Video by The Business Side of Music via YouTube
Thinking about signing a record deal? Or wondering if you even need one anymore?
Sandy McGraw has worked full time in the music business since he was 15. He started in publishing doing archival work on his great grandfather’s songwriting catalog, worked at a boutique jazz label in high school, moved to Los Angeles at 19 to work with Michael Feinstein, and went on to tour manage and day to day manage for Liza Minnelli. Today he runs Melody Place, an independent record label in Nashville.
Sarah sits down with Sandy to talk about what a record deal really looks like now, and why the old “sign it, take the advance, see you later” model doesn’t hold up anymore. Sandy explains why his label structures deals as 50/50 net profit splits, why he thinks the master ownership fight will matter less over time, and why he treats streaming as a marketing expense instead of an income source.
If you’re an independent artist, artist manager or young music industry professional trying to figure out how labels, 360 deals and artist development work today, start here.
In this episode:
* How the modern record deal is different from deals 10 or 20 years ago
* Why indie labels do the artist development majors won’t
* 360 deals explained, and why aligned interests can mean bigger budgets for the artist
* What an A&R person actually looks for (hint: it’s still the song)
* Master ownership, net profit deals, and why your masters are your 401k
* Streaming royalties vs. real income: touring, superfans, merch, PROs and SoundExchange
* Why sync licensing is more crowded than people think
* What labels offer now beyond distribution: management help, booking, networking and time to develop
* Where record deals are headed in the next five years
* How labels and artists are using AI music tools, and why transparency matters
* Sandy’s one piece of advice: passion isn’t enough
The Business Side of Music helps independent artists and entertainment professionals understand the business so they can focus on the art.
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