OT:Record Contract or BS?

[fredsparky]

Today I got an email from someone stating they would like to discuss a contract. Has anyone here gotten anything like this or is it BS? Is it another MP3 website looking for subscribers??

Thier e-mail said:

"Statue is a major
independent record company and would like to discuss the possibility of
releasing this material and doing some radio promotion on it.
If your record is available for licensing and distribution please contact
me at your earliest opportunity by sending me an email.

Should I respond or is this a gimmick?

Mike

[Analog Kid]

Hey there....was that e-mail from a company you or an agent may have sent a demo to? If so, I woudl be inclined to write them back. Is there anything in the email to give you an idea of who they are? Is there a telephone#? I imagine you could always respond back and request a telephone#.....perhaps you can get a feel for them by talking to them (are they very forthcoming with info, or elusive with your questions to them). If you have enough info, try and research the company.

The Kid

[Rail Jon Rogut]

Have your attorney contact them to discuss an agreement.. that'll tell you if it's real or not.

Rail

[fredsparky]

Thanks much. I thought someone would have had a similar experirnce with these people.

[Bazzle]

I've heard a couple of stories of trollers who get the inexperienced all hyped up and then ask for some promotional money up front.

Do what Rail suggests, and always keep your head up.That's how the big fish eat,they eat the little fish.

[nukmusic]

Here you go my man http://www.bbb.org/ http://www.bbb.org/ http://www.bbb.org/ http://www.bbb.org/ http://www.bbb.org/ http://www.bbb.org/ http://www.bbb.org/ http://www.bbb.org/

DO your home work first.

[ejwells]

I get come-ons like that all the time. I haven't gotten that PARTICULAR one, but most places that say they want to "promote" you want a couple grand to do so. They want money to put you on some mp3 compilation disc, which nobody's ever going to hear.
My experience says that if someone really wants to discuss signing someone to a record contract, they call you on the phone.
Don't mean to be a bubble-buster, but with a CD on Amazon and CD Baby, I get this stuff all the time. I almost fell for Comstock Records, who DID call me, telling me how my record was the spookiest portrayal of the American West they'd heard in years, and how for only $1999.99 they could promote it overseas for me. They talked a good game. My lawyer laughed in my face.
That's my $.02

[stanonbass]

If someone is emailing you about a recording deal its probably a small time thing. Probably someone running the business out of their bedroom. But always feel stuff out. Check out their credentials. Real record deals are much more complicated. You play for A&R people. If they like you then they bring your music to the president. If he likes it he and the whole staff come and see you play. Then if everybody and mostly the pres are digging it. You get a deal memo in the mail. Then negotiations begin for about a month or more. Then if you can reach some kind of deal with the recording company your signed! Then you wait around for a year and they drop you. Thats the recording business. From my experience anyways. And its happened to me twice with majors. I wont mention which labels but most friends of mine that have had deals on majors have had the same thing happen. All it takes is a merger or a higher up getting fired and your deal is gone.

Stan

[hobo123455]

Get a phone # and call them. Ask where they got your demo, saw your show.. etc. You haven't lost anything if you haven't spent any money or signed anything.

[fredsparky]

Good advice. Thanks guys.