The Marketing Machine

You will rarely see it written into a contract, but it is important to keep in mind the reason that you, as an artist, are signing the contract. Yes, you want to make money, as discussed in the previous section -- it is nice to be paid for your work. But there is another reason why most acts are interested in signing a contract, especially if you are signing with a big label.

You are also looking for maximum exposure. You want the label to promote your record. Presumably, more promotion yields more sales, which is good for both parties. But even if there are no sales, promotion is good for your band because it gets your name out in the public more and more.

Roman Candle performing at Local 506 in Chapel Hill, NC Marketing can include promotional tours in high-profile clubs as well as promotional materials, such as band photos.

If possible, you would like to see some sort of minimum dollar commitment on the part of the label in the area of promotion written into the contract.