Deck 9: Odds of the Game

Question 1

Acts and bands are still often discovered through local personalities, radio station DJs, local promoters, and record store owners who inform regional label distribution and promoters about the "local buzz" an act is creating.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The top global labels are owned by

A) RCA Records
B) Sony
C) Universal
D) Warner (music)
E) Disney

Answer 2

B,C,D,E

Question 3

Examples of independent record labels include

A) RCA Records
B) Curb Record
C) MCA Records
D) Deutsche Gramophone Records
E) Motown

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The keys to being a successful label include

A) World distribution
B) Acts/artists signed
C) Money
D) Promotion
E) Publicity

Question 5

The best ways to get noticed by labels (if you're an act) is to

A) Set up a website
B) Provide a showcase
C) Send a pitch memo to A&R
D) Have a fan base, buzz, tour, and record sales
E) Post a video on YouTube

Question 6

Disney owns

A) The ABC TV network in the United States
B) The ESPN sports network
C) Pixar Animation Studios
D) Cruise ships
E) Touchstone Pictures

Question 7

A deal memo is

A) Sent from the artist to the label
B) Sent from the label to a prospective artist
C) Details from the act about what they want in a possible deal
D) Explained from the act's viewpoint the amount in advances, tour support, and what producers require for their recordings
E) The way to provide the basic points offered by a label including options, advances, etc.

Question 8

Recording artists should look at a record deal as

A) A way to get rich
B) A shot to become famous and to see if their artisty and image can build a fan base
C) A way to become politically involved in issues
D) A method or way to employ your family and friends in the industry
E) An opportunity to work with a label to create a win/win situation for both

Question 9

What are acts really agreeing to in most record deals?

A) That the label will pay all front-end expenses such as recordings, advances, development, promotion, and publicity (with tour support)
B) That the artist is responsible to pay all debt to the label or make up the differences if enough money is not generated
C) That 75% of the music publishing royalties of a song (songwriter's share reduced to 50%) and the label receiving 100% of the publishing share if you wrote the material
D) The label will own the master recording 100%
E) That you will become an employee of the company with health care and a retirement fund being paid to the artists

Question 10

The term ""you will cause"" in a recording deal means

A) The label will cause a list of things to happen
B) The artists will cause a list of things to happen
C) The label will hire the producer, musicians, and background singers for the album sessions
D) The labels will provide the songs and determine which songs the act will sing
E) The artists will be required to pay all bills for the session

Question 11

Major record labels are ""signatories"" to union deals, which means they

A) Will hire SAG-AFTRA musicians for sessions
B) Will hire AF of M singers for the sessions
C) Will pay union scale
D) Will pay the producer and audio engineers union rates for their work
E) Will only release under their label union-created entertainment products

Question 12

Artist royalties for albums and singles sold are often in the range of

A) 12-15 points
B) 70% of the suggested retail street price
C) 40% of the digital wholesale price
D) 20 points or more if the act is a superstar
E) 30% of the digital wholesale price

Question 13

A development deal from a label means

A) The label will provide global distribution of the project
B) The deal is for seven years with seven albums and at least $100,000 in advances
C) That if the label rejects the master, they will use it as a tax write-off deal
D) The label will pay for recording expenses
E) That the artist is being offered an opportunity to develop material as a major act

Question 14

Sony Pictures is a signatory to union contracts, including

A) IFPI
B) Edgar Bronfman
C) The Teamsters
D) The International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees ("IATSE")
E) The union of British Columbia Performers and the Directors Guild of Canada

Question 15

The current problems facing the entertainment industry have been caused by

A) The development of the Internet
B) A change in consumers' behavior as they now acquire products free
C) Personal devices such as computers and iPhones
D) A shift in the quality of the programming of entertainment products

Question 16

Major record labels always take money from the wannabe acts to launch their operations and fund their deals.

Question 17

In 2015, Sony expressed its concerns about the impact of copyright infringement on the future of their business.

Question 18

An example of an affiliate label is Maverick Records that was owned by Madonna.

Question 19

Most recording artists never receive any royalties from their recordings.

Question 20

Most new acts on labels today are signed at the decision of the president of the label themselves.

Question 21

""Greatest Hit"" albums count as one of the artist's required albums in a typical record deal.

Question 22

A ""commitment album"" in a recording deal refers to the album the artist has agreed to record.

Question 23

Consumers' continuous use of illegal downloading and streaming has reduced the labels' economies of scale to a point that makes it difficult to break even financially, even with reduced budgets and limited artist rosters.

Question 24

The labels' new business models are tied to

A) Selling albums
B) Selling singles
C) Controlling access to shows, merchandise, and streaming (royalties)
D) Distributing their recorded products to rack jobbers, one-stops, record clubs, and mass merchandisers
E) Providing free goods to retail

Question 25

Most record deals are for

A) Six months
B) One year and one recording
C) Three years and three albums
D) Seven years and seven albums
E) A lifetime exclusive deal

Question 26

A packaging fee is

A) A percentage of the suggested retail list price that is substracted to determine a new royalty base
B) A fee charged to the artists for each unit being packed and sold at retail
C) A fee charged to consumers who return their purchased products to a retail store or outlet
D) A fee charged to the artists for digital units sold that were not properly encoded

Question 27

A master lease deal means that

A) The major distribution label will pay all recording and marketing costs in exchange for a percentage of the profits
B) The label will ""lease back the master"" after one year
C) The superstar or personality who owns the label will pay all expenses and then lease the master to a major label (for distribution) in exchange for a percentage of the profits
D) Nothing, as such a deal does not exist
E) The recording artist will pay the label for a deal plus all promotion, publicity, and marketing expenses