It is the goal of every artist that makes music to be signed by a major record label, but how do you know which one is the right label for you? Of course this is only an issue once you have got to the point of speaking with a label in regard to signing, but once you get to that point wouldn’t you want to make sure that the label you are signing with has you best interest in mind and is not just signing you to sign you? Every major label has a genre specialty, one genre that they are better at working with and marketing than the rest. Yes, each label has a multitude of divisions, each one geared to a different genre, but when it all boils down, each label is better at one thing than another.
If you were to sign to Ultra or Electra you would be better off being a DJ or in the EDM/Dance space. Signing to Def Jam means you are most likely a hip-hop or R&B artist. Roc Nation has a roster full of outstanding artists, but has a focus on hip-hop and R&B. (which makes sense based on their owner and how they were started) Columbia has a focus on new emerging acts, along with Empire and both of them are not necessarily genre specific as they are act specific. (as both of these labels operate more with younger talent that maybe has created a buzz big enough to get signed but maybe not big enough to be fully on the radar of some of the bigger labels, however, at the same time, Empire has a reputation of signing artists that have either been released or finished their first deal with one of the bigger labels and allowing the artist to sort of act as an independent with the label backing) Warner is the home of pop icons. Sony is a writers heaven. EOne has a more rapper focus that is geared towards film and television entertainment. (as they have been bought out by Hasbro) Universal is a powerhouse. RCA is known for its R&B acts. All of these major labels are responsible for multiple acts in multiple genres but are also focused on signing acts that are in their wheel house. (this way they can better “assist” the artist and create a bigger brand that garnishes a bigger profit) So as I proposed at the top of this article, how do you know which label is best for you?
When it comes down to signing, it is sort of like choosing a college. If you have had the chance to attend college you spent close to a year choosing between different colleges before choosing the one you went to. You went on visits, spoke to consolers, looked at classes, talked to students, and researched the school and your desired program of study online, all to ensure that the place you were going to attend for the next four years suited you best as a person. When choosing a label you have to ensure that the place you are signing with is the best choice for you for your next four to five albums. Granted, choosing a college is different, because if you choose you don’t like that school after a semester or a year, you are provided the opportunity to transfer to a school that better suits you as a person and/or for the major your are going for. Once you sign to a label it is much like signing a professional contract, (mostly because that is what you are doing) you are legally obligated to this label for a specific amount of time or a specific number of projects, regardless of how the situation turns out after you have signed.
If you are lucky enough you will be courted by multiple labels all vying for the chance to sign you. If not, and you only have one offer from one label then this conversation is different. For now let’s focus on if you have multiple offers, and we will discuss a single offer later on in this article. Fielding multiple offers meanings multiple A&Rs and label representatives will be speaking to you about why you should sign with them and what they can do for you. Kind of like a top tier college athlete going on recruiting trips, based on what they see for you as an artist (or more so what they feel as though they can make from you as an artist) they will show you all the glitz and glamour, flashing lights and cool aspects of their label. Don’t get enticed by the lights, as once you sign that dotted line, you are theirs to do whatever they like with. If you are into sports you have undoubtably heard stories on any of the major sport channels about the multitude of visits and meetings division one college athlete take during their senior year before signing to a school to play their sport. Having had the opportunity to go on a few of these recruiting trips, (albeit as a division three athlete it is a little different but some of the principles are still the same) the school your are visiting will roll out the red carpet to show you the best possible time so you will choose to play for them rather than the next school. The coaches will promise you everything under the sun, trying everything to entice you to sign with them. However, once you have signed, it doesn’t matter what they said to you on that recruiting visit because now they own you. You are theirs to do with as they please, and you have no way out. (again as an athlete you can transfer to a new school and hope for a better situation, although that usually isn’t the case, but as an artist, you can’t go anywhere until you have fulfilled the specifications in your contract)
Representatives and A&Rs are there to help you, not control you. When you are meeting with these people before signing, make sure they understand who you are as an artist. Make sure they know what they want to do with you once you sign. Make sure they have a good plan for you once you walk through the door. Don’t get blinded by the huge signing bonus they put in front of you, and all of the parties they take you to before you sign, because once you sign, that advance has to be recouped by the label after your first release (along with any other expenses they occur during the creation of your first project) and all of those parties and clubs they were taking you to so you would sign with them are a thing of the past. You hear a multitude of stories from artist after they have gotten out of their first deal (and most likely signed with a different label or went independent) that they first label they signed with didn’t know how to market them, and didn’t do what they were supposed to help them as an artist. This is the sad reality of the music industry. A label will look to sign you simply because you are popular at the moment and they are seeing dollar signs next to your name. Once that initial popularity goes away and now your reliant on your core fan base, (provided you still have one after your initial release) the label doesn’t see you as a priority any more and because they still have control over your music. They have the right to do whatever they feel like with you as an artist until you reach your contractual obligations. If you are signing with the label you have to ensure the label understands your vision. If they don’t understand the brand, image, and sound your currently have, along with where you are going, why are you signing with them? If you are coming to the label in the vein of Pop Smoke (street, Brooklyn Drill) and the label doesn’t understand what that is and/or who you are, they could attempt to change you into the vein of Fabolous (more smooth, hip-hop/R&B vibe) and now you lose your initial core fanbase because this new you from the label is not who and what they know you for. If the label attempts to box you into a single genre or lane and never tries to branch you out (if this is applicable to you as an artist, meaning that if you are a rapper that can transition into the pop/R&B lane but the label only markets you to the “urban” audience and radio) they are doing you a disservice.
Now, what happens if you only have the option of signing with one label or remaining independent? If this is the case, due to your lack of label options the deal put in front of you may look more lucrative and beneficial. However, this is still not the case. Just like if you have multiple labels attempting to sign you, you have to ensure they have a similar vision to you. Remember, if one label is talking to you, then other labels are looking, they just may not be at a point where they are ready to talk. They most likely are sitting and watching what the contact talks with this one label are going to be to see if they can or should make a better offer to you. You still have to speak with everyone and anyone that is going to be working with you and for you at the label. These talks are extremely important because, as I stated earlier, if who is in charge of growing and sustaining your career doesn’t understand who you are and what the ultimate vision is, what help could they possibly provide? Think of it in terms of marriage. Before you get married you spend years (or in some cases months) getting to know everything about this person. By the time you propose you have the background knowledge to know that this person is going to be the right person to spend your life with. They have your best interest at heart, they are going to help you in every aspect of your life moving forward, and no matter what they have your back. Now, if you are dating someone and come to realize this person isn’t right for you for one reason or another, are you going to still consider marrying them? No, you would more than likely cut ties and try to find someone else that is going to fit better with who you are and where you are going. The same applies with a label, why would you marry (or sign a contract) with a label who you don’t fully feel comfortable with, and who you don’t feel has your best interest at heart? That just doesn’t make sense. This is where a lot of artists get into trouble, because they are not having these conversations before signing and they are not asking the right questions. All they are seeing is the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in advance money they get upfront, and don’t concern themselves with what happens next. Once the ring is put on the finger and the “I dos” are said you are “Contractually obligated” to this person (or label) and if they change into a different person because in the beginning they were just trying to impress you to get to this point, you are stuck with them for the long hall (or until the contract runs out) and if you see this isn’t the best situation, you better be ready for a lengthy, financially backbreaking legal battle.
As an artist you need to have multiple conversations with the A&R you will be working with, and the team that is going to be working with you at the label. You need to ensure that they have a plan for you, for your music and for your marketing. If you get an inkling that one of these aspects isn’t being attended to, it is probably in your best interest to either address this issue or move on to a different label. The worst thing you can do as an artist is sign a deal based on money and not the business, only to be hamstrung by the contract you signed with the label because you were focused on the money.(never make a business decision for your career based on the upfront money and a short term vision) A big advance paycheck is great, but what happens when the advance is gone, the label is looking to recoup that advance and what they spent on you as an artist (in any and every aspect of your music creation and lifestyle) and now your income is based on what the label gives you based on what they put in your contract. (which you better hope was good for you or else the label will be robbing you and you won’t even know it)
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