3 Reasons Why You Don’t Need A Record Deal - ANOTHA.com

**Sean McDevitt** · Posted 07-15-10

Quote:

A major label record deal – The dream that millions of musicians chase every day, praying for the moment when a major label exec will come and sweep them from the bottom and launch them into stardom. The sad and harsh reality is that only a small percentage (and I mean VERY small) will get signed to a major label deal. Not only that, but out of that small percentage, an even SMALLER percentage go on to becoming a superstar. I hate to say it, but it’s reality – a reality that many musicians just don’t understand or grasp, unfortunately. BUT – This doesn’t mean you should give up your music career. In fact, that would be foolish of you. Why? Because you can make it on your own!

When I say making it “on your own”, I’m talking about going the independent route with your music. With the digital age we live in, getting your music distributed digitally across the internet has become easier than ever, not to mention cost effective. Think about it – Would a record label give you a considerable advantage with promotion and marketing on a massive scale? Absolutely. However, after all of the expenses you have to recoup, how much money do you think you would see from your album sales? Either very little or absolutely nothing. As an independent artist selling your own music and representing yourself, after a few minor expenses, you earn 100% of your album sales. And you don’t have to worry about selling thousands of copies to “break even” or worry about recouping costs. In fact, you could sell 10,000 copies of an album and probably come out better than the other guy on a major label who just sold 500,000.

I think you already know where I’m heading with this, but I’m going to give you 3 quick reasons on why I think independent is the way to go:

1) You are your own boss

I think this is truly one of the most important things when it comes to your music. You don’t have to create the music labels force you to create. You get to build your brand the way that YOU want to. When it comes to your music and your marketing approach, you only need to answer to yourself.

2) You can make more money distributing music yourself

Like I said above – one of the greatest advantages of being signed on a major label is getting exposure on a massive scale, but that doesn’t always translate to more money in your pocket. By being an independent artist, you make 100% of what you sell (minus any small expenses that you put in). Nowadays, record labels are doing more “360 deals”, which means rather than just taking money from album sales, they are taking percentages of your live shows, merchandise, ringtones and more! By doing everything yourself, while not the easiest path traveled, you can put a lot more money in your pocket.

3) You can act fast on any level

Major labels can’t adjust to change as quick as an indie label or indie artist. They have to go through various people and contracts in order to for certain changes to take effect. As an independent artist, you can adjust to changes quickly, which works to your advantage. This not only saves you time and hassle, but also saves you some extra coin in the long run.

Remember this: Having those dreams of becoming a superstar isn’t something you should quit thinking about. You CAN become a superstar – it doesn’t take a major label to make it happen. There are so many artists out there who started out independently and grew to become some of the biggest acts in the world. And if you ever come to a point someday where you are one of those few who get offered a major label deal, your success as an independent act will help you negotiate a better deal, if you so decide to take it (although some acts realize that they don’t need any major label deal or label backing once they reach a certain level of success).

http://somanybeats.com/industry-tips...a-record-deal/

**RobYung** · Posted 07-17-10

this is nothing new.

**Sean McDevitt** · Posted 07-18-10

true^. i thought u lived in new york^?

**littlefranky** · Posted 07-18-10

these are the same reasons u may actually need a record deal.

1. you are ur own boss... thats cool, but with great power comes great responsibility. and if you're ur own boss ur cutting urself a check??

2. you can make more money distributing music yourself but if u dont have money to start out with, u can kiss that distributing goodbye. average costs of $600 to get a cd professionally mastered. and another like $1000 to get ur shit pressed and cased.
sure thats not that much money but that doesn't even start the distribution process. getting the music to the masses is a whole nother story. And this must be done for each project, and does not include single releases

3. you can act fast on any level... i guess thats fine lol

and no im not saying anyone NEEDS to sign to a record deal to see success, just kinda playin devil's advocate.

but i will say that the whole process of "doing it yourself" is MUCH easier said than done.

**D-CoE** · Posted 07-18-10

true but getting it out there isn't that hard, if u can print sum stickers out u can throw them up on the subways busses school's mall's restraunts bathrooms anywhere really and when am hustling cd's i usually carry a few with me everytime i leave the house & chop em for $10-$5 - even for $5 you still make profit but it cut's in half when your moving units

**littlefranky** · Posted 07-18-10

^^u have a point there.

but i sure as hell dont see myself making enough money to pay my living expenses by hustlin a few cds on the block everyday
and also, thats really only gonna affect ur direct community, not really getting ur music out there.

i mean everyone in my city knows i rap... no need to tell them again.
signing to a label should be able to help ur demographics grow largely

Posted 07-24-10

There are many pros and cons to being signed and not.. this was a great post on info for the pros of being independent. littlefranky has the best con against it though.. which is that it's hard as hell to be successful at it, despite the pros lol. It could easily be argued that great marketing skills trumps musical talent going the independent route.

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