M
musicman
Guest
Ok, here's my senario...
I was contacted by a small (one man) label that wanted to release my cd under license. I had recorded a full cd and released it independantly and they wanted to manufacture and re-release it. we worked out all the details of the contract and I (foolishly) sent off a master for then to manufacture from. I didn't have a contract yet as it was in the mail, but being naive and excited about the cd being re-released, I hurriedly sent off a master.
I recieved the contract soon thereafter. There were problems with a few of the agreed details.
1. For "mechanical royalty" we had agreed on 100% of the minimum statutory per selection rate in the form of an advance. the contract stated 75% and an advance of "0" dollars.
2. For royalties based on sales, we had agreed to 6%. The contract stated 5%.
So, I did not sign my contract and asked that the contract be revised to reflect our original agreement. A new contract never came. I never signed the contract i had.
The label goes ahead and manufactures my album from the master I sent. They secured distribution through a small national distro company. You can find this album on CDNOW, Amazon.com as well as many retail stores across the country. One of my singles hit #1 on an internation radio chart.
I NEVER SIGNED MY CONTRACT. I did not give them the right to manufacture and distribute my album. After repeated requests for a revised contract, I was ignored. I have signed nothing.
On top of the fact that I never even signed my contract, I've never recieved a penny in royalties of any kind.
I'm broke. I can't afford a lawyer. Is there any sort of orginization that helps artists in this situation? Is there anything I can do?
musicman
I was contacted by a small (one man) label that wanted to release my cd under license. I had recorded a full cd and released it independantly and they wanted to manufacture and re-release it. we worked out all the details of the contract and I (foolishly) sent off a master for then to manufacture from. I didn't have a contract yet as it was in the mail, but being naive and excited about the cd being re-released, I hurriedly sent off a master.
I recieved the contract soon thereafter. There were problems with a few of the agreed details.
1. For "mechanical royalty" we had agreed on 100% of the minimum statutory per selection rate in the form of an advance. the contract stated 75% and an advance of "0" dollars.
2. For royalties based on sales, we had agreed to 6%. The contract stated 5%.
So, I did not sign my contract and asked that the contract be revised to reflect our original agreement. A new contract never came. I never signed the contract i had.
The label goes ahead and manufactures my album from the master I sent. They secured distribution through a small national distro company. You can find this album on CDNOW, Amazon.com as well as many retail stores across the country. One of my singles hit #1 on an internation radio chart.
I NEVER SIGNED MY CONTRACT. I did not give them the right to manufacture and distribute my album. After repeated requests for a revised contract, I was ignored. I have signed nothing.
On top of the fact that I never even signed my contract, I've never recieved a penny in royalties of any kind.
I'm broke. I can't afford a lawyer. Is there any sort of orginization that helps artists in this situation? Is there anything I can do?
musicman