FruitarGeek wrote
So, this solo artist I play with has been approached by a record company known as Black Coffee. They are offering her a deal which entitles recording, distribution, printing of all her CD's. Now the only catch is that she has to fork out half of the costs, i.e. R40 000 and they will pay the other R40 000. How does this work in SA, as far as Ive always been concerned, its the Record companies duty to pay for it all, and they obviously get their money back with CD sales or something like that.
Not necessarily. That's the sort of "classic" model but it's not the only way of doing it. Many artists chose to bear the cost of recording themselves and use a record company for manufacture, distribution and promotion. The label still gets a cut, but their reduced up-front investment is reflected in their cut.
One thing your friend should get cleared up before signing is where ownership of the recordings resides. She's paying half the up front costs, so who ends up owning the finished product?
