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# Artists Are Increasingly Rejecting Record Deals
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/artists-increasingly-rejecting-record-deals/
- Published: 2019-03-06T13:01:00.000Z
- Updated: 2019-03-06T13:01:00.000Z
- Description: Some record executives are starting to sweat, as the music industry morphs into one where the climate is significantly more favorable towards a DIY way of doing business and many. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2019/03/artists-increasingly-rejecting-record-deals.html]
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: DIY Advice & Tips, Indie Music, Major Labels, Music Business, Songwriting & Music Publishing, DIY, DIY musicians, indie, labels, music, music industry, musician, musicians, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 10:00

[![2](https://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e20240a4422878200c-200wi "2")](https://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e20240a4422878200c-popup?ref=hypebot.com)Some record executives are starting to sweat, as the music industry morphs into one where the climate is significantly more favorable towards a DIY way of doing business and many artists are eschewing traditional label deals in favor of doing things their own way.

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Guest post by **Bobby Owsinski** of [Music 3.0](https://music3point0.com/2019/03/01/rejecting-record-deals/?ref=hypebot.com)If you speak with record executives, they’ll tell you privately that one of their biggest concerns is the fact that many artists are no longer interested in signing a recording contract. Thanks to the current DIY nature of the business and the fact that labels are more and more only considering “finished products,” artists no longer feel that a label has much to offer.A perfect example is the non-start negotiations with 16-year-old Memphis rapper **NLE Choppa,** who’s recent **YouTube** video of his song “Shotta Flow” garnered major label attention after it hit 10 million views. In fact, a bidding war among record companies like **Republic, Interscope** and **Caroline** soon [reached bids as high as $3 million](https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8498476/nle-choppa-turned-down-a-3-million-record-deal-partner-united-masters?ref=hypebot.com), which the rapper promptly declined.Instead he entered into a deal with indie distributor **UnitedMasters** which allowed him to maintain ownership of his material, but without providing an advance. The artist realized that he could make the full amount of royalties from streaming networks like **Spotify, Apple Music** and others rather than splitting with a record label. UnitedMasters now distributes music for 30,000 artists.For many artists, the idea of a record deal is still the epitome of their musical existence. The problem is that most who feel that way haven’t yet spent any time connected with a label, where the reality is much different than the perception.The fact is that a record label is a business that, especially today, spends its time working on projects that are hot, while turning their back on what they think is not. You only have a short time to prove yourself before you’re “not.”But artists today have heard all the stories and are far less likely to give up control, especially after they’ve achieved a little success on their own. The lure of the record label deal isn’t what it once was, and maybe that’s a good thing.