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You want to start a record company?

Or

Put a label on a CDR??

If the former, you need a few things for sure. The first is source material in the form of talented musicians or whatever it is ur recording. You also need a demand for that. And, you need a way to sell that stuff and get it heard. Today you can actually do that, if you
hit it right via the internet.

After that you need an attorney or two who is experienced in music & copyright law to protect you. Then you need an attorney to sue the first attorney. And then an attorney to sue the second one for not suing the first one properly.

such fun.

_-_-

Oh. you also better be able to record stuff and make it sound good too...
 
You can record any band you want.

Selling their music in the UK may be subject to your laws, I have no clue on what they are.

Be careful unless ur ok with just having the fun of doing it. IF one becomes famous or is a "hit" WHO owns the recording will suddenly become rather important and a point of rabid dispute. That's something to think about before going ahead.

That's where information about this in the UK and maybe an agreement between you and the "bands" might be a good idea.

Of course, most bands will get strange when you ask them to sign any papers...

Thus, the attorney recommendation if you want to sell and distribute their music *except* as a hobby - with no expectation of profit.

_-_-bear
 
You can record any band you want.
Not if the band or venue disallow it.
An artist that releases a recording without a label is commonly known as a vanity label, or "self-released." For original recordings of original music sold by the original artist, there is not much to it basically.
To sell recordings via agents and distributors, contracts and lawyers are a necessity. This is where it gets into a label that produces and markets the music, a publishing arm that handles rights and copyrights, and so forth.
 
I believe there were a few UK labels that recorded bands with only a handshake...and a few with a "one disc at a time" contract. You should go for it! Every month Record Collector magazine has an article about folks who start their own labels. Read all about it...then do it, damnit. There are tons of bands who would love to record...and release a disc of any type. I would go with a simple contract based on me paying for the recording and pressing...all sales reimburse my expenditure...when my costs are paid then the band receives all profit. That should get everybody interested, you can sharpen your skills, word gets out, and who knows? Keep us posted....
 
Oh, I'd not let them go with just simple reimbursement... I'd stipulate that if the recording sells beyond some fairly high number or amount then you get a % of that, so there is a "dead zone" where you don't get anything... or after ur expenses (which include your time per hour rate and your "creative services") are paid you get a small % of whatever comes next.

AND, if your recording (demo, etc...) gets them a "real" contract that you get something - that you can work out as to what that might be... just the paid gig to record all their concerts live might be ok, and if ur recordings are used for a release then you get credit + % of sales.

Watch out for one time vs. perpetuity compensation contracts...

_-_-bear
 
Good advice, bear, but I'm getting the idea that sco1t just wants to have some creative/productive fun. I would still argue that my path to fame is the way to go...and a killer way to get some cred with the bands. If you feel that a profitable business could be made, then bear's idea would be wise. Still, no reason to walk before your crawl....learn some stuff by getting into this slowly!
 
So you are saying that my music production lecturer and the lawyers of my friends bands and my other mates who owned a record label are all lying?

What about all the bands which split up and/or went to court over writing credits?
Do you think that was about money or just a little note on the record?

The answer is of course that it is always about the money that comes with the writing credits. Just ask Lou Reed and John Cale.

Regardless of what the contract says 50% of all money made through sales go to whoever has the writing credits until that song becomes public domain which currently is about 72 years after writing. The other 50% get split according to the contract with the label.
 
Charles, UK law is not the same as USA law, etc...

You may have a default law in the UK, not in the USA afaik.
And, almost any default law is superseded by contractual agreement(s).

Also, afaik, "writing credit" means not much, it's the publishing rights to the song.

John Fogarty had to fight in court for decades to get the rights to his compositions back.

Paul McCartney had to wait and buy his songs back... I think at one time Micheal Jackson owned them!

Etc...
 
Maybe we just have differrences in legal strategy, Charles Darwin! Here in America, if you have a contract that states this:

The label owner agrees to pay for the pressing/recording of a disc.
The band agrees that profits in the sale of this disc will first be directed toward the primary cost of pressing/recording
After primary costs of pressing/recording, profits from disc sales shall go to the band.
If both parties are happy with the result, label owner and band may discuss terms for a second release. If both parties are unhappy with the result, then the partnership of label/band may dissolve without further action.

If this contract is signed by both the label owner...as well as signed by all band members...then that is the end of the story. The label owner cannot do anything if the band suddenly becomes hot property, and then wishes to sign to the major labels. The band can do nothing if nobody likes their crappy music, and not a single disc is sold. The label owner can do nothing, legally, to regain his/her lost profits in paying for recording/pressing.
 
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I also wanted to say that in America there are hundreds of tiny record labels that never once hired a lawyer to pursue a project based on fun! I'm guessing that the very same thing happens in the UK. I really hope I'm not wrong, because the DIY spirit is powerful amongst many musicians....
 
AFAIK it is the same in the US.

Lou Reed and John Cale fell out over the writing credits from the Velvet Underground and the money attached to them for well over 10 years.

Writing credits rights are very much separate from the recording contract.
It is possible to sell them but that requires a second contract.
In the US it is mostly the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) or BMI who deal with this stuff, very much separate from record labels and whatever contracts they might have drawn up.
Similarly if a band or artist record a cover version of a song half the proceeds go to the writer, the other half goes to the record label who recoup their costs and if anything is left after that the recording artist gets some.

Btw I know a fair few people here who are either in a published band or own(ed) a small record label. They all have lawyers, even the ones who only sold a few hundred copies of their work.
I also met a few who sold substantially more and ended up with no money at all. They all have one thing in common: They didn't have a lawyer before they signed anything because it is possible that unscrupulous label owners might slip something in that may give them the rights to the song as well as the rights to the recording.
Bottom line and professional musician 101: NEVER sign anything without having YOUR lawyer reading it first!
 
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