Recording Contracts and Agreements

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and concepts related to recording contracts in the music industry, including key terms, definitions, and important clauses.

Recording contract

An agreement between a record label and an artist to produce and release music.

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A clause in a contract that allows a label to extend an artist's contract for additional albums.

Work made for hire

A legal term indicating that the label owns the compositions created by an artist under contract.

Exclusivity

A clause that requires artists to only work with a specific label for the duration of the contract.

Minimum delivery requirement

The minimum number of tracks or songs that an artist must provide to the label.

Recording fund

A budget provided by the label to cover the production and promotion costs of an album.

Vertical integration

A business model where a company controls multiple steps in the production process, such as owning studios and employing producers.

Three sixty deal

An agreement where the label takes a percentage of all income streams from an artist, including merchandising and touring.

Recoupable expenses

Costs that must be paid back to the label by the artist from future earnings.

Creative control

The degree of influence an artist has over their music and career decisions.

Cross-collateralization

A practice where income from one album is used to cover expenses from another album.

Publishing rights

Rights related to the ownership and use of musical compositions.

Royalty rate

The percentage of sales that the artist receives as payment for their music.

Advance

A prepayment against future royalties given to the artist by a label.

Label ownership of masters

The standard that labels retain ownership of the master recordings created by artists.

Branding and digital control

Clauses regarding the use and control of an artist's likeness, social media, and branding.

Promotion commitments

Obligations a label has to ensure the promotion and release of an artist's work.

Usage rights

Terms defining how songs can be used, including restrictions on synchronization and royalties from those uses.

Session player agreements

Contracts that define the rights and compensation for session musicians who contribute to recordings.

Negotiating leverage

The power an artist has to negotiate favorable terms in a contract based on their popularity and experience.