Photo: mixmag.net
Photo: mixmag.net

For those of you who produce your own mixtapes and original music, there will hopefully come a day when a record label executive will pass you a pen and encourage you to sign on the dotted line. Maybe that has already happened to you.

That moment is probably one of the most exciting of your life. This is what you’ve been dreaming of, and now your dreams are coming true. All you see when you close your eyes is crowds of fans cheering you on as your fingers skate across the best DJ equipment available. The same DJ equipment that you can now afford because you’re suddenly raking in the dough and living among the rich and famous.

Hold on a minute.

The reality is that things aren’t always as they seem … and certainly not always as you want them to be. So, the first thing you need to do is to take that contract to a lawyer. Make sure that you understand everything that the label is asking you for. Make sure that you’re getting what you’re worth.

Read this: Major Label Goes Very, Very Wrong for tips on what not to do.