Especially here in Nigeria, so many people have chosen to use various means and methods to dupe or scam innocent people of their hard-earned money, and realizing how desperate upcoming artists are when it comes to signing a record deal, these kinds have chosen to parade as record label executives and ask them to pay a certain amount or fee that will guarantee their chances of getting a record deal.
As the CEO of an independent record label in Nigeria known as Taculia Records, I feel so compelled to write this post to help upcoming musicians avoid falling prey to those who are parading as record labels executive for the aim of extorting money from innocent upcoming artists who are struggling to enter the music industry.
And I hope after reading this article you will understand how record labels operate when it comes to funding or money-related issues, especially when it involves an artist who is signed to the record label.
So without any further ado, let’s get started with this article.
Do Record Labels Ask For Money?
Record labels do not ask for money from an upcoming artists they are intending to sign, rather, they will offer an advance fee which is usually a loan that will later on be recouped from the artists income in the near future.
What happens here is that, when a record label has picked interest in an artists they want to sign, they will give that artists a particular amount of money which we call an ‘advance fee”. This money is usually considered a loan which will be deducted from the artists income when his music starts to generate the expected income in the near future.
This advance fee however is not all the money that will be given to the artists because part of that resources will be channeled into the musical production, promotion, marketing, distribution and every other acts that is intended to help the artist get the popularity that will make his music to sell and bring in the expected income.
Often times, these scammers parading as record label executives ask innocent upcoming artists to buy a form that will enable them enroll into their record label as an artists. But as an upcoming artists you need to be informed that you are not supposed to purchase any form as a means of enrolling into any record label.
Now having seen that you are not supposed to pay any amount of money to enter a record label, the next question i: what do you need to get signed to a record label?? Let’s attempt to precisely answer that question.
What do you need to get signed to a record label?
The only thing you need to get signed to a record label is a musical talent that will enable you to make good music and promote it as well as perform those music on stage to entertain musical fans when the opportunity calls for it.
As an upcoming artist, it is very important for you to understand that record labels are business entities that are looking out to invest and get a good return for that investment. And for that reason, you must position yourself in a place where they will quickly realize that it is very possible for them to invest in you and make a profit.
Scores of upcoming artists reach out to me on a daily basis seeking a record deal, and I came to realize that they don’t even have a professional recorded track, not even one.
Gone are the days when an artists could just submit a demo to a record label and get an invite to proof he will make a good artists that will help the record label make profit when they finally decide to invest in their musical career.
These days, record labels are using the online media to check out for upcoming artists who have the talent and are working hard to get their musical career up the ground running.
And at such, they expect you, as an upcoming artists to have a musical content you are using to attract online users and build a kind of visible fanbase as well as also have a good music that is getting enough streams on digital platforms.
After that, the only thing that remains is the ability to manage the stage craft, and once you are capable of moving an audience while performing, you are good to go as a potential candidate for record labels.
So instead of wasting your time everyday reaching out to record labels that will end up ignoring your messages and calls or any means of reaching out, use that time to compose music and create content that will attract people attention in the online media.
Good luck!
