract is only as good as your will to enforce it through the courts. Contracts are essential to lay out things like the terms/duration of the license agreement, the payment terms etc, but if a label rips you off or otherwise breaches the contract, then that contract is worth nothing unless you're prepared to take (and pay upfront for) legal action.

I don't want to suggest that it's not important to have a contract in place - it is, and any half decent label should provide one - but it's not some kind of magic cloak that will somehow protect you from bad people.

[Alistairr]

of course its not a magic cloak, and now as i am sitting on the other side of the table offering my contract to artists for my label i understand both perspectives. But in terms of professionalism which i think is key in being able to judge whether a label is serious or not, the more in depth a contract is and properly executed the more likely the label is not going to breach its rights that it signed to.

of course u still have to have ur wits about u, and not get too comfortable, but u can have more confidence that- the label is actually on ur side, rather then working against u for a short term profit. that is my belief/experience anyhow.