| Thursday 4 September 2008 |
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More ways to wriggle out of a record deal
If you're desperate to escape a suffocating contract but can't use the California Labor Law, these ingenious deal breakers should do the trick. Last week, I discussed how Jared Leto's band 30 Seconds to Mars invoked the California Labor Law to try and wriggle out of their record deal. Of course, you can only use that law if your deal was actually signed in California. Snoop Dogg found that out in 2006 when attempting to end his publishing deal with EMI so he could sign a more lucrative one with a rival company. His music may be West Coast, but a court ruled the deal - which was signed in NYC - wasn't.
So, for all the artists who don't live in the Golden State, here are some other ways to escape a record deal. Suffer a physical and emotional breakdown
Like Mariah Carey did only months after signing a record deal with EMI's Virgin Records for a reported $80m. After releasing an album (Glitter) that was less than successful by her standards (not to mention the movie of Glitter), the label decided that it was more economically viable to buy her contract out for $28m - only a year after it was originally signed - than to keep her on the roster. She went on to sign with Island/Def Jam that same year for $20m, and has since released some of her most successful albums to date. (excerpt from Guardian)
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