Distribution contract terms
We are not currently accepting submissions.
Below is an outline of the key points in our recording contract. Once we accept your music submission and want to sign you on our label, we'll send you our recording contract, which expresses (in legalese, unfortunately) these key points.
- Non-exclusive license: you're giving us a license to sell your music, but you can sign agreements with others. This means you can sell your own music at concerts, as well as sign with another label.
- You own your rights: we only sign contracts with musicians or their management, and the musician must own the rights to their own music. We do not sign contracts with labels or licensing companies.
- Contract is limited to music you submit: our contract extends only to the music you submit to us. There is no future obligation to send us your music.
- 100% of album sales go to you: anyone can buy any of your albums for $8, and they pay you directly, to your own PayPal account. Magnatune keeps nothing and takes no deductions.
- Website memberships fund Magnatune: Magnatune keeps 100% of these fees. Members can stream and download the music, and may use it in a limited manner under the Magnatune Project Licence, which requires them to credit you.
- Broadcast, cinema and in-store licensing is yours: TV and radio broadcast, cinema, and background music in shops, restaurants or on-hold lines are not covered by membership. We send those enquiries to you, and you license your music directly, on your own terms. You keep 100% of the money from those licenses: nothing is due to us.
- Creative Commons license: your music will be under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. This lets people get more value out of your music than major label music: they can legally copy it to their computers and devices, make non-commercial mixes for their friends, remix it for personal use, and more, as long as they don't make money from it.
- No advance: we do not provide any advances upon signing.
- No samples or copyrighted cover songs: we cannot release any music that has copyrighted samples in it (please make all your own samples) or is from a copyrighted song someone else has written. Songs in the public domain (such as classical) are fine.
- You own your music: if you've been previously signed, or are currently signed, to another record label, you may not be able to sign with Magnatune. Many recording contracts have exclusivity provisions in them, even if the record label goes under. You should consult a lawyer to see how your current recording contract limits you. After signing with Magnatune, you still own 100% of the copyright to your music: you are simply granting us a non-exclusive license to it.
- Paid instantly: album sales are paid straight to your PayPal account at the moment of purchase. Keep a working PayPal address on file in your artist account, so buyers can pay you.
- Transparent bookkeeping: you can see every sale of your albums in your PayPal account, and in your Magnatune artist account.
- PR materials: you will supply us with album art, group photographs (high quality, suitable for posters and press kits), and a biography. You give us the right to use your likeness for promotional purposes.