It's not my goal to get signed to a record label. No label rep in their right mind would ever agree to my terms. I've had more success as an independent recording/mix engineer than I could ever hope for as an artist.chj wrote:Isn't a record deal part of both your goals? You provided the beats, he provided the rap. Apparently he made the right connections and got signed. Then he came back and asked if you'd like to work on his album. Isn't that what a producer of beats would WANT? Did he ask you to "contribute" your beats with no compensation? That would not be fair, but that's where negotiations would start.justin3am wrote:Someone I used to know made a CD that was basically him rapping over some of the first instrumental tracks I recorded. He didn't give me credit. He was signed to some independent record label based on the those tracks and he had the audacity to ask me if I would contribute the "beats" for his new album. I politely told him to f**k himself.
I had given this person a CD of my tracks to listen to. I didn't know he had been claiming these tracks as his own until a mutual friend brought me "his" cd. There was no agreement at any time between us. This person came to me after representing my work as his own and basically said "We got signed! And by 'we' I mean 'me'... I got signed. Now can you please make some more songs for me to rap over?" Even if he wasn't trying to exploit me, I had no desire to give anyone permission to distribute my work unless it was on my terms. Sure, if by "...he made the right connections and got signed." you mean he sucked up to the right people, then yes, he achieved his goal... But as far as I know he got stuck in a contract he didn't understand and ultimately got screwed over by the label.
Getting signed and making a career out of your music, aren't the same thing.