The Sub Pop Record Label Wants My Demos

Do artist still get paid if they are with a record label?

Yes and no.Yes - an artist earns money when their record sells (via an artist royalty). The record company will pay them a percentage based on album/download/streaming income provided they had no “advance”.No - if they received an advance upfront (say $50,000 to record the album + living expenses + etc.) and they have not yet recouped (paid back) the label’s investment. The $50k is a loan and they won’t earn additional money from record sales until that money is paid back.It’s very likely Alan Jackson recouped any advance for his past records.An artist will typically earn more if they control their recording rights, have their own distribution, and don’t have any middlemen (label) in the equation. This Mic write-up about Chance the Rapper explains in greater depth the DIY-ethos and how it positively impacts revenue. Alan did launch his own imprint (Alan’s Country Records) in 2011[1] as a joint-venture with EMI Nashville, meaning he likely has greater control over his recordings than most other artists.Today in the United States, an artist AND their record label are NOT paid for any radio play. They’re only paid for album sales, downloads, and streams. The United States is one of the few countries in the world that doesn’t have a “performance royalty” on sound recordings. The songwriter + music publishers are paid. The label + artist are not from such usage.An artist earns money if they’ve recouped their initial advance, OR they’ve not had an advance to begin with. Artists typically earn more money from merchandise, touring, and other streams than album sales alone.People who say “artists don’t earn any money” are misguided. They don’t earn money if they’ve been locked into a crappy contract. They do earn money if they have leverage in their deal and can negotiate a favorable deal, or do it themselves.Footnotes[1] Thirty Miles West - Wikipedia

Why many artists are signed to more than one label? Can't record labels be considered competitors?

In the electronic world, artists can sign different songs to different record labels. In this particular situation the record label signs the song but not the artist. I currently have tracks signed to 3 different record labels. Two of them are boutique house music labels (run by the primary artist/DJ) and one is a more general EDM label. The success of one song will drive consumers to find other tracks, so it can end up working out for everybody.Now that the market is more singles driven, it is less risky for a label to give an artist a singles deal. This is more attractive to both parties then a five album deal.In each scenario, the label will invest their resources in the song but not the overall body of work. This also allows the artist to work in different genres while putting out music. Deep house, dubstep and progressive house are the current genres that I am working in within the labels. If I was signed exclusively to a label, there may be more restrictions in regards to the type of music I could put out.In the case of an artist as big as Skillrex, three of the labels you listed are under the Warner Music Group umbrella (All but Deadmau5 who is listed under the patent label Ultra). Occasionally a parent company will move the artist to a different label that is a better match. A good example of this is the pop artist Poppy, who started at Island Records and was moved to Interscope. Both are under Universal Music Group. The labels may appear to be competitors, but they are funneling money into the same parent company.There is also the example of guest track, which can bring an artist from one label on to a different label as a guest artist or feature.Hope this helps!

What is the best free screen capture tool for recording a tutorial/demo video for a PC?

Disclaimer: founder of Loom (company of the tool I’m about to talk about).Our extension for recording is - and will always be - 100% free. At the moment of me writing this answer, we have a little over 400,000 users and a 5/5 star rating, and I think there’s a very good reason for that. Loom is a minimalistic recorder that captures your screen, mic and (optionally) front-facing camera and instantly serves you a publicly shareable URL.Here are the pros:100% FreeUnlimited recording timeBlazing fast shareable URLs that are ready instantly after you’ve finished recording.The ability to have inline video previews like YouTube does from these shareable URLs on Facebook, Twitter, iMessage, etc.The ability to embed these videos on your own website.Password-protection on videos.Notifications when people watch and comment on your videosTimestamped CommentsVideo DescriptionsEmoji reactions on videosAbility to trim videosA full Gmail integration that allows you to embed videos in your emails.If you’ve ever experienced the pain of making a QuickTime recording or something similar and then having to upload that recording somewhere just to shoot it out to people, your suffering is over. All you have to do is install the extension and click this button in your toolbar:

Is it worth recording a song in a professional music studio?

I might be a bit biased, since I am the founder of a professional (online) music studio myself, but I’m going to say ‘yes’. :)If you want your song to be broadcast-worthy, then it’s better to leave the recording and arranging to the professionals. If you opt for a professional music studio, what you’ll get is a broadcast-worthy song, ready to be sent to major music labels.At Supreme Tracks, we’ve had the pleasure of working with some truly great artists and improving their demos in the best way possible. I want to share with you a case study about Country Song Production Services which guides you through the process of song production from the very beginning to the end. If you listen to the song samples in the study, you’ll see just how beneficial hiring a professional studio can be. :)Keep in mind that professional studios have a variety of musicians at their disposal (from guitars to strings), lots of high-quality equipment, and expert engineers to lay down your track, which is something you can’t really find in home-based studios, can you? By the time a pro studio is done with your demo, you’ll have a song you’re proud of.Sure, you might spend a bit more on your song than you intended to in the first place, but if you pick your studio right, this won’t be all that much. For example, at Supreme Tracks you’ll spend half the money you normally would in a “real-life” studio, because everything is done online.So, yeah. The gist of it is this (and my advice to you): if you want your song to succeed, then make sure to do everything right. Don’t opt for shortcuts (although it might be tempting) if you want your songs to be the best of the best. Do your research, pick the studio that matches what you need the most, and get to work.

Are there any other music channels similar to NCS, Monstercat, Goblins from Mars, Galaxy Music, Tasty, Spinnin Records, xKito, etc?

Depends what you're into but I'll share my favourites:UKF (including their channels: UKF, UKF Drum & Bass, UKF Dubstep and UKF Live)The main channel, UKF, features house and other EDM genres not represented by Drum & Bass or Dubstep. In my opinion, though I'm a big D&B fan, UKF Drum & Bass is the best of the channels in quality of music. That channel got me started on drum & bass properly and has been a guiding light since. They focus specifically on club music though, and have a strong bias towards UK music, which I like because I'm English.The true hidden gem of EDM channels is InspectorDubplate. Uploads a wide variety of Bass Music (geared towards the London club scene mostly) but also supports a number of internet based producers such as Ramzoid and GRYNPYRET. Started off as a dubstep channel but now features plenty of dubstep inspired house and UK garage, downtempo, and the occasional jazzy song. Overall it's pretty genre defying these days; and it spawned the record label 'Inspected.' which is to a large degree responsible for launching the careers of KOAN Sound, Culprate and Joe Ford. Chilled releases every Sunday afternoon and mind bending bangers in between.AllTrapMusic is also worth a look if you're into that, they get all the best stuff.I'll also agree with Soorena Soleimani on looking at record labels, but I realise that a new audience of EDM listeners is emerging that aren't necessarily into club culture. Because record labels tend to revolve around putting on club nights for their artists their music tends to be more club focussed, serious, dark and dance floor focused. However, if you're not put off by the vibe, here are some with youtube channels to check out:OWSLA - The home of Skrillex & friends.mau5trap - The home of deadmau5 & friends (Skrillex, once upon a time).RAM Records - The home of pop drum & bass: Wilkinson UK & Sub FocusMTA Records  - The home of big producers trying to be pop stars: Nero, Chase & Status and Dimension. Quite a diverse range of genres, with lots of vocals.Hospital Records  - The home of much uplifting, soulful drum & bass.Inspected - The home of forward thinking, genre bending UK bass.If your into less 'club' styled EDM then I can recommend these SoundCloud pages:Soda Island future classic