Topic

Record-deals

Do you need a music lawyer? When to hire one, what it costs and how to keep the bill small
Most independent artists do not need a lawyer for every release, but a few moments justify one every time: signing anything with a term of years, assigning copyright, and disputes you might take to court. This guide covers those triggers, the main ways lawyers charge, the rules that limit how they can charge in the US and India, and how to prepare so you pay for judgement rather than reading time. Laws and rules checked on 25 Oct 2026.
25 Oct 2026Workflows
Record and distribution deal red flags: term, recoupment and AI training clauses to read before you sign
Three parts of a contract decide most of what an artist gives away: how long it lasts, how the money flows back to the label, and what the other side may do with your recordings and voice in an AI model. Here is what to look for in each, the laws that already limit some of them, and the questions to ask before you sign, as we read the sources on 24 Oct 2026.
24 Oct 2026Workflows
360 deals vs distribution vs label services: which deal takes what
A distributor licenses your music for a fee and takes nothing else. A label-services company licenses your masters for a few years and keeps a larger cut. A traditional label usually owns the masters and pays you a royalty, and a 360 deal adds a share of touring, merch and other income on top. Here is what each one takes, in one table, and when each makes sense for an independent artist.
22 Sept 2026Industryvia UK Competition and Markets Authority
Recoupment explained: why an artist with a hit can still be "in debt" to the label
A record advance is paid back out of your royalty share, not your bank account, so at a 20% royalty a $50,000 advance needs about $250,000 of revenue before you see another cent. Here is the arithmetic, what cross-collateralization and recoupable costs do to it, and what to negotiate before you sign.
14 Sept 2026Industryvia UK Competition and Markets Authority
Timbaland's TaTa Taktumi gets a label deal, but the human behind the "hybrid AI artist" is still unnamed
Ne-Yo's Pacific Music Group is now the global label and Asia manager for TaTa Taktumi, the AI act from Timbaland's Stage Zero, which has been recast as a "hybrid artist" with a private performer of Filipino heritage behind it. Nobody has said who gets paid, who is credited, or what that performer owns.
26 Mar 2026AIvia US Copyright Office

Do you need a music lawyer? When to hire one, what it costs and how to keep the bill small

Record and distribution deal red flags: term, recoupment and AI training clauses to read before you sign

360 deals vs distribution vs label services: which deal takes what

Recoupment explained: why an artist with a hit can still be "in debt" to the label

Timbaland's TaTa Taktumi gets a label deal, but the human behind the "hybrid AI artist" is still unnamed

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