What is a good signing bonus for a up and coming Bay Area rap artist?
- Thread starter The Bay Area
- Start date
Indie label is an extremely loose term these days.
Most rappers in the bay are lucky to get a deal with a label that will provide them with studio time, production and the cost of getting physical albums pressed up.
Most rappers in the bay are lucky to get a deal with a label that will provide them with studio time, production and the cost of getting physical albums pressed up.
Props:
Slapmaster Promo
Shit actually more than 10,000 sales more like 20,000 sales cause there is the videos which is 5-10k, the clothes, chains and miscellaneous expenses like a running ad in the Source, XXL, radio champagne etc. My goal is to take the 30k and do shows like I was doing in 2010...bring in a headliner here and there see if I can keep up with the record companies expenses and go from there. But yeah you right one would be hard pressed to sell enough cds to recover ALL expenses associated with the "ALBUM".
I personally been around allot of artist in the Bay Area and have spoken game with many of them who were willing to lace me up. I also have been working on trying to get some artist together and build a small indie label. I am a hard working man, have a 9-5 job and do this music thing on the side. I dont have that kind of money to give someone because they say they are "DOPE". I feel that if I am cashing out for your studio time, features, artwork, I am taking care of all your visuals and marketing you then that is more then enough. I never ask any of my artist for money upfront so I am taking a risk with investing into their careers they have nothing to lose, if they win then I will get my investment back and a percentage which I feel is fair.
Yeah, you're right bro. I was using conservative figures. I'm saying though, it depends on your deal but labels don't always take a cut of show money. It gets complicated because there are then management/agent percentages entitled depending on who does the booking. It also depends on if you're exclusive to that label. Typically a label signs an artist to an album or multi album deal and the revenue is based on album/merch sales. You sound like you know what you're doing. Just be careful with the specifics. It can get messy.
For reference, I worked a deal with an indie label for $15k up front in 2011. We ended up not taking that offer and just getting private investments which allowed us more freedom in how we spent the cash and how we paid it back. To me the idea of taking money from a label up front is just not appealing. It's just asking for trouble. You take out a loan with them yet you don't actually pay them back. They pay themselves back which I don't like. It means you have to pay close attention to all the figures and watch all of the expenses they're charging to your account. I've seen it get ugly when an artist thinks they've recouped but the label disagrees. The label is the one handling the accounting so it leaves the artist in a tough position.
For reference, I worked a deal with an indie label for $15k up front in 2011. We ended up not taking that offer and just getting private investments which allowed us more freedom in how we spent the cash and how we paid it back. To me the idea of taking money from a label up front is just not appealing. It's just asking for trouble. You take out a loan with them yet you don't actually pay them back. They pay themselves back which I don't like. It means you have to pay close attention to all the figures and watch all of the expenses they're charging to your account. I've seen it get ugly when an artist thinks they've recouped but the label disagrees. The label is the one handling the accounting so it leaves the artist in a tough position.
in your case i would say that you shouldnt get a signing bonus and youre lucky if anyone wastes their time trying to help you get established. artists that are already established arent even turning a profit. you can front on here about a deal like ive seen other artists do but when everything is said and done.............. they fulla shit too.
this how it is. if you have a proven track record to base your performance from, then youre talking. for example........ you release a cd and sell 5000 units @ $7/unit within a 6 month period. if thats the case then you dont need a label unless they can help you move 500000 units in a 6 month period.
this how it is. if you have a proven track record to base your performance from, then youre talking. for example........ you release a cd and sell 5000 units @ $7/unit within a 6 month period. if thats the case then you dont need a label unless they can help you move 500000 units in a 6 month period.
It's more like the label I'm dealing with doesn't have the experience to know the dynamics of selling cds out of the records stores...they haven't had one release yet. The previous deal of $30k after our second meeting has went up to $50k as a front on future royalty earned and the company will handle the video, clothing, ect outside of that money, but still charge it against albums sold. I am still able to put on mid range shows without infringing on the Record companies activities. My shows now will range from 5k-8k in productions whereas in 2010 it was more like 1k with me profiting 1k-1.5k...so that means the venues will go from 200 to 500 capacity. Which I might see a profit of 8k to 10k pr show...while the record company has plans of putting on shows at venues that hold 2,000 to 5,000 people so my activity is mild promotions for myself that will help as they put me on as a opener for whatever major act they bring out.
They're initial interest in me, "Ugly Nigga" as a rapper/ promoter was because of the way I can get my name out faster and further than most independent rappers. I throw my own shows, route my own flyers 10,000 to 1,000 stops in 3-5 days (no need to hand flyers to people), crank out my own t-shirts: Ugly Nigga, Pretty Bitch, Ugly Bitch shirt lines, freeway banners etc...I just have a more efficient vehicle than most...not all...just most...95% of (independent artists) have. So with the deal it helps me further Ugly Nigga the promoter which in turn helps Ugly Nigga the rapper. Ugly Nigga the image or brand has a radius of around 2 million people around the Bay Area that know, have seen or heard of him. This company wants to invest in bringing all those collective people to concentrate to recognizing that Ugly Nigga is a rapper.
I'm a start up rapper but not a start up name/ business.
They're initial interest in me, "Ugly Nigga" as a rapper/ promoter was because of the way I can get my name out faster and further than most independent rappers. I throw my own shows, route my own flyers 10,000 to 1,000 stops in 3-5 days (no need to hand flyers to people), crank out my own t-shirts: Ugly Nigga, Pretty Bitch, Ugly Bitch shirt lines, freeway banners etc...I just have a more efficient vehicle than most...not all...just most...95% of (independent artists) have. So with the deal it helps me further Ugly Nigga the promoter which in turn helps Ugly Nigga the rapper. Ugly Nigga the image or brand has a radius of around 2 million people around the Bay Area that know, have seen or heard of him. This company wants to invest in bringing all those collective people to concentrate to recognizing that Ugly Nigga is a rapper.
I'm a start up rapper but not a start up name/ business.
Props:
MIIthasav
so a 1 album deal w/ 50 k upfront? this sounds like all the other to good to be true deals i see on here that the artist ends up not taking the deal at all for various reasons but the number reason imo................. bullshit. lol. it would make more sense that if you are a good promoter, then the label would hire you to do promotions. so if this is the real deal........ take as much as you can get upfront and dont blow it on bullshit because that may very well be the last money you will ever recieve from the label. but if you make money doing shows then why waste your time dealing with a label to put out music when you can do that on your own?
Props:
Gemini
I can do it on my own but this situation is WAY bigger. Because with this deal I get contractual money as a recording artist and I have a promoters deal that doesn't infringe upon the record companies bigger shows (the promoters part does not have a contract) it is only an agreement that they will assist me so if they lag in anyway, I can use my signing bonus money to get it done. I use their assistance in doing multiple shows that in turn helps out with the other artists on the label being active. So I get paid 100% of the door from that aspect as well. So I am coming on as a rapper/ promoter with my built in hype machine...I am able to throw like 4 shows a month in various areas do to the fact I can route flyers anywhere in the United States so my targeted areas would be Oakland, San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, Modesto, Redding, Fresno, Reno all places where I have thrown 3 to 5 shows in the past and will ad Vegas, Oregon and Texas. In addition I will see if I can work out an incentive clause that if I reach a certain goal or goals that the deal will yield me more money if the result(s) are achieved.
Props:
MIIthasav