can someone tell me if this sounds like a good deal?? An a&r heard my music. said he has a semi major artist (finalist for a major talent show "the voice", american idol, americas got talent... I cant say which but one of those big shows. and songs I made that took me a while and are some of my favorite songs are the ones he heard on my site. He wants to buy exclusives for $500 each and 2.5 points on the album. then 50/50 publishing with the writer contract. but what if the songs are a flop?? I mean I loose exclusive songs to an artist that was only a finalist not a winner. It has big backing like thousands and thousands in "marketing". What should I do.. lawyers are so expensive. He is sending me the contracts tonight but I already sent him my protools session files. I have my stuff copyrwritten.

Question... what would you do?... is this worth the deal/ foot in the door. and never being able to use some of my favorite songs again on any other project? or any advice?

 

Oh man, I think it's very hard to give good advice about this. There are so many factors to consider and a lot depends on your personal views and situation. And I've never dealt with any record companies.
But when I got my first assignments as composer I joined an organization for songwriters/composers, and they handled all the contracts, payments and legal mumbo jumbo. I guess this works different in different countries, but maybe there's some similar organization where you live where you could get some advice?

 

As mentioned, it's a personal decision based on your needs, aspirations ..etc.

One thing for sure, just because you are getting the contracts it doesn't mean you need to rush into signing them. Yes lawyers are expensive, but unfortunately that's the safe way to negotiate. Very often labels will take advantage of an unrepresented artist like yourself. And often will pressure to sign quickly ... I would continue to reach out to anyone and everyone you know who may have additional info. You may have more resources available than you think!

The plus side is of course "a foot in the door" , but really there are many ways to put your foot in the door. The idea is to try to break in on several different levels to see which one pans out the most. So if these are your prized and only "top tracks" ...something to consider. $1000 - $2000 can disappear quickly.

My company also signed a couple of tracks from one or two American Idol finalists (for licensing tv/film). They have nice voices, but not too much action on the licensing front. On the average only a small handful of finalists have broken through.

Perhaps ask your self "Do I like this person's music?" If you do than maybe it's worth the risk and worth the experience of creating something you are proud of. If you are just doing it for the money or a foot in the door, I ham a bit skeptical you will be satisfied with the end results. (That said, I am just a guy on the internet so i don't know your situation)

I assume this is a small indie label? If so make sure it is ... there are many "indie" labels out there now that are actually under the umbrella of one of the majors. Kind of a way to appear "small" in order to cut more cost effective deals.

Regardless of all of this...congrats on the interest. It's exciting and I assume it is encouraging for you to keep making more great tunes!

 

May I ask what was the final result?
Did you signed the contract, how it went?

 

"He wants to buy exclusives for $500 each and 2.5 points on the album. then 50/50 publishing with the writer contract."

500$ sounds like real cheap.
50/50 publishing sounds like a joke.

If you need a fast 500$ and it's guaranteed go for it, but this prices break the market. Depend on how much time you put in these.